What is Glyphosate?
Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine) is a synthetic, organophosphorus compound that we are exposed to in our food, water, rain, air, personal products, and landscapes. Glyphosate was originally developed and tested for pharmaceutical use in 1950. When no pharmaceutical uses were found, it became a common metal boiler and pipe cleaner due to its ability to effectively…
You Call Them Inventory, I Call Them People
This morning, I retired my yoga-wear-at-best writing uniform in exchange for my big girl clothes. I think my husband was pleased to see the effort. I’ve been feeling a bit glum this last week after reading piles of academic papers and articles that paint a rather dismal picture of our future as living beings. Brazil…
Radishes, Raspberries, Romaine and Roundup
My mom went to our local farmer’s market this past weekend. She texted me: Woman at the farmers market was making a big stink [claiming that organic can still be GMO] and I thought she was wrong and the poor guy selling tomatoes didn’t know what GMO was. She said everything at Trader Joe’s was…
American Groan
I’m back! After the intensity of the trial and the excitement of the verdict, I went sightseeing to clear my brain and find new inspiration. While in Chicago, I had the chance to visit the painting masterpiece American Gothic, by modernist artist Grant Wood, at the Art Institute of Chicago. The work felt strangely symbolic…
The Day That Hope Prevailed
We begin our third day of waiting in the small courtroom, on edge for any news of questions from the jury or a verdict. In the patient crowd are all of the attorneys (except for Bobby Kennedy who is spreading the word of the dangers of Roundup in media interviews), a few other journalists and…
THE VERDICT – GLYPHOSATE CAUSES CANCER AND MONSANTO KNEW IT
I’m busy celebrating!!!! You will get the blow-by-blow (and then some) from me this weekend. The reading of the verdict was a moment of deep emotion and I could not be more proud of Lee Johnson, the jury and the brilliant attorneys. © 2018 Kelly Ryerson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Day 17 – EPA, EPA, EPA. Closing Statements Part II
It seems impossible to create an argument that could top that of the Plaintiff. Even if I correct for my substantial bias, my opinion is that the limited science that Plaintiff was allowed to present was sufficient to show that Ranger Pro caused Lee Johnson’s cancer. After lunch, it seems simply an empty exercise for…
Day 17 – Today is Their Day of Reckoning. Closing Statements Part I
It’s an eerie morning. The migrating smoke from wildfires north of San Francisco casts a sinister amber haze. As I drive north to San Francisco, it feels a bit like an ominous warzone. Wildfires are devastating communities in Mendocino and many other towns throughout California. I’m convincing myself that this can’t be any kind of…
Day 16 – What Hypothetical? MR. JOHNSON Is The Hypothetical!!
Surprise! Neil Young and Daryl Hannah are in the house today. Young and Hannah are activists in the fight against Monsanto, and Young released the album The Monsanto Years in 2015. As we all settle into the courtroom, the bailiff asks Young to remove his hat. I don’t think it is proper to ask “The…
Day 15 – The EPA Ain’t The Ten Commandments
It’s freezing and drizzly again today. Canadians, listen up. One of your peeps is in the house. The courtroom itself is rather bland, but it is host to quite a grand event when a witness is called. The witness stands outside of the courtroom until officially invited to come up to the bench. It reminds…
Day 14 – Teacher Appreciation Day
Throughout my blog posts, I’ve noted how challenging the science in this case is to digest, and wondered how well the jury could possibly be following it. Today, Monsanto calls expert witness Dr. Lorelei Mucci, a leading cancer epidemiologist from Harvard, to do her own assessment of the epidemiology that she finds most compelling in…
Day 13 – Non-Suits and No-Suits
I advised myself incorrectly that the pre-jury meeting would start at 9am, but that gives me time to chat with the video guy. We discuss how the Plaintiff forgot to show the adorable video clip of Johnson and his son baking a cake on the day of Johnson’s testimony. Perhaps they will add that in…
Day 12 – Liberal Morons Who Don’t Want Cancer
It has been icy in San Francisco the last few days, with thick, drizzly fog. It feels like the gray, gloomy days of winter, or maybe I’m just riddled with intrusive thoughts of how the EPA has known that Roundup causes cancer all along. It’s a short walk from the Civic Center parking lot to…
