– protests and boycotts on either side of an issue are often great, if a majority of people demand change then the market will respond
– this is a pure form of democratic change: without violence, without laws, rules, regulation or corruption
– in the last few months, voluntary labeling has increased greatly, food companies and stores are responding to public demand for labeling
– if people who want GMO labeling put even ONE percent of food purchases through a grocer which promised to label, that would be a $4.6 billion business — in reality, “talk is cheap” and most people calling for labeling are still not buying the products – its easier to make posts or even attend rallies than to make change in buying habits – if everyone complaining signed a pledge to buy all food from my GMO free grocery store I or some other entreprenuer would make such a store and be a billionaire overnight…fact is the real demand is not yet there – its much easier to complain and ask for the government or other powers to make changes some find too hard to make on their own
– voluntary labeling is great, mandatory government labeling is a terrible idea, government is rife with corruption and cronyism, involving them more in our food choices and the process is unlikely to make improvement and very likely to have unforeseen negative consequences
– many of the people complaining about government favoritism of Monsanto are the same people who often ask for more government involvement in our lives: this is what we reap with more government, specialized, protectionist rules and regulations which benefit those who are large and powerful enough to buy influence in Congress
– we already see government doing raids of raw milk suppliers, killing honey bees and protecting the largest and worst companies – we don’t need more government involvement in our lives and food, we need less government and more personal responsibility
– people should be able to consume whatever they want: pot, heroin, raw milk, arsenic, McDonalds fries, organic spinach, GMO foods or cocaine – we have free will and a right to live die or kill ourselves based on our own choices – some people believe GMO food harmless, some believe eating pork is a sin – let each person make his own choice and force no one to do what someone else thinks is moral, healthy or right – that’s what freedom is about
– where this freedom stops is 1) when it harms someone unable to make their own decisions (such as a child or elderly or incompetent person) – so you can smoke pot if you want but you can’t give pot to your young child 2) when it is involuntarily forced on another person – so you can eat organic or GMO but you can’t force someone else to eat organic or GMO — you can have a factory but you cannot pollute the air and water of your neighbors 3) when an action resulting from something causes another harm (you can drink alcohol but cannot drive drunk and endanger others)
– freedom also stops when it interferes with the natural rights of another individual – for example it is completely unacceptable to contaminate another person’s farm, force them to buy products or attempt to patent seeds they have owned for years
– as with all complex and emotionally charged issues, there is misinformation on both sides – the truth lies somewhere in between – all the more reason to let each person on each side of this issue make his or her own decisions about what course of action they wish to take without mandating the other to do something
– common with almost all laws is the law of unintended consequences – too often laws designed to stop a certain group are actually written by and in favor of that very group
– laws, mandates, taxes and rules are enforced by violence – we should always remember this when calling for new laws — it’s perfectly acceptable to use violence when dealing with crimes where there is an involuntary victim (like using violence to stop someone who is trying to stab you) – but it is not acceptable to use violence against those who commit “crimes” with no victim
– corporate executives may be evil or greedy…but politicians may also be evil or greedy – the difference is that politicians can tax you, imprison you or kill you with far more ease than a corporate executive can – barring a magical world where there is no more evil, lets keep power as decentralized as possible with less power focus on government and more on citizens

It doesn’t really matter where someone stands on Monsanto and GMOs — what is key is for people to carefully look for the most freedom oriented and peaceful solution to whatever problem they perceive.