Farmers' Seeds Outlawed in Iraq

Press Action
February 2, 2005

Farmers' Seeds Outlawed in Iraq

IRAQI ORDER 81

By Rosemarie Jackowski

..and they said that we were there to bring freedom
and liberty...it is time to tell the troops the truth.
How did this happen? While few of us were paying
attention, the Coalition Provisional Authority,
representing the government of the United States,
imposed a set of 100 orders on Iraq. A careful
examination of these orders could lead to the
conclusion that the war is being waged to enrich
corporations at the expense of the ordinary citizens.
Many of these orders take freedom and liberty away from
the people of Iraq. The orders also have a profound
effect on us.

Iraqi Order 81 is of special interest because it goes a
long way in affecting every living being on the planet.
This order prohibits Iraqi farmers from using the
methods of agriculture that they have used for
centuries. The common worldwide practice of saving
heirloom seeds from one year to the next is now illegal
in Iraq. Order 81 wages war on Iraqi farmers. They have
lost the freedom and liberty to choose their own
methods of agriculture.

The food chain has been under worldwide assault by U.S.
corporations for some time now. The Master Race of
corporations has seized control of the very essence of
life itself. We are now in the age of Genetically
Modified Doomsday Seeds.

This is not exactly a new phenomenon. It has been a
gradual takeover. Remember Percy Schmeiser, the
Canadian farmer, who was sued by Monsanto? Not enough
people stood up for Percey, so then they came for other
farmers. In fact, Monsanto has sued so many farmers
that a national hotline (1-888-FARMHLP) has now been
set up to assist them.

Those who have been pushing for Tort Reform never
mention the frivolous, mean-spirited lawsuits brought
by Monsanto against U.S. farmers. This is a David and
Goliath battle and, as usual, our government is on the
side of Goliath. Order 81 now spreads the assault on
farmers to Iraq. The domino effect is underway. The
victim farmers in the U.S., Iraq, Canada, and all of
the other countries who have been under attack by
Monsanto need our help. The Tort Reform that is really
needed would be reform aimed at compensating victims of
corporate intimidation.

The corporations, backed up by the Pentagon, have been
jackbooting and goose stepping their way across the
planet. Whether you like it or not, you probably will
have some franken food on your dinner plate tonight...
franken foods, grown from franken seeds, brought to you
compliments of the Franken Empire. Our own USDA was
complicit in the development of Terminator seeds.
Picture Dr. Strangelove on the John Deere.

The existence of Order 81, and the other 99 orders,
which limit Iraqi liberty and freedom, creates some
interesting questions. How can Washington even pretend
that the election in Iraq is legitimate if U.S. imposed
rules are enforced after the election, or are we to
believe that the 100 Orders are canceled by the
election? I don't think so.

Is it possible that Iraqi farmers think back fondly to
the good old days before the Occupation and before
Order 81? Even Saddam Hussein allowed them to save
seeds for the next year's crop. Is Monsanto a worse
master than Saddam? Imagine what would happen if there
was a successful worldwide movement of resistance, an
international Save the Seed Campaign. Farmers and
consumers in the U.S. need to stand in solidarity with
the farmers and consumers in Iraq. If you have a stamp
or coin collection, forget it. Instead, it might be
better to start collecting seeds. Maybe soon, one good
old-fashioned seed that was made by Mother Nature will
be more precious than your most prized gold coin. Just
one more thing... if you save seeds, keep it a secret.
The Seed Police have been on patrol. They are looking
for you.

On Town Meeting Day, 2004, in Vermont, the citizens in
seventy-nine towns passed resolutions against
Genetically Engineered Crops. Then Vermont made history
when it became the first state to require the labeling
of Genetically Modified seeds. "The Farmer Protection
Act is a pre-emptive strike to stop predatory lawsuits
against Vermont's family farmers by biotech companies
like Monsanto," said Ben Davis with the Vermont Public
Interest Research Group. Maybe this small, but hard-
fought, victory gives reason to hope for a better
world.

Rosemarie Jackowski (dissent [at] sover.net) is a member of
Southern Vermont VFP Chapter 88. She was arrested,
tried, and convicted for having participated in a
peaceful protest against the war. The Conviction is
currently under Appeal in the Vermont State Supreme
Court.

Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652 Brunswick, ME 04011 (207) 729-0517 (207)
319-2017 (Cell phone) globalnet [at] mindspring.com
http://www.space4peace.org

http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/jackowski02012005/

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