Utahns Urge Senator Mike Lee to Oppose Bayer-Monsanto Merger
UTAH -- In a new letter organized by SumOfUs, an international consumer watchdog, more than 1000 Utahns are urging Senator Mike Lee to publicly oppose and help prevent a proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger. The letter argues that the merger would be a nightmare for farmers giving the newly formed company a dangerous level of control over the global food supply. It would also violate antitrust merger review laws, enabling the new behemoth company to set prices and limit innovation.
Senator Lee, who is up for re-election this November, has previously spoken out against the deal, but SumOfUs members are calling on Lee, who is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, to go further and to urge the the Justice Department to oppose the deal.
VIEW THE LETTER HERE: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/email-senator-mike-lee-and-tell-him-to-stand-up-to-monsanto/
“The merger between Bayer and Monsanto is a five-alarm threat to our food supply and to farmers around the world. Now that Monsanto has accepted Bayer’s controversial bid, we need to step up global efforts to stop this illegal merger. This new mega corporation would be the world’s biggest seed maker and pesticide company, defying important antitrust protections and giving it unacceptable control over critical aspects of our food supply -- undermining consumer choice and the freedom and stability of farmers worldwide,” explained Toni Preston, campaigner for SumOfUs. “More than 500,000 people around the world have spoken out against this dangerous deal that has the potential to usher in a new era of sterile crops soaked in dangerous pesticides. We need our elected officials to work with us to ensure that regulators recognize the unique threats posed by a Bayer-Monsanto merger and move swiftly to reject this proposal.”
In August, SumOfUs released a legal white paper, written by two former Justice Department officials from the Antitrust Division, that argued that a merger between Bayer and Monsanto would violate the Clayton Act, a law enacted by Congress to curb anticompetitive business practices.
READ THE LEGAL WHITE PAPER HERE: www.bayermonsantomerger.com
According to the legal white paper, a Bayer-Monsanto merger would also be in direct violation of a 2008 court order, where Monsanto was forced to divest itself of certain cottonseed and cotton breeding assets, which were sold to Bayer. If the merger proceeds, Monsanto would re-acquire these anti-competitive traits, thereby violating the US Department of Justice’s judgement. SumOfUs’ legal white paper also argued that:
The merger would eliminate direct competition between two of the largest players in the traited seed sector, with direct consequences for seed development, herbicide markets, and innovative and open research and development.
The merger will mean the new Bayer-Monsanto conglomerate will control nearly 70% of the cotton acreage in the United States – unacceptably high by antitrust standards. It would also have unacceptable market concentration in wide swaths of commercial seed development and sales for other commonly used varieties, including traited canola, soybeans, and corn developed in North America.
The new corporation would likely lead to higher input prices, with less choice and higher food prices for consumers, and fewer non-biotechnology options available to farmers and consumers.
More than 500,000 SumOfUs members around the world have signed onto a petition opposing the potential merger of Monsanto and Bayer.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/stop-the-bayer-monsanto-mega-merger
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Friends of FMC,
We want to let you know that you can tune in this Saturday, November 5 at 5 p.m. EST to Fostering America's Future Town Hall, an online town hall meeting with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, hosted by the youth-led organization Foster Youth for Hillary.
During the live-streamed town hall event, Anne Holton, wife of vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine and a long-time foster care advocate, will discuss her work on behalf of children and families involved in the child welfare system. She will field questions from foster youth and address how the Clinton administration would work to meet the needs of youth and families involved in the system.
Sign up to watch it here: http://bit.ly/2e3dWJu
This event will also be livestreamed on Facebook.
With the Freedom Quitline, Quitting Smoking Is Just a Phone Call Away
November 3, 2016
Quitting smoking never seems to make it onto our calendars. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seven out of 10 smokers plan to quit, but many wait until their health is in jeopardy. Why wait? Quit for the Great American Smokeout, with the Freedom Quitline! The Freedom Quitine is proud to support the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout on November 17.
Read more here.
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MEDIA ALERT
HSU attends sentencing hearing for Mikah Johnson animal torture case
WHAT: Gene Baierschmidt, Humane Society of Utah executive director, will be in attendance for the sentencing of Mikah Johnson for the death of a 3-month-old Border collie dog named Moose. Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree felony torture of a companion animal and one count of class B misdemeanor of assault.
WHEN:
Friday, Aug. 4, 8:30 a.m.
WHO: The Honorable Judge Katherine Bernards-Goodman is presiding over the sentencing hearing of Mikah Johnson.
WHERE: Matheson Courthouse
450 South State Street
4th floor room W-43
Salt Lake City, Utah
WHY: The Humane Society of Utah’s mission is to eliminate pain, fear and suffering in all animals, and advocates for improved animal welfare legislation in Utah. HSU was instrumental in passing the present felony torture provision of Section 76-9-301 U.C.A. The Humane Society of Utah, on behalf of Moose, respectfully requests that Johnson receive the maximum possible sentence on all counts.
“We hope that the sentence imposed will show the public that these crimes are taken seriously and hopefully, will deter others from committing similar acts,” said Gene Baierschmidt, HSU executive director. “It’s a mark of our progression as a society that we have stiffer penalties for torturing dogs and cats.”
Media
Contact: Deann Shepherd: cell 801-747-9136, deann@utahhumane.org
About the Humane Society of Utah
The Humane Society of Utah (HSU) is dedicated to the elimination of pain, fear and suffering in all animals. Since 1960, the HSU has been sheltering abandoned animals, fighting cruelty and neglect, and creating an environment of respect, responsibility, and compassion for all animals across the state. As an open-admissions shelter, the doors are always open for any animal we can legally accept. The HSU is a member of the No-Kill Utah Coalition and works hard to ensure that every healthy and treatable pet that enters the facility will be placed into a loving home. In 2015, 11,318 pets received positive outcomes, and we achieved no-kill statistics for both cats and dogs for the first time – a milestone in 55 years. The Humane Society of Utah is a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization that does not receive any tax dollars or government funding and is not a branch of any national organization. We are solely funded by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses and foundations in our community. Read more about the HSU online at utahhumane.org
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After last week’s surprise verdict in Oregon, Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and their father Cliven remain behind bars and will stand trial next year for their role in the 2014 armed standoff with law enforcement in Nevada.
But even from prison, the Bundys have continued spouting nonsensical theories about American public lands, reminding us just how out of step they are from the millions upon millions of Westerners who support parks and public lands, and the public servants who are committed to managing lands for the American people.
To the extent that your news outlet covers the Bundy family and their small cohort of vocal followers over the coming months, it is important to keep in mind that they reflect neither a mainstream or majority opinion among Americans who make their homes in Western states.
Throughout the West, strong majorities support our national public lands. According to public opinion research, more than 90 percent of voters in Nevada, Colorado and Montana believe public lands are an essential part of their state’s economy. Further, 58 percent of Westerners oppose giving states control over national public lands.
In Nevada, 50 percent of likely voters do not agree with the Cliven Bundy and his supporters, with only 30 percent supporting him. Polling shows that the more Nevadans hear about the Bundys and their ideas, the more they dislike them.
Land managers are public servants performing valuable work, from working with ranchers to caring for wildlife populations. We owe them a debt of gratitude.
In Nevada, 71 percent of likely voters support protecting the Gold Butte region as a national monument, including broad majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.
In Arizona, 80 percent of likely voters support protecting the watersheds surrounding the Grand Canyon as a national monument.
In Utah, 66 percent support protecting the Bears Ears region as a national monument.
80 percent of Western voters support the protection of public lands as national monuments by future presidents.
In recent years, proponents of land seizure efforts have lost elections and land seizure bills have failed in state legislatures across the West. Outside of Utah, 15 of 16 land seizure bills considered in Western state legislatures failed last year.
In this election cycle, supporting our public lands has been seen as a winning issue for candidates in both parties. For example, Montana’s gubernatorial race and Colorado’s 3rd congressional district both feature candidates touting their support for public lands.
The primary group pushing the land seizure agenda, the American Lands Council, has seen its membership drop 45 percent in the past year. Meanwhile, Western Attorneys General provided a sharp rebuke to the legality of the agenda being pushed by the Bundys and the American Lands Council.
While members of the Bundy family have compared themselves to Martin Luther King, Jr., their tactics are anything but non-violent. By leading armed standoffs, the Bundys have fanned the flames of a militia movement that exists on the fringes of our society.
Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon, Ryan, David, and Mel, along with 14 other people, face charges for their roles in an armed standoff with federal employees in 2014. Charges include threatening a federal law enforcement officer and assault on a federal officer.
After failing to pay more than $1 million in grazing fees and fines owed to American taxpayers, the Bundys directed armed followers to confront federal agents and contractors who were removing cattle illegally grazing on U.S. public lands.
In the armed standoff, the Bundys and their followers surrounded federal agents, far outnumbering them. Many participants carried firearms and some went so far as to take sniper positions, aiming semi-automatic rifles at federal employees.
