Can a corporation be the antichrist?

[P(D)enny La(i)ne]

Gee, I wonder if all of these genetically engineered plants have anything to do with the large-scale destruction of pollenating animals like the bees and bats.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along...

****

Genetically Engineered Roundup Ready Sugar Beets Expected to be Planted in Spring 2008.

GE Sugar to hit Stores and Food Products in Fall of 2008.

Background Information: American Crystal, a large Wyoming-based sugar company and several other leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be sourcing their sugar from Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready sugar beets beginning this year and arriving in stores in 2008. Like GE corn and GE soy, products containing GE sugar will not be labeled.

Since half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, the introduction of biotech beets marks a dramatic change in the U.S. food supply. These sugars, along with GE corn and soy, are found in thousands of conventional food products, so consumers will be exposed to genetically engineered ingredients in just about every non-organic multiple-ingredient product they purchase.

The GE sugar beet is designed to withstand strong doses of Monsanto's controversial broad spectrum Roundup herbicide. Studies indicate farmers planting "Roundup Ready" corn and soy are now spraying more of the herbicide than ever before, contaminating both soil and water. Farmers planting GE sugar beets are told they may be able to apply the herbicide up to five times per year. Sugar beets are grown on 1.4 million acres by 12,000 farmers in the U.S. from Oregon to Minnesota.

Meanwhile candy companies like Hershey's are urging farmers not to plant GE sugar beets, noting that consumer surveys show resistance to the product. In addition the European Union has not approved GE sugar beets for human consumption.

www.nwrage.org/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=43&page=1

[B]

None of the GM foods are safe to eat or even grow. If any one corporation could be called
"the antichrist", Monsanto would surely be it. "Terminator seeds." How much lower
could anyone or thing go?

[P(D)enny La(i)ne]

Jul 25, 2008 12:28:53 GMT -5 B said:

None of the GM foods are safe to eat or even grow. If any one corporation could be called
"the antichrist", Monsanto would surely be it. "Terminator seeds." How much lower
could anyone or thing go?

It's occurring to me that The Omen movies were (somewhat) about Monsanto. After all, Damien inheirits his uncle's multi-national conglomerate, Thorn Industires, which has cornered the global food market and in turn, the world economy.

Oh, and Damien's uncle was played by Admiral Halsey, erm...Commander Shears, I mean......William Holden.

Ahem.

[jarvitronics]

Jul 25, 2008 12:28:53 GMT -5 B said:

None of the GM foods are safe to eat or even grow.

Shouldn't we judge each genetic modification on its own merits rather than toss a blanket over the whole concept?

-j

[B]

Evidently not, from what I've heard and read. The problem may lie in how it is presently being done.
My understanding is that the modified gene technology involves subjecting the subject crop
to a shot gun blast of the new sequence! It is not carefully, surgically implanted, as one might expect.
Consequently, how it is taken in can involve an adaptation by the plant that involves other
sequences that don't exist in the native plant, and the location of the modification can occur in a different
sequence than occurs naturally in the plants.
Furthermore, the gmo plants have been found to alter the digestive enzymes in those who
eat them, even though that's not supposed to happen.
Non-gmo plants have been found to have been corrupted by nearby gmo plants through
cross-pollination (which wasn't supposed to be able
to happen either).
Test animals that were fed gmo foods in tests clearly showed detrimental results, including death,
but the same foods have been allowed to be sold anyway.
(The usual stories of corporate bullying and greed; Monsanto one of the offenders.)

One of millions of articles, YT videos:

rense.com/general80/seedsofdestruction.htm

So the short answer is: No, because whatever the merits of individual modifications might be (ideally),
the present system of doing it, and the larger consequences of it, coupled with the present
dishonesty of the corporations doing it, indicate that more harm is being done than good.
In that this is a genie that is already out of the bottle, (most all yellow corn and soy bean production
in the US now involves gmo varieties), the threat to public health is now a reality because it has been
brought onto the market without proper testing, as well as with false, misleading statements regarding
the results of those tests, intended to mislead those who are responsible for guarding public health .
And in the case of Monsanto, evidence also exists that gmo's have been purposely used to corrupt
non-gmo plants to allow the company to claim ownership of the crops, and to destroy them.
Monsanto's motive clearly is to "own" food production. This can not be seen as "innocent", or done
with good intentions.
Of course Monsanto spokespeople will tell you they are out to improve the lives of everyone, but
their actions speak louder than their words.
Sadly, I am unaware of any instances in which the alledged benefits of gmo foods outweigh
their detriments. Nor have the consequences of genetic tampering been studied sufficiently
to have such products already OKed for public consumption.
It may be that gmo could be done well, but it isn't being done well at this time, nor is the
research necessary to protect the public being done.

The World According to Monsanto (part 1 of 10)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMleWZXhi6s

"The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years."


Now ask me about nuclear power. ;D

[LOVELYRITA]

Well, tell me this, would you rather eat hamburg that came from a cow, or genetically modified in a laboratory? Of course, you may be vegan and either way is rather repulsive to you.

Okay, would you rather eat a veggie burger from organically grown beans, or beans created in a laboratory?