Instead of paying for honors to be bestowed upon its own
scientists, the genetic manipulator should listen to Pope Francis.
It was my privilege to
go to Des Moines recently for a World Food Prize extravaganza recognizing
Monsanto’s work against global hunger. But wait, Monsanto is not a
hunger-fighter. It’s a predatory proliferator of proprietary and genetically
engineered seeds.
That’s why I wasn't actually attending the ceremony to bestow a false halo on the corporate giant.
Rather, I was one of more than 500 scruffy “outsiders” in the city’s First
United Methodist Church to protest the Monsanto absurdity.
There, real-life Iowa
farmers spoke plainly about the countless abuses they have endured at the hands
of the genetic manipulator.
One pointed out that
if the corporation genuinely gave even one damn about hunger, it could've used
its immense lobbying clout in Washington this year to stop Congress from
stripping the entire food stamp program from the Farm Bill. Instead, Monsanto didn't lift a finger to help fend off hunger in our own country.
“It doesn't care at all about feeding the world,” the Iowa farmer said with disgust. “It cares about profits, period.”
Indeed, Monsanto is a
pitch-perfect example of what Pope Francis was
referencing in May, when he declared: “Widespread corruption
and selfish fiscal evasion have taken on worldwide dimensions. The will to
power and of possession has become limitless. Concealed behind this attitude is
a rejection of ethics.”
How ironic, then, that Monsanto bought
this year’s World Food Prize for itself, just to masquerade as a
world hunger fighter, hoping to persuade the Vatican to bless its demonic
effort to force the world’s poor farmers to buy and become dependent on its
patented seeds.
The World Food Prize
Foundation says it recognizes contributions for “agriculture.” But Monsanto has
zero to do with agri-culture. It’s the agri-business face of the
unethical, selfish, corruption that the Pope warned about.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is
a radio commentator, writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the
populist newsletter, The Hightower
Lowdown. OtherWords.org