Well, it’s not forcing “people” to do anything. A corporation may be a “person”, but it is never one of the “people”.
And I have tried to make clear that it IS NOT my personal opinion that counts here, there are both PROS and CONS to gmo foods.
A corporation gets a “license” to do something. A “license” is government approval to do something that otherwise might be illegal. Corporations, by getting “licenses”, agree to the regulation of government.
For instance I as a people could not just start making tons of potato salad and selling it on the sidewalk. And we know why. Because I might kill a bunch of folks with food poisoning.
And I think most people would see and agree that those regulations are not only necessary, but reasonable. Corporations get licenses to make food not just for their families or their friends, but for MILLIONS of people, people who have all types of conditions and sensitivities.
Diabetics need to know about sugar. People with various allergies might need to know about peanuts or other items. People with high blood pressure need to know about salt content. The list goes on and on.
Remember - corporations DO NOT know you. They have no idea at all what your likes, dislikes, medical conditions or whatever are. They would, I am sure, rather not care at all, and at the same time willingly accept NO LIABILITY if you eat something you are sensitive to.
With that in mind, if they want to accept no liability, it is reasonable and even prudent to honestly state on the label what is in foods.
If it’s not bad, it can’t hurt.
If it’s a good thing, it will help!
I am old enough to vaguely remember talking with my mom about the introduction of margarine. When she was young, margarine came with a tab of food coloring in it so you could crush the tab, and that would turn the margarine from white to a more butter colored item. At that time it was ILLEGAL to sell margarine that was artificially colored to look like butter.
We’re talking 70, maybe 80 years ago!
And now what are we finding out?
Margarine is primarily hydrolyzed vegetable fats, created at high temperatures and pressures. A more modern name for margarines are the so called “trans-fats”.
And they are not very good for you!
So I don’t take anything at face value. Put the info out there and let the people decide.
Because someday, it might actually be part of peoples medical history (and be very relevant) to ask them “Have you ever eaten any GMO licorice?”
I read an article about the genes in BT actually jumping into the host DNA. I know enough about the subject that it scared the crap out of me!
In this case, the PAC that was started by the corporations (and the corporations admitted this in court) was originally started to HIDE THE NAMES OF THE DONORS from the public.
The fact that they feel they have something to hide should make any reasonable person ask wassup with that?
Genetic engineering is in it’s infancy. Yes, it could increase yields hugely. Yes, it could decrease cost.
But at the same time, it could pollute the gene pool - not just for this year, but FOREVER. It could even cause new diseases to emerge that have never been seen in the history of man.
So, sorry for calling you combative, but in my mind I am the conservative one, urging full disclosure and a very, very, very cautious approach.
;-)
I’d be very interested in getting your reference to BT genes jumping into the host DNA. I have run a search and find nothing but references that indicate that these Transpositional Elements (TEs) are nothing but natural processes that typically enhance the plant’s resistance to damaging organisms in the environment. While interesting, I see nothing in peer reviewed literature that would cause me to fear this natural process. So far I have found nothing that indicates that this process is a danger to human health, nor that it “Jumps” to, or changes human DNA.
I also am confused about your references to corporations needing “licenses” in order to do more than operate at a specific location (business license from a city/state, or a professional license from a state). Even when these licenses are required, they do not typically relate to what the corporation produces. When their activities are restricted (food safety, etc.) this is typically done through regulations (city, state, federal) when a community/social need is identified.
I agree that those that have health problems and allergies need to know what they need to stay away from, and I also believe that the free market is fully capable of taking care of this need, through market pressure.
I am also confused as to why you think a corporation should be held responsible for someone’s allergic reaction to one of their products. When did personal responsibility become a bad thing in this country? Why would you eat something if you have a known food allergy, and you don’t know what is in what you are eating? I do agree that it makes sense for a food company to label their products, for the reasons you stated, but these things were being done long before the FDA was even a glimmer in some bureaucrats eye.
Genetic engineering has been going on for since the first life appeared on this planet, primarily by natural processes. As stated previously, GMO seeds have been produced since the 1930’s and yields have increased 5 fold, this is not a debatable position, it is a provable fact. That these increased yields decrease food costs is also not a debatable position, it to is a provable fact.
Again, not tryig to be combative, but what I am hearing is a demand for increased government intervention, more regulation, more cost, increased reliance on government, abrogation of personal responsibility, demonization of “corporations” (as if such a thing could exist without people), and an admission that the common man is incapable of making decisions for himself.
There are many corporations (Whole Foods, and others like them) that have a great business catering to people that want to live “holistically” and demand non GMO, “Organic”, “free range”, and other such. There is no one forcing them to do so, but they have identified a market segment and cater to it, very successfully. Why is this not the path we should take, “let the market decide”, rather than hanging even more government regulations around our necks?
Why would these companies wish anonymity? For the exact reason that you took such glee in exposing them, because the current progressive meme is to engage in organized destruction of those they disagree with. These folks are not stupid, but operating legally, by the law of the land, should not result in the destruction of your livelihood.
I have done extensive research on GMO food and research that has been done on it. I found a lot of prose from people that have a financial stake in demonizing it, and a lot of actual research, peer reviewed, that contradicts the horror stories that are flooding the conversation every day.
Personally I put more faith in studies that use the scientific method than in those that “engineer” their studies to produce a desired result (feeding mice more than 200 times a normal lifetime exposure within a couple of days would be an example, and what was actually done in one study). Hell, I can negatively affect the same mouse with force feeding him too much Dihydrogen Oxide, and we need that to survive more than a couple of days.
I guess what it comes down to is that I am increasingly suspicious of folks that want to force me to do something “for my own good”, particularly when they are government bureaucrats (couldn’t get a real job?). I will probably always oppose efforts, like this bill, to impose more and more control over our lives, on the assumption that we are too stupid to think for ourselves. No thank you very much.
I found this website with a list of peer reviewed papers on GMO food safety:
http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/articles/biotech-art/peer-reviewed-pubs.html
A list of a scientific article reference database I have access to (through a college I attended) lead to many of these same papers.
After reading these papers, and others, I just do not have the same fear that the world is ending that you seem to have.
Thanks for the discussion.