Transparent President award given behind closed doors

This week, President Obama "received an award from transparency and good-government advocates in a closed-door Oval Office meeting that wasn’t on his public schedule — a snub that’s angering the folks who met with him." This story was reported by Ed O'Keefe at Federal Eye. O'Keefe reports that some groups "believe Obama has done more in two years than any of his predecessors did to open wide the often-closed doors of government." For instance, President Obama publishes his daily schedule. Despite various actions take by Mr. Obama to open up the federal government, he has nonetheless caused concerns with other actions he has taken. And see here.

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Farmers preemptively sue Monsanto

Monsanto is notorious for suing farmers whose fields have been contaminated by patented Monsanto seed blowing over onto their fields. This infuriating issue was discussed in the documentary, Food, Inc. Now a group of farmers is collectively fighting back, suing Monsanto to protect themselves from being sued by Monsanto. The issue has been reported by the Cornucopia Institute:

This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed or pollen should land on their property,” said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT’s [Public Patent Foundation]. Executive Director. “It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients.
What is the Cornucopia Institute?
The Cornucopia Institute will engage in educational activities supporting the ecological principles and economic wisdom underlying sustainable and organic agriculture. Through research and investigations on agricultural issues, The Cornucopia Institute will provide needed information to consumers, family farmers, and the media.

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