GM food

[Dune Dx]

Is Gm food a good Idea?

can we mix communism and GM?

can we mix capatilism and GM food?

[MiDnIgHtMaRaUdEr]

GM food is totally unrelated to either economic system. GM foods are a great idea, and I think that genetic engineering is a science that needs a huge boost in funding to help engineer crops to be more productive and more resistant to the elements and to parasites.

[Al Creed]

I think GM Foods are a horrible, horrible idea.

First of all, it's a problem with those people who have allergies. SOme foods contain other genes that irritate allergines in some people (such as fish genes in apples, to create a longer growing season, and peanut genes in almost anything).

Second, they create WIERD, unappetising food. Carrots without flavour. "perfect" apples. Strawberries with FUR on them (yes, fur, I once had one with fur on it).

Next, you have the Terminator seed, which only lasts one growing season. Most GM seeds are terminator seeds, thus forcing the Farmer to buy more seed the next season, whereas the Organic seed is good for a few seasons. As well, that Terminator seed is mighty expensive, compared to organic seeds.

And finally, the problem of "Superbugs." Diseases and pests that resist the pesiticides used to protect these GM Crops. The normal strands of viruses and swarms of insects are killed off by these poisons, but the few that can withstand, are harder to kill, and breed and create more nastiness. To this, most people would respond with using more chemicals, which gets into the air, or into the groundwater by leeching, thereby poisoning our environment even further.

Thank you.

[MiDnIgHtMaRaUdEr]

Originally posted by Al [email protected] 23 2004, 10:29 PM
I think GM Foods are a horrible, horrible idea.

First of all, it's a problem with those people who have allergies. SOme foods contain other genes that irritate allergines in some people (such as fish genes in apples, to create a longer growing season, and peanut genes in almost anything).

Second, they create WIERD, unappetising food. Carrots without flavour. "perfect" apples. Strawberries with FUR on them (yes, fur, I once had one with fur on it).

Next, you have the Terminator seed, which only lasts one growing season. Most GM seeds are terminator seeds, thus forcing the Farmer to buy more seed the next season, whereas the Organic seed is good for a few seasons. As well, that Terminator seed is mighty expensive, compared to organic seeds.

And finally, the problem of "Superbugs." Diseases and pests that resist the pesiticides used to protect these GM Crops. The normal strands of viruses and swarms of insects are killed off by these poisons, but the few that can withstand, are harder to kill, and breed and create more nastiness. To this, most people would respond with using more chemicals, which gets into the air, or into the groundwater by leeching, thereby poisoning our environment even further.

Thank you.
If the GMs are so tasteless and horrible, then there are always the organics which you can pay through the nose for. If for some reason, there is a "terminater" gene, then unless that gene didn't make the best fucking eggplants that world has ever seen, then it wouldn't be practical to use them. If the GM stuff is so unappitizing, then people won't like it, and thus they won't buy it. Stuff that causes allergies gets pulled during testing, and just think, it could be possible to engineer peanuts that don't cause allergic reactions! I think farmers have a little more "common sence" then you give them credit for.

[RedCeltic]

Genetically modified foods is a horrible idea and linked to capitalist globalization. They allow corporations the patent plant life. Banks are pressuring farmers to switch to GM seed, which can not be saved (due to it being patented) and thus need to be purchased and reseeded each year. Genetically modified crops are also heavily dependent on chemicals that organic crops aren’t. It means that more and more, small time farmers can not compete with factory farming and transnational corporations are able to patent and control our food sources. These corporations send out their seed in so called “aid” to farmers in third world nations, giving them seed the first year for free, the second year the seed comes with credit and the third year it comes with debt.

Patenting plant life also has hurt indigenous peoples. Pharmaceutical corporations go into indigenous communities in the rain forests and find plants that have been used for generations by the people there. Than the patent these plants (which was never something that could be patented before genetically modification opened up what could be patented) and thus steal what rightfully belongs to the indigenous peoples, make billions off of it and make it illegal for them to use what they had been using for generations.

[MiDnIgHtMaRaUdEr]

Well, if something is wrong with the GM seeds, too expensive or whatnot, then they can always go back to organic. I am against patents, a socialist country can just break the copyright law and there is nothing anyone can do. About patenting indiginous plants, no one is going to go in the Amazon and sue a bunch of Indians because they used some medicine. Science is science, there is no capitalist or communist involved.

[Hoppe]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24 2004, 06:09 AM
Genetically modified foods is a horrible idea and linked to capitalist globalization.
What a load of crap.

Gm decreases the amount of pesticide necessary so the environment will be better protected. This is also better for small farmers since they needn't spend much on these harmfull things.

The pro's of GM far outweigh the con's. Organisations like Greenpeace rather prefer millions of blind children than modifying rice to contain vitamin A.

[Osman Ghazi]

The problem is not the GM food itself, but rather the people who are patenting and controlling it.

[RedCeltic]

Sorry I mis-spoke last night when I wrote my previous reply here.

GMOs are not dependant on chemicals that is rather the purpous of them.
However they can be programed to only be affective for one season. It's the
sead from these GM plants that will be heavily dependant on chemicals, further
forcing farmers to buy seed again.

I always lean to the social rather than the enviromental and therefore would agree
with Osaman that the main problem with GMOs as I see it is the patenting and controling
of life, rather than health or enviromental risks.

Chemicals such as round up have a direct tracable affect on the enviroment through run off
which finds it's way into the drinking water. Rather than GMOs who's affect on the human body
are rather unknown at this point, and enviromental risk is more of a possibility than an actual.

I'd also add that not all geneticly modification of foods results in more control for the corperations.
I've seen where there has been work in producing a wheat that is perennial rather than it's current
annual state where it needs to be reseeded every year.

The need to buy seed every year creates a higher overhead for small farmers even if they had previously
purchased chemicals such as round up. Many organic farmers would stay away from such chemicals anyway
so have a signifigantly less overhead than one that depends on chemicals and/or seed every season.

[Dune Dx]

one good point for GM food is that it can slow down global warming

The largest contributors to global warming are cows and the rice paddys in china. You can genetickly modify the grass the cows eat so it doesnt give off a much methane and the same for the rice in China

[SittingBull47]

If we can safely modify foods to produce better nutrition and bigger qualities, then we can solve so many problems that affect many undeserving people.

[Dune Dx]

just the problem of will the people that make gm make to the needs of the people that need gm