Bovine Growth Hormone dangerous to humans & considered inhumane in causing health problems in cows~ painful udder infections, hoof problems and birth defects. To counter these issues, dairy farmers use antibiotics, which contributes to rising threat of antibiotic resistance, as explained in a report by Physicians for Social Responsibility Oregon~FDA approval in 1983 but synthetic growth hormone banned in Europe and Canada

::::::::

[The third Monsanto trial is scheduled to begin March 25, in Oakland, California. Monsanto-Bayer is facing more than 9,000 similar lawsuits.

For example, on March 8, a Florida cancer victim filed a $1-billion lawsuit against Bayer.

Meanwhile, in the upcoming Pilliod V. Monsanto case, motion hearings and discussion of hardship claims for prospective jurors begins next week in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland, not far from downtown San Francisco where the Hardeman case may still be underway if it goes to the second phase.

Opening statements in the Pilliod trial could begin March 21 but more likely will take place March 25 or later depending on how long the jury selection process takes.]

>>>>>

Summarized from 3/13 article from Organic Consumers Association by Julie Wilson

plus earlier ones by Sam Levin and Carey Gillam in the Guardian (UK)

'The world is against them': new era of cancer lawsuits threaten Monsanto

On March 12, both sides in the Edwin Hardeman vs. Monsanto case delivered their closing arguments in San Francisco Federal Court. Hardeman sued Monsanto (now owned by Bayer), alleging that his longtime use of Roundup weedkiller caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer.

The jury could return its verdict any day now.

The six-juror panel must return a unanimous decision, or a mistrial will be called.

A new trial would likely take place in May. If the jury returns a guilty verdict, the case will enter the second phase, where Monsanto's liability will be determined and damages may be awarded to the plaintiff.

This week's closing arguments followed a recent favorable ruling for the plaintiff this despite new revelations about Chhabria's past ties to Monsanto.

In a boost for the plaintiff, Chhabria last week dismissed Monsanto's latest move to end the trial, citing evidence that glyphosate herbicides (including Roundup) could have caused Hardeman's cancer. He ruled:

The plaintiffs have presented a great deal of evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of its product.

In his ruling, Chhabria also wrote: "There is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.

Judge once worked for law firm that represented Monsanto

Chhabria's ruling in favor of the plaintiff came as a surprise to some, given the his overall handling of the Hardeman case, which ultimately sparked inquiry into whether Chhabria was biased in favor of the defense. The inquiry led to the revelation that Chhabria once worked for a law firm that's a "well-known defender of a variety of corporate interests, including Monsanto," according to reporting by Carey Gillam of U.S. Right to Know.

Chhabria was appointed by then-President Obama in 2013, for the seat he currently holds in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. But prior to that, he worked as an associate, from 2002-2004, at Covington & Burling LLP, a firm that helped Monsanto defend itself over the controversial recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), marketed under the brand name Posilac.

The judge worked for the firm when Monsanto was engulfed in an all-out legal battle over rBGH, a genetically engineered drug developed by Monsanto. The drug, which is injected into cows to boost milk production, increases levels of another hormone, IGF-1, which has been linked to breast, prostate, colon, lung and other cancers in humans.

Not only is rBGH dangerous to humans, but its use is considered inhumane as it causes a string of health problems in cows: painful udder infections, hoof problems and birth defects. To counter these health issues, dairy farmers use antibiotics, which in turn contributes to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance, as explained in a report by Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Oregon Chapter.

The synthetic growth hormone, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1993, is banned in Europe and Canada. I consider it on a par with aspartame, the neurotoxic carcinogenic artificial sweetener that is metabolized as formaldehyde and both of these chemical's FDA approval were rammed through the FDA by political means, rather than accurate scientific or medical regulatory processes.

rBGH was forced onto the market with the confluence and influence of Michael R. Taylor, a Monsanto executive who was later appointed by Obama to be FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Safety. Taylor personifies the most grotesque example of the Revolving Doors at the FDA to accommodate their friends in industry.

Please see forthcoming (in a few days) article on dangers for humans from bovine growth hormones, as well as this prior article from September 2018:

How Many Innocent and Unsuspecting People in 2019 Will Die Because of the FDA's Revolving Doors?

click here

>>>>>

Chhabria's time at Covington & Burling was short-lived. And while there's no solid evidence he represented Monsanto directly, the judge is "also no stranger to the world of corporate power and influence," notes Gillam.

Early on in the trial, Judge Chhabria threatened to "shut down" Hardeman's lead attorney Aimee Wagstaff for violating the judge's ban on presenting the jury with evidence that Monsanto attempted to manipulate regulators, including by ghostwriting safety reviews of its flagship herbicide.

Judge is ripping into Aimee Wagstaff again saying he wants to sanction her $1,000 and maybe the whole plaintiff's legal team as well. Calling her actions "incredibly dumb" -

Holy Sh. Judge now dismisses jury for break and then RIPS into plaintiff's attorney - says she has "crossed the line" and is "totally inappropriate" in her opening statements. Says this is her "final warning." Never a dull moment at the @Bayer Monsanto Roundup cancer trial.

Chhabria also threatened to dismiss the case entirely and made repeated comments about the plaintiff's "shaky" evidence. The judge interrupted Wagstaff on numerous occasions during her opening statements, including when she tried to introduce Hardeman's wife and began to tell the story of their life and what it was like when Hardeman first discovered the lump in his neck.

Plaintiff's attorney Aimee Wagstaff opens by introducing wife of plaintiff, and starts to tell story of their life and Hardeman finding lump in his neck; Judge Chhabria interrupts to tell Aimee to stick to comments dealing with causation only.

Chhabria ultimately ordered Wagstaff to pay a $500 fine for angering him. Sanctions bite. Plaintiff's attorney in Monsanto Roundup cancer trial pays for angering judge in her opening statement.

The sanction sparked a wave of anger and frustration from people around the world following the trial. In fact, it triggered "a flood of emails from lawyers and other individuals offering support and expressing outrage at the judge's action," Gillam reported.

Judge's decision last week to sanction plaintiff's lead attorney Aimee Wagstaff in @Bayer Monsanto Roundup cancer trial reportedly triggered flood of emails to Wagstaff from lawyers and others offering support and expressing outrage at the judge's action. tk.org/pesticides/monsanto-roundup-trial-tracker/

Monsanto #RoundupTrial Tracker: New Developments from @USRighttoKnow Find updates to the ongoing litigation against Monsanto Company in this tip sheet. #RoundupTrial

>>>>>>>

Third Roundup cancer trial set for March 25 [Hardeman vs. Monsanto is the second trial involving Monsanto's cancer-causing Roundup weedkiller. Hardeman, 70, alleges that Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cancer]

For nearly three decades, Hardeman said he used Roundup to kill weeds on his various California properties. He said he stopped using the weedkiller in 2012 and was diagnosed with NHL in 2016.

The Guardian reported on March 5 that Hardeman's case is "high-stakes" as it's considered a "bellwether" trial for the more than 9,000 similar lawsuits currently pending in the U.S. This means the verdict in Hardmen's case could affect future litigation and possible settlements.

March 18, 2019

Jurors Want to Hear From Plaintiff Again

Today marks the beginning of the fourth week of the Hardeman V. Monsanto Roundup cancer trial, and jurors were still deliberating over the sole question that they must answer to close out the first phase of the trial and potentially move into the second phase.

The six jurors let Judge Vince Chhabria know on Friday that as they deliberate they want to have plaintiff Edwin Hardeman's testimony read back to them. Chhabria said that would take place first thing Monday morning.

At Monsanto's request, the trial has been divided into two phases. The first phase deals only with the question of whether or not jurors find that Hardeman's exposure to Roundup was a "substantial factor" in causing his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

If the jurors unanimously answer yes to that question the trial moves into a second phase in which Hardeman's attorneys will put on evidence aimed at showing that Monsanto knew of the cancer risks of Roundup but actively worked to hide that information from consumers, in part by manipulating the scientific record.

If the trial does go to the second phase, the plaintiff will lack one key expert witness Charles Benbrook after the judge ruled that he would sharply limit Benbrook's testimony regarding Monsanto's corporate conduct.

Hardeman's lead counsel Aimee Wagstaff and her co-counsel Jennifer Moore plan to spend the day in the courthouse Monday as the jury deliberates after again raising the ire of Judge Chhabria. Chhabria was annoyed Friday that the lawyers took longer than he expected to get to the courthouse after they were notified that all parties must convene to address the jurors' request to hear Hardeman's testimony again.

Chhabria sanctioned Wagstaff the first week of the trial for what he called "several acts of misconduct during her opening statement." One of her transgressions, according to Chhabria, was spending too much time telling jurors about her client and his cancer diagnosis.

March 15, 2019

(UPDATE 3:30 pm Pacific time- Jurors retiring for the day after failing again to reach a verdict. Testimony from plaintiff Edwin Hardeman to be read back to jurors Monday morning at their request. Judge Chhabria remains irritated with plaintiff's attorneys, annoyed at the time it took them to arrive at court Friday afternoon.)

Jurors were back in court today resuming deliberations after a day off on Thursday. There is but one question they must answer: "Did Mr. Hardeman prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his exposure to Roundup was a substantial factor in causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?"

The judge admonished the jurors that if they pondered that question on their day off they should not seek out information about the safety of Roundup or read news articles or scientific studies about the matter. They should confine themselves to consideration only of evidence presented at trial.

Yesterday in the San Francisco area google ads were popping up on smart phones and computers promoting the safety of Roundup. One site in particular Weeding Wisely was coming in at the top of some Google sites, offering such headlines as "Fear of 'chemicals' results from misunderstanding" and "Look at the science, not scare tactics, of glyphosate herbicide." Also this one "Weed Killer Hype Lacks Scientific Support." The google ad renewed fears by some that Monsanto and Bayer may be engaging in geofencing, a term used to describe a tactic for delivering specific messaging to individuals within specific geographic areas.

Last month Hardeman attorney Jennifer Moore alerted Judge Chhabria to fears held by Hardeman's legal team that Monsanto might have engaged in geofencing before and would do so again to try to influence jurors. Moore told the judge they were considering "whether we were going to file a temporary restraining order to prohibit Monsanto from any kind of geofencing or targeting jurors through social media or pay-per-click ads. And so I would just ask that that not be done. We're not doing it on our side, but I just don't want any targeting of jurors, their social media or Internet means."

Chhabria replied "Isn't it, like doesn't it go without saying that it would be totally inappropriate? Obviously nobody on either side nobody within a hundred miles of either side may attempt to target any juror or prospective juror with any sort of messaging."

Geofencing is a popular advertising technique that delivers specific messaging/content to anyone within a specific geographic area designated by the company or group paying for the ad. The area can be very small, a mile radius around a specific address, for instance. Or it can be much larger. Anyone within that designated area using an app on a smart phone such as a weather app or a game would then be delivered the ad.

Whether or not Monsanto did or would use the tactic to try to influence jurors would be almost impossible to prove. Monsanto attorney Brian Stekloff responded to the concerns raised last month and the judge's warning about geofencing by saying "I understand that they may have allegations, but I'm not accepting those allegations".. of course we will abide by that""

The placement of google ads for certain search terms does not necessarily mean anyone was targeting jurors with geofencing. And it's worth noting that google ad buys have been and remain a popular strategy employed by plaintiffs' attorneys seeking new Roundup clients.

March 14, 2019 Trial & Jury Day Off

Jurors have the day off today but the lawyers do not. Chhabria is holding a hearing with attorneys for both sides at 12:30 pm Pacific time to discuss the scope of the second phase, if a second phase is held.

Among the issues to be discussed, plaintiff's lawyers are renewing their request to be able to present testimony about Monsanto's efforts to discredit French scientist Gilles-?????ric Se'ralini after publication of his 2012 study findings about rats fed water dosed with Roundup. Internal Monsanto records show a coordinated effort to get the Seralini paper retracted, including this email string.

Monsanto employees apparently were so proud of what they called a "multimedia event that was designed for maximum negative publicity" against Seralini that they designated it as an "achievement" worth recognition.

Evidence demonstrates "that the Se'ralini story is central to Monsanto's failure to test as well as its efforts to manipulate public opinion," Edwin Hardeman's attorneys argue. As well, they say in their court filing, "the testimony reveals that Monsanto responded to the study by attempting to undermine and discredit Dr. Se'ralini, which is further evidence "that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer," but "[focuses] instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue." "

"The Se'ralini Story is Relevant to Monsanto's Efforts to Undermine Scientists Raising Concerns about Glyphosate," Hardeman's attorneys argue.

Lawyers for Hardeman want expert witness Charles Benbrook to be allowed to testify about this example of Monsanto's corporate conduct "post-use," meaning actions by Monsanto that took place after Hardeman stopped using Roundup.

Judge Chhabria earlier ruled that the evidence regarding efforts to discredit Seralini could not be introduced because those efforts took place after Hardeman's Roundup use ended and so would not have impacted him.

On Wednesday, Chhabria also ruled that evidence of Monsanto's efforts to discredit the International Agency for Research on Cancer after it classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen would be excluded from a second phase of the trial because it took place after Hardeman's Roundup use ended.

Even as both sides prepare for a second phase, the lack of a quick jury decision does not bode well for Hardeman. His attorneys were hoping for a quick unanimous decision by the jurors in their favor. Any decision by the jury must be unanimous or the case can be declared a mistrial.

March 13, 2019 Jury Deliberating

(UPDATE 5:45 p.m. Pacific time Jury has retired for the evening with no verdict. Deliberations to resume Friday.)

Judge Chhabria instructed lawyers for both sides to be ready to present opening statements for the second phase of the trial today if jurors come back this morning with a verdict. The second phase only occurs, however, if the jurors first find unanimously for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman in the first phase, which dealt solely with the question of causation.

The question that must be answered on the jury verdict form is fairly straightforward:

Did Mr. Hardeman prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his exposure to Roundup was a substantial factor in causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma?

It will take all six jurors to answer yes to that question in order for the trial to continue. If the jurors are split in how they answer the question, the judge has said he would declare a mistrial.

The judge guided the jurors in how to consider that question and how to evaluate the evidence presented to them in a 17-page list of instructions.

The jurors are allowed to request to look at specific exhibits and pieces of evidence but they are not allowed to see transcripts of the previous days of testimony. The judge said that if jurors want to review the testimony of a particular witness they can ask to have that witness's testimony, or a portion of that witness's testimony, read back to them but the lawyers and judge would need to be present for that.

If jurors return a verdict in favor of Hardeman on Wednesday afternoon, opening statements for phase two will take place Friday.

Chhabria kept a tight rein on closing arguments Tuesday, prohibiting Hardeman's lead attorney Aimee Wagstaff from showing a photo of Hardeman and his wife in her closing slide presentation. He told Wagstaff that the photo was "not relevant" and said that he did not "need to hear further argument about that." When she asked for his rationale, Chhabria simply repeated his belief that it was not relevant.

Monsanto filed a motion for a directed verdict on Tuesday, arguing that Hardeman has presented "insufficient general causation evidence," and specifically attacked the credibility of pathologist Dennis Weisenburger, one of Hardeman's expert witnesses. Judge Chhabria denied the motion.

Separately, the upcoming Pilliod V. Monsanto case in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland was looking at a sizable jury pool of more than 200 people. They plan to select 17, with 12 jurors and five alternates. The case may not begin until March 27 or March 28 due to the lengthy jury selection process.

March 12, 2019 Concerns over Judge's Jury Instructions

(UPDATE, 3 p.m. Pacific Time Closing arguments are completed. The jury has received instructions for deliberations.)

Closing arguments got underway Tuesday. With the first phase of Hardeman V. Monsanto winding down plaintiff Edwin Hardeman's attorneys issued a strong objection to Judge Vince Chhabria's plans for instructing the jury about how to consider the issue of causation.

The way Chhabria worded his instructions makes it "impossible" for Hardeman to prevail, attorney Jennifer Moore wrote in a letter to the judge. California law sets for instructions that causation is determined when a substance or action is a "substantial factor" in causing an outcome. But the judge's instructions would require jurors to find that Roundup was the sole factor that caused Hardeman's non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Moore argued.

Judge Chhabria replied by saying he could not give "the standard California multiple causation instruction" because plaintiff's attorneys failed to present evidence that Hardeman's cancer was due to multiple factors. He did say, however, that he could modify the instructions slightly to try to address the concerns. In the final instruction Chhabria added wording that said a substantial factor "does not have to be the only cause of the harm."

Monsanto has argued that Hardeman's cancer is not due to exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides but more likely due to the hepatitis C Hardeman had for many years.

March 11, 2019

Monsanto's legal team on Monday presented testimony from Dr. Alexandra Levine, a hematologist/oncologist with City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, seeking to convince the jury that exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides was not a cause of Hardeman's cancer, and that a more likely factor is the hepatitis C Hardeman had for many years. Levine testified that she has seen "many, many,thousands of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," and she is in fact considered a specialist in that specific disease.

Judge Chhabria said last week that he would like to see this first phase of the trial wrapped up early this week, meaning the case should be with the jury soon. A verdict requires all six jurors to be unanimous in their finding regarding whether or not Hardeman's exposure to Roundup "was a substantial factor" in causing his cancer. The judge will define for jurors what that means. (See Friday's entry for more details.)

If the jury does not unanimously decide either for Hardeman or Monsanto then the case would be a mistrial. Chhabria has also said that if that happens he is considering retrying it in May.

If the jury finds for Hardeman on causation, the trial would quickly move into Phase II using the same jury. And that is where things will really start to get interesting. Hardeman's attorneys plan to call several Monsanto executives for testimony, including former Monsanto Chairman and CEO Hugh Grant. Grant spent more than 35 years at the company and was named CEO in 2003. He led the company until its acquisition by Bayer AG last summer.

Additionally, lawyers for Hardeman plan to call Roger McClellan, editor of the scientific journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology(CRT), which published a series of papers in September 2016 that rebuked the finding by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) finding that glyphosate was a probable human carcinogen. The papers purported to be written by independent scientists who found that the weight of evidence showed the weed killer was unlikely to pose any carcinogenic risk to people.

However, internal Monsanto documents show that the papers were

conceptualized from the outset as a strategy by Monsanto to discredit IARC. One of Monsanto's top scientists not only reviewed the manuscripts but had a hand in drafting and editing them, though that was not disclosed by CRT.

Hardeman's lawyers additionally said they plan to call Doreen Manchester, of Croplife America, the agrochemical industry's lobbying organization. Manchester's role at CropLife has been helping "lead federal and state litigation to support pesticide regulatory issues."

March 8, 2019 Phase 1 Nears End, Judge Ponders Jury Instructions

Lawyers for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman rested their case on Friday, giving Monsanto a turn to put on its own witnesses in this first phase of the case.

Judge Chhabria has indicated he would like to see the first phase of the trial wrapped up by early next week, and he has ordered attorneys for both sides to be ready to discuss and debate two proposed sets of instructions for him to give the jury for deliberations regarding the definition of "causation."

For Hardeman's case to be allowed to proceed to a Phase 2 in which damages could be awarded, the group of six jurors must be unanimous in finding that Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, so the judge's instructions about how the element of causation is defined is a critical point.

The judge's first option reads as follows: "To prevail on the question of medical causation, Mr. Hardeman must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Roundup was a substantial factor in causing his non

Hodgkin's lymphoma. A substantial factor is a factor that a reasonable person would consider to have contributed to the harm. It must be more than a remote or trivial factor.If you conclude that Mr. Hardeman has proven that his exposure to Roundup was a substantial factor in causing his NHL, then you should find for Mr. Hardeman even if you believe that other risk factors were substantial factors as well."

The judge's second option has the same first three lines as the first option but then adds this: "Conduct is not a substantial factor in causing harm if the same harm would have occurred without that conduct."

Option 2 also changes the last line of the instruction to say: "However, if you conclude that Mr. Hardeman has proven that his exposure to Roundup was sufficient on its own to cause his NHL, then you should find for Mr. Hardeman even if you believe that other risk factors were also sufficient to cause his NHL."

A big part of Monsanto's defense is to suggest that other factors could be the cause of Hardeman's cancer, including a struggle with hepatitis C. Hardeman's team has said that he was cured in 2006 of hepatitis C but Monsanto's team argues that cell damage from the hepatitis was a potential contributor to his cancer.

Monsanto expert witness Dr. Daniel Arber in his pre-trial report wrote that Hardeman has many risk factors for NHL, and said: "There is no indication that Roundup played any role in the development of his NHL, and there are no pathological features to suggest a cause of his lymphoma."

Judge Chhabria has ruled that Arber cannot testify that the hepatitis C caused Hardeman's NHL but ruled Thursday that Arber can explain that Hardeman's lengthy exposure to hepatitis C left him at risk of developing NHL even after his virus had been successfully treated.

Several new documents have been filed by both parties related to evidence and jury instructions. See them at Monsanto Papers Hardeman page.

March 7, 2019 Judge Has Harsh Words for Monsanto

Judge Vince Chhabria issued a stinging response to Monsanto's motion for summary judgment on Thursday, stating in his order that there was plenty of evidence that the company's glyphosate herbicides namely Roundup could have caused plaintiff Edwin Hardeman's cancer.

"To take just one example," the judge wrote, "the De Roos (2003) study supports a conclusion that glyphosate is a risk factor for NHL, yet Monsanto fails to mention it inits motion. Monsanto cannot prevail on a motion for summary judgment by simply ignoring large swaths of evidence."

He also said there was "sufficient evidence" to support a punitive damages award against Monsanto if the jury finds for Hardeman.

"The plaintiffs have presented a great deal of evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of its product," Judge Chhabria stated in his ruling.

The judge concluded: "Although the evidence that Roundup causes cancer is quite equivocal, there is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue."

A landmark verdict found Roundup caused a man's cancer, paving the way for thousands of other families to seek justice

Sam Levin and Carey Gillam

(Article changed on March 20, 2019 at 15:45)

Authors Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/592985284186083/

Authors Bio:

Early in the 2016 Primary campaign, I started a Facebook group: Bernie Sanders: Advice and Strategies to Help Him Win! As the primary season advanced, we shifted the focus to advancing Bernie's legislation in the Senate, particularly the most critical one, to protect Oak Flat, sacred to the San Carlos Apaches, in the Tonto National Forest, from John McCain's efforts to privatize this national forest and turn it over to Rio Tinto Mining, an Australian mining company whose record by comparison makes Monsanto look like altar boys, to be developed as North America's largest copper mine. This is monstrous and despicable, and yet only Bernie's Save Oak Flat Act (S2242) stands in the way of this diabolical plan.

We added "2020" to the title.


I am an art gallery owner in Santa Fe since 1980 selling Native American painting and NM landscapes, specializing in modern Native Ledger Art.


I have always been intensely involved in politics, going back to the mid's 1970's, being a volunteer lobbyist in the US Senate for the Secretary General of the United Nations, then a "snowball-in-hell" campaign for US Senate in NM in the late 70's, and for the past 20 years have worked extensively to pressure the FDA to rescind its approval for aspartame, the neurotoxic artificial sweetener metabolized as formaldehyde. This may be becoming a reality to an extent in California, which, under Proposition 65, is considering requiring a mandatory Carcinogen label on all aspartame products, although all bureaucracies seem to stall under any kind of corporate pressure.


Bills to ban aspartame were in the State Senates of New Mexico and Hawaii, but were shut down by corporate lobbyists (particularly Monsanto lobbyists in Hawaii and Coca Cola lobbyists in New Mexico).


For several years, I was the editor of New Mexico Sun News, and my letters to the editor and op/eds in 2016 have appeared in NM, California, Wisconsin, New York, Maryland, the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, and many international papers, on the subject of consumer protection. Our best issue was 10 days before Obama won in 2008, when we published a special early edition of the paper declaring that Obama Wins! This was the top story on CNN for many hours, way back then....


My highest accomplishments thus far are

1. a plan to create a UN Secretary General's Pandemic Board of Inquiry, a plan that is in the works and might be achieved even before the 75th UN General Assembly in September 2020.


2. Now history until the needs becomes clear to the powers who run the United Nations: a UN Resolution to create a new Undersecretary General for Nutrition and Consumer Protection, strongly supported ten years ago by India and 53 cosponsoring nations, but shut down by the US Mission to the UN in 2008. To read it, google UNITED NATIONS UNDERSECRETARY GENERAL FOR NUTRITION, please.


These are not easy battles, any of them, and they require a great deal of political and journalistic focus. OpEdNews is the perfect place for those who have a lot to say, so much that they exceed the limiting capacities of their local and regional newspapers. Trying to go beyond the regional papers seems to require some kind of "inside" credentials, as if you had to be in a club of corporate-accepted writers, and if not, you are "from somewhere else," a sad state of corporate induced xenophobia that should have no place in America in 2020!

This should be a goal for every author with something current to say: breaking through yet another glass ceiling, and get your say said in editorial pages all over America. Certainly, this was a tool that was essentially ignored in 2016, and cannot be ignored in the big elections of 2020.


In my capacity as Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News, Fox interviewed Mikhail Gorbachev: http://www.prlog.org/10064349-mikhail-gorbachev