Room for a view

Views & News

Short takes, updates and calls to action

Net Loss
According to the Associated Press, New “Dolphin Free” labels on tuna do not guarantee that dolphins were safeguarded during tuna capture. Yellowfin tuna swim beneath dolphins, which are highly intelligent, air-breathing mammals. To lift restrictions from trade, the U.S. Commerce Department ruled on January 4 that the “Dolphin Free” label (used to indicate tuna caught without purse seine nets, which drown dolphins) may now be used with seine-netted tuna as long as onboard observers do not report any dolphins killed or “seriously injured.” Ten environmental groups headed by Earth Island are filing suit. StarKist, Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea, which together comprise 90 percent of the U.S. tuna market, have pledged not to change their fishing tactics to match the weakened governmental standards. You can act: Write to Secretary of Commerce William Daley, 14th Street & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20230. If opposed, buy only Starkist, Bumblebee or Chicken of the Sea, boycotting other distributors. for more information, surf over to www.envirolink.org.
—Gail McGowan Mellor

Mass Boycott Challenge
Both in the U.S. Supreme Court and in the World Trade Organization (WTO), the right to boycott goods is at issue. The state of Massachusetts boycotts goods produced in Myanmar (formerly Burma) because Myanmar is a dictatorship that hosts a number of transnational sweatshops. The federal district court has found against Massachusetts’ right to boycott Myanmar. Massachusetts is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, “Under the precedent set by this broad ruling, any state or local selective purchasing law that indirectly affects foreign trade or foreign policy is vulnerable to court challenge. This ruling endangers selective purchasing laws with regard to Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Tibet and the Swiss banks. It also could be the basis for challenge of ‘Buy America’ laws and city & state restrictions of the purchase of rainforest or old-growth timber.” Meanwhile, the right of Massachusetts to boycott Myanmar goods is also under fire in the WTO. Boycotts are arguably the only method of voting “no” in the new global economy. You can act: Groups can file amicus curiae suits with the U.S. Supreme Court, and individuals can write letters to the U.S. WTO representative: The Hon. Charlene Barshefsky, United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20505. So far, there is no law preventing citizens’ groups from boycotting sweatshop goods.
—GMM

Seeds of Change
According to CNN and other news agencies, A lawsuit brought by farmers worldwide alleges that a “cartel” headed by Monsanto monopolizes genetically engineered (GE) soybeans and corn markets, threatens to withhold non-engineered seeds from farmers in nations refusing GE seeds (GE seeds are often “mules”—hybrids that can’t produce the next generation of seeds), fixes prices, restrains trade and rushes GE seeds to market without adequate safety testing. The alleged cartel members are Monsanto, Dow Chemical, E.I. Dupont de Nemours, Pioneer Hybrid International, Delta and Pine, Mycogen, Novartis, AstraZenica and various subsidiaries. The lawsuit, Pickett et al v Monsanto, has been brought by farmers worldwide through a consortium of law firms headed by Cohen Milstein Hausfeld and Toll. If you have any information, contact www.cmht.com/cwseeds.htm.
—GMM

Be a hero—give blood!
Highly Recommended Activity Alert!!! Grab a friend (or friends) and go give blood. While giving blood can be a personal experience for some, we here at Room For A View recommend giving as a unit (no pun intended). Grab your honey, your best friend, a kid or two, or even office-mates, and head over to the blood collection center of your choice. Having others around dripping their red stuff into a bag alongside of you will not only take the edge off (this is a fact, honest...), chances are you will help to increase donorship by encouraging others to give blood. The kids can’t give, but they’ll learn something and you’ll be setting a great example. Not bad for an afternoon date! As an ongoing service to the community, Hudson Valley Blood Services regularly sets up shop at specific sites to collect blood from donors. Their white and red equipment truck can be found in Kingston, parked outside the VFW Hall located on the East Chester Street bypass (nearby landmarks include Gold’s Gym and Prestige Toyota), each Monday from 1 to 6 p.m. Across the river, HVS collects blood in Fishkill, at IBM East’s donor room, located in Building 320. If either of these sites are not easily reachable, call HVS at 800-933-2566 for directions to a closer site. See you there! P.S.—Friendly and gentle staff serve up cookies and juice afterward, making the experience truly enjoyable.
—Lorna Tychostup