democracy discussion #6

Crystal Gutierrez

Social Movements

Mon./Wed. 3:30pm

"As Consumers, We are Guinea Pigs": Vermont Set to Become First State to Require GMO Food Labeling

 http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/29/as_consumers_we_are_guinea_pigs

    Governor Peter Shumlin from Vermont is planning on signing a bill that is pro GMO labeling soon; GMO stands for, genetically modified organisms that are being used in many food products. Vermont is said to be the first state to actually require food products to be labeled if they contain any genetically modified organisms. There is said to be a law put in place by July 2016 that will make it illegal to label food products as "natural" if they really do have unnatural ingredients. This year 29 other states have been considering to get this bill passed soon also and though it might be a long process it is a good bill that has been purposed. Some people might think it is a little extreme to make it illegal to claim a product as natural if it contains unnatural ingredients but there is a big difference between genetically modified and natural.

"Execution Chaos: Witness Recounts Botched killing that Caused Okla. Prisoner's Fatal Heart Attack"

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/30/execution_chaos_witness_recounts_botched_killing

     In Oklahoma, a prisoner named Clayton Lockett who was sentenced to death row died after suffering from a heart attack. The heart attack was caused by a fail attempt at an execution; they had injected him a mixture of toxic drugs that weren't tested which had a bad outcome. Lockett did not die right away but after he did they canceled the following execution because of what had happened. Because of the mixture of untested drugs, Lockett suffered greatly, it was said that he struggled violently and was still trying to speak. Although prisoners who are on death row are going to be put to death, it doesn't make it okay to act carelessly when executing them.