We know why the oil and gas industry wants to export fracked gas — they stand to make quite a profit by selling to countries like China and Ukraine. This bill is making fast progress in the House — but we can stop it in the Senate. Rhode Island’s delegation will help.

“Senator Reed has real concerns about the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and public health,” said Chip Unruh, a spokesman for Reed. “He is a cosponsor of the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act).  This bill would require fracking to be subject to the protections of the Safe Drinking Water Act.  This legislation would also require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in fracking operations.”

But, the oil & gas industry is promoting a PR campaign to convince Americans that *fracking* is THE answer to American energy independence.  This lie is so widespread that I even hear b.s. PR on my beloved NPR.  In fact, I’ve been listening to it for months now.

That’s right, folks.  NPR.  (Is nothing sacred?)

NPR is a valuable public resource, so I don’t mean to hate on it.  It is an entity that remains vulnerable to such corporate arm-twisting. Nonetheless, when it runs stories about families who are sick as a result of fracking, then pushes “Think About It” ads a few minutes later, there is a blatant contradiction here.  There exists an utter disregard for Truth, and lack of accountability.

Let me sidebar for a moment, and point out some key stats that emphasize why this should get you riled up:

• In rural Pennsylvania counties where fracking began, sexually transmitted infection rose by 32.4%- (that’s 62% more than the increase in rural unfracked counties).
• Social disorder crimes — especially substance abuse and alcohol-related crimes — increased by 17% in counties with the highest density of fracking (compared to only 13% in unfracked rural counties).
• Heavy-truck crashes increased by 7.2% in counties with high fracking activity (whereas they fell in unfracked counties)
• Truthfully, fracking only exists because frackers passed “The Halliburton Loophole” which allowed them to frack our land / water without telling us what chemicals they used. Without such secrecy, it is unlikely that fracking would have been allowed at all, in dozens of states. We know that even the EPA was convinced to cover up its own research that proved fracking had contaminated groundwater.

Fracking will continue to poison our water, air, and health, while increasing methane emissions in the atmosphere, unless we ACT.  This means we must hold our politicians AND journalists accountable, (Yes NPR, I’m lookin’ at you!) and each do our part to speak the truth.  Our quality of life depends on it; our collective future demands it of us.

So please, do yourself (and your neighbors) a favor:   Tell your Senators to oppose fracked gas exports.  Tell them we are paying close attention, and will no longer tolerate anything but GREEN energy independence.  And if possible, get involved in the “Don’t Even Think About It” push to get the American Natural Gas Alliance off our airwaves.

As our season of feasting approaches, it seems rather apropos for activists to intensify anti-GMO campaigns. On October 12th, Providence joined hundreds of cities worldwide to March Against Monsanto. This particular march was successful in building/inspiring subversive camraderie, and raised some crucial awareness surrounding GMO’s effects on our bodies and ecosystems. Yet, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are still struggling to actually pass GMO labeling bills.  The passage of these bills is necessary for GMO-labeling laws to take effect in CT and Maine. 

However, some would argue that the “movement” should go one step further, and ban GMO’s altogether.  While long-term health studies have not been conducted, it is becoming common knowledge that research shows links between GMOs and digestive disorders, cancer, allergies, and infertility. 

GMOs were quietly introduced into our food supply in the 90’s, and our government never required or performed ANY safety testing. Superweeds and superbugs have become resistant to GMO-related pesticides, and GMO crops have been known to contaminate non-GMO crops.  It seems blatantly obvious that we have been deceived; consumers have been denied accurate information to make informed choices, and have paid a high price.

The time to get involved and make our voices heard is Now.  Particularly when Monsanto spends millions on effective misinformation campaigns, like the most recent one in Washington.  I-522 (a ballot initiative to mandate GMO labeling in the state) is a measure that would require “raw agricultural commodities, processed foods, and seeds and seed stocks” to be labeled as genetically engineered “when offered for retail sale.”  (If the law is passed in November, it would take effect July 2015).  Meanwhile, in DC, members of Congress continue debating the final version of the Farm Bill, including the controversial King Amendment.

If you’re seeking ways to get involved in Rhode Island, you can contact the Rhode Islanders Against GMO’s through their Facebook page, and if you live in Massachusetts, please visit http://marighttoknow.com & check out their talking points for calling elected officials. Some state reps are considering GMO labeling legislation, but have made it clear these bills will not go anywhere without pressure from constituents.

Louis Alstadt, (former Vice President of ExxonMobil), recently told the world: “It will take masses of people demanding action from politicians to offset the huge amount of money that the fossil fuel industry is using to influence lawmakers.”  This statement reflects our reasons for taking to the streets, demonstrating passion and perseverance, in such great numbers.  The shared beliefs which brought us together were summarized by one of the rally’s first speakers: “Their vision of profit by coal or petrol is wrong.”  The industry has abused Appalachian workers, leveled mountains, and impacted our environment from West Virginia to Massachusetts, and remains the largest single source of global warming pollution in the world.

“We believe that climate change is an absolutely urgent and pressing threat that will kill people,” said Craig Altemose, director of the Better Future Project.  Yet he also noted that this isn’t really just “climate change” – it is, more specifically, “global warming.”   We must call it what it is.  He described Russia’s heat wave in 2010, which claimed the lives of 15,000, and discussed the global impact of that season.  With coal comprising one-third of all CO₂ emissions, we have no choice but to end our consumption within the next 30-40 years.  To ignore this fact (or to buy the myth of ‘carbon-free coal’) is what one speaker jokingly called “wicked stupid.”

Dominion Energy, the owner of Brayton Point, has invested $1 billion to make the plant more “environmentally friendly.”  This is laughable when it contributes to higher rates of asthma and cancer, and tops the EPA’s list of “most toxic emissions” in Massachusetts.

And what did we face, as peaceful protestors looking to gain Gov. Deval Patrick’s attention?

One hundred law enforcement officials from the Somerset Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, and members of the Bristol County sheriff’s office. Those arrested were taken to a makeshift jail set up by the sheriff’s office at a National Guard armory in Fall River.  However, our criminal (in)justice system is not enough to stop many folks who see this as an urgent life-or-death matter.

According to the FB page of 350 Massachusetts, Turner Bledsoe (79 years old) had this to say, regarding his arrest: “This is the most important thing we can do at this time. We’re on the tipping point. Emissions must go down. If we don’t do something about it, we’re in the soup.”

One protestor I spoke with said she appreciated everyone shouting “Thank you, We love you!” at the arrestees.  The gratitude and beauty was indeed palpable, and I left with a renewed sense of purpose.  It isn’t that we “should” do more; we must do more.  When lives and ecosystems are at stake, it is an obligation- to the earth and to each other.

The next meeting of RI Against GMO will be held at the Rochembeau Library in Providence Thursday at 7 p.m.,  anyone who cannot attend in person is welcome to Skype. Hope to see you there! For more information, please join this Facebook group.

Consumer awareness and grassroots efforts among the 99% make a powerful impact- even in the face of adversarial forces, and despite our invisibility in mainstream media.

While concerned citizens plan another protest for October 2013, Monsanto stocks have fallen (they are going back up now though).  Last week, Connecticut became the first state to pass a GE labeling law. And in Oregon, when a farmer discovered GE wheat growing in his field, Food & Water Watch urged the USDA to end all field testing of GE plants. Japan and South Korea have halted U.S. wheat imports, and many are boycotting brands that have tried to block GMO-labeling ballot measures.

Monsanto has lost the fight in Europe, and will indeed lose the fight here, if momentum continues to build and activists remain committed.

Although it is important to relish our victories, the “bigger picture” is still staring us in the face. GE salmon (on the verge of approval by the FDA) could potentially breed with wild salmon- or worse, breed with brown trout, and create offspring that out-competes native species.  The damage this could do to our environment is as disturbing as the effects of glyphosate, (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup).  More and more people are discussing Roundup’s connection to autism and chronic disease, and bringing behemoths like Syngenta into the conversation, too.

Because while Monsanto was recently named the “most evil corporation” in the world, in a NaturalNews poll, this isn’t just about Monsanto.  This is about a tipping point reflecting the impact of “civilized” lifestyles- both on ourselves, and our surroundings.  Between pipelines, fracking, agribusiness gone awry, climate change, and the recent uptick in mass shootings, we have an overwhelming amount of toxicity “on our plate,” as it were.

As progressive activists, and simply as human beings, we must remember:  Monsanto’s wrongdoings have not occurred in a vacuum.  They are interconnected with (and representative of) a hierarchical and dysfunctional system.  Eliminating only one weapon in the arsenal cannot- and will not- end the war; we must see the fight over who controls our seeds, and the battle to know what is in our food, as intertwined with other social, environmental, and political injustices.

Abbie Hoffman said it best: “Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade.  It is a perpetual process embedded in the human spirit.”

This “perpetual process” is complex and ongoing.  As Bob Plain has pointed out, Connecticut’s GMO labeling law will only take effect after four other states pass similar laws. I do hope Rhode Island will be next in demonstrating a commitment to the health of our children (and each other).  But more importantly, I hope activists will not grow tired of protesting Monsanto – for we have only just begun fighting the system it represents.

Alternative, independent media is clearly more crucial than ever, as is the role of women in politics & journalism. Most of these protests were organized by women, which is encouraging, given their lack of leadership space- both on the whole and in “liberal/radical” movements like Occupy.

So: upon making their voices heard, are things looking up? Sadly, no- the silencing continues, in many ways, in many places.

This Monsanto monster just won’t quit- and it certainly doesn’t sleep. Spending nearly $6 million on lobbying to ensure the passage of the Monsanto Protection Act wasn’t enough. Now it has inserted an amendment into the 2013 Farm Bill (passed by the House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee) that would make it impossible for individual states to pass GMO-labeling laws. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, has been dubbed the Protect Interstate Commerce Act (PICA). The PICA amendment would end recent efforts in states like Connecticut and Vermont to label GMO foods. Even in the highly unlikely event that GMO foods are proven to be only economically harmful, consumers nonetheless have a right to know what is in their food, and where it comes from.

Here’s Paul Hubbard’s video set to Jared Paul’s music, ICYMI:

Providence will join activists from around the world in ten days for the May 25 March Against Monsanto. Monsanto is the biotech giant that is bankrupting American farmers and destroying our food supply, all for its own profit.

Demonstrations in dozens of countries will draw attention to genetically engineered seeds and foods.  In Providence, we begin at 2pm at the State House, and wind through Providence Place Mall, City Hall, Kennedy Plaza, and end back at the State House with some live music, information booths, and guest speakers.

While Monsanto continues to claim GMO food is safe for consumption, research (and common sense) says otherwise.  One recent study has revealed high levels of toxicity in lab-made corn.  As the anti-GMO group Moms Across America to Label GMO‘s has pointed out, when food is covered in glyphosate, you certainly don’t want to eat it, or allow your children to eat it.  Exposure to glyphosate can (and often does) lead to intestinal pain, vomiting, erosion of the gastrointestinal tract, excess fluid in the lungs, pneumonia, clouding of consciousness, destruction of red blood cells, abnormal electrocardiograms, kidney damage and damage to the larynx.  And this is only one concern among many, regarding Monsanto’s impact on agricultural practices.

In March, Congress passed what has been called the “Monsanto Protection Act,” which protects GMO-producing companies from legal action.  It seems that this has only galvanized activists across the globe, and impassioned those who are paying close attention.

You can make sure you don’t buy Monsanto products with this new app, and here’s a list of companies to avoid.

If interested, check out the Facebook event page and get involved- however you can! See you there! Or check out the local Providence Facebook page and/or the global one.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on marriage equality today at 4:00 p.m. Equality opponents are certainly shocked that we have come this far, and they’re flooding Senators with calls and messages. For those who stand on the side of love: Please make some calls today, contact your legislator and let your voice be heard … there are no guarantees here.

Hopefully, we will never have to do this again.

As for me? Tonight I will be busy with my oh-so-scandalous, oh-so-deviant bisexual life: Running errands after work, and giving my partner a celebratory kiss & hug when we -(fingers crossed)- hear the good news.

The Rhode Island Senate Republican caucus announced its support for a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first legislative caucus in the nation to unanimously back marriage equality.

The President of HRC referred to this as a “game changer,” noting that issues of equality are gaining bipartisan support as time marches on.

Rhode Island has a higher percentage of LGBT adults than all but two states that have legalized same-sex marriage, according to a 2012 Gallup survey. At 4.5%, the state ranked No. 5, overall, but above the national average of 3.5%.

However, this will not only change the lives of LGBT constituents; this is bound to improve the quality of life for children of LGBT couples, and have a vast “ripple effect”