Cannons rout protesters in Austin

Houston Chronicle:
A 21-cannon salute to Texas’ fallen soldiers on Saturday created chaos on the Capitol’s south steps, where hundreds of people had gathered to protest the agriculture company Monsanto.
Despite Saturday's heavy rain, Austin's March Against Monsanto attracted about 1,000 people. Photo by Timothy Mota.
Despite Saturday’s heavy rain, Austin’s March Against Monsanto attracted about 1,000 people. Photo by Timothy Mota.


Monika Mota, who works for the Austin Center for Peace and Justice and helped to organize the local March Against Monsanto, said a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper told her the cannons would be fired just moments before the blasts were heard. She was given a five-minute warning, she said, but didn’t get a chance to warn attendees in time.

“He said they were fired faster than he expected,” said Mota. “There was someone singing, and I thought I had more time. It was awful; people started running, because no one knew what was happening.”

Protesters scattered, children started to cry and about 50 people fled from the Capitol, apparently believing they were under attack, she said. Mota said she told attendees not to be alarmed, but they were.

“I wish they could have given me a little more warning,” Mota said.
...
I would describe Monsanto as a chemical company that also makes agricultural products.  I would describe these protesters as agricultural Luddites who opposed modifications that make crops stronger and more productive.  These crops can help some countries avoid starvation.  I have seen no evidence that these crops are scary.

I am guessing there were not combat vets in the crowd to hollar "incoming."

Comments

  1. Tina8:35 PM

    There are two reasons I think the time has come to reign in this chemical company.
    (1) Monsanto's extreme heavy handedness in claiming patent infringement for cross pollination of other people's crops who did not plant Monsanto seed. Yes, I know courts have upheld this but it is an evil business practice.
    (2) Monsanto's irrational opposition to labeling. In this case, the company takes the opposite stance and wants secrecy in marketing. I am not sold on the GMO chimeras that incorporate genetics from other life forms, for example Bt. While we can't put the GE genie back in the bottle, we can at least enable human beings to have access to information to make our own choices.

    Since it is obvious our lawmakers are not paying attention to common-sense requests of rational citizens, we find we have a surprising joint stance with all sorts of special interest groups that are usually on the wrong side of issues.

    The blog "Fuzzy Logic" (linked from my sidebar) has a really good article today on "Why the #MarchAgainstMonsanto Matters to Conservatives".

    BTW, I don't comment often but I enjoy your blog. I have linked to you from the early days, and appreciate your commentary to the items you post.

    ReplyDelete

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