ChrisInMaryville
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China Destroys 3 US Shipments of GM Corn
0Source: http://www.greenmedinfo.com
China Destroys 3 US Shipments of GM Corn
Could the global tide in support of GMOs be turning? A new report reveals that the formerly pro-GMO Chinese government, one of the largest consumers of GMO food crops in the world, is beginning to crack down on GM corn shipments from the US that have not followed appropriate biosafety regulations.
According to a news brief released today by GMWatch.org, China destroyed three shipments of GM corn imported from the US. GMWatch.org reported:
“The law says that the [Chinese] Ministry of Agriculture must require environmental and food safety tests to be carried out by Chinese institutions, in order to verify data provided by the seed developer. All these documents must be reviewed by the National Biosafety Committee before the MOA can issue a safety certificate. Yet these shipments of US corn did not have the relevant safety certificates and approval documents, according to the news reports below.”
The first two shipments are referenced on the website of the Zhuhai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, confirming that two illegal GM corn shipments entered Wanzai Port in Zhuhai City on May 7th, and were subsequently destroyed:
Recently, during inspection and quarantine of imported food from USA by a certain company, the Wanzai Office of Zhuhai Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (in Guangdong Province in the south of China) detected two shipments containing GM corn products, which are not in compliance with China’s “Entry and Exit of Genetically Modified Products Inspection and Quarantine Management Approach“. The Office destroyed the two shipments of corn according to the provisions.*
The existence of a third shipment was confirmed in a May 19th article appearing on news.china.com.cn titled, “Harbin intercepted a total of 115 kgs of GM corn seeds, which will be destroyed“:
Recently, the Harbin Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau intercepted inbound mail of 21 cartons of corn seeds from USA, totaling 115 kgs, which were detected as GM seeds. This is the first time that the Heilongjiang Provincial Inspection and Quarantine System has intercepted inbound corn seeds containing GM ingredients. These corn seeds will be destroyed. *
Surprisingly, despite these seemingly drastic steps by Chinese authorities to destroy GM seeds, an article in China Daily from last year explains that the consumption of GM soybeans is already universal in China, even despite widespread public concerns that they have not been adequately safety tested:
Summary: Imported RR soybeans (Roundup herbicide resistant GM soybeans) has already accounted to over 80% of total consumption of soybeans in China, but the assessment and approval procedures for the initial imported GM soybeans, has been oppugned that it’s examination procedures exists with defects. According to news reports, on Feb. 20, 2012, Gu Xiu-lin and other three citizens upon application were approved to check the “certification documents for the GM soybeans obtaining safety certificates”.
The China Daily article goes on to quote Shi Yan-quan, Deputy Director, Agricultural Finance and Education Dept., who stated on April 20, 2012, that over 50 million tons of GMO soybeans were imported to China in 2011 alone. The article also refers to the fact that for eight years, 1.3 billion Chinese consumers have been consuming Monsanto’s GM food crops, relying entirely on biotech-funded safety evaluations, without any independent safety testing carried out by the Chinese government. Additionally, a revealing study published in 2012 found that the Chinese print media is completely co-opted by biotech industry influence. They revealed that “48.1% of articles were largely supportive of the GM technology research and development programs and the adoption of GM cottons, while 51.9% of articles were neutral on the subject of GMOs. Risks associated with GMOs were mentioned in the newspaper articles, but none of the articles expressed negative tones in regards to GMOs.” The authors concluded: “Chinese print media is largely supportive of GMOs. It also indicates that the print media describes the Chinese government as actively pursuing national GMO research and development programs and the promotion of GM cotton usage.”
Are these latest incidents a sign that the Chinese government is beginning to take more seriously the health threats associated with the consumption of genetically modified food? According to the GMWatch.org report’s primary informant, who for purposes of anonymity goes by the pseudonym “Mr. Li”:
“[T]he new government’s decisive move to destroy the illegal GMOs “progressive, encouraging, and satisfying”. He regards it as a sign that it is keeping its promise to work for the people and the nation.
Mr Li said: “The deeply pro-GMO old government would not have made such a thing public. It would have secretly returned the shipments, or in most cases it would not even have inspected shipments that could contain GM ingredients.”
References
- GMWatch.org, China Destroys three Shipments of GM Corn from US, May 22nd, 2013
- *Translated by a Chinese citizen whose identity remains anonymous, but GMWatch refers to under the pseudonym as “Mr. Li.”
Sayer Ji is an author, researcher, lecturer, and advisory board member of the National Health Federation.
He founded Greenmedinfo.com in 2008 in order to provide the world an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. It is internationally recognized as the largest and most widely referenced health resource of its kind.
NBC’s Chuck Todd: The Obama administration is trying to “criminalize journalism”
0Source: http://www.againstcronycapitalism.org
This is Chuck Todd, NBC’s political news director saying this.
MSM Really is Dying
3Source: http://libertycalling.net
By Judy Morris
MSM Really is Dying

Cable TV news continues to bleed viewers and big newspapers have been bleeding readers for years. The alternate Internet media comprising independent journalist, bloggers and website operators are kicking MSM ass. Folks tend to blame the media for just about everything. However, in a nation of 310 million folks, hardly anybody is tuned in to prime time Fox, CNN and MSNBC for news.
Mediaite reports on prime time news coverage audiences by show and provides charts that divide audiences into two categories – the highly coveted 25-54 age group and total viewers.
Mediate reports:
Fox was #1 in total viewers for prime time with 2.603M viewers. CNN came in at #2 with 1.882M total viewers and, once again, MSNBC was third with 926K. Fox peaked at 8pm with a special report from Shepard Smith, which drew 3.107M total viewers. CNN’s peak came two hours later at 10pm with Cooper, who drew 2.053M total viewers.
During heavy coverage of the Oklahoma tornado Monday night in prime time, CNN was #1 in the 25-54 demo with 790K viewers. Fox came in second with 632K and MSNBC was a distant third with 337K. Anderson Cooper‘s 10pm broadcast was a high point for CNN, winning the demo in that hour with 916K viewers.
Also notable, Fox outpaced The Weather Channel, a major destination for storm coverage, which saw 1.245M total viewers in prime time.
There can be no question that cable TV news got a boost from the Oklahoma tornado coverage but if you look at the raw primetime viewer numbers, the numbers are indeed pathetic: Fox 2.6 million views, CNN 1.9, MSNBC 926,000 and Headline News 672,000.
The numbers are even more pathetic in the 18-54 age group: Fox 632,000, CNN 790,000, MSNBC 337,000 and Headline News 229,000.
Read the complete Mediate report at Mediate: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/monday-ratings-fox-wins-in-total-viewers-in-prime-time-cnn-wins-in-demo-msnbc-distant-3rd/
Warrantless Drone Surveillance Banned in Tennessee
0Source: http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com
On Monday, Governor Bill Haslam signed The Freedom of Unwarranted Surveillance Act, into law. This bill was introduced by Senator Mae Beavers, and had a roller coaster adventure through the legislative process. But it eventually passed – unanimously – in both state houses. The tally was 32-0 in the Senate and 91-0 in the House.
The new law states that drones are prohibited with the following exceptions:
(1) To counter a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specific individual or organization if the United States secretary of homeland security determines that credible intelligence indicates that there is such a risk;
(2) If the law enforcement agency first obtains a search warrant signed by a judge authorizing the use of a drone; or
(3) If the law enforcement agency possesses reasonable suspicion that, under particular circumstances, swift action is needed to prevent imminent danger to life. (a very high bar in legal standards)
A party aggrieved by a violation of this bill may initiate a civil action against a law enforcement agency to obtain all appropriate relief, as determined by the court, in order to prevent or remedy a violation of the new law. Evidence obtained or collected in violation of this new law will not be admissible as evidence in a criminal prosecution in any court of law in the state. Any law enforcement agency that uses a drone, or other substantially similar device to gather evidence or obtain information, must comply in all respects with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and article I, section 7, of the Constitution of Tennessee.
A BIG STEP FORWARD
Some activists have criticized the bill due to the particular exception allowing one person in the federal government to authorize drone use. While it does raise legitimate concerns, as things existed before today, Tennesseans had no protections against drones.
Prior to the new law, without The Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act:
1. The DHS could call on Tennessee to use drones for any “non-emergency” situation it wants.
2. The DHS could call on Tennessee to use drones for any emergency situation it wants.
3. Law enforcement in Tennessee could use drones in any situation they want.
Signing the bill into law eliminates number one and number three, so this bill ushers in a MASSIVE improvement over the status quo.
At this stage in the ‘drone game,’ the feds are working hard behind the scenes to get states to operate the drones for them.
In fact, the primary engine behind the expansion of drone surveillance being carried out by states and local communities is the Federal government itself. Department of Homeland Security issues large grants to local governments so that those agencies can purchase drones. Those grants, in and of themselves, are an unconstitutional expansion of power.
The goal? Fund a network of drones around the country and put the operational burden on the states. Once they create a web over the whole country, DHS steps in with requests for ‘information sharing.’ Bills like these put a dent in this kind of long-term strategy. Without the states and local communities operating the drones today, it’s going to be nearly impossible for DHS plans to – take off.
In fact, this has been as much as confirmed by a drone industry lobbyist who testified in opposition to a similar bill in Washington State, saying that such restrictions would be extremely destructive to the drone market and industry.
Without the new law signed by Governor Bill Haslam, the only thing standing between Tennessee and a full-fledged drone surveillance state was a little funding. And that’s coming down the pike in most states.
While the The Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act might not have been the perfect bill, it is a solid law which provides strict regulations on drone use. Activists in Tennessee need to keep the pressure on to ensure that further restrictions are put in place in the future.
LEGISLATION AND TRACKING
If you’re outside of Tennessee, please contact your own legislators regarding anti-drone legislation. If none has been introduced in your state, you can email them The Privacy Protection Act model legislation.
Track the status of drone nullification in states around the country HERE
About Kelli Sladick
I’m originally from Ohio. I’m a veteran of the US Navy. I graduated from undergrad with two degrees and one in graduate school. My current home is Nashville, TN.
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Photo added to original post.
Department of Homeland Security: Selling Counterfeit Goods is Now “Terrorism”
1Source: http://libertyblitzkrieg.com
If the IRS scandal wasn’t enough to convince you that bloated, corrupt, bureaucratic government institutions pose a greater threat to our freedoms than any terrorist attack ever could, this story should settle it once and for all. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not only wasteful, power hungry, and entirely unnecessary, it is also rapidly transforming itself into the Vampire Squid of government. In light of the fact that pretty much every terrorist plot the U.S. government has “thwarted” since 9/11 has been either FBI or CIA hatched schemes rooted in entrapment, the DHS has a lot of spare time on its hands to hunt frightening acts of “domestic terrorism.” You know, like fake Gucci bags. This story is beyond unacceptable. From WIVB Channel 4 News:
AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) – Federal agents swept through two shopping malls Monday, seizing fake merchandise and shutting down stores.
The Department of Homeland Security spearheaded the investigation that targeted mostly kiosks in the Walden Galleria and Boulevard Mall. Agents hauled bags and boxes out of the Boulevard Mall after stripping three kiosks of their merchandise.
Jim Spero, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Buffalo office of Homeland Security, says the sale of counterfeit goods – in Buffalo and beyond – poses a major security threat.
Oh please. Get over yourself Jim.
“When you purchase counterfeit goods, when you sell counterfeit goods, you don’t know who you’re dealing with. You don’t know what kind of criminal activity you’re supporting,” Spero said. “It’s actually organized crime that is behind the distribution of these goods. It could be terrorists as well.”
9/11 was bad, but the government created “war on terror” and all that has come with it, is far, far worse.
Full article here.
MasterCard Leading the Path Toward “A World Beyond Cash”
0
Source: http://www.occupycorporatism.com
By Susanne Posel
Occupy Corporatism
MasterCard Leading the Path Toward “A World Beyond Cash”
Earlier this month it was announced that MasterCard is supporting the Nigerian National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to create and distribute a biometric identification card to all Nigerian citizens in an effort to ensure all citizens participate in MasterCard services.
The National Identity Smart Cards (NISC) will assist the Nigerian government ensure that “the individual’s identity is being first affirmed.”
According to the National Identity Card Policy (NICP) document this “pilot program” is a precursor to a Universal Identification “infrastructure” wherein there will be the creation of:
• National Identity Management System (NIMS)
• National Identity Database (NID)
• National Indemnification Number (NIN)
The NISC will verify and authenticate the individual’s identity to the government against the information in the database. This card is manufactured with a microprocessor chip “designed to handle multiple applications including identity verification, authentication and payment functionalities.”
From the age of 16, citizens must have a NISC. The card “is property of the government” and cannot be damaged or destroyed without penalties being attributed to the citizen. This also ensures that the Nigerian government retains the right to take the NISC from the citizen – effectively cutting them off from nationality and the ability to pay for products and services.
The technocratically controlled Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has implemented charges for “handling cash” and cash transactions in an initiative to shift the social consciousness toward a cashless society.
Lebanon is being coerced into the “benefits” of a cashless society with MasterCard working with ABC malls to entice shoppers with the Bank Audi MasterCard Credit Card (BACC) that allows users to “tap and go” when making purchases.
In 2011, MasterCard positioned itself against cash payments in a “war on cash” which focused on markets such as India to bring the “cashless society” to reality.
Ajay Banga, chief executive officer of MasterCard Worldwide spoke at the Fletcher School about the advantages of a cashless world and outlining the “challenges of moving away from cash.”
Banga said that there probably will not be a completely pure cashless society; however under the guise of improving the current payment system, cash is not sustainable.
MasterCard is dedicating itself to a strategy that will set a standard and become influential to the future of payments. By coercing urbanized centers to the trendiness of going cashless, their influence on the behavior of consumers and their perception of being cashless can ensure that this move is made.
The focus on developing nations such as India and Nigeria are because their governments are willing to take “foreign aid” in exchange for enslaving their citizens.
Banga explained: “I absolutely think that electronic payments can be helpful. The problem is that the money has to reside somewhere… If immigrant communities find it difficult to put their money with a bank, I don’t know if they’ll do it with a cell phone provider either. The challenge is finding a way to anchor mobile payments for the future.”
The program entitled, “Killing Cash: Pros and Cons of Mobile Money for the World’s Poor” explains how “mobile money provides a viable alternative to tangible cash” for the “poor and unbanked populations.”
MasterCard may have their sights on Sweden as another likely place to implement a cashless society with the sales pitch that this would reduce robberies and crime in the country.
In the city of Uppsala , cash is not handled at branches of the Swedbank. Merchants are encouraged not to deal with cash. Since 2012 this mandate has been in effect with the powerful ideal that crime will stop if cash is no longer traded as tender for good and services.
Uppsala retailers are being enticed by MasterCard’s KDY program that facilitates “deals” for retailers to post for consumers to redeem. This keeps the cashless circle flowing. Marketing this scheme as “digital discounts for high-tech savvy customers” appeals to the vain nature of the consumer while giving them a trendy method of payment and redemption – which is integral to its success.
In 2012, MasterCard unveiled their “vision” for “A World Beyond Cash” as the rise of pre-paid consumer will pilot this Brave New World through defining how payments are made.
This scheme involves giving consumers incentives to go cashless. With the marketing-mind control firmly in place in the US, this is an easy task. By simply increasing the amount of times consumers use plastic instead of cash, the brand will become commonplace of its own evolution.
In fact, 3 out of 4 households are cashless. Retailers are refusing the accept cash as payment. Payments on smartphones and tablets increase the ideology that cashless is easier and more convenient.
The 2012 document entitled, “Cashless System Commission Report” was produced to analyze the effectiveness of cashless payments such s electronic benefit transfer (EBT).
After studies and documents were presented to the Commission, it was encouraged to utilize cashless benefits and “increase education” so that the public could view this ideal as better than other forms of benefit allocation.
For those US citizens using government subsidies, acclimating them to accepting digital over analog is easy when there is not choice and the citizen cannot live without the assistance.
This is copyrighted original work published by Susanne Posel and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Original work can be viewed at www.occupycorporatism.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available upon direct email or written request Click Here for more information on extended permissions and contact information of original author.
Susanne Posel, Original Author, Original Copyright Holder
East TN – Wheel Tax is latest ploy demonstrating hypocrisy of Republicans
0Source: http://www.examiner.com
By Tona Monroe
Wheel Tax is latest ploy demonstrating hypocrisy of Republicans
Blount County voters will once again decide if they wish to pay a Wheel Tax, in the specially called election on June 11. The cost to the taxpayers for the special election will be at least $80,000, but saving money is of little concern to the resolution sponsors who have a habitual history of tax and fee increases. The Wheel Tax is the latest demonstration that being a Republican doesn’t necessarily mean limited government and low taxes.
All 21 members of the Blount County Commission were elected as Republicans in 2010, at a time when people were angry with Democrats and calling for a return to constitutionally limited government. The Blount County Republican Party sent a post card mailer warning people not to vote for local Democrats because of the big tax and spending Democrats in Washington DC. The three Democrats on the Commission were easily defeated.
Blount County voters handily defeated a wheel tax in 2006, with 71% of the voters rejecting it. Voters rejected a sales tax increase in 2008. Both of these votes took place prior to the current Commission, but Republicans had a super majority on the previous Commission, with a majority of the current Commissioners sitting on the previous Commission.
The current all-Republican Commission voted to raise the property tax rate the first year of their new term in 2011. While some of the Republican Commissioners voted against the tax increase, many of them voted for most or all of the spending that caused the tax increase, which makes them guilty of big spending and culpable for the tax increase.
Instead of creating a Committee to cut waste, the Commission created a Committee to Study Lost Revenue. The all-Republican Commission finished out the last month of the first year of their current term with litigation fee increases, with the resolution reading “WHEREAS, Blount County is in need of additional revenue.”
Rather than increase property tax in the second year of the current term, a sales tax increase was proposed in 2012. Blount County voters defeated the proposed sales tax increase a second time, but with a much narrower margin of defeat than in 2008.
Now the Wheel Tax is back, as the all-Republican Commission faces a huge spending increase from Blount County Schools, in its third year. The timing of the special election is interesting, the middle of June when School is out and people are taking vacations. The Commission has been unable to get voters in November elections, when voter turnout is at its highest, to approve tax increases. The date of the election appears to be deliberately set to catch people off guard so that the tax can be slid through, knowing that government employees usually vote, while hoping that those opposed are unaware or busy during the specially called election.
Republicans gave Blount Countians a property tax increase and fee increases in their first year. Republicans tried to give Blount Countians a sales tax increase in their second year. Now Blount Countians are faced with a Wheel Tax. The Commission could implement a Wheel Tax on its own authority with a two-thirds majority vote during two consecutive Commission meetings. Republican Commissioners don’t want to do this, partly because they hope to get the voter to do it for them.
The other reason is because the Wheel Tax won’t fix the School Budget problem entirely. The $86.8 million School Budget means a funding deficit of $6.9 million. Commissioner Holden Lail, one of the Wheel Tax resolution sponsors who is a retired Blount County educator and is married to Blount County educator, doesn’t know how much the Wheel Tax will actually generate. Estimates range from $2.5-3.5 million, which is far short of the $6.9 million needed. The Commission would then have to decide whether to increase the property tax rate to fund the deficit or tell the School Board to cut its budget.
The Wheel Tax proposal is sloppy, slothful and sly. It’s sloppy because the amount it generates is unknown but the best estimate shows it only providing about half of the requested increase. It’s slothful because it raises taxes without making any attempt to cut wasteful spending. It’s sly because it’s planned to avoid a general election so that County employees can ramrod it through.
The people of Blount County need to critically evaluate the performance of this all-Republican Commission. Voters have rejected all proposed tax increases, while the all Republican Commission has proposed a tax increase each year. Republicans railed about the dangers of big government Democrats in Washington DC in 2010, but the people of Blount County have an all-Republican Commission that hasn’t gone a single year without trying to increase taxes since their rhetoric about the Democrats in Washington DC.
Tona Monroe, East Tennessee Government Examiner
Tona Monroe, a regular contributor to BCPublicRecord.com, is actively involved in state and local politics having a keen desire for restoring privacy and our right to travel. She resides in Greenback, Tenn. with her husband and dogs and enjoys a healthy lifestyle and dog rescue work.
Ron Paul: Fix IRS by shutting it ‘once and for all’
0Source: http://libertycalling.net
By Judy Morris
Rep. Ron Paul of Texas called the recent IRS fiasco troubling — but writes that the only way Congress can protect the freedoms of Americans from a long pattern of suspected IRS abuse is to “shutter the doors” of the agency “once and for all.”
The longtime GOP congressman writes that IRS agents in the 1930s were essentially “hit squads” against opponents of the New Deal, and that allegations of IRS abuse spanned the administrations of Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton and George W. Bush.
“The bipartisan tradition of using the IRS as a tool to harass political opponents suggests that the problem is deeper than just a few ‘rogue’ IRS agents — or even corruption within one, two, three or many administrations,” Dr. Paul writes in his weekly column, “Texas Straight Talk. “Instead, the problem [lies] in the extraordinary power the tax system grants the IRS.”
The libertarian and tea party hero goes on to argue that the power of the IRS can only be countered with a complete overhaul to the country’s tax system.








This is a work in progess, a self learning tool and fun little project. Please excuse the slow development as it seems the needed proper time is always lacking. It is my hope that the combination of content and links to other sources of information in this simple blog may help awaken a few of the sleeping masses and encourage and inspire others to initiate their own research, ultimately for each person to be a light to help awaken others. Opinions expressed belong to me, myself and I. Also, a big thank you to all that take the time to visit, it is appreciated :)













