Big Genetic Engineering

Who this affects: Anyone that eats food

Good Guys: (hover mouse for hyperlinks) Percy Schmeiser, Debhorah Garcia Koons, Jeffrey Smith,  Organic Consumers Association, Center for Food Safety/ Andrew Kimball, Jane Akre & Steve Wilson.

Bad Guys:Monsanto.

Further Information:

Audio &Books: Jeffrey Smith’s books and audio are here: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Resources/index.cfm

Documentaries: The Future of Food http://www.thefutureoffood.com/ also here: http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2008/07/21/watch-the-future-of-food-online-for-free/

The World According to Monsanto http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/
Action Groups:

The Corporation : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw
Institute for Responsible Technology http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/MediaCenter/BioJeffreyMSmith/index.cfm
Organic Consumer’s Association http://www.organicconsumers.org/
Center for Food Safety: http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall7.cfm


What #1: Genetically modified foods (GMOs) have been on the market for a decade and inserted in our food supply with most of America not knowing what they are and without their permission. USA ranks low in the world for health in terms of many measures including 50% of deaths occurring by heart attack, diabetes, and one-third to one-half to as many as two-thirds of Americans having diabetes, and or obesity. Does the key to being unhealthy have anything to do with the genetic materials of our foods being altered or combined with organisms for which in nature would never combine naturally.

What #2: The industry of genetically modified foods currently lobbies against any attempts by consumer’s groups to label foods containing genetically modified foods, sometimes referred to as Franken Foods

What #3: Monsanto has a patent right on its seeds. If the seeds blow into a farmer’s fields, that farmer be made to forfeit his or her land to Monsanto on the grounds of patent right infringement..

Where: All over the world, but high profile cases have taken place in Canada and India.

When: The Percy Schmeiser case took place in the 90s. Mr Schmeiser eventually won his case and now mentors farmers around the world how to get through this process. Activists continue to fight on shoestring budgets while Monsanto’s former executives still occupy the Whitehouse.

Why: Thoughts range anywhere from Monsanto is just a plain greedy pig trying to take over any seed so that farmers become completely dependent upon Monsanto to seriously myopic irresponsible science.

How: As explained in the Documentary The Future of Food, by Deborah Garcia Koons, Monsanto used the mechanism of the revolving door to buy politicians by contributing to their campaigns. Once the figure was elected, Monsanto’s executives were placed into the positions of regulators for their own industry. Monsanto was now not just a corporation, but the government regulatory industry as well.

So what? Depending upon the levels of paranoia upon the victim or greed of the perpetrator, the legal traffic lights could win and have won the right to patent life. Medical supplier for example has patented breast cancer cells so that only the universities that can afford the costs, can research breast cancer.

How do you know? When author of website gets more time, several sources will be referenced. For now see the last three lines below for sources in general.

What Next? Persons should only purchase food from local organic sources such as food cooperatives. See http://www.localharvest.org/ or http://www.go.coop/

Call to Action: Support laws to label genetically modified organisms.