In the wake of the Federal government refusing to label the presence of GMO’s in foods, several states have taken it upon themselves to enact their own food labeling laws. A new bill in Congress, however, attempts to put the kibosh on states’ efforts to inform their citizens before it’s really begun.
The bill comes courtesy of one Mike Pompeo (R-KS). He’s even titled it the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act,” because his entire office has absolutely no concept of irony whatsoever. Of course, Mike Pompeo is well-known to have the Koch Brothers’ hands so far up his ass that you can sometimes see Charles Koch’s fingers poking out when he talks (he was the single biggest campaign donation recipient from the Lords of Undisputed Evil during the last election cycle). He is their creature, and you can bet he doesn’t make any move without their explicit say-so. But Monsanto and the Koch Brothers teaming up is new, and it makes me wonder if they’re about to be joined by Ken Cuccinelli in forming a League of Extraordinarily Evil Gentlemen.
I’m not an opponent of the concept of GMO foods; there’s a ton of potential for scientific growth and advancement that could solve a whole lot of erstwhile problems in the world. It’s patently absurd to say that GMF’s should not be labeled as such, however. I personally don’t care what hormones or gene splicing they do to the things I eat (not SOLELY because I keep hoping I’ll gain superpowers from eating a radioactive eggplant), but consumers absolutely have a right to know this stuff. States aren’t trying to ban GMF’s, they’re only attempting to allow consumers to make informed decisions. Pro-tip: when opponents of your food labeling laws say things like “we have our own studies that say they’re safe, so you don’t need to tell people what they are,” those laws are probably pretty necessary.
Polling shows a majority of Americans favor GMO labeling, but an overwhelming majority of Americans favored free, universal access to health care until Republicans started shouting the word “socialism” over and over as if it fucking meant anything. It’s amazing what re-branding can do for the image of desperate, uncompromising evil. It’s frankly astounding Pompeo’s handlers didn’t name the bill the Shiny Happy Foods That Are Delicious Act.
Image via AP.
