Federico Rossignoli
(Fred the Snakeman)
PO Box 627
RINGWOOD VIC 3134
Dr Sue Meek
Gene Technology Regulator
PO Box 100
WODEN ACT 2600
12th May 2003
Dear Sue,
I would like to introduce myself as a very concerned person when it comes to what our children will inherit, based on the decisions that we make today. I am personally involved in lecturing people on the value of broadly based gene pools, bio-diversity and other related topics. Both teachers and students have found my presentations of great value, not just to their curriculum, but to their everyday attitude and respect of where we stand with the future of Australia, and the environment we should so strongly strive to protect.
Please take what I have to say here very seriously; as this issue is one of the most serious we are facing in the world today.
Now, it appears to me that you have found yourself in a very important, responsible and powerful position, because of decisions that you have made for yourself. Your decision in respect to our children’s food will be one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make, not just for yourself (and your political career), but for every man, woman and child in Australia. We are looking to you to make a responsible decision on our behalf. As you know life is full of opinions and facts. Your decision over who will control our food and our genetic heritage, is a fact. Rather scary isn’t it? To think that such power can be entrusted to one person.
Now we’ll get straight to the concerns held by many Australians over this issue; especially our farmers. You see, they have been watching with dismay, what has been happening to farmers on the continents of North and South America. These farmers have been suffering at the hands of giant drug companies who, by law, have created a market for themselves by developing, owning and pressure selling their seeds, which produce plants that carry patented pollen. Unless of course we could stop the wind and insects from carrying pollen; which is what they are suppose to do anyway; this pollen gets into the farmer’s crop, then, the farmer is liable to pay royalties to the drug companies.
Have you been convinced that the promise of a ‘drug free world’ with genetically designed plants is plausible? The history of genetically engineered plants to date has proven that it is just the opposite. Those who are designing these plants are drug companies. Drug dependence is their only option. Why? - Because that makes good economic sense for their profits. Is this not a self-evident truth? Where are the ethics?
Now, there is the concern over the Verminator Genes, the loose grouping of the ‘Terminator and Traitor Genes’, these include the killer genes. Logically any company that comes up with something as dangerous as the Terminator Gene, meaning that the company will have the life and death control over that plant with their genetically engineered pollen, would have to be very suspect indeed. Their alternative to the Terminator is the Traitor Gene. The Traitor Gene is really hideous, because after the seed has committed suicide it can be brought back to life by a patented drug. This drug is supplied by the company that owns the patented genes in the drug dependent plant. Any high school student can verify this information.
We all know that this is to do with selling plants that are drug dependent, and therefore by default, making our farmers and our children also dependent on these drugs. Do you understand, that with this ‘so-called’ Free Trade Agreement that we could get railroaded into, we will not be allowed to stop any drug company, planting anything in our country containing any patented pollen they like. These drug companies now have many types of patented pollen and they are designing more with the specific goal of controlling plants.
Sue, do you know that insurance companies will not insure against mishap with this technology? Do you realise that once the pollen is here we cannot stop it? So by definition it is criminal to open the door to this technology in Australia. If we do, eventually everything we plant and eat will be under the control of a foreign drug company. We all want scientific advancements and businesses to grow in Australia, but not at the expense of our biological resources, especially our broadly based gene pools.
Sue, you do know that if we open the door to these people, they will eventually control everything we plant and eat. We would not want to force that upon our children before they even have a say, would we? Haven’t drug companies already been planting so-called test plots around our country, with the specific goal of polluting our gene pools? If you’d like a simple story on Gene Pools please read ‘GMOs in a Nutshell’ - you’ll find a link to this at www.snakeshow.net. There are also links to many other sites about the Verminator Genes (Terminator/Traitor Genes).
Don’t you think it would be a wonderful heritage to leave our children the possibility of being a supplier of clean food and holding a ‘clean seed bank’ for the world? You know that such a market would go on forever. Even the Americans, who are forcing this upon us, will eventually be desperate for clean seeds.
Please Sue, don’t sell out our children to the patented gene (pollen) industry. All caring Australians are hoping you’ll do the right thing by our kids who have no say. Lets not burn the genetic bridges of our children before they even get to them.
Due to the fact of the number of interested people that I converse with, this letter will be available to all who wish to read it from my web site, all responses from yourself will be posted here as well. We are all hoping that your response is something that will make us all feel secure and be able to look forward to a safe and GM free future.
Yours Sincerely,
Federico Rossignoli
(Fred the Snakeman)
