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Send Nomi to Organize at the DNC!

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Aloha,

My name is Nomi Carmona and I'm a community organizer in Hawaii, which is considered "GMO Ground Zero," due to the thousands of open air genetically engineered (GE) field tests conducted here. Our rights to protect our environmental health are under the attack of these billionaire multi-national pesticide companies with exorbitant legal budgets, and that is just a sample stripping of our Democratic rights in comparison to what the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) will bring. For 12 countries including the US, making up 40% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the TPP would be a disastrous trade agreement giving 600 of the world's largest corporations the power to sue taxpayers and entire governments for lost profits if any laws are passed which affect their bottom line. If we were to ban as a nation, Syngenta’s harmful atrazine for example, under the TPP Syngenta would be able to sue the United States for lost profits in a special corporate court!

I was just invited to help organize and speak at the 'We Are Seeds Rally to Label GMOs and Stop TPP Now!' during the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, July 27th at FDR Park in Philadelphia next week. With tens of thousands of demonstrators in town and many of the most politically involved Democrats and activists in the country, this is a huge opportunity to bring light to these difficult issues we face. I will be able to work with organizers and leaders of our movement from around the country to stop the TPP and for true and transparent GMO Labeling. We just got the permits so we just put up the event up so you can check it out at: http://bit.do/WeAreSeeds

It is time for Hawaii born President Obama to be accountable to Hawaii and to United States citizens and veto this fake GMO labeling bill we call the DARK Act (S764.) Obama must recognize the damages of corporate control and cease the advance of TPP. He has so far failed to bring justice for environmental health to Hawaii and we hope that in his final days as President that he will leave a legacy of aloha. Aloha never means poisoning your neighbors, lying to them, stripping their rights to protect themselves, or concealing what is in their food.

Unfortunately, in the middle of election season in Hawaii as a grassroots organizer, I cannot afford to get to Philly on my own so I will need your help! Airfare is ranging from about $1500-$2000 and this website takes 7.9% so I am asking for $2k + the percentage GoFundMe takes. I have just a couple of days to raise at least $2,000 for my airfare which rises every day or I cannot purchase my ticket. I will have to miss a week of work and $2k will not cover my expenses, meals, or stay in Philly, so if you want to donate past my goal of $2,000 I absolutely will not object and thank you in advance for your consideration. Any excess I do not use in Philly will support my grassroots work back home. I understand there are a lot of amazing candidates and causes that require our attention, but if we all just pitch in a little bit, we can do this! We are a skin of our teeth, seat of our pants, bottom of the ninth, Hail Mary team on Hawaiian time up against the powerful corporate establishment so, I think we can do this! Would not be the first miracle I have seen for justice.

I am hoping to fly out this Saturday, July 23rd so I can help cover the events, and report back home to the grassroots environmental and good food nation about what is going on in Philadelphia and the continental U.S. I will also be reporting live throughout the week for Viva Bernie via livestream, and you will be able to follow via FB.com/VivaBernie2016

Please consider making a contribution and sharing this information throughout your networks to help me raise the airfare ASAP! If you are able to help, I do appreciate it very much because I cannot go if I cannot raise the airfare and time is of the essence.

Don’t worry I will be back soon to keep helping with Hawaii elections!

Mahalo nui for your consideration and malama pono.

Best Ever,

Nomi Carmona

P.S. (Hawaii Early Walk-In Registration & Voting is August 1st-11th and the Primary is August 13th voters! Time to clean House.)
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P.S.S. WHY MUST I GO TO THE DNC IN PHILLY:

This is why I must go to Philly and represent Hawaii, our people and our cause on the largest political stage this year.

Our community has worked tremendously hard to pass several laws which would provide pesticide disclosure, buffer zones around schools, homes and hospitals, and environmental and health impact monitoring to protect ourselves from the experimental, agrichemical intensive GE agriculture here. However, these companies are suing against these laws in three out of four Hawaii counties for the right to spray toxic poisons next to our schools, homes and hospitals, without disclosure, without health or environmental impact testing.

Monsanto and the chemical cartel prefer to sue rather than comply with mandated disclosure and tell us what massive amounts of undisclosed restricted use pesticides, environmental contamination and genetic experimentation is occurring in our communities. Disclosure means scientists can monitor impacts, and Doctors can treat patients exposed to pesticides, it would help us see more precisely what is causing the illness so many residents attribute to the chemical companies.

Though many doctors, residents, environmentalists and Hawaiians have serious concerns regarding increasing birth defects, public and environmental health and our land, air and water - we still have no protection from the GE companies because of the ongoing litigation. The companies have given over half a million dollars to our elected officials and engaged in a high powered greenwashing campaign to prevent us from protecting ourselves by rule or law. Syngenta alone exposes our children to dangerous pesticides up to 16 times a day, 65% of days per year on average.

We are already experiencing the loss of ability to protect our life, health and property here in GMO Ground Zero due to some of the companies contracted into the TPP using litigation to prevent fair regulation. Stopping the TPP is an urgent matter for Hawaii residents and people of all the 12 countries involved in the TPP if it passes. Compounded by the embattled legal history of the illegally occupied territory of Hawaii, the TPP spells disaster and international corporate control not only for Hawaii, but for all the people that will be affected by this trade agreement. That's one of the many reasons we sprung into action to organize a widely covered protest with dozens of national organizations when the TPP negotiations were held on Maui last summer. Progress was stalled but not for long. The TPP is coming to bring abominable harm to environmental policy, human rights and American jobs unless we band together to stop it.

Recently, the Congressional House and Senate passed the DARK Act, a fake GMO labeling bill S764 which awaits President Obama's signature or veto. He absolutely must veto S764 which does not even label most current GMO foods. It uses complicated QR codes which require SmartPhones and signal to identify genetically engineered food, instead of plain labeling on the package. This discriminates against those who cannot afford a SmartPhone or service, and is another attempt by these agrichemical companies and their subsequent profiteers to prevent transparency. Over 100 million rural, low income, and elderly Americans would be denied their right to know about the food they buy and feed their families. Furthermore, this bill would stop state laws which label GMOs after twenty years of failure by the federal government to label GE foods. S764 is the unlabeling of GMOs.

President Obama promised to label GMOs in his first Presidential campaign, and has not been pono on that promise. He has not helped us remotely to protect Hawaii from being GMO Ground Zero or label GMO foods, so this is his last chance, he absolutely must veto S764. As an organizer, advocate and Co-Founder of Babes Against Biotech which is the largest grassroots organization in Hawaii tackling GE and pesticide issues, I have a breadth of perspective to offer on these issues.

The GE seeds developed in Hawaii are exported, genetically contaminating food crops worldwide, being engineered for experimental herbicide resistance and producing pesticides. Our air, land, water and health is being heavily genetically and chemically contaminated in what is considered the endangered species capital of the world. The TPP will hurt all of us, and it must be stopped.

Help me rally the country to stop it,

Nomi Carmona
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  • Peter Maskell
    • $20 
    • 8 yrs
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Organizer

Nomi Carmona
Organizer
Hilo, HI

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