[act-ma] Get on the bus! "Eat-In" at the FDA for GMO labeling! April 8th

Sun Mar 17 14:17:58 PDT 2013

*Are YOU hungry for some food democracy?*
* Get on the bus to the FDA to “Eat-In” for GMO labeling!

On Monday, April 8, Families, Farmers, Concerned Citizens, Safe Food
Activists, Students, and Food Justice Organizations from across the country
will stage an “Eat-In” at the office of the Food and Drug Administration in
College Park, MD to demand labeling of foods containing Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Massachusetts Right to Know GMOs is proud to partner with Occupy Monsanto
to organize buses (see details below) from MA to join this action at the
FDA. Buses will depart Western Massachusetts and the Boston area Sunday
evening, April 7, to make the trip to the Eat-In on April 8. To learn how
to be on the bus and other ways to show your support for the honest
labeling of our foods, check out MA Right to Know's web page by clicking
HERE <http://marighttoknow.com/>.  (MA Right to Know is also helping to
organize support for 5 bills on GMO labeling being considered on Beacon
Hill - please see the website for more info!)

For more info and to register, please visit http://marighttoknow.org

Please consider sponsoring the bus, if you are able to! We would like to
make this trip as affordable as possible for people taking time off to
attend the event.  If you would like to help sponsor the bus and help pay
for a few seats, please contact the bus captain at
BostonFDABus at occupy-monsanto.com.  (We will be happy to advertise sponsors
via the website and social networks!)

Its time for the people to speak up! Let's take back our Food System!

What: Eat-in for GMO Labeling at the FDA, Stone Soup Style.

Jump on an action-bound bus from your region to the FDA! Pack a picnic,
bring a bowl, spoon, & mug, seeds to share, and gather an arm full of
(vegetarian) ingredients from your region to add to the GMO-Free “Stone
Soup” we’re going to be cooking up. In the tradition of the old folk tale
about the hungry traveler who, when passing through a starving village,
announced that he would make ‘stone soup’. The promise of mysterious Stone
Soup persuaded the small village to pool its resources and offer up its
hidden onions, carrots, and spices to feed everyone in town. By working
together, with everyone contributing something, a greater good can be
achieved. Come enjoy a day of sunshine with a picnic-style protest. We are
assuming you are as hungry as we are for some food democracy.

Where: Sidewalk outside of the Food And Drug Administration’s Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway College Park,
MD 20740.
Located across the street from the College Park Metro Station (Green Line).
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Hnzrr

When: April 8th 2013, 8am-6pm – All Day!
On Monday April 8th, we’ll head to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, to face down the institution that chooses Monsanto’s
industrial interests over policy transparency and public health. Join this
historic event to make your voice heard and to begin to take back our food
system.

Why:  The purpose of the FDA is to “protect and promote” the health of
Americans. Instead, we are being kept in the dark about the safety and the
origin of the food we're eating as the FDA continues to act in the interest
of agribusinesses like Monsanto. FDA policies have lead to well-documented
risks to our health, a lack of transparency, revolving door with industry,
market bullying, widespread illness and seed privatization. In 2012, over a
million people signed the Just Label It petition for GMO labeling and over
six million Californians voted for honest labels. There have been two
petitions on President Barack Obama's "We The People" petition website that
have surpassed the signature threshold required for a response. Instead of
answering the sincere concerns of the American people, there has been only
silence.

On April 8th, we will make the following demands:

Mandatory GMO labels on all genetically engineered food sold in America

The immediate resignation of the Monsanto minion & current “Food Czar”
Michael Taylor

The invalidation of Monsanto’s seed patents

An immediate end to the revolving door between the government and Big Ag,
Big Chem, and Big Food.

LOGISTICS
The approximate schedule for the Boston and Northampton buses will be to
leave Boston Sunday April 7 in the evening (exact time TBD), drive down to
DC overnight, spend the whole day in DC on April 8, and come back to Boston
in the evening of April 8, returning in the wee hours of Tuesday, April 9.
Please visit the MA Right to Know website to register if you would like to
get on the bus!

Co$t?
Don’t let a lack of Federal Reserve Notes stop you from sticking it to the
FDA. The approximate cost per person for the bus is $100-120 but we will
have sponsors* defraying this cost. Suggested donation will be at least $20
per person but no one will be turned away for lack of funds, We need fun
and passionate people to join us on this adventure for food democracy. Get
on the bus!

(*potential sponsors: please contact the bus captain if you'd like to
support, and thank you!)

If you have any questions or would like to help with organizing, you can
reach the Bus Captains at BostonFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com or
NorthamptonFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com

Please share the facebook event (for the MA buses):
https://www.facebook.com/events/159910580831495/
Main Eat-In event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/120662614779931/
JUST ANNOUNCED – STONE SOUP SEED EXCHANGE!Just in time for spring planting,
we're going to have a Stone Soup Seed Exchange at the
Eat-In<http://occupy-monsanto.com/eat-in-at-the-fda-to-label-gmos/>!
Along with reusable bowls, spoons, and vegan ingredients, please bring your
non-GMO seeds to share with others! Simply place your extra seeds in
envelopes & write on the outside the variety, estimated quantity, seal them
up, and share them with others at the Eat-In! Together we're going to
overgrow the system!

Here is a current list of all the buses that will be travelling to the
Eat-In:

   - Ann Arbor, MI - MichiganFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Asheville, NC - AshevilleFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Atlanta, GA - AtlantaFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Boone, NC - BooneNCFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Boston, MA - BostonFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Burlington, VT - VermontFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Chicago, IL - ChicagoFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Madison, WI - MadisonFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Hartford, CT - HartfordFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Morgantown, WV - MorgantownWVFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - New York City, NY - NYCFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com - **Buy Bus Tickets
   ** <http://eatiatthefdanybustickets-eorg.eventbrite.com/>
   - Newark, NJ - NewarkFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Northampton, MA - NorthamptonFDAbus at occupy-monsanto.com
   - Pennsylvania: RightToKnowPA at gmail.com

If you are interested taking a leadership role of mobilizing activists in
your community to come to the Eat-In, please sign up
here<http://occupy-monsanto.com/eat-in-at-the-fda-to-label-gmos-bus-captain-signup/>or
email
StoneSoup at Occupy-Monsanto.com with any questions.

Thank you for your support!  Together we will take back our food system!*
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