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Re: Moratorium Called on Genetically Modified Foods
"J Jacobson" <honorx@lisco.net> wrote:
>*
>•Potatoes, cotton and corn bioengineered by Monsanto, and corn developed
>by Ciba-Geigy Corp. and Mycogen Plant Sciences, all secrete a poison that
>kills insects. Scientists transferred genetic material from the bacillus
>thuringiensis bacterium (B.t.), which naturally produces an insecticide,
>into these plants. B.t., a relatively safe biological pest control, is
>often used by organic growers who spray the bacteria, when needed, on
>plant leaves.
>*
>•The danger is that widespread use of B.T. will encourage the development
>of insects that can resist it. Thus, the one organic pesticide that
>organic growers can use will be rendered ineffective, threatening the
>entire organic food industry. Monsanto's potato, called "New Leaf", has
>been cleared for commercialization this year. Approvals for the others are
>imminent.
There is at least anecdotal evidence of Bt resistance arising in east Texas. Additionally, Bt
is non-specific within the moth and butterfly community and therefore stands to accelerate the
decline in ornamental butterflies. For those who don't care about butterflies, think of them
as pollinators. The U.S. honeybee population has declined to the point of being useless for
pollination. Pollination slows to a crawl without the honeybees and butterflies,
and so does production. Perhaps the plan is to put refugees, welfare recipients, and the
elderly to work pollinating the vegetable and fruit crops.
To further stoke the prevalent denial complex, much of the engineering is designed to augment
meat production. Given the long-term unsustainable nature of relying on meat for protein,
this seems like a good time to alter nutritional addictions and return to a simpler, healthier
diet.
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