Monsanto/GMO Protests in West Palm Beach and Miami on Saturday

Commie pinko libs that we are (except for El Jefe, our editor in chief -- he's a company man), we feel duty-bound to tell one and all there's a big nationwide protest against Monsanto on Saturday, with marches slated for West Palm Beach and Miami. We feel that duty if only because our many tree-hugger friends (we love trees too!) are nagging us to do so. So, in the spirit of "give-the-people-what-they-want-and-good-and-hard," here's the scoop.

See also: - Food & Water Watch Releases Report on the Corporate Giant Monsanto

National protest organizers say they're calling for "the permanent boycott" of GMOs and "other harmful agro-chemicals." Miami organizers share that view, slamming "poisonous Frankenfoods." West Palm Beach is more restrained, "calling into question long-term health risks" of GM foods and "demanding" their labeling "so that consumers can make informed decisions."

Broward County protesters, who had a separate anti-Monsanto march last year (these things are becoming annual events), will caravan down to join the Miami action, "Due to red tape with City of Hollywood," according to their Facebook post.

The marches look like they'll be fun as well as, hopefully, informative.

Miami peeps were told:

Wear black/red -or- dress in your craziest modified Vegetable or make your own costume!! Dress as a bee or butterfly, Think creatively! Bring instruments and your coolest Signs!

*STAY TUNED FOR Party Bus from Hollywood AND AFTER PARTY WITH MUSIC Mi Vida Cafe, Vegan Cuisine

West Palm Beach includes an after-march "sustainable mingle" at O'Shea's Irish Pub, with music from Future Prezidents and others.

If there appears to be a certain skepticism on our part, that's because there is. We're down with the First Amendment and all for civic engagement. And we hold no brief for Monsanto (the folks who brought you napalm and Agent Orange), multinational biotech in general, or actually existing capitalism. But we're not sold on claims that GMO foods are -- in and of themselves -- harmful to human health. (And we're not talking "not proved" as argued by climate-change denialists, where the scientific community is overwhelmingly in agreement and a so-called "independent-minded citizenry" challenges them. In the matter of GMOs, the science has, by and large, given GMOs a clean bill of health.)

Here's where we come down: Monsanto bad, GMO labeling good, GMOs tbd. March on.

Details on Saturday's March[es] Against Monsanto can be found here, here and here.

Fire Ant -- an invasive species, tinged bright red, with an annoying, sometimes-fatal sting -- covers South Florida news and culture. Got feedback or a tip? Contact [email protected].