GMOs Don't Hurt Anyone, But Opposing Them Does

How do you demonize scientists who added 3 genes to the 30,000 in rice in order to stop vitamin A deficiencies in poor countries with rice-dominated diets? There are zero pitfalls to it yet an elaborate, well-funded marketing campaign has been leveled against it.


Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer genetically engineered their Golden Rice, called that because the genes they used for producing beta carotene, a Vitamin A precursor, gave the rice grains a 'golden' color, and even persuaded companies to waive patent rights so that they could give the seeds away for free.  No 'Monsanto is evil' nonsensical reasoning applies to this, yet 'green' juggernauts like Greenpeace and Union of Concerned Scientists have opposed it by every means possible, using lawyers and, of course, scare campaigns about biology.

How many kids have died in the 14 years this has been protested as "Frankenfood"? Estimates on deaths are always somewhat overblown but activist groups love to throw them around so let's give them one they can think about; as many as 18 million children have died due to vitamin A deficiency while they have blockaded just this one technology and another 18 million have gone blind, according to World Health Organization numbers. Deaths due to GMOs? Zero. Heck, stomach-aches due to GMOs - still zero. .

I have no doubt this thread will get flamed same as I have no doubt that most will not read the source article and let their bias win out over logic. Still I wanted to bring this to everyone's attention because people are getting hurt just not by the side trying to improve food.

I just ask that if you are going to make an argument on the issue look and see if it has already been addressed in the article.Source

reply to post by Grimpachi


There are some GMO's that I'm sure are OK...the one that I didn't comprehend until a few months back was Monsanto's modification to soybeans so that they can withstand the weed-killer "Roundup." Think about that for a minute - they're spraying weed-killer on soybeans which is obviously leaching into the ground and being sucked up by that same plant.

That's not quite right.

reply to post by NosmoKing


With all things I think it should be looked at as a case by case basis. It's when we start aplying labels and generalizing that is when things that can be very beneficial are overlooked or dismissed all because of a name.

In the case of golden rice I think it's just insane what is happening.

No problem with GMO's. Just label them so I can decide whether or not I'd like to ingest them.

What I do have a problem with is monopolizing the agricultural industry, restricting individuals from growing their own food privately, and trying to buy exclusive rights to seeds and animals.

If I want to grow my own corn or raise my own livestock, or collect rainwater to water my gardens - I should be able to.

So my argument isn't so much about tinkering with mother nature, though there might be unforseen consequences in doing so...

My problem lies in other areas associated with it. Namely, greed.

CdT

reply to post by NosmoKing


In a lot of these plants, they're engineering the herbicides and pesticides right into the plant itself, and then spraying more chemicals on it- because the bugs are overcoming their science.

Then there are cross-genus "hybridizations", i.e. fish genes in tomatoes, and who knows what else.

That's the scary stuff. If it were all so innocent as it sounds, no one would be upset.

You can even do some searching and read studies that show your body doesn't readily absorb the vitamins in 'enriched' foods.

reply to post by Grimpachi


There is not enough known about gmo's and their affect if any on our bodies.

But what we do know is that Monsanto will stop at nothing in order to take every single farmer (American, Mexican and any other countries they are allowed to invade) to the poor house. They'll plant their seeds in your yard (how else would they end up there?) and then sue you and take your home, your land everything. You got an extra seed from your hard work and they charge you again.

Not to mention that their pesticides are killing off the honey bees, among other things.

They are evil, the only people they help are themselves.

Their cries of "we are helping to feed the poor" fall on deaf ears. They are making people poor, homeless, and in the end quite possibly sick.

I don't think many people have an issue with the actual science and the possible benefits from GMO's at all but rather two main issues associated with it.

First is the labeling aspect which I think is the consumer's right.

Secondly is the unfair business practices and lawsuits that the producers of this engage in.

I think that gene manipulation, along with technology, will ultimately be the two driving forces behind the next evolution of the human race and starting with foods is the first logical step in that.

reply to post by Tinkerpeach


I disagree on one point you made. There are way to many people out there who are against the science. A couple have already posted.

I agree with the hatred of the corporations and their business practices however I I dislike most corporations and see it as the nature of the beast.

As far as labeling the foods I couldn't care less. I have read up on both sides of that issue. My position is if people want to fight for it I have no problem with them doing so but will not be joining them due to the fact that I have not seen the science (real science) showing any dangers associated with consuming them. I did see the rat study where they put roundup in their drinking water though. I don't ever plan on drinking roundup myself personally.

Anyway if people don't like a specific corporation for acting like a corporation I completely understand but remember there are several others producing GMOs.

Let me rephrase a line from that article as I see it. "How can you demonize a serial killer and rapist when gave out blankets to the homeless."

Hushabye
reply to post by NosmoKing

 

In a lot of these plants, they're engineering the herbicides and pesticides right into the plant itself, and then spraying more chemicals on it- because the bugs are overcoming their science.

Then there are cross-genus "hybridizations", i.e. fish genes in tomatoes, and who knows what else.

That's the scary stuff. If it were all so innocent as it sounds, no one would be upset.

You can even do some searching and read studies that show your body doesn't readily absorb the vitamins in 'enriched' foods.

Yep, pesticides that you CANT wash off.
And as you rightly point out, so long as we eat good food we ditch most of the vits we dont need, and if we're short on something our bodies can manufacture it so long as we get reasonable food.

There's no excuse for gmo's other than a desire to OWN the food supply.

reply to post by Grimpachi


Are people really daft enough to fall for that argument?

It would be like tiger poachers trying to blame people for not buying tigers for self-defense.

If they are dieing to vitamin a deficiency then they need to add more foods, that are a natural source of vitamin a, to their diet. Trying to create super foods has a cost that is unneeded and is potentially dangerous. The potential danger is not worth the risk. It's as simple as that.

Let them grow and eat something besides rice - problem solved.

reply to post by Bleeeeep


I see you didn't read the article....sigh.

So your idea is that they should just eat better foods with more vitamins....in a third world country....where food is scarce... people are poor.


Sigh... yes people must be daft.

reply to post by Grimpachi

Tufts University researchers revealed Tuesday that a member of their team violated ethics rules in a study designed to measure the nutritional efficacy of so-called “golden rice,” genetically modified rice with the nutrient beta carotene added. NPR’s science blog The Salt said that Tufts stands by the results of the study, but that one researcher in China broke the rules by not informing test subjects — who were all children — or their guardians that the food they were eating had been genetically modified. [...]

Skeptics of the program argue that no single modified crop can address the complex web of societal issues and deficiencies in public health programs that lead to widespread malnutrition in parts of the developing world. Furthermore, there are still questions about the safety of GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) foods, given that most safety studies have been sponsored by companies with a financial stake in the outcome.

With its announcement on Tuesday, Tufts confirmed accusations by Greenpeace China that scientists were using children as guinea pigs to test the safety and efficacy of golden rice without disclosing the real nature of the experiment.

[...]

An investigation by the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) followed and, Nature magazine said, two government officials were fired for their role in the project.

Golden rice supporters were initially skeptical of the investigation, saying that the researchers were being swept up in anti-GMO hysteria. However, Tufts carefully investigated for more than a year and found that researchers in the study were out of compliance with multiple regulations and requirements.

www.rawstory.com...

Biotech watchdogs like GM Watch, on the other hand, have long claimed that the benefits are less than shimmering, and that instead its real significance is in expanding the reach of GM agriculture – and companies like Syngenta who push it – in the developing world. Since 2001, activist Michael Pollan, Greenpeace and others have shown that the concentration of beta-carotene is not enough to make a ‘life saving’ or disease preventing difference – a problem worsened by the fact that cooking the rice reduces the Vitamin A content by 50%.

GM Watch explained how “Golden Rice” co-inventor Ingo Potrykus acknowledged back in 2001 that Greenpeace’s argument concerning the ineffective concentrations of beta-carotene in the rice amounted to a valid concern and notable flaw.

I am happy to acknowledge, that Greenpeace is arguing on a rational basis… I also acknowledge, that Greenpeace has identified a weak point in the strategy of using Golden Rice for reducing vitamin A-deficiency… We will know for sure of course only, when all the standard biosafety assessments have been performed… we need far more data, than we have to date.

The current levels of beta-carotene produced by the heavy water “Golden Rice” would require children to eat between 100-150 grams of rice per day (or about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of cooked rice) in order to achieve 60% of the recommended daily allowance.

Even the Rockefeller Foundation, which long funded the development of “Golden Rice” – and, arguably, the entire “Gene Revolution” that brought genetically modified crops into mainstream use – conceded in a letter written by Gordon Conway in January 2001, that “we do not consider Golden Rice the solution to Vitamin A deficiency” and noting that “the public relations uses of Golden Rice have gone too far.” Conway writes:

The industry’s advertisements and the media in general seem to forget that it is a research product that needs considerable further development before it will be available to farmers and consumers.

Yet more than a decade after industry proponents tried to knock environmental watchdogs for their critique and delay of “Golden Rice,” researchers are caught fudging their data and failing to properly inform the parents of the children used in the study that the product was even genetically modified.

www.activistpost.com...

having been shown to be liars and satanic child abusers their response is to project their evil onto those who expose them, the demonization campaign-psyop goes all the way to the UN.

Attacks on Health Reporters and Their Readers Are Escalating

GMO-Labeling Supporters Now Accused of Supporting Eco-Terrorism. What’s Next?

Another recent article, published in Forbes Magazine,6 really ups the ante of the attack on health journalists and their readers with the headline: “ Domestic Eco-Terrorism Has Deep Pockets. And Many Enablers.” The article, written by Jay Byme and Henry I.Miller, reads in part:

“In recent years, [eco]terrorists have attempted to gain sympathy and “justification” for their actions by means of disinformation campaigns that relentlessly smear the safety and utility of genetic engineering applied to agriculture… “Frankenfood” headlines may sell newspapers and organic food, but this kind of “black marketing” — enhancing the perceived value of your products by disparaging those of your competitors – can also encourage serious criminal acts.

…There exists in this country a vast, well-established, highly professional, protest industry fueled by special interest groups seeking to line their own pockets… Anti-genetic engineering campaigns are openly funded and promoted by mainstream organic food marketers like Gary Hirshberg, the chairman of Stonyfield Organic, and alternative health and food-supplement hucksters Joe Mercola and Mike Adams — all cynical fear-profiteers who benefit from increased consumer mistrust in their competitors’ products… The ultimate objective, of course, is to sell more overpriced, overrated organic food…

One result of the widely disseminated disinformation effort is an environment that provides encouragement to extremists who commit criminal acts. It comes from the Facebook and Twitter followers of the genetic engineering conspiracy theorists, organic marketers and “right to know” labeling activists… Against the backdrop of this fear-mongering, hate-speech and support for acts of terror toward legal, highly regulated, safe and societally valuable R&D, we should condemn not only the perpetrators themselves but also their corporate and media enablers.”

- See more at: www.zengardner.com...

www.greenmedinfo.com...

you should know what by your promoting this crap, sold by known psychopaths and greed mongers with a century's accumulated history of selling toxic products and thus killing and crippling millions, makes you look like?
do you?

reply to post by Grimpachi


Is there something in the article that says growing something other than rice in China defies the laws of physics? Or maybe just poor people growing something besides rice defies the laws of physics?

You are making an appeal in the favor of greed. You realize that, right?

reply to post by Metaphysique

having been shown to be liars and satanic child abusers their response is to project their evil onto those who expose them, the demonization campaign-psyop goes all the way to the UN..

Yes I have seen this.

err.. you are talking about the activists right?


Well rest assured while they demand more testing on golden rice which the scientific details have been published since 2000 in areas with a shortage of dietary vitamin A,[2] a deficiency is estimated to kill 670,000 children under 5 each year.

Glad they are so concerned about somthing that has never been shown to harm anyone.

Bleeeeep
reply to post by Grimpachi

 

Is there something in the article that says growing something other than rice in China defies the laws of physics? Or maybe just poor people growing something besides rice defies the laws of physics?

You are making an appeal in the favor of greed. You realize that, right?

Brilliant… you should send them a letter or call to let them know they should grow other foods.

I bet they never thought of that……sigh.

reply to post by Grimpachi


So they are growing other foods but they're just not eating it?

You're focusing on what the greed of the world causes in an attempt to sanctify gm foods. It's dumb...

"If you would just allow us to potentially destroy the world, there would be no more hunger!!" (That's what the argument sounds like to me.)

Why not just gm greedy people and stop all the hardships? That might as well be what you're wishing upon the poor/starving people.

Actually there is a lot of 'science' indicating that they do hurt people. Myself I was diagnosed with gluten allergy/Celiac disease about 10 years ago and my doctor then suggested I research GMO wheat and low and behold I found out there is reason to be wary of gmo wheat as the gene modification can cause allergic reactions..dun dun dun.

You quote that there is NO proof..really? That is your educated scientific observation? Or is it your personal opinion? If it's your personal op fine but to call everyone who disagrees with you 'daft' is hardly scientific debate in any form.

www.huffingtonpost.com... afe-genetically-modified-_n_3397180.html

Now I could of course put other links in from scientific studies but you seem to have your mind made up they do no harm to humans. I disagree wholeheartedly. What about the correlation to bee deaths which have spun out of control? Death of the bees will absolutely affect humanity in a massive way.

www.globa... lresearch.ca/death-of-the-bees-genetically-modified-crops-and-the-decline-of-bee-colonies-in-north-america/25950

Funny thing though, if I eat organic wheat products after a gluten free detox they don't seem to bother me but any GMO wheat product puts me in severe pain ASAP..for me that's all the proof I need. Nuff said.

reply to post by Bleeeeep

So they are growing other foods but they're just not eating it?

Really???? It is so hard for me to imagine that anyone with any type of education would ask that question.

You're focusing on what the greed of the world causes in an attempt to sanctify gm foods. It's dumb...

And you are focusing on the word GM to justify people dieing. Sad.

"If you would just allow us to potentially destroy the world, there would be no more hunger!!" (That's what the argument sounds like to me.)

sigh.....

Why not just gm greedy people and stop all the hardships? That might as well be what you're wishing upon the poor/starving people.

I have no idea what you are trying to say here.
-----------------------------------------------
This thread has degenerated to such a low level its hard for me to respond anymore. I honestly hope there will be some posts with thought put into them about this topic. There were a few good posts.

reply to post by sweetstuff

Myself I was diagnosed with gluten allergy/Celiac disease about 10 years ago and my doctor then suggested I research GMO wheat and low and behold I found out there is reason to be wary of gmo wheat as the gene modification can cause allergic reactions..dun dun dun.

Um...problem.
There is no GMO wheat on the market and never has been.
www.gmo-compass.org...

Funny thing though, if I eat organic wheat products after a gluten free detox they don't seem to bother me but any GMO wheat product puts me in severe pain ASAP..for me that's all the proof I need. Nuff said.

And where are you getting these GMO wheat products that cause you such agony? Or did you make that up too? Like what your "doctor told you".

Why does the anti-GMO crowd have to make stuff up?