Ironically Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman’s campaign is claiming he’s the victim of dirty political tricks at its worst. A good memory can provide the hat-trick that turns this into an amusing anecdote for your friends.

Extra bonus points to those who can connect the dots in the first and last items.

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The BBC reports on Japan banning American long-grain GM rice. The ban will remain in effect until the US can say the rice no longer contains the genetically engineered variety. This ban will not affect the majority of American rice imported by Japan which is short and medium-grain.

The US agriculture secretary Mike Johanns said: There are no human health, food safety, or environmental concerns associated with this (genetically engineered) rice.. Johanns replaced Ann Veneman as US agriculture secretary. Veneman received high marks from trade and industry groups and held the office during an outbreak of BSE or “mad cow disease” in the US. Japan reacted to mad cow by inspecting every imported cow destined for the food supply. The US declared it wasn’t much of an issue and shortly thereafter other cows were found to have mad cow disease. Johanns has his work cut out for him if he wants to make the USDA more than a mouthpiece for industry and corporate globalization efforts.

Getting back to the Japanese long-grain rice ban: Why are we genetically modifying rice? Is it ostensibly to get vitamins we could get by eating a better diet in the first place? Is it to grow enough food to prevent starvation? If so, that effort has failed; people lack food around the world including in the US. Where does one find the results of rigorously testing GM food to make sure we’re not eating things that will harm us?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Corporation is one of the most underrated movies. I concur with C. Middleton who said

I believe this is one of the best and most important documentary films to be made in many years.

This is an extraordinary film about the creation of the American corporation, its legal organizational model, its global economic dominance and its psychopathic tendencies, and its incredible ambition to influence every aspect of culture in its unrelenting pursuit of profit.

After viewing this film, it becomes all too evident that these large corporations have too much power, whose mandate is not the common good of the people, and who will go to any lengths, legally and otherwise, in the pursuit of profit and the bottom line.

This is one of very few movies I can watch multiple times. When I return to it I find intelligent questions and responses. If anything, this movie (in its 3-hour form) is too short as some questions go unanswered. The movie holds my attention for the duration and I want to see more.

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