Us Declares Iraqis Must Destroy Their Own Seeds
kittycat
Join Date: 2003-07-28 Member: 18503Members
Join Date: 2003-07-28 Member: 18503Members
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">Monsanto</div> <a href='http://www.stwr.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=78' target='_blank'>link</a>
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->US Declares Iraqis Must Destroy Their Own Seeds
As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds, which include seeds the Iraqis themselves have developed over hundreds of years.
Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples.
In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve.
The American Administrator of the Iraqi CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) government, Paul Bremer, updated Iraq's intellectual property law to 'meet current internationally-recognized standards of protection'. The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, and is the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations, to be now illegal.
Instead, farmers will have to obtain a yearly license for genetically modified (GM) seeds from American corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from seeds developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, and shared freely like agricultural 'open source.'"
According to Order 81, paragraph 66 - [B], issued by L. Paul Bremer [CFR], the people in Iraq are prohibited from saving seeds and may only plant seeds for their food from licensed, authorized U.S. distributors.
The paragraph states, "Farmers shall be prohibited from re-using seeds of protected varieties or any variety mentioned in items 1 and 2 of paragraph [C] of Article 14 of this chapter."
Written in massively intricate legalese, Order 81 directs the reader at Article 14, paragraph 2 [C] to paragraph [B] of Article 4, which states any variety that is different from any other known variety may be registered in any country and become a protected variety of seed - thus defaulting it into the "protected class" of seeds and prohibiting the Iraqis from reusing them the following season. Every year, the Iraqis must destroy any seed they have, and repurchase seeds from an authorized supplier, or face fines, penalties and/or jail time.
Is this the freedom that comes with the American form of democracy?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->US Declares Iraqis Must Destroy Their Own Seeds
As part of sweeping "economic restructuring" implemented by the Bush Administration in Iraq, Iraqi farmers will no longer be permitted to save their seeds, which include seeds the Iraqis themselves have developed over hundreds of years.
Instead, they will be forced to buy seeds from US corporations. That is because in recent years, transnational corporations have patented and now own many seed varieties originated or developed by indigenous peoples.
In a short time, Iraq will be living under the new American credo: Pay Monsanto, or starve.
The American Administrator of the Iraqi CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) government, Paul Bremer, updated Iraq's intellectual property law to 'meet current internationally-recognized standards of protection'. The updated law makes saving seeds for next year's harvest, practiced by 97% of Iraqi farmers in 2002, and is the standard farming practice for thousands of years across human civilizations, to be now illegal.
Instead, farmers will have to obtain a yearly license for genetically modified (GM) seeds from American corporations. These GM seeds have typically been modified from seeds developed over thousands of generations by indigenous farmers like the Iraqis, and shared freely like agricultural 'open source.'"
According to Order 81, paragraph 66 - [B], issued by L. Paul Bremer [CFR], the people in Iraq are prohibited from saving seeds and may only plant seeds for their food from licensed, authorized U.S. distributors.
The paragraph states, "Farmers shall be prohibited from re-using seeds of protected varieties or any variety mentioned in items 1 and 2 of paragraph [C] of Article 14 of this chapter."
Written in massively intricate legalese, Order 81 directs the reader at Article 14, paragraph 2 [C] to paragraph [B] of Article 4, which states any variety that is different from any other known variety may be registered in any country and become a protected variety of seed - thus defaulting it into the "protected class" of seeds and prohibiting the Iraqis from reusing them the following season. Every year, the Iraqis must destroy any seed they have, and repurchase seeds from an authorized supplier, or face fines, penalties and/or jail time.
Is this the freedom that comes with the American form of democracy?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Comments
Of course, the article doesn't go into any specifics or direct links to whatever document they claim this came from, so we can't clearly identify it's legitimacy. How convenient.
"US declares that Iraqis must destroy their own seeds", or what? What possible recourse does the US have against Iraqis who use their own seeds? All negative effects are counterproductive to the current course of action. Besides the fact that this is just plain silly.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->"The US has been imposing patents on life around the world through trade deals. In this case, they invaded the country first, then imposed their patents. This is both immoral and unacceptable", said Shalini Bhutani, one of the report's authors.
The new law in question [2] heralds the entry into Iraqi law of patents on life forms - this first one affecting plants and seeds. This law fits in neatly into the US vision of Iraqi agriculture in the future - that of an industrial agricultural system dependent on large corporations providing inputs and seeds.
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
But feel free to post more. It's fun to see these neo-hippies flop like fish.
Of course they do not have legal authority. They just spent sooo much cash for the war and are now handing over control to iraqis without any secret contracts <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Quoting myself now. ugh. It's gonna be a long day.
vegsource.com
ahhhahhahaha!
did you read the article?
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> The American Administrator of the Iraqi CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) government, Paul Bremer, updated Iraq's intellectual property law <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Its nothing massive, granted, but I took from the article that the law IS valid over there. Wether or not its upheld remains to be seen, but the issue is not wether it will be upheld, rather that Paul Bremer changed it with the obvious intent of screwing over Iraqi farmers.
The problem still stands, who enforces this law?
You seem to forget the fact that countries have, in the past, nationalized property that wasn't "theirs" without too much hesitation. You can be sure that no one will give a crap or enforce this law.
You seem to forget the fact that countries have, in the past, nationalized property that wasn't "theirs" without too much hesitation. You can be sure that no one will give a crap or enforce this law. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
ya it may resolve itself if and when the U.S is gone but 5 years is a long time to go without a crop if you cannot afford new seeds and are prohibited from using natural seeds. I don't think this will even become a real issue though, if they can't stop people in that area from growing poppies and processing opium i doubt they can stop free people in their own country from using random seeds. But were it ever to be enforced fully it would cause many problems.
what the law LOOKs like it says to me is that they are not alowed to save seeds of crops that have patents on them (that is the seeds not the plants)
so if they have thier own version of corn they don't have to destroy any corn they have, but if they are ussing a GM corn, then they have to destroy it.....
First off I think the general consensus is we need better sources.
Secondly who is going to enforce this law? Did you forget the Iraqis have their own democracy now? They elect their own people to make laws for them.
American troops aren't going to be there forever to make the Iraqis do anything, heck I doubt they could enforce an unpopular law as it is now.
Again with all the problems in Iraq this really is absurd.
Quoted for truth. How will we ever really know whats going on in Iraq unless Joe Blogs from www.bushissatan.com, tapping away from South Dakota, reveals whats <b>really</b> happening in Iraq.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->rather that Paul Bremer changed it with the obvious intent of screwing over Iraqi farmers.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Face it, the Iraqi's are soon going to be able to make their own laws, so this will go the way of the dinosaur if they honestly dont want it. They would, however, have to be clinically insane not to want it. GM plants lead to increased yeilds, greater pest resistance and consequently require less pesticides and attention. If this is a screwjob, then we need more screwing stat.
Hell, if the source was from even guardian.co.uk, I'd believe it...but vegsource.com? You've got to be kidding me...
I'm a centrist with capitalist/libertarian policy, so you can't put me in the Bush is God camp.
I'm not even sure if a source like www.vegsource.com can be considered really a valid source or even particularly credible. Surely if the Americans were trying to enforce this as claimed it would have gotton everywhere, because this is really quite damaging.
Then again, unlike many sites, they aren't raving dribbling loons <a href='http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/china_study_excerpt.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/china_study_excerpt.htm</a> **** it actually can be backed up with credible evidence (Though I disagree with much of what it says). It indicates that there is some sort of credibility to at least <i>some</i> of what is posted. This is at least more than I can say for the garbage sometimes posted here from certain sources.
I still don't think the linked topic is particularly truthful however, because it hasn't turned up anywhere else to corroborate it. At least however the source itself isn't completely out of some whack jobs basement.
So it seems to be kind of a non-issue.
However, I think a lot of people are wildly optimistic as to when we're going to yank the training wheels off of Iraq and allow them to be so fully sovereign as to do whatever the Hell they want.
For all the money and lives this has cost us, I think they're going to be 'sovereign, with a wink and an asterisk' for quite some time. But that's just me.
Most of the world as well, depending on which regions Monsanto has taken out a patent in.
How do we have the authority to do this?
If they don't abide by American agribusiness regulations and American intellectual property laws, then America and American companies won't do business with them. They need our seeds, so they have to follow the regulations. They need American trade in general and if they **** America off enough, by doing things like replanting seeds, then American will place trade restrictions on them. If you want to see how countries with trade restrictions can survive, then just look at pre-invasion Iraq, Cuba, or North Korea. Those aren't exactly the best places to live.
Because the US can just stop trading with countries that voilate intellectual property laws?
You can't declare an embargo on Colombia, because criminals illegaly grow coca plants out in the middle of a jungle. You can restrict trade with a third world country because its farmers are illegaly planting crops grown from American genetically engineered seeds.
-We are the richest country in the world.
-We trade more than any other country in the world.
-We have technologies to trade that no other country has.
-We give more developmental aid to third world countries than any other country in the world.
Just because we're the only country that would execute an embargo, doesn't mean that it wouldn't be a huge blow to a nation's economy/food supply.
Cuba isn't doing too well, but we're the only country that has an embargo with them. Think how much better they would do if we removed the embargo.
True, but Iraq would still be in a bad position if they **** us off by replanting Monsanto seeds.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->They would, however, have to be clinically insane not to want it. GM plants lead to increased yeilds, greater pest resistance and consequently require less pesticides and attention. If this is a screwjob, then we need more screwing stat.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<a href='http://truffulatuft.blogs.com/truffulatuft/2004/11/strongorder_81_.html' target='_blank'>Order 81</a>