Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news43~1.htm/text0018.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 19.8 KB | 502 lines

 `McVerdict' Will Be a Whopper

 By DIRK BEVERIDGE
 AP Business Writer

 LONDON (AP) -- The McVerdict is almost in.

 After fighting the longest battle ever waged in an English court, the
 multibillion-dollar McDonald's Corp. finds out Thursday whether it was
 able to defeat two vegetarian activists who call the company the epitome
 of evil multinational capitalism.

 The judge, Justice Roger Bell, has spent six months preparing a verdict
 in the ``McLibel'' case that court officials say fills three volumes.

 After listening to 313 days of testimony and arguments, and reading
 through 40,000 pages of evidence, Bell's judgment is so bulky that
 officials say only a summary will be made immediately available for
 public consumption.

 Even the abbreviated version will take about an hour and a half for the
 judge to explain, court officials said Wednesday.

 Legal experts have predicted Bell's decision will be a hollow victory for
 McDonald's, after the hamburger giant used a high-powered libel team
 against the defendants, unemployed ex-postman Dave Morris and part-time
 bar worker Helen Steel, who represented themselves wearing jeans and
 sweatshirts.

 If Morris and Ms. Steel should somehow win, McDonald's would face
 enormous humiliation after fighting for years in a case estimated to have
 cost 10 million pounds ($16 million).

 Regardless of the judge's ruling, Morris and Ms. Steel claim they are the
 real victors because they were able to draw much attention to their
 criticism of the company's business practices.

 The battle began years ago, when McDonald's went after activists from the
 obscure left-wing group London Greenpeace, not related to the well-known
 Greenpeace International, for handing out anti-McDonald's pamphlets
 outside the company's fast-food outlets in Britain.

 McDonald's says the pamphlets -- entitled ``What's wrong with McDonald's,
 Everything they don't want you to know'' -- are totally false and
 defamatory.

 The leaflet, which Morris and Ms. Steel call ``the fact sheet,'' accuses
 McDonald's of paying low wages, fighting union organization, abusing
 workers and animals, serving beef raised on former rainforest land,
 promoting an unhealthy diet and targeting children through seductive
 advertising campaigns that feature the clown Ronald McDonald.

 Although the activists likely would have gained little attention with the
 original leaflets, the case has attracted widespread media attention,
 including a global anti-McDonald's Internet site, numerous news articles
 and broadcast reports, a book and a recent British television miniseries.

 McDonald's said it was only seeking to protect its reputation, but the
 activists say their supporters will keep on handing out tens of thousands
 of the anti-McDonald's leaflets no matter which way the judge rules.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:03:20 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (BE) EU Sets Genetic Food Label Rules
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
 06/18/1997 12:50 EST

 EU Sets Genetic Food Label Rules

 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Responding to public concern about food safety,
 the European Union on Wednesday approved a measure requiring companies to
 label genetically modified food.

 The move is certain to spark complaints from the United States.

 U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky earlier in the week told EU
 officials that Washington would view labeling as a possible violation of
 world trade rules.

 American farmers, who are big producers of genetically modified soybeans
 and corn, say separating the crops is nearly impossible and would be
 prohibitively expensive.

 U.S. grain producers also fear that labeling genetically modified food
 would mislead consumers into thinking the products were defective.

 In a statement announcing the EU decision, Ritt Bjerregaard, the group's
 environment chief, said the labels would provide ``valuable information
 for the consumer'' and were not intended to scare away the public from
 genetically altered products.

 The rules will require companies seeking EU approval of gene-modified
 products to identify them as such on ``a label or an accompanying
 document.''

 EU officials said all 15 member nations must put the labeling law into
 effect by July 31.

 European farm, environmental and consumer groups have called for the
 labels, arguing the grain has not been adequately tested for safety.

 Austria and Luxembourg have banned the import of genetically modified
 grain, saying the herbicides and antibiotic-resistant chemicals used in
 its production could cause adverse reactions in some individuals.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:10:22 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Farm Trade Hits Obstacle in Europe
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

more on genetically engineered food/livestock
from AP Wire page:
--------------------------------------
 06/18/1997 18:09 EST

 Farm Trade Hits Obstacle in Europe

 By CURT ANDERSON
 AP Farm Writer

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- European suspicion of genetics technology in farming
 and food has become a major trade stumbling block for American
 agriculture, Clinton administration officials said Wednesday.

 U.S. negotiators are having a tough time convincing the 15-nation
 European Union that the technology is safe because the opposition is not
 based on science, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said.

 ``It's based on ideology, culture, religion,'' Glickman told the Senate
 Agriculture Committee. ``The attitude is, it's not what God intended.''

 The fight is over use of genetic engineering for a wide range of farm
 purposes, including making plants tougher against pests and fattening
 cattle for market. The United States insists these practices are
 perfectly safe.

 The United States recently won a preliminary victory when a panel of the
 World Trade Organization ruled that the EU's ban on use of hormones in
 beef was unjustified because it was not based on science. Hormones are
 used in 90 percent of U.S. beef.

 The Europeans are expected to appeal that ruling after it is finalized,
 and they remain opposed to other U.S. goods and commodities that have
 been genetically modified.

 On Wednesday, the EU approved rules requiring companies seeking approval
 of gene-modified products to identify them as such on ``a label or
 accompanying document.'' All 15 member nations must comply by July 31.

 Ritt Bjerregaard, the EU environment chief, said the labels would provide
 ``valuable information for the consumer'' and were not intended to scare
 the public away from genetically altered products.

 U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky told the committee that a
 move toward segregation of the genetically modified products could cost
 American farmers $3 billion to $5 billion in lost exports.

 ``That can't be tolerated, especially when segregation is done based on
 purely political goals, and not based on science at all,'' Barshefsky
 said.

 She added that EU steps toward labeling or segregation will likely
 trigger a U.S. complaint against the Europeans with the World Trade
 Organization. The WTO enforces international trade agreements.

 Glickman plans to stress the subject Thursday in a speech in London to
 the International Grains Council, a private industry organization the
 United States hopes will help change European attitudes toward genetic
 modifications.

 ``Truth is truth. Science is science. We've got to keep pushing that,''
 Glickman said.

 Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee,
 said USDA statistics show that by 2000, one-third of U.S. farm products
 will be sold overseas and that agriculture production worldwide must
 increase to meet a growing population.

 ``Without the biotechnology changes, we're not going to get there,''
 Lugar said. ``We cannot yield on that. They (the EU) are going to have to
 get out of their funk.''

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 17:23:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ACTION ALERT - Taiji Tragedy
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Posted to the list on behalf of Whalesave

>Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 15:39:59 -0800
>
>ACTION ALERT
>TAIJI TRAGEDY
>
>Please help!  Two of the five orca whales brutally captured off Taiji,
>Japan on February 7, have now died in captivity.
>
>E-mail/fax the Prime Minister of Japan urging him not to allow the
>replacement of these two dead orcas, and to free the remaining three whales
>before it's too late.  It would be helpful if you cc. your letter to the
>other fax numbers provided below.
>
>1. Mr  Ryutaro Hashimoto, Prime Minister of Japan
>        Fax: [phone]
>        EMAIL MESSAGES to Japanese Prime Minister's official residence:
>      email address: [e-mail]
>      homepage: http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/question.html
>
>2. Mr. Michio Ahimada, Director of the National Fishery Agency
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>3. Mr. Isamu Nishiguchi,  Governor of Wakayama-prefecture
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>4. Mr.Takamasa Ikeda, Director of Japan Zoo and Aquarium Association
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>5. Mr. Ozaki, Director of the Shirahama Adventure World
>           Fax: [phone]
>
>6. Consulate of Japan in Vancouver
    >Fax: [phone]
>
>7. Embassy of Japan in Ottawa
    >Fax: [phone]
>
>Please contact us for more information.
>Thank you!
>
>Annelise Sorg
>Director
>Coalition For No Whales In Captivity
>102-1365 West Fourth Avenue
>Vancouver, BC. V6H 3Y8 Canada
>Tel: [phone] - Fax; [phone]
>E-mail: [e-mail]
>
>
>
>

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 20:47:52 -0600 (MDT)
From: Jennifer Kolar <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: 4th of July: Independence for Whom!?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-MD5: l/qhozYD7y5nQ/4j3lOKpA==


It has been the tradition of a group of local social and economic justice
activists to protest outside the local fireworks display each
4th of July.

People go out on the 4th of July with their blood sickeningly thick
with patriotism. They are celebrating the independence of the US
from the opressive regime of England.. what a perfect time to remind
the people of the US that the US itself is probably the most oppressive
power on Earth!

Need some examples?

The US is using GATT and NAFTA trade policies to single-handedly destroy
the environmental and animal protection policies which stand in various
countries.
     Tuna caught in Mexico is able through NAFTA to be labeled dolphin-safe,
       even when it isn't.
     The US is using GATT to prevent the EU from banning wild-caught
       fur
     The US is also using GATT to sue countries that have defied the US
       and already banned wild-caught fur.
     NAFTA and GATT have been used to move many factories to Mexico and
       Asia where products are produced in sweat-shop conditions where
       workers make pennies a week and work long long hours in unregulated
       factories. The products: tennis shoes, jeans, etc...

The US is more and more pushing the death penalty.. The US is one of the
only developed nations in the world left to have a death penalty.

The US is decrying terrorism , both internationally and nationally, while
waging more wars on foreign governments either directly, or through
embargos, or through supporting individual leaders and providing arms than
any other country. Additionally, the US fights wars on its own citizens
while at the same time claiming them to be the terrorists: the ALF, the
AIM, the black panthers..

The IMF and world bank, dominated by the US force desperate countries which
need loans to accept US capitalist policies. The US forces these
countries to spend the money on particular projects planned by the US, not
by the local economies. These projects bring US industries to these countries,
rely heavily on exporting raw materials to be processed in the US and then
shipped back to these countries, preventing local economies from becomming
self-sufficient. The projects which the US imposes are invariably things
such as Dams or  clear-cutting or mining, things which produce goods
desired by the US and which are controlled by the US and destroy the
local environment and economies.

The US has provided China w/ favored nation status so that we can continue
to put more and more US industry in China and to make more and more
money off of exports to China even though their human rights policies have
been condemned.

The US has a long-standing embargo against Cuba, starving its people and
destroying its economy.

The US has openened more and more of its animal reserves to hunting, logged
more and more of its wild lands, damned more and more of its rivers all the
time.

The US is locking up more and more people of color and poor people in
prison than ever before. 1/3 of all black men will have spent time in
prison in their lives.

The US actively supports COINTELPRO operations both in the US and in
foreign countries to smash any political force it disagrees with.

The US enslaves animals and humans and the environment for its greedy
desires, with no regard for the lives of those it destroys.

The US and its disregard for toxic chemical laws and pollution laws
is building all of its toxic factories in poor non-white neighborhoods, is
destroying the environment and changing climate across the world more
drastically than anytime since the industrial revolution.

Enough yet??

So.. everyone.. on this 4th of July.. in each of your towns get the local
AR and social justice people and environmental people, make out
some leaflets addressing some of these or other issues and get out there
and be creative and let people know what hypocrits they are being by
celebrating this "wonderful and free " nation which oppresses everything it
possibly can.  Even England, the nation we celebrate our freedom from is
far more progressive now on the above issues than the US has dreamed of being.

So get out there and throw this absurdity and hypocracy in Clinton's and the
people's faces.

It doesn't need much planning, it doens't need to be huge. The people
will all go to one place for you for 4th of July events.. all it takes is
a few local people in each city. And now, as movements are finally connecting
these issues and international politics, which is heavy-handed by this
government, are becomming more dominant and social, environmental, and
animal issues are becomming blatantly connected... now is the time to
respond!


Jen Kolar
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 21:56:15 -0400
From: David Rolsky <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: [US] Minnesota Activist Freeman Wicklund to be Sentenced Again
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"


June 19, 1997

Animal Activist Freeman Wicklund

to be Sentenced Again

Animal
rights activist Freeman Wicklund is being sentenced
for several more misdemeanors relating to the Minnesota hunter's
rights law this Friday at 9:00 AM.  The sentencing will take
place at the Scott County Court House, Judge Atkins
presiding.  The court house is located at 428 South Holmes
Street in Shakopee.


     Wicklund was originally sentenced to probation and a fine for an arrest
related to a hunting protest in November of 1995, at which 11 other
activists were arrested.  During this protest no one was injured and no
property was damaged.  The protest was at a public park.


     In a letter to Judge Atkins, he said "I will not give money to a court
system that criminalizes free speech and the prevention of violence."  He
also has stated that he feels that probation violates his free speech and
rights to protest.  Instead, he is requesting that his sentence be
converted to an amount of jail time commensurate with his crime, which
Mr. Wicklund defines as one day.  Judge Atwood will deliver his ruling on
Friday.


     In March of this year, Wicklund was sentenced to 90 days in jail by
Judge Joan Lancaster for charges relating to a protest at the president
of the University of Minnesota.  Wicklund spent 14 days on hunger
strike before Judge Lancaster forced him to take a year's
probation.  Wicklund has stated that if he is given jail time, he
will hunger strike again until his release.

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 23:46:33 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (JP) Two Killer Whales die in Japan
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------------
 06/18/1997 23:40 EST

 Two Killer Whales die in Japan

 TOKYO (AP) -- Two killer whales captured from the sea earlier this year
 have died at an amusement park in western Japan.

 Nanki Shirahama Adventure World bought three of the 10 whales taken from
 the waters near Wakayama prefecture on Feb. 7, according to an official
 of the Wakayama prefectural fisheries agency.

 The first, a male, died June 14. Three days later, a female died. The
 third remains at the park.

 The cause of the deaths was not known, the fisheries agency official
 said. The dead whales were transported to Wakayama prefectural medical
 school for autopsies.

 Of the other whales caught in February -- their capture triggered
 protests from animal rights activists at home and abroad -- two are being
 kept at other parks in Japan while the remaining five were released.


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