There is a plot line in the documentary Food, Inc. concerning a seed cleaner who is forced out of business by the policies of the Monsanto agricultural company. What makes the story emotionally gripping is the fact that Monsanto is so big, and the seed cleaner is so small. He's just an old man driving his truck from farm to farm, trying to make a living. He's probably going to retire soon anyway. Why doesn't Monsanto just let him slide?

Of course, the reason they don't let him slide is the same reason why corporations do everything they do: money. Every seed cleaned is one less seed Monsanto sells, and fewer sales mean that the graph showing profits will have a line pointing down instead of up. They can't let that happen.

I learned for myself how dogged corporations can be about not losing money when I wrote an article about the idea of a government tax on soda. In the article, I made some disparaging comments about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Much to my surprise, I promptly received an email from the Corn Refiners Association (CRA), referring me to a web site they suggested I use for any future articles about HFCS. The web site was SweetSurprise.com, which links to the CRA web site, Corn.org.

Not surprisingly, SweetSurprise.com says lots of nice things about HFCS. If you read carefully, however, you can see that the nice things are often expressed in vague language, to avoid the fact that the jury is still out on some of the statements being made.

For example, the site contains information from the American Medical Association (AMA), which states that "high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners." But, the AMA's full report also contains the recommendation that independent research be conducted on HFCS and other sweeteners, and that consumers limit their use of all sweeteners, in light of the insufficiency of research data about their effects on health.

The purpose of this article is not to discuss HFCS. My point is to make known the speed with which the CRA found me and made their attempt to set me straight. After all, I'm just a little seed cleaner. Couldn't they have let me slide?

Again, no, they could not. When anybody--a big player like the United States government or a small-timer like me--speaks out against the profit-making machine of a corporation, that corporation is ready to pounce.

Corporations use media advertisements, lobbyists, web sites that are a "front" for the company's point of view (the site SweetScam.com seems to serve that purpose for the corn industry) and any means necessary to keep the all-important profit line from plunging down. Look at the insurance companies' response to the possibility of health care reform.

Whenever a company tells you that they are right, and some other group is wrong, about the safety of their product, it is your responsibility to seek out the truth.

SweetScam.com is responsible for some very clever television ads featuring a man, dressed as an adorable ear of corn, who tells you how harmless HFCS is. But SweetScam.com also does not disclose the names of the people who fund them. And, they have the audacity to state that their reason for the secrecy is to protect their donors "in light of the violence and other forms of aggression some activists have adopted as a 'game plan' to impose their views."

As big businesses become more and more ravenous, we need to remember that they cannot exist without us. As I've said before, vote with your wallet. Learn about the things you spend your money on, and offer your money as you would your praise and your affection--to people who deserve it.