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This very important story for the survival of our children is easy for anybody to understand.
This is a look at the dangerous implications of gene technology. Some genetic engineering could be wonderful. However, there is one aspect of it that is very dangerous and, we are being forced to accept it without question. Usually when something goes wrong in life you can fix it. If what some people are trying to do to us right this minute is allowed to happen then it can never be fixed and we will all suffer the consequences.
Broadly based gene pools are a priceless and irreplaceable resource.
When someone says, "that is only useless scrub" often that person does not really know what they are talking about. What they really mean is, "that scrub appears useless to me now". Every plant that we grow and use, whether it be a plant for fuel, food, medicine, a gum or a fibre, originally came from the wild. If we are lucky, that plant still has relatives in the wild or 'wilderness areas'.
The 'wild relatives' of all domesticated creatures, whether they be plants or animals, are some of the most valuable biological resources that exist on the planet.
A simple way to explain this is with the potato. The potato originated in South America and was cultivated by the indigenous inhabitants of that continent. They had selected wild potato tubers from the wild and, over the centuries, had selected more and more for the types that suited them most. There were hundreds of types of potatoes in thousands of areas, each slightly different from its neighbour. It was precisely these differences that gave the potatoes their genetic strength.
The conquistadors and then the Irish potato famine.
After the conquest of the West Coast of South America, which is the home of the potato, the conquerors thought that this tuber, which grew quite easily, would be very useful in Europe. There was a variety of potato, which arrived in the British Isles, which they called the 'lumper potato'. It did well and soon became a staple food among the poor of Ireland. Things went along well until the 1840s when blight hit the potatoes. This blight most likely came from South America. In its homeland however, it did not matter very much. If the natives who cultivated the potato found such blight in their garden, the chances are that it would have attacked the crop in a mosaic (just here and there in the garden) leaving many potatoes unaffected. Those garden potatoes came from a broadly based gene pool, which means genetically, they were very strong whereas those in Europe were all closely related, that is, from a narrowly based gene pool. A narrowly based gene pool is something akin to them all being brothers and sisters. Perhaps those early potatoes that were taken to Europe originated from one garden only. If a South American farmer found blight or some other disease in his garden he could go and get some seed potato from his neighbour whose genetic stock was slightly different. If that failed they could go into the wild and obtain some new wild genetic stock. The plants that traditional farmers have selected from the wild over the centuries are called
Landrace varieties. Those varieties, because they are so close to their wild relatives, are genetically very strong and stable and carry genes, which make them resistant to many diseases.
Those traditional farmers hold in their gardens some of the most valuable 'broadly based gene pools' on the planet.
In modern agriculture when you have some problem with blight, or rust, or some other disease, or pest attacking your crops, you have two choices;
· You could buy some poison then spray it over the crop, kill the pests and perhaps kill all the earthworms. That will of course leave the ground much harder, which means that you will have to work the soil much more; but you will have, for the time being, saved the crop.
· However, the most useful tool with which to fight those pests is to go back to the landrace varieties held by traditional farmers or hunt for their relatives in the wilderness. You then infuse the new genetic material into your gardening regime and you have natural resistance and you won't have to poison your land.
Many traditional farmers have been duped out of their old varieties, in favour of 'magic new varieties' by giant petrochemical corporations (biotech drug companies) with the promise of a 'green revolution'. The farmers find that these magic new varieties will not grow without a special chemical fertiliser, or perhaps a ripening hormone, and sometimes both, supplied of course by the drug company who supplied the seed. The farmer is advised to get rid of the old seeds so as not to allow cross-pollination that would pollute these new wonder varieties. In actual fact, this is to make sure that the farmer loses the old seeds so that he has burned his 'genetic bridges'. These giant corporations will of course, when it suits them, take what seeds they want from any garden to use in their own plant manipulation. This 'taking of seeds' they are always doing. These seeds are kept in their own gene banks, which are nothing more than glorified refrigerators. Of course the farmers would never ever be allowed access to these seeds even if they did originate in their garden.
Just imagine someone telling some innocent farmer to throw away seeds that have been developed over centuries and passed down to them by their ancestors. Then get them hooked on plants that need drugs before they will grow. The farmer and his children must then buy the chemicals from a drug company for the rest of their lives. In my opinion, that has to be called 'drug pushing'.
To add insult to injury, many of the wilderness areas where these seeds originated have been taken over for logging by other multinationals or given over to cattle barons by corrupt "El Presidente type" governments.
With the wilderness gone, these farmers cannot go and find more original seed to start again. If these poor people ever try to speak up against such injustice they are quite often labelled 'communist agitators, left wing subversives or insurgents' and dealt with accordingly.
For those who feel uncomfortable with or don't want to believe this last paragraph they should quietly spend a little time and talk to some of the people who have had to flee such a country. If you keep asking the right questions, of the right people, you would have to be stupid not to notice the pattern in the story that emerges from so many refugee families.
Now, back to the seeds. The landrace varieties still held by some traditional farmers and the viable non hybrid seeds held by a few farmers and home gardeners in the so called developed world are pretty much all that belong to the citizens of the planet. However, that genetic material is steadily but surely being eroded by stealth, lies, and deceit and in some cases straight out corruption by a handful of multinationals that are hell bent on controlling the food of the world.
The genetic material contained in what is left of our wilderness areas is by and large the total sum of our truly broadly based gene pools for the future survival of the inhabitants of the planet.
In these days of so-called enlightenment every person educated in basic biology understands that many small crops of great variety guarantee genetic strength and sustainability. Giant monoculture, meaning large areas of land planted in one type of crop, (which is a banquet for pest and disease), leaves us vulnerable, and guarantees that we must use more chemicals. It poisons our land, our waterways and our world.
This last statement is not opinion - it is biological fact.
If those potatoes in Ireland that ended up with that devastating blight had started at least, from a broadly based gene pool and, if many types of potatoes had been planted across Ireland, then almost certainly, in the 1840s one and a half million people would not have died of starvation. That is basic biology.
If you have been conned into believing that the world is to be saved by genetic manipulation and genetically engineered food then brace yourself for a shock.
Our politicians, the National Farmers Federation (NFF), some selfish short sighted scientists and a few very stupid or uneducated journalists are leading us down a road that, if once we travel, we can never return home.
Most politicians study economics or law but they understand nothing about basic biology and yet, they make biological decisions that affect our kids and future generations till the end of time. Now those same giant multinational drug companies are hard at it. They will come across as the gentle giant caring for a hungry planet. If you are of average intelligence, you will see that their aims are more irresponsible, sinister and dangerous than they would ever want you to imagine.
Starting with the multinational called Monsanto, yes the ones who make 'Roundup',
they have been getting a lot of flack lately, and after reading this you'll understand
why. The message around the traps has it that they are trying to 'vanish'
under another name. This new name it seems is to be 'Pharmacia'. Remember
that a wolf will change his coat but not his habits. Whilst putting together
this story, three people have independently said to me that Monsanto is the most
evil of them all. What are each of these giant companies up to?. Let's
touch briefly on the 'Terminator gene'.
In the past, if a farmer grew what is called a broad acre crop like wheat, barley, rye, corn, rice, soybeans, or cotton for example, they could always save their seeds for the next year. This just won't be possible with the Terminator gene because, when the crop ripens the following year, the terminator gene will kick in and render the whole crop infertile. This then forces the farmer to buy new seed each year.
One of the catch cries of this new technology is that it is,
"to feed a starving world".
I would really love someone to explain to me how, by making a farmer's seed become infertile you begin to feed a starving world?
Because of such opposition worldwide, against this dangerous gene called the terminator, Monsanto have, as from early October 1999, agreed not to release the terminator onto the market. Watchdogs are saying that it is a lie because Monsanto have signed nothing and are still keeping the Terminator gene as an option. The latest news is that Monsanto and their sibling Farmacia and possibly also Bayer, Upjohn, Delta & Pine Land together with Astra Zeneca, who have merged with Novartis have decided that giving up the terminator gene is not an option. Some of these companies have tricks even more insidious and just as evil in store for us called the 'traitor gene' of which we'll cover a little later.
Another catch cry of this technology, is that we will need to use less chemicals - sounds great does it not?
There is a weed killer made by Monsanto called 'Roundup'. Roundup is otherwise known as glyphosate. Through genetic manipulation, Monsanto have designed food-producing plants that are resistant to Roundup. They become 'ROUNDUP READY'.
In our region the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) have been lobbied, to accept 200 times more Roundup residue than ever before in our produce (including food produce). This would bring us into line with US law. That way the farmers will be able to spray massive amounts of Roundup on their crops to kill all the weeds without killing the crop. Good business for Monsanto, wouldn't you agree? Especially when our plants are Roundup Ready.
In the long term, will it be good for the farmer or the land or the streams into which this plant killing poison must run? Roundup is 'broad spectrum' this means that it will kill most plants that have not been made immune to it. Roundup is said to impact on other organisms like Nitrogen fixing bacteria and fungi. Without these organisms we could not possibly live on this planet as we do today; any student of High School Biology can tell you that.
Overuse of one particular herbicide encourages plants to develop resistance to the chemical. Then more sprays will be needed. In other words we develop super-weeds. That is also basic biology. Would it be good for us to eat 200 times more Roundup (glyphosate)? (0.1mg/kg to 20mg/kg for human and animal consumption)
You must remember that they have been telling us that this new technology will mean fewer chemicals. Would someone please explain to me how 200 times more Roundup residue equals LESS chemicals?
You might well ask what are the genetic materials that are being added to our food and should we worry. The silver-tongued mouthpieces of the multinational drug companies, who are foisting these 'miracles' upon us, assure us that there is nothing to worry about, and to trust them. After all they are the ones who gave us: Agent Orange, DDT and Napalm, all for our benefit of course.
Once upon a time, plants were plants and animals were animals and they could not cross breed. If companies like Monsanto and their ilk get their way you could be eating vegetables together with part insect, part fish, part pig and part any other animal you can think of, including human. Oh yes, even human. Human genes have already been added to some animals and crops for experimental purposes. This just goes to show what these people can even consider. You may say "well does it matter if our vegetables are part animal?". Well one could also ask why in the world should we be forced to eat fruit and vegetables that are part animal anyway? With what is happening now, we will have no choice.
Let's say that you have a deadly allergy to fish. Some clever biologist has added genetic material from fish to strawberries, but the strawberries were sold without the label that said so. Would the government issue every household with antihistamine (anti allergic drug), just in case? After your evening dessert and that possibly fatal strawberry, you could have your shot of antihistamine before the ambulance arrives. If you did not know, it seems that our Prime Minister has made sure that fresh fruit or vegetables that are genetically engineered in Australia are not to be labelled, and it seems that the Leader of the Opposition has shown no interest in this state of affairs. We all know people who have allergies to common foods.
I am passionate about genuine scientific progress, but let's slow down and think a little about what we are expected to trust these people with. Remember, never before have animals been crossed with plants and released into the world in which we live.
These plants will produce pollen and that pollen must cross-pollinate with any plants that are related to it. Once that pollen is free, it can never be brought back. They now have the technology to produce plants that are part animal even part human that can end up in our gardens and in the wild.
You could end up with plants in your garden whose seeds will not re-generate unless you use some special chemical. Of course you may not be able to find out which 'particular patented chemical' it is you need to bring your seeds back to life.
Remember, the patenting for control of our plants and food has just begun. With or without the patents, the damage they are doing can never be repaired. Could you trust any politician together with a chemical company behind closed doors, to decide for your kids and make decisions that will effect the world forever more? Once you have released genetically engineered pollen into the environment, most of the results are irreversible. Take note also of those politicians who remain silent. As the saying goes: “If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem”. So what do you think of a politician who says, "we just have to convince people that this is all safe", or "we must educate people about gene technology" There are politicians who are saying just that..
I've listened to many an interview with someone from Monsanto or other gene tech companies and never once heard the interviewer seriously ask them whether they, the corporation, had any concern for the pollen or gene flow that will occur once this genetic material is released. Nor do they ever ask, "Will the peddlers of this technology be responsible for and, be prepared to compensate the citizens of the planet for the disasters that will flow from this greedy, irresponsible and dangerous monopoly of our food plant and animal resources?"
Who will take responsibility?
Once catastrophes begin to occur who will be held accountable? The Insurance Council of Australia says: "considering genetically modified products - more needs to be known and, the risks at this stage may be too high". Many of our 'brilliant' Australian politicians are saying that we should accept this new technology without question, and start to irreversibly destroy much of THE NATURE OF AUSTRALIA and OUR GUARANTEED MARKETS.
All of these crops are biological time bombs. The educated world is searching for clean, uncontaminated produce and this is one of the few places left on earth where it can be grown. It is the way of the future. Prices for clean GM-Free produce are at a premium. This produce is something that we are guaranteed to be able to sell on the world market forever more.
Most Australians would say "Well lets keep it clean and green".
Are our politicians being responsible about the world they are leaving our children? Our politicians must be made to understand what is at stake or are they really so stupid that they will never understand? Maybe they are so busy that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Perhaps their spouses could explain it to them,
As soon as possible these crops must be stopped in Australia. It is nothing short of criminal to allow them to be planted in our country. What about our markets around the world that want to buy clean food? Why the rush to get these plots in so quickly?, is it because once this issue is made public, people will start asking questions. If the crops are in the ground and growing and allowed to seed, then genetic pollution is a forgone conclusion. Australians will then have no choice and neither will the world markets for clean produce.
This technology is still in its infancy, and the powerbrokers in this dangerous game are doing their utmost to get us all tied into it, before they themselves, even have a clue where it will lead. The Chinese, who hold many valuable and natural food plants, which could be crucial for the world's survival, are going headlong into genetic manipulation. Many Chinese are currently questioning the sanity of this direction.
The 'terminator gene' has now moved into another phase. The various forms of this are owned by a few companies, of which the ability to determine which company is owned by which is difficult. You realise that you are dealing with people who have lots to hide. By having many companies they are able to avoid mountains of taxation and hide much information about what they are doing to our planet. In an interview you'll here an answer like "our company does not own that technology", what they fail to say is that their company owns the company that does. What they do to the planet usually means big money for them now, but big bills for the rest of us forever.
The patents held by these companies for the terminator, now broadly grouped as verminator and traitor (which include their so called killer genes), control the genes for plants to such a degree that it is literally a science fiction nightmare. These patents give these companies the power and the legal right to control every aspect of every mouthful of food you eat.
Sorry if this sounds a little alarmist but it is a legal fact and it should be alarming. It is hard to imagine that any legal person including a judge would ever stoop so low as to defend these people and allow us to be dragged down this dangerous path.
Plants are being designed and patented where the seed will not strike without an application of a patented chemical hormone. The genes that give the plant a natural immunity to harmful viruses and bacteria are switched off. They will need a hormone to re-activate them again. You will of course, be able to buy the hormone from the company that sold you the seed. Then, when it is time for the plant to bear fruit or grain, there is a hormone that the plant will need before it will mature, another cost which you must bear. So, then you save your seed for next year, yes, this is much better than the old terminator gene because now with this traitor/verminator and killer gene the company does not have to stock tons of seed to sell each year, they just sell you the chemicals.
Seeds are now designed to commit suicide at harvest. These giant companies now have in their hands the power, as it were, to bring 'Lazarus' seeds back from the dead. Seeds can be re-activated but only with the patented chemical. With this wonderful technology all you will have to do is buy some hormone to apply to your seeds and, Hey Presto! you can start the cycle again.
If these companies have their way you will have no other choice. Why not just use normal seeds as we have been doing for thousands of years? That would appear to be a natural solution to this problem, Alas! with the exception of a very few, very small companies, the seed companies no longer belong to us. Du Pont have said that they will buy out Pioneer Hi-Bred, the largest seed company in the world. When this happens, (if it hasn't already) then the giant US seed industry will effectively be in the hands of a few multinationals: Monsanto (Pharmacia), Du Pont and Bayer (so much for free enterprise).
What about the gene flow through pollination? If we don't stop this madness our crops will become so contaminated by these traitor genes, that all our choices will have been removed. The companies themselves will not be able to fix the damage they are doing. It is no wonder that insurance companies are not very interested in insuring against any biological disaster with this technology. It is too dangerous. With this type of gene technology the direction is towards drug dependent plants. If you follow this trail 'the obvious' will stare you in the face.
Approximately 80% of all food plants in the US are now contaminated. The American farmers were not warned. So why are our Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and most of our Premiers not warning us?
There is one 'RED HERRING' peddled by the promoters of genetically engineered plants. The red herring is, "we must accept all this gene technology including control of our food and, the seeds from which they grow because"
"THEY INTEND TO CURE CANCER WITH GENE TECHNOLOGY"
Would someone please explain how, by controlling every aspect of our agriculture where it will become impossible to save seeds, are we to cure cancer?
These are some of the giant petro-chemical companies who are buying out the small seed companies of the world thus gaining control of the seed stocks that would otherwise compete with them:
| Exxon |
ICI |
Monsanto/Pharmacia |
| Du Pont |
Novartis/Syngenta |
Bayer/Aventis |
| Unilever |
Upjohn |
AstraZeneca |
| Rhone-Poulenc |
Suntory |
Campbell |
| Heinz |
|
|
There is an old saying that "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel", well there is another refuge in which politicians will hide themselves. Almost every time a political campaign carries “Law And Order” as a slogan, it is a red herring to avoid issues. The issues avoided, can easily bring about a breakdown in law and order if they're not attended to. If you look at the long-term implications of this issue, where people cannot guarantee their food because they are held to ransom, the issue becomes serious. This story does not end here with a whimper. We are talking about the control of food, which we must all guard, for the survival of our children and the human race.
“I'm sure that after Australians learn the truth about genetically engineered plants and food, they will say that politicians can not plead ignorance. ”, “If they proceed with this madness they should be held accountable and charged with something akin to treason against the people of Australia, those international dealers of this obscenity should be taken to the world court for crimes against humanity and the irreversible environmental terrorism for which they are responsible. ”
If you think that 'crimes against humanity' is a little over the top. Then perhaps you could look at it like this.
Lets say you are a farmer growing your crop and saving your seeds as your ancestors have been doing for millennia. Then, in your neighbourhood there are three other farmers who have been conned into using seeds that come with the traitor gene. Well that is their choice, right? Your crops are of the same type as theirs only yours are natural whereas theirs contain the ‘traitor gene’ and so they must pay someone like Monsanto or Aventis or Bayer for everything they do on their farm. With untold benefits of course!
At harvest time all goes well, you see no difference and you save your seed for next year as is normal. Next year only half of your seeds will germinate. You could have got them to germinate if you had known that the pollen from one of your neighbours had landed a killer/Lazarus gene in amongst your crop. Then, you could have gone to Monsanto (Pharmacia) and bought some of the hormone spray to bring them back to life to restart their cycle again. Perhaps the killer genes affected only part of your crop so you still had enough to go on with.
Oh blast it! The gene that turns on the protection against bacteria and some insect attack has been switched off. But only some of your plants died and you can probably get through, at least this year anyway. Hello! Half the crop won't mature because you need the hormone to activate the maturing (ripening gene). You are not quite sure which hormone to use to activate the maturing gene, because there are now a few companies that have a patented variation of this technology. The sales representatives in your area had been quite busy competing for business. Maybe you get that sorted out and finally harvest your crop. You did not know that this year, the terminator gene had hit your entire crop again, and the seeds had all committed suicide.
Don't worry there is another representative from Monsanto who has just offered to buy your farm. The price is not good but at least you could be out of trouble, he promised you that there is a good chance of you getting a job somewhere working for Monsanto.
· Do you think this story is a little far fetched?
· Well, do you want to bet against it, with the future of your kid’s food?
· You cannot reverse this technology.
Whether you like to believe it or not, much of this technology is in place now, and they do intend to use it! If not, why on earth would they bother to develop it, and refine it, which they are doing right now.
"Once bitten twice shy". In Europe mad cows disease is still fresh in people's minds. Remember they were told that it was a scientific impossibility that 'mad cows disease' could be transmitted to humans. Well at least twelve people died from the disease. How many more would have died if nobody had said, “Hey wait a minute!”.
We need every person in Australia who cares for the future of our kids to help on this issue. Kids you can help as well, your help will always be vital!
On present evidence this is the story as i see it. I am only an ordinary working citizen of no more than average intelligence and will remain so for the rest of my life. My sole interest in this issue is for the security of food and choices for our children's future.
Did you know that in Denmark they are spending around $10 per head of population ($100 million per annum) on organic research and development? We in Australia spend under two cents ($270,000 per annum).
It is true, that future generations, must make their own choices? However, it is nothing short of criminal to burn their genetic bridges before they even reach them, just for the gain of a few selfish people today. There is a story by an American farming family who have been put through hell by Monsanto their site is- www.nelsonfarm.net.
Don't hesitate to write to any politician you like or don't like. A phone call to their office is also counted, and a phone call is a million times better than doing nothing, and about a thousand times better than signing a petition. A short letter of ten or twenty words is all that is needed. Just state your case clearly. For contact details please refer to the last page.
(1) Do they know anything about basic biology especially concerning: broadly based gene pools, narrowly based gene pools, genetic wipeout, or if they actually care at all?
(2) Will they make sure that all food is to be clearly labelled, with no exceptions? If animal genes are added to vegetables or fruits it must say so on the label. That animal must be named. For example:- insect, hippopotamus, human, pig, bacteria, etc.
Never accept an answer like, "it would be impossible to know what is in a food". If they can go to the trouble to put something in it, they can label it.
(3) Roundup ready (glyphosate) resistant seeds and plants.
Will they ban their use in Australia, with no exceptions?
(4) The Killer genes: terminator, verminator and traitor (Lazarus genes)
Will they ban their use in Australia, with no exceptions?
(5) Something every politician must be asked is: whether they themselves are to be held accountable when any pollen blows into anybody's garden or farm, and pollutes it with alien genes, especially the traitor gene?
(6) Did they know that insurance companies do not want to insure against any mishap with this gene technology? And if this is so, is it not highly irresponsible of them to embrace it and try to tell us that we need it to feed a starving world?
Our politicians can no longer say that they do not know.
You'll notice that this issue is rush rush rush to feed a starving world. If these people were really concerned about a starving world then they would be trying to empower people to feed themselves
The real reason they are rushing is to get their dangerous pollen, starting with canola, out into our environment is, so as our plants will become contaminated. As this falls into place we will never have a choice ever again, but they will control our food forevermore using drugs and the law to protect them. This is what has been put into place while we are all focused on the Iraq War. Yes they have just done it so, if you care, you must respond now!
Do also write to your Premier, the Prime Minister, and Mark Vaile The Minister for Trade.
Address Can be found here.