Posted on 03/29/2010 5:32:00 AM PDT by truthfinder9
bump
What do you mean by that? All the corn I ever topped was cross-pollinated, but this was 30 years ago, so my memory has faded.
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Genetically Modified Corn – Safe or Toxic?
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Just my $0.02...
The GM food should be checked for safety; in the case of corn/maize
only a few trillion test have been run by consumers that eat it
every day of the year.
But rigorous monitoring should be a part of vetting these materials.
And good labeling should be part of the program.
On the other hand...
I can’t help but wonder if some of the GM-food critics are hoping
their shares in Whole Foods, etc. will go up...and short companies
that utilize GM food in their products.
Just call me cynical.
The study done was done by NGOs that are gunning for GM ag products and the studies are total BS.
I know one of the developers of Round Up and our casual conversations about the chemical lead me to believe that these studies have no basis in facts.
Round Up is a solvent for chloraphyll and that is all it is.
The idea that Round Up would show up in corn ears is absurd. It is water soluble and it disappears during the first rain after application.
This is pure fantasy.
No. Improved sanitation is the biggest contributor. Antibiotics help, but they are not the major source of longer lives.
Selective breeding methods of crops to achieve disease resistance has been going on for thousands of years. Modern genetic modification techniques now allow for the same results in a much shorter period of time. There is no credible scientific evidence to show that the ingestion of GM products is harmful to human health or the environment.
Monsanto has done some interesting things, ranging from safety tests that are just funny, to some lobby efforts that are exceedingly questionable (like using their lobbying power, both parties, to try and push through Bovine Somatotropin in milk. Bovine Somatotoprin is a sythentic compound used to boost milk production, with the hormone really improving milk yields.
Monsanto is an industry dynamo that is creaming their competition. No one in the industry can touch their R&D. For some reason, people like to demonize success. How anyone can criticize this company for creating a method for increasing milk production, or overall food production, is a mystery. Norman Borlaug argued for genetic modification of food and saved hundreds of millions of people, if not billions, from starvation. He had to deal with the same fear mongering by people who held a fraction of his knowledge. Thankfully, he prevailed and became the most famous American no one ever heard of.
The issue is that it has been tied with various types of cancers
People fear things they don't understand. bST is naturally produced by a cow's pituitary gland and is no different than the synthetic hormone dairy cows are injected with. Although it does increase the amount of Insulin Growth Factor (IGF) in milk (IGF is the hormone linked to the cancer you mention) this IGF is digested like all other dietary proteins and any hormonal activity is destroyed in the process. It poses absolutely no risk. If these claims were true, then human colostrum, human breast milk and, in truth, all milk would cause cancer.
Monsanto is no shrinking violet and has stood up to the toxic terrorists and other assorted and sundry enviro-whackos who would ruin a great American company. They do all of this while outperforming the competition in a tough industry. For that, they deserve admiration. They wouldn't be so successful if they weren't delivering products and services people wanted. The anti-industry whackos don't understand this important point. Monsanto, and all companies like them, should be defended by conservatives against those who would vilify them, and vilify industry in general.
First, I’m not a ‘greenie’. Many of my friends call me ‘attilla. However, there are other reasons to take a closer look at GM foods;
GMO Seed Prices Skyrocket and Justice Department
Investigates Monsanto for Antitrust Violation
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1686&category=Environment
“Control the oil,you control the nation. Control the food, you control the people.” Henry Kissinger
You realize, don’t you, that you get ten times more glutamate from naturally occurring sources than you do from added sources? You could stop eating and totally avoid it but dying ain’t much of a living.
I was going to say "Well, just dont feed any to embryonic cells." But that would miss the opportunity to say that the above is a buncha hooey.
Considering the threshold of data needed to alarm most readers "buncha hooey" should suffice.
“You realize, don’t you, that you get ten times more glutamate from naturally occurring sources than you do from added sources? You could stop eating and totally avoid it but dying ain’t much of a living.”
Why would you want to avoid glutamate? It is an essential amino acid for protein synthesis.
Hey, if I do not want to drink milk from cows given bovine somatotropin, and I buy from producers who do not do that, you may (or may not - who knows) understand why I may not be too hot about a COMPANY trying to negate my ability to choose. If Obama doing that is wrong, what makes a company any better?
Please answer that for me since 'conservatives should support Monsanto.'
Why should organic milk producers be allowed to make a distinction without a difference? Organic milk already contains bST. Synthetic bST is no different than naturally occurring bST. Is it the job of the FDA to create alarm where none exists just to benefit organic milk producers? Should organic milk producers be allowed to claim their product is more healthy than non-organic milk when there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support such a claim?
In your long response calling for Conservatives to stand by Monsanto you forgot to address that perspective
Industry protecting their customers from ignorance isn't a part of the conservative perspective? We need government to do that since business is inherently evil? I don't understand.
As I mentioned in my post, if people want to drink milk from cows that have been given Bovine Somatotropin
Why does it even matter? There are people who want access to all sorts of information related to food. Just how much information and differentiation do you need? Do you need to know what kind of feed is used? It makes a difference in the chemical composition of the final product after all. How about knowing the type of dairy cow the milk came from? Jersey cow milk offers a higher fat content and will include a greater amount of naturally occurring trans fats. Trans fats are dangerous, doncha know. There are toxic chemicals in marigold petals yet some chicken producers use them as feed to give the birds a more desirable color. Where does it end?
and please do not confuse me with the mindless plebs who cannot differentiate between te effect of IGF in infants - beneficial - and in non infants - increased cancer risk)
Uh, now you're sounding just like one of those mindless plebes. Maybe you can explain how IGF causes cancer when all hormonal activity is destroyed during digestion. With no hormonal activity you're left with, well...nuthin'.
HOWEVER I aim organic (and I have more than enough money to be able to pay for what I can track farm to fork)
Farm to fork. Sounds real good doesn't it? I could waste hours explaining to you why organic is a scam and, in truth, results in foods offering higher risks to consumers rather than lowering the risk. That would be a waste of my time, wouldn't it? You are free to spend your money as you see fit. I know more than a few people who live paycheck to paycheck but wouldn't think of buying anything other than the higher priced organic products they've convinced themselves they need. Organic is good in that it supports the local and small producers who cannot compete with the Ag giants. That's about it.
thus I have a major problem when a company exerts major lobbying power (to both parties) to have States remove the choice from customers to buy hormone free milk by trying to BAN such labeling
Wow, an American industry lobbying to protect it's business and their consumers from fears based on junk science. What's the world coming to? Given how industry friendly government is, I'm sure the states are doing this to protect the big, bad Monsanto and subject their citizens to the evils of BST and the cancers that result. Sure.
I buy from producers who do not do that, you may (or may not - who knows) understand why I may not be too hot about a COMPANY trying to negate my ability to choose.
No one is trying to negate your ability to choose. That's hyperbolic nonsense. Any lazy-assed American can find out who produces the milk for any particular retailer and call the dairy to find out if they use bST. Or, they can call organic dairies supplying a particular market to learn the same information. People believe all sorts of silly things and most of it is based on scientific ignorance or the alarmism created by businesses or people who stand to benefit in some way from an alarmed public.
If Obama doing that is wrong, what makes a company any better?
Obama has declared war on private industry. The reasons are clear. When conservatives join him in demonizing industry, based on junk science or outright lies, who will stand up for industry if not conservatives? There is no legitimate scientific evidence to support any of the nonsense you've posted on this thread. To demand this and that of industry based on a total lack of evidence is a joke. I'm just pointing it out.
My point exactly. People wring their hands over glutamic acid from added sources ignorant to the vast amount they receive from the food they eat every day. Never made much sense to me but there it is.
MSG or glutamates in general? Is there a difference?
Conserve-atives SHOULD be concerned!
Oh, isn’t that clever. Anyone who actually knows something about crop production is a “dumbass”. By that level of discourse, you have pretty well conceded the field.
So I guess you thought I was specifically talking about you. I guess the shoe fits, then.
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