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Howdy Pilgrim
Welcome to VetZine's Blog
Concatenation
The linking together
of a series of events or ideas
''The Domino Theory''
we have been warned about.
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we are at war
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Enemy ?
Eastasia ?
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Phantasia ?
Daily Dispatches
from the Trenches
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Friday, August 29, 2003
Grandmoms For Clean Food
Try Kroger Corp. Decatur Cops
And Billy Cook's Kangaroo Court
In The Court Of Public Opinion
Kroger Corp Pleads Guilty -
Drops False Charges Against
The Grandmoms
Judge Billy Cook,
Three Squad Cars and a Paddywagon
Filled With Decatur's Finest Are Still At Large
Is Your Grandmom Safe At Krogers?
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From: GMCoffey@aol.com
To: vetzine01@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Re: GRANDMOTHERS ARRESTED IN FOOD LABELING CAMPAIGN:
Date sent: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 22:35:17 EDT
Re: Article below:
It's been suggested we two grandmothers sue KROGER and The City of Decatur for defamation of character, slander, etc.
Pending this case that started more than 10 months ago when KROGER had us arrested, we've had to put our lives on hold while our good names and reputations have been questioned and some say sullied on radio, TV and in newspapers.
Examples of this came after the conviction was reported:
--When I attend meetings in Decatur, Madison and Huntsville, all normal connversation stops and whispers begin.
--My "partner-in-crime," 80-year old Jean Tune's friend said an
acquaintance was told by his dentist that we were "crooks."
--A 94-year-old friend in a nearby town said� people at her church were saying I had been arrested but she "paid it no mind. I know you wouldn't do anything wrong."
-- A few of my husband's colleagues and their wives have been avoiding asking about me for fear of embarrassing him. (He finds this amusing and says he is quite proud of my stand.)
--Fortunately, everyone doesn't believe we are "crooks." One
Letter-to-the-Editor praised our courage in speaking out for the Public interest.
--Also, once the Associated Press picked it up, and later interviewed us, we got emails from across the nation and even from abroad praising our effort to protect the public's right to know what's in their food supply.
One doctor and university professor from Belgium found it hard to believe that people in America didn't take their legislators to task for bowing down to food suppliers and not protecting their constitutents' best interests. England, France, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Holland, Scotland, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are some of the countries who respond to consumers wishes to prohibit unlabeled GMOs in their supermarkets.
--Another person called and asked if I would please write an article on the subject of genetically engineered foods and get it published in the local paper so she and others like her might understand the situation better. She said she knew if Jean Tune and I cared enough about it to get arrested, it must be of grave importance.
Our lawyer said he is confused as we that all charges were dropped. He said� we could, should we wish, file a Civil suit of Libel and Slander for defamation of character.
We're considering holding a Press Conference to publicize the clearing of our names, but frankly are not quite sure just how to handle it.
We have never held any malice towards Kroger and in fact they have been our Supermarket of choice (from which we are now barred) for more than a generation due to their fine produce section, helpful staff, and ever- increasing organic produce section.
Rather than tie everyone up in a high-profile lawsuit, what we'd really like is for KROGER� to join us at a Press Conference and announce they are going to join other responsible food chains who have elected to heed the wishes of 92% of the public polled and eliminate GMOs in their store brand foods.
Aside from leaving it up to the majority of legislators who care more for the vested food interests than they do for the constituents whose trust they are violating, this one step would demonstrate their commitment to the consumers and :
* Renew customers' faith in the quality of KROGER products
* Attract new customers concerned about health and the environment
* Increase sales, and
* Instill customer loyalty.
Moreover, just as we two grandmothers were prepared to go to jail, if necessary, to protect the public's right to know what's in the food they buy, we would be happy to hail KROGER's virtues in leading the way in this important consumer issue (just as store chains in England and Scotland have done for their customers).
I contend� this could be the best public relations coup d'etat KROGER could ever have envisioned and would not only garner world headlines, it would give them a step on on their biggest competitor: WALMART!
Gerry
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
*********************************
*********************************�
News from the Tennessee Valley �
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/index.shtml
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2003
Kroger drops charges against grandmothers
By Eric Fleischauer DAILY Staff Writer
eric@decaturdaily.com
� 340-2435
Two grandmothers convicted of trespassing while they distributed leaflets
about genetically engineered foods did not have to go to trial Monday
because Kroger dropped all charges.
Municipal Judge Billy Cook convicted Gerry Coffey, 62, and Jean Tune, 80,
both of Decatur, of trespassing on the Kroger parking lot on Beltline Road
Southwest. Coffey and Tune appealed the decision to Morgan County Circuit
Court and were scheduled to start the trial Monday.
Attempts to contact Kroger officials about why they dropped the charges
were unsuccessful.
Coffey said she was nervous about the trial, but is disappointed it did
not go forward. She hoped the trial would be a forum for educating people
about the danger of genetically engineered food.
Coffey and Tune distributed the leaflets in October in conjunction with an
information drive by GE-Free Markets Coalition and Greenpeace. Kroger,
they said, is a major retailer of unlabeled genetically engineered foods.
"At the end I was hoping to go to trial. I prepared myself, even if I
would have to go to jail," Coffey said.
The women's attorney, Greg Reeves, said his clients' conviction will not
be on their record.
"There should not be a record of a conviction. Now, with that said, I
don't think that there is any way to 'erase' an arrest," Reeves said.
Cook fined the women $50 each and waived court costs.
Greenpeace claims numerous foods, including infant foods like teething
biscuits and formula, contain genetically engineered ingredients. Bakeries
like Holsum, Pepperidge Farms, Thomas and Wonder Bread use genetically
engineered ingredients, according to Greenpeace.
A study by the American Medical Association determined there was no need
for special labeling rules for genetically engineered foods, but the
British Medical Association came to a different conclusion.
Can't evaluate risks
While the AMA study found no short-term health risk from genetically
engineered foods, the study determined it could not evaluate long-term
risks.
Advocates for special labeling of genetically engineered foods note that
the European Union, Japan, Australia and other countries require labeling
of genetically engineered foods.
A bill pending in Congress, the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know
Act of 2003, would require labeling of all genetically modified foods.
A leader in the fight against genetically engineered foods is Washington,
D.C.-based Center for Food Safety. An attorney for the organization, Joe
Mendelson, said the primary concern about genetically engineered foods is
the lack of testing.
New allergens
"There are a number of health risks associated with genetically engineered
food. The first is a concern that you may create new allergens. These
foods create new proteins that have never before been in the food supply.
We don't know if those new proteins cause allergies. It also may
exacerbate a known allergen," Mendelson said.
"There is also the possibility of creating novel toxic components.
Potatoes and tomatoes have low levels of toxins; there is a concern that
genetic engineering could increase those levels.
Reduces nutrition
Mendelson said studies have shown that genetic engineering can reduce the
nutritional value of some foods.
"You also have the issue of antibiotic resistance. Most of these plants
use marker genes, which are genes engineered into the plant. Most marker
genes are resistant to antibiotics. ... The issue is, if you consistently
put this into your gut, whether it's going to create a problem when you go
to use regular antibiotics," Mendelson said.
Mendelson said the risks of genetically engineered foods are greater than
that created by most foods refined through traditional breeding.
"In the past, you might be breeding a corn plant with a corn plant. The
proteins from the new corn plant have been in the food supply for a long
time," Mendelson said.
"There is a little risk with traditional breeding, but we are talking
compatible species. We're not putting in genetic material that's never
been in the plant before. Certainly traditional breeding doesn't have
antibiotic genes in it," Mendelson said.
Coffey may avoid private parking lots now, but she said she is more
determined than ever to spread the word about genetically engineered
foods.
Leave feedbackon this or another story.
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/feedback/index.shtml
THE DECATUR DAILY
201 1st Ave. SE
P.O. Box 2213
Decatur, Ala. 35609
(256) 353-4612
webmaster@decaturdaily.com
� http://www.decaturdaily.com
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
=======================
For more reports on the Grandmoms and
the attack on them by The Corporation, Cops and Courts
Search the archives of this blog.
The Corporation, Cops and Courts
have tried to supress their right to
Freedom of Speech,
Freedom to Assemble
Freedom to Pettition
all because the Corporation and their Toadies do not want
people to know the truth concerning the Frankenfoods
they are secretly selling.
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posted by Vetzine
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