GMO's - Scientific and Economic 'realities'???

[philosophygirl78]

A great divide exists, even among intellectual communities as to the potential dangers GMOs pose to health risks and true purpose (profit?).

My position is: well....

What's yours?

 

[LizzieMaine]

If Monsanto's behind it, I don't trust it.

 

[scotrace]

I don't know what to think. Feeding 400 million mouths (in the US alone) requires some kind of compromise for safe food (see: Chipotle and their not-so-cool-after all organic stuff).
But mainly what Lizzie said.

 

[philosophygirl78]

It is not a problem of lack of resources.... That's what corporations and elites want people to think... There is more than enough resources if the proper channels and logistics would be implemented so that no one would go hungry...

The problem is earnings margins.. The sacrifice of profit growth and sector domination do not allow for a 'modification' of expected earnings long enough to implement such logistics.

Now water... That is a problem we could confront in the near future without appropriate scientific advances... But the food? Its all about money.

No one needs Arsenic in Chicken or Hormones in Milk and Cheese... Longer shelf life = GMO's = higher profit = Let's Feed the World because we are nice corporate giants.... Yack!

 

[philosophygirl78]

A Perfect example is the 5 million homeless and starving CHILDREN in the US.... No one makes a ruckus of that...

 

[sheeplady]

I am concerned about Roundup Ready crops. There's evidence that weeds pick up genes from other plants without needing to "breed" with them (through bacteria in the soil, for example). Very easy to pick up the Roundup Ready genes, much easier and quicker than evolving to be resistant on your own.

I don't want to get in a nuclear arms race with weeds.

I also don't like that these "herbicide ready" plants encourage the use of pesticides that hurt bees and monarchs.

I also don't like tgat poor farmers are being sued for "patent infringement" because their crops have been contaminated through transmutation or plain old breeding with GMO crops.

Also, I don't like farmers being encouraged to spray their land with herbicides that can render their land useless for non- herbicide ready crops. I don't like extension agents that push these herbicide ready crops without explaining tgat, "no, you can't switch to any old corn the next year... you might have to use a modified one."

Sticking a fish gene in a tomato doesn't bother me in a moral sense at all.

 

[Nobert]

To me, it's just that these things haven't been around long enough for us to judge the long term effects, whatever lack of evidence there is that G.M.O.s might be directly harmful. The absence of evidence is not definitively the evidence of absence, or something like that. The guy who invented no-knock gasoline had no idea he was going to cause the mass amount of environmental damage it did by spewing so much lead into it. We're monkeying with life at a basic level and altering the genome in a way that may not be recoverable.

And, yes, of course, Monsanto is the Devil.

 

[sheeplady]

I don't know what to think. Feeding 400 million mouths (in the US alone) requires some kind of compromise for safe food (see: Chipotle and their not-so-cool-after all organic stuff).
But mainly what Lizzie said.

But Chipotle's problem isn't due to organics. It's a contamination issue, which can happen to any restaurant, organic or non-organic at any point in the food chain if food safety practices aren't followed.

Chipotle's problem is a people problem, not a food problem.

 

[MisterCairo]

A great divide exists, even among intellectual communities as to the potential dangers GMOs pose to health risks and true purpose (profit?).

My position is: well....

What's yours?

Would it be inappropriate to point out a flaw in your "argument" that in the book, Soylent Green ISN"T people?

(in fact, it isn't Soylent Green, it's Solent steaks...)

 

[philosophygirl78]

Would it be inappropriate to point out a flaw in your "argument" that in the book, Soylent Green ISN"T people?

(in fact, it isn't Soylent Green, it's Solent steaks...)

HA! Surely... I honestly have never read the book... Just watched the movie... I was just using it as an umph in the headline about GMO's....

 

[emigran]

Like Groucho Marx said..." Whatever it is... I'm against it... ( hear Groucho singing in the background)
But seriously folks... agribusiness is way too much for my little head and heart to handle and I certainly don't have enough funds to help out so... what shall we do...surrender, succumb,,, SPIT... I'm flummoxed at very least.

 

[GHT]

I don't know what to think. Feeding 400 million mouths (in the US alone) requires some kind of compromise for safe food.

400 million mouths, let me see. Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish, so 400M divide by 5000 = 80000.
So we are going to need 80K times 2 = 160K fish sticks & 80K times 5 = 400K loaves. Better give Acme bakers a call.

 

[philosophygirl78]

Like Groucho Marx said..." Whatever it is... I'm against it... ( hear Groucho singing in the background)
But seriously folks... agribusiness is way too much for my little head and heart to handle and I certainly don't have enough funds to help out so... what shall we do...surrender, succumb,,, SPIT... I'm flummoxed at very least.

Isn't it a beautiful thing? That enlightenment lives only with big corps and big pharma... Excellent for earnings... What's a few million cases of cancer in exchange? Oh wait! That's right!!! MORE EARNINGS!!!

 

[MisterCairo]

HA! Surely... I honestly have never read the book... Just watched the movie... I was just using it as an umph in the headline about GMO's....

Sorry, I couldn't resist, one of my Captain Pedantic moments!

My in-laws are all farmers, so I'm conflicted out of the discussion.

How 'bout that local sports team!

 

[philosophygirl78]

Sorry, I couldn't resist, one of my Captain Pedantic moments!

My in-laws are all farmers, so I'm conflicted out of the discussion.

How 'bout that local sports team!

If your in laws are all farmers, you must have first hand knowledge of this subject and much to add

 

[oak1971]

The whole point is to increase yield per acre of tillable land. We can get rid of of GMO's, irrigation, insecticides etc. that's all fine and good. However, don't expect as much food to be produced or at the same price and quality.

 

[philosophygirl78]

The whole point is to increase yield per acre of tillable land. We can get rid of of GMO's, irrigation, insecticides etc. that's all fine and good. However, don't expect as much food to be produced or at the same price and quality.

Some would argue the quality would be better. And I am not sure why there is notion that not as much food can be produced unless its GMO modified or additive ridden? Perhaps not as profitable. That would make sense. but that there would somehow lack quality or quantity? Doesn't add up.

And on the contrary... If we rid the farm industry of pesticides, GMO corn crops and lend more farm jobs to people, it may just help the overall economy.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Some would argue the quality would be better. And I am not sure why there is notion that not as much food can be produced unless its GMO modified or additive ridden? Perhaps not as profitable. That would make sense. but that there would somehow lack quality or quantity? Doesn't add up.

And on the contrary... If we rid the farm industry of pesticides, GMO corn crops and lend more farm jobs to people, it may just help the overall economy.

You'd have to convince me that GMOs do not increase crop yield, mature faster, are more drought tolerant, more disease resistant, capable of growing in previously unsuitable conditions, etc before I'd buy that it doesn't add up to more quantity.

 

[oak1971]

Some would argue the quality would be better. And I am not sure why there is notion that not as much food can be produced unless its GMO modified or additive ridden? Perhaps not as profitable. That would make sense. but that there would somehow lack quality or quantity? Doesn't add up.

And on the contrary... If we rid the farm industry of pesticides, GMO corn crops and lend more farm jobs to people, it may just help the overall economy.

If you employ more people, the cost of the product goes up. How does that help?

 

[scotrace]

But Chipotle's problem isn't due to organics. It's a contamination issue, which can happen to any restaurant, organic or non-organic at any point in the food chain if food safety practices aren't followed.

Chipotle's problem is a people problem, not a food problem.

Yes, as I understand it the iffy looking guys behind the counter weren't washing their hands.