. . . Robert Cohen is what happened. He has been hounding Monsanto for the last 10 years about their very dangerous genetically engineered bovine growth hormone marketed under the name 'Prosilac'. It has been a long and passionate fight for him and it is now paying off. The FDA has finally forced Monsanto to stop selling Prosilac to dairy farmers which has resulted in dairy farmers producing less milk and therefore charging more for their product. Following are two recent newsletters from Robert Cohen that will help you to understand the Monsanto/FDA/Dairy Farmer story. You can also read all about it at www.notmilk.com.
________
From: "Robert Cohen" < notmilk@e... >
Date: Tue Apr 27, 2004 4:49 am
Subject: DEATH of the Bovine Growth Hormone
Death of the Bovine Growth Hormone "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph...
I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather
strength from distress and grow brave by reflection."
-Thomas Paine
I admit to murdering the bastard.
I plunged a knife deep into the belly of the beast.
Get the handcuffs and leg restraints.
I am a dangerous criminal.
Lead me off to jail.
Monsanto will neither press charges nor credit me with
the kill. Why give their least favorite person credit
where credit is due?
FDA will not admit it either. After all, they
still work for Monsanto. So too, for that matter
does the George Bush administration. See:
http://www.notmilk.com/pelican.html You will soon be reading a remarkable headline.
The genetically engineered bovine growth hormone
is dead. Posilac, aka rbGH, rbST, cow-fuel,
milk-poison, will soon cease to exist.
What did this cost me? Ten years of my life, and it
was worth it. The ten potentially highest earning years
of one man's life, from ages 42-52, all sacrificed for
a principle. Like a pit bull, I grabbed onto Monsanto's
leg and would not leg go.
A tough decision awaits executives at the upper echelons
of Monsanto. A decision is being debated in corporate
corridors. They cannot afford to take Posilac off of
the market, for that would be the end of their genetic
engineering technology. On the other hand, they cannot
afford to keep Posilac on the market, for the entire
dairy industry has woken up to this fact of economic
reality: the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone
was bad for business.
Surplus milk resulting from this hormone kept
milk prices low.
Adverse publicity from the bovine growth hormone
caused people to question all milk consumption.
Adverse publicity from the bovine growth horomone
caused people to explore milk alternatives, like soymilk.
Adverse publicity from the bovine growth hormone
created the "Notmilkman," the dairy industry's worst
nightmare.
Before his death, my webmaster, Dave Rietz, often used
a favorite expression. "Every avalanche begins with a
snowflake." At first, Dave and I each represented one
snowflake. Then we grew into two large snowballs. We
rolled down a hill, all the while gaining momentum and
mass. Some avalanche! Dave will enjoy today's column.
Four months ago (Sunday, December 21, 2003), I filed a
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA).
One day earlier, I had received a copy of a letter
alerting dairy farmers that Monsanto's genetically
engineered bovine growth hormone (rbST) would be in
short supply. Monsanto wrote:
"Supplies of Posilac bovine somatotropin (rbST) are
temporarily limited while necessary corrections and
improvements in manufacturing are made by Monsanto's
supplier."
I smelled something rotten in Monsanto-land.
That next day, I called many people at FDA, attempting
to get the facts. Nobody was talking.
In 1999, I had filed a citizen's petition with FDA to
take Posilac off the market. I submitted evidence of
how Monsanto defrauded FDA. It took FDA five years
to act. They closed Monsanto's Posilac factory a
few months ago. Monsanto lied to dairy farmers,
calling it a "temporary production problem."
Monsanto had created a potential catastrophe for
humankind. I give FDA credit for finally acting.
I discovered that Monsanto had made a gene transcription
error during the development of their new genetic
technology. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Each time
that Monsanto attempted to re-create their new hormone,
one amino acid, lysine, was incorrectly transcribed
as a "freak" amino acid, epsilon-N-acetyllysine.
For nearly five years, FDA ignored my request.
Then, things became interesting.
Monsanto mailed a letter to Posilac-using dairy farmers
on December 19, 2003. Monsanto shocked farmers by alerting
them that Posilac would be in limited supply until:
"Conditions and improvements in manufacturing are made..."
Monsanto accepted no new customers, and anticipated their
"shortfall" to last for "several months."
Monsanto attempted to fix the errors. They have not been
successful. FDA now knows of those mistakes because my
whistleblowing broke windows.
What became the snowflake to make the snowball to
begin the avalanche?
On Wednesday, February 4, 2004, I received the damning
evidence that confirmed Monsanto's crime against humankind.
Thirty hours of non-stop research and confirmation later
supported the magnitude of Monsanto's crime.
In a column written before last Christmas, I predicted:
"Mark down this date, 12/19/03. This may very well be the
defining moment that ends the use of genetically engineered
foods in America's food."
On January 30, 2004, I received a warning that represented
a threat to my well being. I wrote a column the next day,
responding to that threat:
"I have been threatened, and my enemies can go to hell.
They will read this, and know that there will be many
witnesses to any future coincidences. You, my readers,
are an insurance policy that may or may not have
matured to its full term...I will not turn my back
on the children. So, I continue my course. Full speed
ahead."
Four days after writing and posting that column, I received
an envelope from FDA confirming my worst fears. My FOIA
request. Truth, at last. The entire request cost me
$18.30. This revelation shall cost Monsanto and its
stockholders considerably more.
The most damning evidence was found in observation number
1, filed by an FDA investigator after inspecting Monsanto's
rebombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST or Posilac) production
facility at Biochemisetrasse 10, Kundl, Austria.
OBSERVATION 1
"There is a failure to thoroughly review the failure
of a batch or any of its components to meet any of its
specifications whether or not the batch has been
thoroughly distributed."
"Specifically, the corrective actions implemented after
the investigation of nine sterility failures reported
since 2001 (3 for 2001, 3 for 2002, and 3 for 2003) for
Posilac injection or for the lyophilized active ingredient
(Sometribove zinc) have not been effective in preventing
reoccurrence. In five instances (2 for 2001, 1 for 2002,
and 2 for 2003) the organism was identified as
Propionibacterium acnes; Staphylococcus species have been
identified in three instances and in one instance (in
2002) Bacillus pumilus was found. Propionibacterium was
found in environmental samples of the manufacturing areas.
Batches manufactured around the same period of time and
under the same conditions of the affected lots have been
released to the market."
OBSERVATION 2
"Equipment for adequate control over micro-organisms
is not provided when appropriate for the manufacture,
processing, packing or holding of a drug product."
As Jeff Goldbloom said to Geena Davis in the classic
horror film, The Fly (1986): "Be scared, be very scared."
The first attempt to produce a new food by pretending
to understand God's genetic code resulted in a new
kind of milk, supersaturated with powerful growth
hormones. FDA lied to America, claiming that milk
had not changed. That was the beginning.
With this last FOIA request, we learned the answer
to the query, "What hath God wrought?" Humankind
will now be asking, "What hath man wrought?"
It has been well reported that a new emerging species
of bacteria has developed, immune to antibiotic
treatment. Staphylococcus aureus plagues many American
hospitals in this new outbreak. Could the etiology
of the mother of all deadly staph infections be
traced to a new genetically engineered version of
staph, a superbug inadvertently produced by Monsanto
and then introduced into the food supply?
In 1989, such staphyloccus infections were unknown to
hospitals. By 2002, nearly two-thirds of all hospital
infections could be attributed to antibiotic-resistant
staphlococcus infections.
A second bacterium on FDA's (once) secret report
reveals that Posilac samples were found to contain
bacillus pumilus. This bacterium degrades cellulose.
What would be the result of genetically engineering
something that breaks down the heartiest of plant
cells with a cow hormone? As my dear departed Grandma
Ruth used to say, "God only knows."
A third bacterium found was identified as
propionibacterium acnes (P-acnes). What the heck
is P-acnes? An Internet search revealed:
"P. acnes is the causative agent of acne vulgaris (pimples)...
Other infections for which P. acnes has been implicated
include corneal ulcers, heart valves and prosthetic
devices, and central nervous system shunts. A rare heart
disease known as Propionibacterium acnes endocarditis has
been discovered in a prosthetic valve infected with P. acnes.
The valve was also complicated by multiple mycotic aneurysms."
The world works in funny ways, but there is always
balance. Monsanto's hormone will soon be off the market.
FDA will allow Monsanto to withdraw their drug with
corporate dignity. Posilac will soon take its own
life and cease to exist.
Farmers will produce less milk. The price of milk
and dairy commodities will soar, as they have been
doing since the first Posilac shortage began.
Cows will be less stressed as their udders shrink
because they are no longer injected with high octane
hormone fuel. The pus cell rates will mysteriously
decrease. Farmers will be given credit for producing
safer and cleaner milk.
And I? I'll be pointing my finger (guess which one)
at the dairy industry, shouting: "It's hormones, stupid!"
All milk naturally contains powerful growth hormones.
Even the healthiest organic milk from the healthiest
cow. Thank you, Monsanto, for teaching me the basics.
Ellen White warned about the evils of Monsanto, long before
the company existed:
"So long as we are in the world, we shall meet with adverse
influences. Day by day and year by year we shall conquer self,
and grow into a noble heroism. (Ministry of Healing, p. 487)
Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com ___
From: "Robert Cohen" < notmilk@e... >
Date: Sun May 9, 2004 4:43 am
Subject: Sprechen Sie Monsantisch?
Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH)
is in the toilet (Scheissen sie in der Toilette). Imagine that you run Monsanto. OK...I'll wait
while you put on your horns, cloven hooves, and
red cape.
Ready?
So...your genetically engineered bovine growth hormone
manufacturing facility has been kicked in the gut by the
Food and Drug Administration because it has produced batch
after bach of product with impurities, including contaminated
anerobic microorganisms.
FDA has submitted a list of requirements for you to perform
in order to clean up your act. How have you responded to
America's senior-most regulatory drug agency?
With all due respect, right?
Nah. Why would a criminal do the right thing?
Monsanto decided to respond to a long list of FDA's
demands regarding unsafe conditions at their Austrian
factory with doubletalk written in German, not English.
How did FDA react?
On March 29th, Gloria Dunnavan, FDA's Director of
the Office of Surveillance and Compliance, wrote to
the CEO of Sandoz (Monsanto's rbGH supplier):
"We wish to point out that it is not the responsibility
of the Food and Drug Administration or the Center for
Veterinary Medicine to translate documents."
Pissed off? You bet. Dunnavan's reaction:
"We reviewed your responses...we found that the responses
still lacked sufficient detail, explanation, documentation
or substantive corrective action plans..."
FDA's final threat:
"Failure to promptly correct these violations may result
in regulatory action being initiated by the Food and
Drug Administration without further notice. These actions
include, but are not limited to, seizure, injunction,
and/or civil penalties. Further, if corrections are not
made, we will recommend that your firm's products be
placed on import alert and be denied entry into the
United States."
Read FDA's entire warning letter to Monsanto:
<
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning_letters/g4633d.htm >
FDA's letter was written on March 29, 2004, and posted
to their website 30 days later on April 28, 2004.
Monsanto's response to FDA's letter (written by Brian
Lowry, V.P.):
"This letter was issued as part of the normal procedures
followed by FDA..."
Sounds pretty abnormal to me. In his press release,
Mr. Lowry writes:
"If you have nay (SIC) questions (he must have meant to
write "any" instead of "nay")--
A classic Freudian slip.
As a matter of fact, I did have a "nay" (negative) question,
and since he was kind enough to post his phone number
(314-694-2872), I called him at 3 PM on Friday (5/7/04)
afternoon. Here was my question.
"Since dairy farmers are now producing less milk, they
are netting their highest prices in history, over $20
per hundred pounds. Compare that to just $9 per hundred
pounds six months ago. They've woken up to the fact that
15% more milk means 50% lower net. They've correctly
reasoned that your Posilac is bad for business. What do
you say to that?"
I spoke to Lowry one week after he wrote the press
release, and his response surprised even me.
"I am no longer working in Monsanto's dairy division,
so I really cannot comment on the economic impact of
Posilac."
__________________________________________________________
Dear Monsanto,
This is all my doing. I take full credit for initiating
the investigation that will have destroyed your bovine
growth hormone business. I have cost you hundreds of
millions of dollars. What do I suggest you do? Stick it
in your ear.
I wish only that Dave Rietz could have lived to see this
bit of justice played out.
Respectfully,
Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com 201-967-7001
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/notmilk/messages___
TYY
Note: Newsletters posted in their entirety with permission from the author.
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