mikevan

There is a cocaine plant that was developed to be resistant to Roundup that is doing great South of the Border nowadays. Anything is possible when there's a will - but farmers in the US typically take what's shoved at them. There are many plants that have been demonstrated to pull in toxins/chemicals - it would be trivial to capitalize on a plant that concentrates explosives in their tissues. Why go splitting genes to get there? That GMO plant will be sown over vast areas and as is usual, crossing will occur with unpredictable results.

And, RoundUp isn't even necessary for farming! It was a big money-maker for Monsanto while the patents were active tho. What better way than to market RoundUp ready seeds - they made a mint on Roundup, which has also in turn poisoned our environment and waters. Glysophate may break down, sorta kinda, tho it does bind with soil and is toxic to fish - but any idea what's in the surfactants used in RoundUp? RoundUp hasn't made a farmer any money - it's cost farmers mega-bucks in overhead they didn't need to have. Would you believe nowadays it's recommended practice to sow cover-crops in with your corn? Clovers for instance? It is the fear of weeds that has made Monsanto lotsa money - an unwarranted fear that could instead have been nullified by proper agricultural practices and a more holistic approach to farming. Bare soil is as bad as any weed...

I firmly believe well-meaning scientists and geeks are unwitting pawns in a vastly different picture from what you paint. Such has been demonstrated over and over again - it's all over the news for you and anyone else to see. Your work is worth nothing to your boss except for yet another patent to use in their overall goal. Scientists have been used like this for a long time like this in a variety if fields with full blinders on because they thought they were doing a good thing, tho, so it's not surprising.

I think Biotech has it's place. However, greedy powers that be have all but eliminated that place. Biotech can meld with traditional selective and hybridizing methods by helping map out the road to desirable traits faster, for instance. No gene melding necessary there. While it may indeed do some of that, unfortunately, the lion's share of Biotech is intrinsically involved in taking over control of the world's food. And do you blame them? Everyone has to eat, after all! And nowadays, only the tiniest minority grows their own anymore. Want to control the world - control the food. And, of course, create warm and fuzzy brochures about it - depending on the public gullibility to see them thru.

You have to ask yourself. Sometimes there's a reason for fear of new things. No one is afraid of organic. Not many are afraid of conventional - tho there is a greater knowledge of pesticide consumption in kids nowadays. But you have a mess when it comes to the GMO field the likes that Nuclear hasn't even faced! And the PR created by the strong arm of the GMO industry hasn't helped either. Why the strong-arm tactics? No one is trying to force people to eat organic - why then are they being forced to eat GMO, and worse - without their knowledge of what they're eating? If the GMO industry were so safe, why the big fight to hide its activities on one hand, and try to work on a government level to force it on other nations on the other hand? That makes me ill! Why force it on other nations? These nations are customers and customers are supposed to get what they want - why are we trying to force them to take something they don't want? We're leveraging the WTO for crying out loud! Can't you smell a rat???? If it was such a good thing, it would be side-by-side with organic in it's benignness! If there were questions, they would be patiently addressed and proven. But, it's the Nazi way the industry is acting that puts a stinker on the whole issue to me!

And - caution should be at the forefront of anything that will affect millions of people. Those who protested nuclear were also called crack-pots. Fear of change. Yet, Long Island. Chernobyl. Spent nuclear fuel with no place to go. At least 2 wrecked nuclear subs sitting on the bottom of the ocean... leaking perhaps? Are they crackpots now?

No one is protesting Organic. But entire countries are protesting GMO. And even in the GMO Capital of the World, entire counties are attempting to go GMO clean. Irregardless of the strong-arm tactics of those that would force it on us. Freedom? Nope. Control. That's what it's about. It's not down on your end - but up where the big-dogs play. I would love to see you use your interests to help guide selective breeding and hybridization into the future. There's room for Biotech in that. Build a map for breeders to follow. This is the direction BioTech should have gone in the first place:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...931467,00.html
No Dark Side of that. Tho - there's still the patent issues since life should not be patentable...

And no flame-war here. Do as you please and believe as you please. I just wanted you to see what the other side thought. Fear's not always a bad thing - keeps one alive when crossing the street. And when ingesting stuff. I hope they don't use almond genes for something you like, for instance. But with the draconian pressure put up to prevent labeling requirements, you won't know until you're in the hospital...

Happy Thanksgiving,
Mike