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heavenlyboy34
02-16-2011, 01:55 PM
I'm not a big corn eater, but if they can engineer our corn, they can take over any part of the food supply.:(:mad: Another "achievement" of American fascism. :p

(NaturalNews) Right on the heels of the USDA's decision to deregulate GM alfalfa (http://www.naturalnews.com/031196_G... (http://www.naturalnews.com/031196_GE_alfalfa_GMOs.html)), the U.S. Department of Agriculture has now decided to completely deregulate genetically engineered corn used for ethanol production. This is just the latest Frankenfood horror unleashed by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has firmly established himself as the regulatory puppet of Monsanto and other GMO giants.

The public spin on this decision is that it will allow the growing of corn (http://www.naturalnews.com/corn.html) engineered to produce more ethanol (http://www.naturalnews.com/ethanol.html) fuel, thereby improving the efficiency in the conversion of corn to fuel (http://www.naturalnews.com/fuel.html). This claim is, of course, scientifically invalid on so many levels that it's difficult to know where to begin. But I'll take a shot at it...

Remember when we used to actually EAT corn?

For starters, in a world where food (http://www.naturalnews.com/food.html) prices are rapidly rising, where crops (http://www.naturalnews.com/crops.html) are failing due to radical weather (http://www.naturalnews.com/weather.html) events, and where food stockpiles are at their lowest levels in many decades, the idea of converting food to fuel is utterly ludicrous. Making matters even worse, there's the simple fact that the ethanol advocates simply refuse to admit: Growing corn for fuel consumes more fuel than it produces!

The whole corn-for-ethanol debacle is simply another government-run agricultural cluster shuck involving the wasting of billions of taxpayer dollars which disappear into the black hole of subsidies handed out to corn growers. The whole thing smacks of economic insanity combined with an almost alien view of the natural (http://www.naturalnews.com/natural.html) world. To look upon an acre of corn and think that it's supposed to be burned in combustion engines rather than consumed as nutrition represents a whole new level of mental illness (http://www.naturalnews.com/illness.html) -- an illness which has infected the minds of regulators (http://www.naturalnews.com/regulators.html) and lawmakers. (Is there a vaccine shot to prevent it yet?)

Beyond that, the claim that this corn-to-fuel effort is now the justification for unleashing genetically contaminated GE corn across North America is not just bad thinking (http://www.naturalnews.com/thinking.html); it's dangerously bad thinking from people who should know better.

The end of agricultural genetic integrity

Because you know what happens next? With GE corn being planted everywhere, the wind will cross-contaminate regular corn crops, resulting in widespread genetic pollution of the corn grown in America (http://www.naturalnews.com/America.html). This, in turn, will result in America's corn being refused for importation by other nations which don't want to poison their people with genetically altered corn (unlike the U.S. government).

It will damage the entire U.S. corn industry (http://www.naturalnews.com/industry.html), in other words, and further devastate U.S. farmers (http://www.naturalnews.com/farmers.html) who are already squeezed by freak weather events.

"The USDA's decision defies common sense," said Margaret Mellon, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Food and Environment Program. "There is no way to protect food corn crops from contamination by ethanol corn. Even with the most stringent precautions, the wind will blow and standards will slip. In this case, there are no required precautions."

Over at the Center for Food Safety, science (http://www.naturalnews.com/science.html) policy analyst Bill Freese wrote, "Syngenta's biofuels corn will inevitably contaminate food-grade corn, and could well trigger substantial rejection in our corn export markets, hurting farmers." (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/... (http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/02/usda-fully-deregulates-ethanol-corn/))

An article (http://www.naturalnews.com/article.html) at Truth-Out.org reveals some of the possible under-the-table financial links that may be behind this decision to deregulate GE corn: http://www.truth-out.org/big-win-bi... (http://www.truth-out.org/big-win-biotech-usda-deregulates-monsanto-alfalfa67373)

The Alliance for Natural Health has also posted a very good summary on this situation. It's a great read: http://www.anh-usa.org/now-usda-has... (http://www.anh-usa.org/now-usda-has-deregulated-genetically-engineered-bio-fuel-corn/)

Our corn supply is being stalked by Monsanto (http://www.naturalnews.com/Monsanto.html)

So what does it all mean? It means that between the GE corn, GE sugar beets, GE alfalfa (http://www.naturalnews.com/alfalfa.html), cotton, soy and other ingredients, we are living in a grand, dangerous experiment of playing God with seeds.

I've said this before: It's almost as if people like Tom Vilsack (and other Monsanto minions) are just begging Mother Nature to wipe out human civilization and start over. Here, everybody! Let's turn our food crops into pesticide absorbers, then feed them to cows and people!

It's all being done for corporate profits, of course. Because that's all it takes to compromise the future of life on our planet: Just another buck on the bottom line.

That's all it takes at the USDA (http://www.naturalnews.com/the_USDA.html), too: Just another promise of a sweet, cushy job in the corn industry after you've left the agency. Bend enough rules in favor of Big Ag, and you can name your salary a few years down the road. Because if there's a kernel of truth to be found in any of this, it's that corporations -- and regulators -- will operate with outrageous disregard for the integrity of the natural world.

By the way, this decision was made under the guise of "science." All the lies now being repeated about the safety (http://www.naturalnews.com/safety.html) of genetically engineered crops are being bolstered by the laughable claim that they are "scientific" and that anyone who opposes GMOs (http://www.naturalnews.com/GMOs.html) is, by default, "unscientific."

Read more about that in my article, "Unscientific" is secret code for anyone who opposes GMOs or pesticides (http://www.naturalnews.com/031093_u... (http://www.naturalnews.com/031093_unscientific_GMOs.html)).

While you're at it, be sure to visit the Institute for Responsible Technology (www.ResponsibleTechnology.org (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/)) where you can learn more about GMOs from Jeffrey Smith, who is also a featured contributing writer here on NaturalNews (http://www.naturalnews.com/NaturalNews.html).


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031359_GE_corn_USDA.html#ixzz1E9ZnJqfh

Seraphim
02-16-2011, 02:00 PM
Dude you spout free market stuff al the time and you whine about deregulation? The problem isn't the deregulation..it is the WTO REGULATIONS that force countries to accept GMO products and impose MASSIVE fines for rejecting said food.

specsaregood
02-16-2011, 02:01 PM
Dude you spout free market stuff al the time and you whine about deregulation? The problem isn't the deregulation..it is the WTO REGULATIONS that force countries to accept GMO products and impose MASSIVE fines for rejecting said food.

Last I checked, the EU still doesn't allow GMO imports. It was something we (the US) were bitching about last year.

heavenlyboy34
02-16-2011, 03:41 PM
Dude you spout free market stuff al the time and you whine about deregulation? The problem isn't the deregulation..it is the WTO REGULATIONS that force countries to accept GMO products and impose MASSIVE fines for rejecting said food.

Did you read the article? It's not a garden-variety deregulation issue. The "de-regulation" this article talks about is a corpratist/fascist measure. The free market would never allow this kind of thing, but thanks to the regime, the corporations can get "de-regulations" that allow them to distort the market, exempt them from punishments that a free market would impose on them, and screw everyone else over.

specsaregood
02-16-2011, 03:48 PM
The free market would never allow this kind of thing, but thanks to the regime, the corporations can get "de-regulations" that allow them to distort the market, exempt them from punishments that a free market would impose on them, and screw everyone else over.

Not only do they get "exempt from punishments" but the govt has allowed them to violate their neighbors and punish non-customers. eg: if a GMO crop pollinates your non-GMO crop Monsanto uses the govt to prevent you from being able to keep YOUR seeds from YOUR crop.

heavenlyboy34
02-16-2011, 03:50 PM
Not only do they get "exempt from punishments" but the govt has allowed them to violate their neighbors and punish non-customers. eg: if a GMO crop pollinates your non-GMO crop Monsanto uses the govt to prevent you from being able to keep YOUR seeds from YOUR crop.

excellent point! Thanks for reminding me of that-I should've mentioned it. :cool:

heavenlyboy34
02-16-2011, 04:04 PM
As a related side note-
CFS to sue USDA for deregulating GM alfalfa



Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031357_GM_alfalfa_Center_for_Food_Safety.html#ixzz 1EA6eRlb1

Seraphim
02-16-2011, 04:28 PM
Matter of semantics. We are on the same side for this issue, trust me.


Not only do they get "exempt from punishments" but the govt has allowed them to violate their neighbors and punish non-customers. eg: if a GMO crop pollinates your non-GMO crop Monsanto uses the govt to prevent you from being able to keep YOUR seeds from YOUR crop.

Romulus
02-16-2011, 05:02 PM
I thought corn was an insecticide anyway.. since it's resistant to roundup and kill bugs when they eat it.

TCE
02-18-2011, 08:46 PM
Dude you spout free market stuff al the time and you whine about deregulation? The problem isn't the deregulation..it is the WTO REGULATIONS that force countries to accept GMO products and impose MASSIVE fines for rejecting said food.

Everything else is still regulated, so this isn't even close to a free market. And their deregulation, as has been stated, means lawsuit protections, patents, and government subsidies for their corn. Don't forget the subsidies and government aid in your explanation. Ethanol subsidies combined with subsidies for corn production to Archer Daniels Midland...ugh.

eduardo89
02-18-2011, 08:52 PM
Can someone please enlighten me about whats so bad about GMO?

TCE
02-18-2011, 09:02 PM
Can someone please enlighten me about whats so bad about GMO?

They're largely untested crops which the EU has banned already because of supposed negative health effects. The U.S. government is actively pushing for these to be used across the world, but there is push back. Additionally, the U.S. government has fought groups who want to label products as Genetically Modified Organisms.

Basically: They're untested, lab created food that likely have side effects but we won't know for several years. And Monsanto, one of the most evil corporations in the world, is the company leading the Pro-GMO side.

eduardo89
02-18-2011, 09:23 PM
They're largely untested crops which the EU has banned already because of supposed negative health effects. The U.S. government is actively pushing for these to be used across the world, but there is push back. Additionally, the U.S. government has fought groups who want to label products as Genetically Modified Organisms.

Basically: They're untested, lab created food that likely have side effects but we won't know for several years. And Monsanto, one of the most evil corporations in the world, is the company leading the Pro-GMO side.

Interesting. So you guys are against it mostly because it's untested so far. I've heard a lot about Monsanto, I'll have to read up on them to see why they're one of "the most evil corporations in the world".

Would you be against GMO food if it were tested long term and ended up being safe?

AFPVet
02-18-2011, 09:34 PM
Interesting. So you guys are against it mostly because it's untested so far. I've heard a lot about Monsanto, I'll have to read up on them to see why they're one of "the most evil corporations in the world".

Would you be against GMO food if it were tested long term and ended up being safe?

The problem with this is like big pharma. The simple fact is that even though GMO or drugs may have been tested over a span of say 20 years, this would not account for what issues may occur after that time period. Case in point, Asbestos exposure doesn't damage lung cells until after ~30 years.

I like to stick with what has worked for quite some time... like natural medication and foods.

heavenlyboy34
02-18-2011, 09:58 PM
Can someone please enlighten me about whats so bad about GMO?

They're essentially "frankenfood". No one knows what the long term effects of them will be. They are a byproduct of corpratism. They have a tendency to damage otherwise good soil. When a GMO crop pollinates an organic crop, the organic crop has to be destroyed because they would no longer meet the certified organic standard.

Monsanto, for example, is a corporation that creates GMO products. According to the USDA, Monsanto has an IP monopoly on 80% of seeds in the US. There are other serious problems with GMO, and I hope other posters will help explain it to you.

specsaregood
02-18-2011, 10:09 PM
Interesting. So you guys are against it mostly because it's untested so far. I've heard a lot about Monsanto, I'll have to read up on them to see why they're one of "the most evil corporations in the world".


Here is a good start:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Goliath_and_David:_Monsanto's_Lega l_Battles_against_Farmers
Or just search Monsanto sues farmers, you'll get lots.



The judgment along with previous ones upon which it was built has been interpreted by many to mean that if any RR crop is found on agricultural land wherein it was not specifically purchased even if it found its way there through entirely natural means such as wind or insect pollination, the farmer is liable to Monsanto for "theft" of its property. That at least seems to be the goal of Monsanto.

That's right, even if their seed blows onto your property and grows, you are guilty of theft. If they suspect this is happening --like a neighbor is legally growing their crap--they will send out seed police to sneek onto your property and take a sample, then sue you if it contains their patented bullsh*t.
Once your land is infested, its about impossible to remove which means you'll be forced to buy all your seeds from monsanto for life, or give up farming.

Yeah, pretty evil. The only way to fight these guys is county by county and pass laws forbidding people from growing their product.

eduardo89
02-18-2011, 10:24 PM
Yeah, pretty evil. The only way to fight these guys is county by county and pass laws forbidding people from growing their product.

Isn't that infringing on their liberty to grow whatever they want on their land?


Thanks to everyone whose been trying to explain this to me...I'll read up on it

heavenlyboy34
02-18-2011, 10:30 PM
Isn't that infringing on their liberty to grow whatever they want on their land?


Thanks to everyone whose been trying to explain this to me...I'll read up on it

No, because what they grow poses a clear and present danger to the property of others. Likewise, a neighborhood of close-together tract homes would be perfectly within reason to forbid those fireworks that go way up and explode because this could (and likely would) damage someone else's property.

specsaregood
02-18-2011, 10:32 PM
Isn't that infringing on their liberty to grow whatever they want on their land?


Yeah, and normally I wouldn't be down with that. BUT Monsanto has proven to have the ability and willing to use the force of govt to invade your property and destroy it. So, its really just fighting fire with fire.

eduardo89
02-18-2011, 10:36 PM
No, because what they grow poses a clear and present danger to the property of others. Likewise, a neighborhood of close-together tract homes would be perfectly within reason to forbid those fireworks that go way up and explode because this could (and likely would) damage someone else's property.

That's true, I didn't really think of it like that.

specsaregood
02-18-2011, 10:40 PM
That's true, I didn't really think of it like that.

It is even worse than that too. It's as if a neighbors firework comes over and burns up your property, then the firework manufacturer coming in and suing you for having charred remains on your property that are the result of their firework AND WINNING IN COURT.

heavenlyboy34
02-18-2011, 10:57 PM
That's true, I didn't really think of it like that.

n/p. I believe the common law term for such a thing is "Glaring Nuisance", btw.