This is a thought provoking quote regarding Genetically Modified Crops I thought you may find of interest:
"We simply do not know the long-term consequences for human health and the wider environment...If something does go badly wrong, we will be faced with the problem of clearing up a kind of pollution which is self-perpetuating. I am not convinced that anyone has the first idea of how this could be done."Charles, Prince of Wales, June 1998--Speaking About Genetically Modified Crops. This quote is found in the book Harvest for Hope, A Guide to Mindful Eating by Jane Goodall in Chapter 4, entitled, Seeds of Discontent: Very insightful book!
The UK Progressive reports:
If you're not buying organically produced foods (or growing your own food), then you're probably eating genetically modified ingredients in most of the processed foods you're consuming.80% of the food sold is now GMO food.
"Scientific testing has not been done on what effects GMOs may have on humans. What has been shown is that GMO foods contain excessive amounts of certain toxins, the effects of which have not been determined. Genetically modified foods also negatively impact the environment by creating more toxins and potentially leading to the creation of mutated soil bacteria, which may lead to more harm regarding the future of food production." UK Progressive March 29, 2011
A very interesting PDF for you with scientific references. CLICK HERE.
"Monsanto, enemy of organic farmers and anti-GMO advocates alike, will likely be allowed to conduct its own environmental studies as part of a two-year USDA experiment. But there is no good that can possibly come of an experiment where the company behind nearly every genetically modified crop in our daily diets is allowed to decide whether its products are causing any environmental harm. And Monsanto isn't the only biotech company that will be permitted to police itself.
As it stands, the USDA is responsible for assessing environmental impacts of new GMO crops. The agency has been lax about this, to say the least. In 2005, the USDA gave Monsanto the go-ahead to unleash its sugar beets before preparing an Environmental Impact Statement. This decision eventually triggered a judge to rule that Monsanto sugar beet seedlings should be ripped from the ground.
Because the USDA is so bad at doing its job on time, the agency decided to see if anyone else was prepared to do its safety testing work instead. And so it looks like the USDA will at least temporarily hand over environmental impact reporting responsibilities to the biotech companies behind GMO crops. The pilot program will allow these companies to conduct their own environmental assessments of crops or outsource the work to contractors." Read the whole article.
This is important because now we have Round-Up resistant Super Weeds. What's next?
Till next time, Stephen
BTW: Click HERE for a great cartoon that is so apropos for the subject being discussed, and there's more if you follow the prompts.
This is an addendum to the previous post. Pass on this information to those you care about. We can make a difference if more information is shared.
"If you think that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) don’t affect you, then consider this. Up to 90% of all major US grown crops are grown with genetically engineered seed, and can be used in human and animal foods without any safety testing or labeling to let us know what’s been used.
This includes GM corn (maize), soybeans, canola (a North American cultivar of oilseed rape), sugar beet and cotton, which have made their way into approximately 80% of current US grocery store items. Don’t know if you’re eating GMOs? If you’re not buying organically produced foods or growing your own vegetables and raising your own animals for food, you’re probably eating genetically modified ingredients in most of the foods you’re consuming today."
There is power in knowledge. We can't keep our head in the sand and ignore what is happening. To ignore makes ignorance and apathy prevail. It means our health and that of our children to stay aware and awake to the tampering of our food supply and its potential or inevitable consequences depending on the expert consulted. Their future depends on what we do today. Protect our children's and grandchildren's inalienable right to unadulterated food supplies!
In my previous post I talked about Genetically Engineered Foods, or Genetically Modified Organisms-GMO's, and that if I wrote about the subject, it would be a long post. To make it simpler, you can watch The Future of Food on NetFlix, or with a few commercial interruptions, you can go to http://www.hulu.com/ or watch it right here. This way you will understand first-hand the massive commercial movement behind the genetic engineering of our food supply and how it affects each one of us and our future.
How will all this affect our children and their children? The trouble is, no one really knows, and that should be of concern to us all.
To your health, Stephen
Quote: "We simply do not know the long-term consequences for human health and the wider environment...If something does go badly wrong, we will be faced with the problem of clearing up a kind of pollution which is self-perpetuating. I am not convinced that anyone has the first idea of how this could be done."Charles, Prince of Wales, June 1998--Speaking About Genetic Modified Crops. This quote is found in the book Harvest for Hope, A Guide to Mindful Eating by Jane Goodall in Chapter 4, entitled, Seeds of Discontent: Most interesting!
The world is changing. What use to be a world of purity in agriculture, leaving nature to do its own thing year after year, is becoming big business. Big corporations are turning farming into money-making, agricultural-science that is tainted with Frankenstein-like tendencies.
About 30 years ago, there was a movie produced entitled Henderson Monster. It is available on NetFlix. We highly recommend it.
It was not dealing with science-fiction monsters as the title infers. Instead, it was a subtle expose' of how science, even in university labs, was big business and suggested that someday man would "own" genetic codes. Man, corporations, would have the ability to control life, manipulate life,...even own life, if you will. The year the movie was made, the first genes were patented. Fiction became non-fiction over night!
There was once the comment made: He who controls the food, controls the population. It appears to be coming to that. The above paragraph, is now reality. Big corporations, like Monsanto, do "own" the genetic codes of plant seeds. Farmers are finding, that once they start using them, they have to continue using the seeds on infinitum. Oh, and then there's the animal genes in our food-GMO's, and...well, ... that's another post. To elaborate on that at this time would probably make this post at least ten pages.---Another time.
To get back to the subject at hand--There are bills being considered in Congress that are bringing to an urgency something that we all must be informed of if the choice to eat organic foods is of importance to you. They are bills HR. 875 and S. 425 (Click on links to view bills). The bills, like many, incorporate many issues in them, but, even though lengthy, it is of vital concern to those who value their rights to live holistically.
We know first hand that not all those in congress show up for a congressional hearing on a bill or read it in its entirety. In this case, we hope they do. Take the time to read the bill yourself, and read between the lines. Under a heading described as protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of food, it creates a new "Food Safety Administration" within Health and Human Services. Oddly, it doesn't just add regulations to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which is also under HHS. The bill applies to all manner of "Food Establishments" and "Food Production Facilities" (the following is an excerpt).
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation. The bill would appear to even cover some fishing boats and potentially your downtown hot dog street vendors. "Transportation" of food also could be covered.
I encourage you to peruse the bill, particularly sections 206 and 207 under title 2, and section 3 that classifies the different definitions. The definitions will explain what the 5 classifications of the food establishments are. In essence, the small time farmer may have to jump giant hoops in the testing of foods, and new types of storage, etc., since it is very broadly-based written. That is the problem. Also, all these new regulations would be very expensive to conform to, and, if that be the case, government loans would be needed, and...you know what's next as a result of that: Conformity without choice. By not conforming and following suit of the new regulations, they will be in violation leading, no doubt, to a great price to be paid. In addition, again, by the way it is written, everything points to the possibility that the small time organic farmer could be penalized for trying to adhere to their God-given right to be holistic in farming.
Refer to the above points. Call your Legislators: 1-202-224-3121. Let's preserve the small organic gardener. We need them! And, if anyone has a small organic garden in their own back yard, it might, may, could, heaven forbid, apply to you.
