It is International Pagan Coming Out Day.

IPCOD is a project started by Cara Schulz, editor of the PNC-Minnesota Bureau and part of a not-for-profit associated with the Pagan Education Network (website not updated since 2012, hmmmm…..).

As owners of an online Pagan and Metaphysical store it is obvious that Sarah and I are out as Pagans. Our families, our friends, our coworkers at our bills-paying jobs. Just about everyone that interact with on a regular basis know that we are Pagan. Was it easy to come out to all of them?

Yes. No. Maybe. Sort of. It all depends.

It gets easier every time the situation arises that one of us needs to come out of the Broom Closet to someone. That need varies from situation to situation. Sometimes it isn’t even a need, it just happens or is appropriate for us to come out of the closet to people we meet.

I cannot speak for Sarah, she is her own person and may make a comment or three on this subject on her own. For me, though, things have been complicated over the last twenty years when it comes to being out and about in regards to my spiritual and religious beliefs.

Most everyone in my life knows that I am Pagan, many of those same people also know that I am gay. The coming out process is similar in both those circumstances, but one does not equal the other. An example of this:

I came out as gay to one of my sisters in a letter when I was 17 years old. She took it well, saying “I love you no matter what. God loves you.” Good! I am glad that she loves me no matter what, and I am glad that the Divine loves me as well. But it was obvious in the context of the letter that she was fine with me being gay as long as I still believed in the Christian concept of God and went to church and all that wonderful stuff. Nineteen years have passed since I wrote my coming out letter to her. We’ve never actually talked about my being Pagan, but she knows and is okay with that as well. Perhaps not thrilled, but she can see that both aspects make me happy and more complete than if I was fighting my sexuality and arguing with myself about my personal conceptualization of Divinity.

Another example of how things can be difficult or complicated is a story from my current bills-paying job: A customer noticed my pentacle ring one night and started calling me a devil worshipper. Now, before you get too excited…. This guy is a regular customer and it was obvious that he was intoxicated at the time. I didn’t let it bother me. I just simply explained that I would have to believe in the Christian Devil in order to worship him. Being drunk, he was slightly argumentative on that, but he purchased his cigarettes and went back home. Later that night one of his friends stopped in and said some of the same things, in a joking manner. Since then I have seen the first customer several times outside of work and he makes it a point to say hello and chat a bit.

Available through Pangaia Metaphysical Store, click on image to shop this and other items.

All around the blogosphere today you can find articles and musings on International Pagan Coming Out Day. Patti Wigington on About.com has a good article that made me stop and think a little bit this morning. For the most part I don’t even think about “coming out” of the Broom Closet anymore. I am who I am. If someone sees my pentacle and asks I answer. Do hesitate to go into detail depending on the circumstances. If I am at work and it is busy, then I will answer simple and move on to the next task or customer. If I am in a non-work situation I will most likely go into more detail. For obvious reasons it is not appropriate to go into details at work. Unlike Sarah, I firmly believe that one should not talk about religion, sex, or politics at work. Her work situation is different from mine.

If you feel the need to come out as Pagan, by all means do so. But be aware that there could be negative  consequences. What do I mean, negative? People stay closeted as Pagan for multiple reasons. Fear is usually the motivation behind those reasons. Fear of losing their job, child custody issues, housing, even fear of losing their friends and family.

To help understand if coming out as Pagan is right for you, visit the International Pagan Coming Out Day website and read some of the other articles that have been published today (do a web search for International Pagan Coming Out Day) and in previous years.

Being eco-friendly is relatively easy, when you stop and think about it.

Don’t get styrofoam cups or wax coated paper cups or even one-time-use plastic cups at the convenience store when you buy a beverage. If you forget to bring your reusable, don’t panic. A plastic cup can be used more than once, but don’t think that is a viable alternative each time you go to the store. Most are made with BPA plastic and not only cause harm to the environment, but to your health. I have a small selection of reusable BPA-free plastic cups that I keep in the van and try to remember to use them or something similar every time. I also work my bills-paying-job at a c-store, so I use a mug that I keep there for one shift.

When making purchases at any store, keep the environment in mind. If you are buying drinks, are the containers recyclable and/or made of recycle materials? Are you using your cloth or reusable nylon shopping bags? Paper sacks are a better alternative, as long as you remember to reuse or recycle them later. I have a stack of paper sacks that I get from the grocery store when I forget the cloth bags. I use them to line my recycling bin and my trash can.

Speaking of shopping…. Be smart about your shopping. Plan your route if you have multiple stores to shop at and be as gas economical as possible. Better yet, when possible walk, bike or take public transit when doing your shopping. For me, there are multiple grocery stores between work and home, I think about that when I see that I am running low on something so that I do not have to make a special out-of-the-way trip to go to the store when I do run out. I usually combine my shopping with that of a friend who gets better mileage than I do, either buying some of her groceries for her or giving her some gas money to cover wear and tear on her vehicle.

We don’t just think about the Six R’s when Earth Day comes around, we should be thinking about them all the time. What are the Six R’s?

1. Reduce: Cut down on the amount of non-biodegradable waste you produce. You can do so by following some simple steps, including the other five R’s.
2. Reuse: When possible, reuse those non-biodegradable materials. Using plastic sacks as trash can liners is one option, when not recycling those plastic bags. Oder something from an online store, like Pangaia, and use the box it was shipped in to ship something to a friend of relative or to store things in.
3. Recycle: Whenever possible, recycle things. If you drink soda from cans, recycle them. If you drink beverages packaged in plastic, recycle. After reading the paper or that magazine on the coffee table, recycle it.
4. Replenish: Give back to the environment. If you can, compost your food and bio-waste. Might not be the most pleasant thing in the world to do, but it is so much better for gardens and lawns, etc.
5. Repurpose: This one is easy for me. I have three cats, which means I deal with litter boxes. I usually buy the litter in plastic tubs. I use those tubs to scoop the used litter into. You can also use those tubs to plant things in if you do container gardening. You can also do that with 5 gallon buckets – check local restaruants to see if you can get their pickle buckets.
6. Replant/Replace: It is spring time in the Northern Hemisphere, even if there is snow on the ground or in the forecast. That means many people are out planting their gardens.  They are doing a fine job or replanting or replacing materials that they consume or use on a regular basis. Even if you don’t garden, you can do this step. Organizations like the Arbor Day Foundation provide saplings for homeowners to plant – or even invite you to come to a park or other scenic area to plant trees.

Those are just some of the ways to understand and practice the Six R’s. Use your imagination!

Recycling guidelines vary from city to city, state to state, etc. Check with your local recycling companies or services to find out what you have to do to make recycling easier for yourself and for those service providers. The company I use makes it real easy. I do not have to sort out most of my recyclables. I can put plastic, paper, aluminium and other materials into my recycling cart without worry. They do ask that I separate out my glass and place it in a special (provided free of charge) recyclable bag and that I do not put plastic bags into the cart. So what do I do with any plastic bags that come my way? I either reuse them or take them to a local grocery store that has a plastic recycling tub – these are usually made into flooring or other construction materials. My aunt’s family room has flooring made from recycled plastic bags, and her front deck has the same kind of material.

I’m not just thinking about recycling and waste control when it comes to environmental issues. I also think about what I put into my body. Many of us are familiar with BPA plastic and how harmful that can be to humans, animals and the environment. But how many of us are aware of the dangers that may be associated with genetically modified organisms (many of the foods we eat)? GMOs are all over the place. It is even difficult to avoid them when shopping organic. Remember, just about anything can be labeled as organic in the United States. Many of the so-called “health foods” are modified by science. Which is not always a bad thing. Some of the modifications are relatively good for us, but not always for the environment.

Your best bet for watching what you put into your body is to grow your own foods. Not all of us have the means or the ability to do so. Failing that, shop at truly organic grocers or farmers’ markets. There is no guarantee that they will be GMO-free, but the changes are much better when shopping them than when going to a big box store, even in the “organic” or “health food” sections.

I grew up with a health food store in the family. It was my mother’s dream to own such a business, so my father made it possible for her. For that I am grateful. Back in the early 80′s it was easier to know if your food was modified or not. Simply put, GMOs weren’t as common as they are now.

Tells Us What Your Growing is a song by our friend Celia. It reminds me a lot of how I grew up and what I have faced since then. After we moved to a new state for my father’s health ( had to get him closer to a good hospital and he wanted to be close to his mother) we no longer had easy access to the sorts of foods we could get at wholesale prices through the family store. That meant that we started eating more processed food stuffs and takeout. Neither of which is ideal for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I noticed a decrease in my metabolism and began socking on the pounds. By the time was 15 I was weighing in at close to 200 pounds. Not good. Now, at the age of 35, I am close to 265 pounds. I may be a tall man with a heavy skeletal structure, but that is not a healthy weight for me. At my age, it is more my fault than anyone else’s that I am over weight, I’ll admit that.

Hear the full version of Tells Us What Your Growing by clicking here.

Last summer there was a big hubbub about over weight Pagans all over the blogosphere. We even talked about it several times on our podcast channel (part 1, part 2, part 3) and in blogging. During one of the shows that one of our PMPChannel hosts did he was talking with a nutritionist. I called in and spoke with her explaining how I grew up and when I noticed a change in my body and my health status. She indicated that it was in part due to the kinds of foods that I eat, and my sedentary lifestyle. She said that moving from an organic, nearly vegetarian diet to a diet of processed foods and GMOs could have contributed greatly to my weight gain, health and other related issues. I’ll Sarah tell you about that kind of thing, as she knows a lot more than I do.

There is a lot more that could be said on Earth Day and being eco-friendly, but we want to hear from you. Comment to this post and tell us what you do to honor the earth and be more aware of what you do to Her and what you put into your own body.

Day three was somewhat slow business wise, but we had a blast talking with people and hanging out

with friends. Even my brother Chris came in for a little while towards the end of the day. Good to see him and let him have some time to spend with our niece Amanda.

Our friend Corwin stopped in at the end of show to make his purchase, a CD that he had been eyeing for sometime in our inventory. He finally decided to add it to his collection since it was the last one we had and we do not know if we can get it again.

Sarah and I have already been talking about the idea of registration for next year’s ConStellation. We’ve not made a final decision, other than to say that as long as it does not conflict with anything else, we will be there for ConStellation V – giving me an excuse to get out my Planet of the Apes stuff and have some fun there.

Not a whole lot to say about the day other than we made some sales and had a good time. So, instead of talking about the day I thought we would share some pictures with you so you can see some of the fun that can be had a convention. These pictures include shots taken during the Art Auction and elsewhere in the hotel.

My niece had too much fun at the art auction. In the first picture she is seen winning her bid for John Pershing’s shirt. In the second he has given it to her and spends the rest of the auction shirtless. Noel “Priceline” Judd (Chief of Security and Con Co-Chair) later bought it from Amanda and then sold it back to John. The kid in the hat is nameless to us, but he bought the hat from us, made by one of our artists – Munky’s Kreations. My favorite Doctor Who companion made an appearance of the fifth photo in the line-up. K-9 with the Fourth Doctor’s hat and signature scarf.

My niece looks to be in deep conversation with one of the authors in the Dealers Room, Robert Collins. I picked up to of his science fiction books and will be doing reviews of those over on my Book & Music Review Blog.

The con had two staff photographers going around at all the events and in the Dealers Room. Here is a shot taken of a patron as he was looking over our stock at the Pangaia table.

 I’ll leave you with a picture of my brother getting a little crazy with a two-handed sword. Something he always wanted, now at least he has a picture of himself holding one.

What a day! The Con staff are so good to the vendors. About every hour one or more of them stops by to see if we need a bathroom break, water or food. Yes, food. Catered in or prepared by volunteers. Today we were fed deli sandwiches, pizza and baklava. Drinks. The Con suite always has food, but volunteers brought it right to our table.

 Great to see people from other events and that I went to school with. The security chief and co-chair of the Con I have known for $& years (not going to say actual years). Even saw the younger sister of one of my high school classmates.

Chatting with vendors and patrons has been fun.  Spoke with  the special guest author,  Connie Willis about her books and dissected the concept of time travel in TV and movies. Trying to decide which of her books I want to start with.

I even got to geek out and politely correct someone. A gentleman was conversing with another vendor about Doctor Who and wrongly named Peter Wellers as the 1960s movie Doctor when it was Peter Cushing. Tried to correct him during the conversation, but had to wait until I ran into him later.

At about 4pm we had our token Christian conservative stopped at the table. Intelligent enough conversation starter: “Maybe its because I am Christian, but what’s the difference between being a Pagan in the city and a Pagan in a village?” He was referring to Kaldera and Schwartzstein’s Urban Primitive. Not wanting to invest a lot of time and effort in explaining things to someone

Overall,  the day has been enjoyable.who is less likely willing to be open, I simply said that the city is full of concrete and manufactured metals while the more rural has easier access to the Earth. It didn’t keep him from continuing the dialog, but another event patron did arrive at the table and I took the path of least resistant and started a conversation with him.

Sarah and I are already plotting and planning for next year. Some changes, improvements and lots of fun coming your way when get things together for ConStellation V. In the mean time…Still one more day to go here at C-IV.

I arrived early to the hotel to set things up as a surprise for Sarah. I wanted to make things easier for her since she was driving up with the Bugs alone, Stormcrow not being able to come into town until Saturday morning. The van was still loaded from Lincoln Metaphysical Happenings last weekend, it was easy enough to get there without help. I was just finishing up the set up when Sarah and the Bugs arrived in the Dealers’ Room.

After grabbing a bite to eat and sending the Bugs off to Grandma and Grandpa for the weekend, the fun began. I do mean fun. It is always great to meet new people, say hi to old friends, and learn and laugh with other vendors. Next to us is a first time author, self published. Her book sounds interesting. Might be picking it up for a read soon. On the other side of us is a comic book dealer who wasn’t able to arrive until late yesterday, will have to see what they have this morning. And right across from us is a family of jewelers.

Instead of hanging out at the hotel for the after dealers’ room events (panels, parties, etc), Sarah and I took my niece home and then headed to her hotel for a pizza and cheesecake. We talked and plotted and planned.

More to come as the weekend unfolds.

Table Set-Up from ConStellation III

Sarah and Phil are only hours away from setting up for ConStellation IV in Lincoln, NE. This is their second year at the con. Some of the organizers of the con had been pestering us to attend and provide our skills as intuitive readers and do some panels or workshops. The first year we turned them down as we were getting ready to launch Pangaia. The second year we were swamped with other issues. Last year we took them up on the offer and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We pre-registered for this year in advance.

Another View – Our Steampunk neighbor can be seen to the right of the table.

Lucky for them, the van was still packed from last weekend’s Lincoln Metaphysical Happenings. Aside from the addition of a few items that were over looked for that event, everything is pretty much ready to go. They are looking forward to a fun filled weekend with old friends and new!

Last year we were set up at Oasis Inn & Suites in Lincoln. This year we will be setting up at the Holiday Inn downtown. A much nicer venue and closer to other attractions in the downtown area. We will be posting pictures and updates to our Twitter and Facebook pages throughout the weekend, but we would really like to see as many of our Lincoln area people as possible. So, come on down and visit with us in the vendor room for ConStellation IV. Doors open at 3pm Friday the 19th, the vendor room is open to the public.

]]> http://pangaiastore.com/blog/2013/04/19/prep-for-constellation-iv/feed/ 0 http://pangaiastore.com/blog/2013/01/18/a-little-bit-of-bad-luck/ http://pangaiastore.com/blog/2013/01/18/a-little-bit-of-bad-luck/#comments Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:33:17 +0000 KaliSara http://pangaiastore.com/blog/?p=719 Continue reading →]]> Originally posted on Kalima on 1/17/13

Today I was discussing some of the issues that have come in to my life of the past few months. I was talking with a Wiccan, who I hadn’t seen in several months, so we were more or less catching up. It was at this point that I realized that our spiritual paths and philosophies diverged drastically.

You see, there have been many unfortunate incidences that have occurred in my life over the past several months. Now, the situations that have come up have not been pleasant by any means. However, I never really looked at them as being a form of cosmic punishment or retribution. But that’s exactly what she questioned me on.

First, she asked me who I pissed off; then, and she asked who I had wronged. I explained that we don’t do that kind of stuff. We’re not into hexing; we’re not into cursing. We don’t piss people off. We’re actually really quiet and boring, and we stay home and watch TV.

Then I mentioned that, aside from all of the rather nasty things that have been happening, certain things in my life are actually going really well. I mentioned that I had finally found a serious motivation to work on my writing. I also mentioned that the writing was going really well, and that I had networking and contacts that I’d never even considered before.

She then suggested that we were not making appropriate offerings toward our gods. This is not only patently incorrect, but also rather inappropriate considering our gods do not demand offerings of us.

So she asked what I was writing about, and if that could have anything to do with my bad luck. I mentioned my science-fiction novel, and she said, “no, that’s not it.” So I said that the only thing I was working on with any kind of potential for offense was the Goddess of Ick. As soon as I mentioned it, she said. “Drop it.”

Now, there’s something that you have to understand at this point. The Goddess of Ick is an idea that has sprung from the collective experience and belief system of my entire spiritual life. This book is getting written, even if it’s just for me. Telling me to “drop it” is definitely the wrong way to go. So I told her that… nicely.

She then suggested that I was being punished for vanity. After some clarification, I realized she was talking about my sense of pride and success in my writing. When we parted ways, I had a disturbing sensation. I was distinctly uncomfortable. It took me a few minutes to figure out why: she was assuming that I had done something wrong.

She seemed to truly believe that a person could only have this kind of general bad luck if they had either been bad, or redirected somebody’s karma, or were otherwise being punished.

The thing is, it never crossed my mind that I was being punished. And I don’t think that it’s because I was being dense about it. Really this entire situation has felt more like fire. As in, the flames of the forge making one stronger.

Could I really be that delusional? Well, I don’t think so.

Now my family does not do materialism very well, but we exchange a few gifts. Some people have spending limits this year of just $150-300. We stay around $25-50 no matter what. But this year, even $25 seems to be in short supply.

We scrimp and save. I gave up on a “big” gift from my parents so that Stormie could get the gift he wanted (a gun, to hunt… meat – which will theoretically help us save on buying groceries). My gift ideas for my immediate family has been completely practical – a winter coat for myself, pajamas for Bug, pants for Ladybug.

I shop for deals and cover my eyes before clicking the “order” button, just because I’m not sure we can afford it. I collect Swagbucks to earn gift cards to offset – partially or completely – the cost of shopping. We buy only one or two holiday decorations each year – and pack everything away carefully for the years to come. We are going to make our gingerbread house from scratch rather than buy a kit (that doesn’t taste good anyways).

Some of our holiday traditions this year include (or have included): putting up and decorating the Yule tree together, burning a Yule Log candle when we eat our Yuletide feast, discussing our DYGs (Dark of the Year Goals – see my blogs on the Dark of the Year)…

The thing is, and I have discussed this with many people over the past weeks, that the most memorable holiday traditions are often the ones with little or no cost. All kids remember the times they played games all night with their family, the drives around town looking at the lights and decorations, making cookies and crafts together. Kids don’t remember what they got for presents six months later. They remember the time they spent together with family. It’s all about the togetherness. It’s all about the love.

To this end, I’ve decided to not stress about presents (after all, Gramma & Grampa will certainly buy more than we have room for), not stress about parties (school parties only last an hour anyways), not stress about travel (we’ll get there when we get there – why add the pressure of holiday-time travel?), not stress about what anyone, outside of me and Stormie and Bug and Ladybug, thinks of whether we are celebrating “enough” or “appropriately”.

Who cares about how much money I spend on the holidays, except the giant corporations with one eye on the bottom line and their hands reaching for my bank account? Oh, and my overly money-conscious brother, but I don’t care what he cares about anyways.

Speaking of Who’s, I have a holiday playlist (I *LOVE* Christmas songs) that has the song of the Who’s. You know, the one they sing on Christmas morning, even after the Grinch stole all the STUFF and thought that would stop the celebration from coming. Then the Who’s sing anyways, saying “Christmas day is in our grasp, So long as we have hands to clasp” and “Christmas day will always be, Just so long as we have we”. The singing swells the Grinch’s heart destroying the grumpiness of that grump and inspiring him to become heroic and generous.

I think the way things are going, the economy’s oh-so-slow recovery, the protests over corporate and government corruption, the overt, peer-pressure MATERIALISM of the holiday season, we are all in danger of becoming a Grinch, or of letting the Grinch-economy steal our holiday. But we can embrace the Who’s song and declare that this holiday is about celebrating US, celebrating FAMILY, celebrating people, not STUFF.

We have hands of friends and family to hold. We have us and all the happiness that “us” can be. Pull out all the stops this holiday season and concentrate on FUN and FAMILY. The corporate bottom-line will return Christmas once it sees that we don’t need the “Who pudding and rare Who roast beast” or the noise-making toys and bleepity-bling.

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!”

“And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say – that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!”

“Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand.”

Lyrics to Welcome Christmas:

Welcome Christmas come this way

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome Christmas, Christmas day

Welcome, welcome fahoo ramus

Welcome, welcome dahoo damus

Christmas day is in our grasp

So long as we have hands to clasp

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome Christmas bring your cheer

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome all Whos far and near

Welcome Christmas, fahoo ramus

Welcome Christmas, dahoo damus

Christmas day will always be

Just so long as we have we

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome Christmas bring your light

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome Christmas, Christmas day

Welcome Christmas, fahoo ramus

Welcome Christmas, dahoo damus

Welcome Christmas while we stand

Heart to heart and hand in hand

Fahoo fores dahoo dores

Welcome welcome Christmas Day…

Welcome, welcome X-mas day….

The short answer is, “Yes.” We cannot continue to do what we are doing throughout the world. Sadly, this seems to be most extreme where I live: the United States.

There are so many things that people do, particularly in the States, that contribute to this wrong path. This includes the extreme resistance people have here towards anything that smacks of socialism. Unfortunately, socialism is often about combined effort for greater good. The U.S. has acted poorly on the Monsanto issue, the Gulf oil spill and all that goes with it, the Keystone XL pipeline, and so much more.

Additionally, the U.S. missed the opportunity some 25 years ago to push forward the relatively new technologies for solar energy collection (I’m mostly referring to President Carter’s installation of solar panels on the White House, which I believe could have set the stage for a different governmental attitude towards energy, had Reagan not been elected).

The U.S. cemented it’s stance of denial with the Kyoto Protocol. This constant elevation of capitalism (making money) over the future of humanity on this planet has turned the U.S. into something that I believe will lead to the U.S. becoming irrelevant to the world stage as anything other than a military force (if we aren’t already). We are seeing the start of this irrelevance as other countries take steps that the U.S. should have taken a long time ago. As Germany takes a lead in environmental policy, as Amsterdam initiates a public bike sharing program in the 1960s, as India takes a stand against Monsanto’s lies.

This leads me to the long answer, which is “Yes, but that isn’t something that we can’t change.” As the Turkish proverb goes “No matter how far you’ve gone down the wrong road, turn back.”

It is never too late. The point of no return is the destruction of the planet (in regards to human life). Anything else can be fixed, or at least mitigated. We can change, and we can change now. The only thing we need to decide is, how much worse will we make it before we make it better? And when will you (the individual) begin to participate?

Each one of us can do even a small part, because those small parts, those tiny changes are magnified by the sheer numbers of the human population. If the populations of industrialized nations alone work towards sustainable living, participating in creating and supporting renewable energy resources, recycling programs, and personal resource conservation, we would see a huge change worldwide. Each of us has the power. The power to choose:

• to use cloth bags for shopping
• to use non-chemical cleaners
• to foster native plant systems on our properties
• to grow a garden
• to bike when possible
• to protest and educate people on chemicals and GMO foods
• to support those politicians and activists who take up these causes
• to raise our children with this knowledge and the mindset that we can make the difference

On Pagan Musings, we have been exploring Activism as a Pagan Obligation and Healthy Pagan Lifestyles, with an emphasis on exploring GMOs and Monsanto. In case some few of you do not follow every aspect of my life with an avid fascination (say it ain’t so!), I’ve decided to give a run-down, along with some additional information that may not have been addressed in the podcasts.

Monsanto is evil. Let’s just start there.

Here’s some things I’ve heard of over the few years that I’ve been interested in this (and, yes, they are so unbelievable that I have to add links):

1. Monsanto is trying to patent the pig. Yeah, chubby, pink, curly tail, makes bacon… the PIG. If you think I’m joking, just follow the link and read.
2. Monsanto sneaks in to countries to steal native plants and plant breeds, so that it can patent them and then control the distribution of the seeds.
3. Monsanto has targeted people who save seeds using tactics reminiscent of the back-alley gangsters of prohibition. They attempt to shut down farmers because they won’t buy Monsanto seeds.
4. Monsanto persistently sues other farmers despite being shut down for lack of evidence.
5. Brazil (the whole COUNTRY) sues Monsanto for royalties fraud. “In essence, Monsanto argues that once a farmer buys their seed, they have to pay the global bio-tech giant a yearly fee in perpetuity – with no way out.”
6. India (again, the COUNTRY) sues Monsanto for the same thing as Brazil. The Monsanto patent blackmail (my assessment) is “responsible for a farmer suicide every 30 minutes” in India due to the outrageous cost of dealing with the company.
7.  The UK has fought many a battle with Monsanto and GMOs, including: the infiltration of GMO crops where not wanted; the effects of GMO crop use on other plants used as food by birds, bees, and beneficent insects; and the persistence of GMO crops even when a farmer switches to another crop.
8. France banned GMOs, but later redacted the ban.
9. Sweden destroyed GMO crops unless a permit was obtained.
10. Hungary destroyed GMO crops after making GMOs illegal.
11. Poland banned GMO corn because there are indications that GMO crop pollens contribute to the mysterious colony collapse disorder issues seen world-wide in bee populations.
12. Peru banned GMO crops for 10 years to protect native biodiversity.
13. Biodiversity, or genetic diversity, is something that the monoculture-loving biotechs don’t appreciate. Monocultures have a huge number of problems with pest control, chemical use, soil stripping, and more.
14. Boulder, CO voted to phase out GMO crops due to links to cancer. Oh, and the toxins are now commonly found in human blood due to the prevalence of foods that contain GMOs.
15. Oh, and the major point of using GMOs, to increase crop yields by decreasing weeds or pests, doesn’t even work in the long run. The famous b-t corn that prevented rootworms has been getting attacked by, wait for it… rootworms!
16. Here’s more info on what countries around the world (including the US) are doing about GMOs.
17. Monsanto sues a farmer, who spent decades saving and breeding his own seed, because his field was contaminated with Monsanto’s GMO seeds. The farmer lost all his work. Monsanto won the case. But only temporarily. In a massive coup, the farmer won a settlement for Monsanto to clean up their “environmental contamination” and retained the right to resue if the contamination happens again. This case is featured in a documentary film “David versus Monsanto.”

BTW, California has a proposed law, Prop 37, that would demand labeling of GMOs, something the biotech’s, led by Monsanto, have fought against a little too hard to not belie their reasoning (that it wouldn’t make a difference and GMOs are perfectly safe).

While incredibly biased against Monsanto, this has some bet-you-didn’t-know trivia points.

This video is so cool, I had to include it! Don’t forget to take note of the IndieGoGo crowd-sourcing project for a FUN documentary on Monsanto’s evil-ness.

Monsanto Explained: What’s Happening & How You Can Stop It