Greenies in Denial: Monsanto Won and We're All Gonna Die - Really

This is the most hilariously tragic thing I've read in years:

It should be no surprise that Monsanto's PR machine is working hard to spin the truth in this morning's decision in the first-ever Supreme Court case on genetically engineered crops (Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms). Despite what the biotech seed giant is claiming, today's ruling isn't close to the victory they were hoping for.

The ones who are frantically spinning, unfortunately, are the sustainable agriculture advocates whose failure to stop Monsanto has lethally endangered the ability of human beings to feed ourselves.

Here's Grist's take on the ruling:

The sustainable agriculture world is abuzz today with news of the Supreme Court's ruling regarding an earlier lawsuit, brought by alfalfa farmers, that sought to stop any planting of Monsanto's genetically engineered Roundup Ready alfalfa seed. While the press coverage heralds the ruling as a decisive victory for Monsanto, a close reading shows that, in fact, it's a fairly significant win for opponents of biotech crops.

And why do they think such a thing?

Despite the news reports claiming victory for Monsanto, the Supreme Court did not overturn the central tenet of the case: that the USDA prematurely approved Roundup Ready alfalfa. The District Court, in effect, made it once again illegal to plant Roundup Ready alfalfa -- and the Supreme Court endorsed that ruling. While the Justices did declare that the USDA, if it wants to, has the right to give the seed a preliminary approval (i.e. for limited, restricted planting), the Supreme Court decision does not by itself give Roundup Ready alfalfa the green light.

And it's important to note that the USDA has not yet formally announced any intention to re-authorize the restricted plantings, which would come in the form of a rule for "partial deregulation" of Roundup Ready alfalfa. In fact, the agency and Monsanto hed preciously submitted such a plan to the District Court in hopes that it would be incorporated into the final ruling, and instead, they received an injunction.

To some, that move appeared to be an attempt at an end run around the official rulemaking process. It's not clear if the USDA will move forward with anything other than the "final" environmental review.

[Update:] The USDA office that oversees biotech crops, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), just released a brief statement via email in response to the Supreme Court's ruling. In it, the agency leaves the door open to some sort of preliminary approval for the alfalfa seed, without indicating its intention one way or the other: "APHIS is carefully reviewing the Supreme Court ruling before making decisions about its next regulatory actions related to the deregulation of Roundup Ready alfalfa." It also announced its intention to complete the full environmental impact statement "in time for the spring planting of alfalfa crops in 2011." That start date presumes they get through the process without any more lawsuits or injunctions -- not a safe bet, at all.

In other words, NOT a loss for Monsanto, a HUGE WIN for Monsanto, and a HUGE LOSS for sustainable agriculture.

"The USDA will protect us." ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? The USDA's devoted fellating of its "regulated" industry (agriculture) makes the Minerals Management Service's massaging of the oil industry seem like waterboarding.

Wanna destroy an entire food crop across a continent? Make it "Roundup Ready."

Just as the heavy use of antibiotics contributed to the rise of drug-resistant supergerms, American farmers’ near-ubiquitous use of the weedkiller Roundup has led to the rapid growth of tenacious new superweeds.

To fight them, Mr. Anderson and farmers throughout the East, Midwest and South are being forced to spray fields with more toxic herbicides, pull weeds by hand and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing.

“We’re back to where we were 20 years ago,” said Mr. Anderson, who will plow about one-third of his 3,000 acres of soybean fields this spring, more than he has in years. “We’re trying to find out what works.”

Farm experts say that such efforts could lead to higher food prices, lower crop yields, rising farm costs and more pollution of land and water.

Think you're safe because you buy organic or even grow your own non-Monsanto seeds? Do you know the source of every seed being planted within two miles of where your "safe" food is grown? Because chances are somebody is planting Roundup-ready corn - and soon alfalfa and then everything else - close enough to contaminate your organic crops.

Make no mistake: this decision is a fucking catastrophe.

Which should have been obvious from the fact that the Criminal Conservative Cabal that passes for a Supreme Court majority made it possible.

And all of you Obama-bots who railed at us liberals to shut up about Sonia Sotomayor's deference to corporate power? Yeah, she voted with the majority.

The sole dissenter was John Paul Stevens. Who is about to be replaced by non-liberal Elena Kagan.

There will never be a Supreme Court ruling against corporate power again in our lifetimes.

We. Are. So. Completely. Fucked.

UPDATE: Blue Girl reminds me that Monsanto uses the contagion of their Frankenfood seeds to steal other people's land. See here and here.