Glyphosphate is a fairly safe herbicide. It certainly can't be compared in toxicity with, for example, 2-4 D which mimics hormones. Or with Atrazine which has a 12 month residue in the soil. Roundup has no residual.

Also I don't know if many of the anti-gm horror freakouts realize that you are required to plant 20% NON-GM corn to provide a "refuge" against borers developing tolerance to the product.

I am located 100 miles west of Omaha, not near any large cities.

spartacus-since soils vary so much for so many different reasons the greenhouse study you mention would have to be repeated a great many times with different soils from different places to have any credence. Do beware those of you planning on growing open pollinated crops in your gardens. You will likely need more space because of smaller yields and in some cases, such as tomatoes, you may experience crop failure from disease problems. Do make sure you rotate crops from one year to the next, and not just a particular crop, but those included in each crop genus. The precautionary principle says I have a better chance of getting hurt if I get out of bed in the morning so I'm seriously thinking about moving my computer and other toys to my bedroom.

Reasons to question the wisdom of GM foods:
(1) Allergens are transferred at the molecular level. New allergies are on the increase, with number of cases increasing dramatically.
(2) Cross-pollination of organic crops by GM crops.
(3) Possibility that crops' increased resistance to pesticides will transfer to undesirable plants, creating resistant "superweeds," resulting in need for use of more and more toxic ag chemicals, a perpetual ratcheting up of growers' need to use ag chemicals, has not been adequately studied.
(4) Possibility that botanical properties of GM plants are altered in ways about which we have little understanding has not been adequately studied.
(5) Transferrence of animal components to plant foods.
(6) Inadequate study of long-term projections of GM plants with capability of producing their own pest protections.
(7) Inadequate study of impact of GM crops on projected adaptations of insect populations.

Reason to accept GM foods:
(1) Lots of money for chemi-ag industry.

We farmers would probably just as soon go back to the simple life we had before all of the new "progress" took place also. However, now that GM seeds have proved their worth in crop production, it is highly unlikely they will be discontinued in the forseeable future. With input costs going up at an astronomical rate, higher yields are necessary to make crop farming pay. It would be nice to have many of the products in the superstores thrown out also, and millions of polluting vehicles parked, but that will not happen, either. Once the benefits of GM crops are noted, it is not just the chemical companies wanting them used, as now they are planted on many more acres than the regular varieties. I guess the best answer , if one is worried, would be to grow one`s own food in a small plot.

Why is it news that U.S. consumers are oblivious about GM foods? U.S. consumers are oblivious about their food purchases and consumption in general! Whether a food product is genetically modified is the LEAST of U.S. food consumers' problems. We are a nation of fat, diabetic, artery-clogged slobs.

Proof: Even after decades of legitimate scientific research linking trans fats with cancer and heart disease, there had to be a FEDERAL ACTION to get U.S. consumers to stop eating the stuff. The only reason we've finally cut our consumption of trans fats is because the government told food producers to stop putting it in their processed foods.

Take a look at corn syrup. Reliable scientific research is telling us that the high fructose corn syrup that our food manufacturers dump into their processed foods has created an epidemic of diabetes and obesity in America. Have we stopped purchasing food products that contain this ingredient? Nooo! There's gonna have to be ANOTHER federal action to block food manufacturers from putting this into all their processed food products.

And how many decades do you think it will take for consumer health safety to become a higher priority than the profit margins for the agri-business industry that relies on the production of high fructose corn syrup?! I've got an answer to that question. As soon as ADM and the rest of the agri-business giants open international markets up to this disease-causing food product, they will relent and take it out of our American foodstuffs.

It is all about making huge amounts of money and having patents on everything in Nature where the monopolistic corporations will sue a small family farmer who "dares" to harvest and "let go to seed" their own crop for a future planting.

Monsanto successfully sued a small canola seed farmer in Canada several years ago.

The Europeans are right when they call "genetically modified foods" (GMO) "Frankenfoods", as they are not part of the natural food chain.

And now with the cloning of animals? How sick are these scientists, anyway?

Greed is destroying this planet. The Grim Reaper is smiling.

I think we ought to be far more worried about GM food than cloned-animal food. A clone copy of something from nature is a copy from nature. A genetically-modified plant or animal raises the possibility of introducing unintended consequences. Eat now, learn truth maybe decades later.

But peaceman above raised a perhaps even bigger issue about GM stuff. If GM brings improvements BUT you have to pay tolls to an incorporated patent holder to get the improvements (possibly even unsafe or unpredictable
one) what did people in society gain by the GM?

"65 per cent of Americans were opposed to eating such products — a level of concern matched in Europe.

Despite the opposition though, on Tuesday the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved meat and milk from cloned animals"

:-|

it would be "NEWS" if the govt did something the majority support

A good start for anyone concerned about the food they eat, is to read Kingsolver's book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Each of us would be wise to take more personal responsibility for the foods we purchase and consume. Before adding anything to our grocery carts, examining the packaging and distance traveled is necessary, making decisions to avoid excessive packaging and to buy locally. Observing the season and purchasing fresh foods only, makes a great deal of sense. Do we really need to eat tomatoes, that taste like plastic anyway, in the winter? And the bred-for-long-shelf-life of strawberries being shipped out of California only look good. Their taste is terrible!

On a good note: PCC, an 8-store consumer cooperative in the Seattle area, has banned high fructose corn syrup. When one begins reading the ingredient labels it is obvious that corn syrup is put into almost everything, even things one wouldn't suspect -- hams, bacon, energy bars, crackers, muffin mixes, and on and on...

pidorf___ Just remember that the majority of people can be misled by the use of a few scare articles put out by some person or group that may have some agenda to push. A good example of this is the rush to war in Iraq that convinced a majority that we were threatened and it was a pack of lies.

> "The US Consumers Union is calling for mandatory safety checks before any GM food is able to be sold, citing research by the National Academy of Sciences indicating that toxic or allergenic substances may be introduced through genetic engineering and that it may be difficult to "predict and assess unintended adverse effects on human health."

First, genetically modified food is already subject to more than adequate requirements for testing and approval before products are released for human consumption.

Second, I don't know what "research by the National Academy of Sciences" is being cited here, but of course "toxic or allergenic substances may be introduced through genetic engineering." Likewise, metalworking can be used to make guns that can be used to kill people. However, this is unlikely to happen by accident. And toxic and allergenic substances already exist in "natural" foods and are not always known, nor are they subject to any mandatory testing. It is possible for allergens to be introduced to "natural" foods by "natural" gene mixing and this is not controlled or subject to any mandatory testing. Modern genetic engineering techniques are much MORE controlled than traditional breeding in the sense of knowing exactly what you are putting in. You may not always know what the effects on the plant or animal will be, but you know if you are putting in a gene that produces a known toxin or allergen.

Finally, anyone can say "it may be difficult to predict and assess unintended adverse effects", and one may say this about just about anything humans do. There is, however, no particular reason to expect adverse effects from genetic engineering. This is the reason why the overwhelming consensus of scientists today is that the hyped-up fear of genetic engineering is unfounded and it is reflected in the relative lack of public concern despite widespread prejudice against what is seen as "unnatural".

I don't eat GM foods. Organic regulations require that organic foods cannot be genetically modified, cloned, or irradiated.

For more information on GM foods, see:

http://organicconsumers.org

One of the frightening things is that a few companies are producting GM versions of staples - rice, corn, and wheat. The seeds that sell are "terminator" seeds, meaning that saved seeds will not germinate the next year. This gives a few companies control over the food supply.

There are two specific problems with genetic engineering that I didn't see in this article.

First, a few people get sick. Not many, just a few.

Do you want a society where the food is unsafe for, say, 1% of everyone? Moreover, do you want a food supply that might make, say, another 1% sick every generation? 1% here, 1% there, pretty soon 50% of the population gets sick.

Smokers have accepted the lung cancer problem for over a century. With smokers it's always someone else that has three months to live, but not you. You're special. That doesn't make smoking right.

The second problem is that genetic engineering may last forever. Once the inappropriate fish genes get loose in our environment, they never go away. It reminds me of extinction, which is also forever.

Right now there is only one type of banana commercialized in the world, the Cavendish.

If Monsanto and their ilk get control of cloning livestock, they'll figure out the breeds or crossbreeds that stand up best to cloning, that is, make the most money no matter the textures or flavor.

Eventually we could end up with just one or two species of everything we eat, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. We're already getting close to that with insipid tomatoes, and other pretty looking fruit that has nearly no taste at all. Not to mention with climate change increasing it would be wise to cultivate variety in all we produce to eat, and to KEEP all the seeds even of the ugly fruit and vegetables that often have the best flavors.

The following link contains about 30 articles related to GM foods:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=theme&themeId=24

Perhaps this is a natural selection process to remove those who intentionally ignore the laws of nature. Perhaps the biological mandate at this point is to look for ways to preserve heirloom human genetics as well as the necessary natural support system DNA while those who have intentionally closed off their organic feedback loops....... self destruct.
It's time to stop going to stores!!!!

"US Consumers Oblivious to GM Food Fears"

How would the consumer know? The FDA is in league with Iblis.

Our publicly owned corporate run media keeps us informed, don't they?

It's a matter of trust. Do you trust Monsanto and GM industry shills, or don't you?

In France, even the right is progressive.

It is too bad that none of the questions to the top candidates aren't about this issue.

I may be wrong but I havent seen it yet.

I am sure Dennis has good position on it, but that is why the others aren't asked about it... They always leave the hard stuff to Dennis to talk about.

Haven't you noticed that the "top candidates" are all about CHANGE...albiet elusive and nebulous CHANGE. Questions on issues of substance are not likely to be answered even if they ARE asked.

I'm making up an order for seeds from a non-GMO seed company that sells a lot of heirloom varieties. This will be the year I finally get off my duff and have a garden again. I'm also going to try turning part of the barn into a winter garden with grow-lights.

I am also going to get some heirloom breed chickens from a local farmer, and maybe a goat. It's time to pull back from commercially raised food. With the prices WalMart is charging for food, it is just an even greater incentive.

Stuff I can't raise enough of to last all year - like wheat - I will buy from an organic co-op. This is my promise to myself, my family, and Mother Nature. I'm lucky, we live on 3-1/2 acres, and I can do this...

First off, ignore anything Mark Abram writes on the topic of GM food. He is a corporate schill spewing their talking points.

Also, DK is a vegan and only eats organic.

On topic, one of the things that strikes me about the whole GMO issue is the concept that life itself can be patented. How is that possible? Monsanto is patenting life itself. At some point in time they will "own" all major food crops. Does that inevitably lead to them "owning" the deaths by starvation of those people that cannot afford their seeds or their food? And what is Monsanto's liability for contamiating the open pollinated and/or organic crops of others through indiscrimate polination by their GMO varieties? Shouldn't Monsanto have to pay for this contamination?

Further, I don't think that Americans are as uninformed about the GMO issue as this article leads us to believe. The huge growth in CSA's, organic produce and farmers' markets in the U.S. is proof that Americans do not want pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or GMO's in their food. Buying local is also a huge movement. The problem is that organic foods cost more and often times are beyond the reach of many families. Also, how organic is produce certified in China?

It's a little late in the game at this point. The only power we have now is as consumers. And without labeling we are really left in the dark. As I see it, the only alternatives we have is to grow our own and/or buy only from ethical stores like you're local cooperative and at farmers markets.

MARK ABRAMS: I appreciate your logical pro-science perspective, BUT... many things introduced to human beings don't show ill-fated side effects until the NEXT generation comes around, you know, little things like Thalydimide. The industries that profit from introducing artificial substances are enthralled by profit, whereas NATURE did it all for love, over eons my friend, trial and error in elaborate laboratories sponsored by Gaia. Nature seeks to weave from the greatest pool of possibility, so this narrowing of content as per STERILE seed stock is NOT a wise thing, what with global warming, etc.

EZE: Trust Monsanto, now there's a pejorative question (rhetorical, I presume) if ever there was one. Monsanto, the KILLER chemical corp that profits from designing the likes of Agent Orange and 2nd generation defoliants that leave a toxic, cancer-based residue behind.

Trust science... how about the legacy of human growth hormone, the constant Keystone Cops legal tragi-comedy as drugs introduced to the marketplace ring up millions thanks to being "sexed" up by high calibre PR, only to be recalled 5-10 years later AFTER the damage is done. PUULLEEAASSEEE... it is NOT nice (or wise) to try to fool Mother Nature.

I, too, am ready to start MY garden. The fact that such a high percentage of our foods have GM elements is beyond disturbing.

phatkhat: Forget the grow lights! Build a hoop house (small green house) and grow food all winter. Don't fight Mother Nature. We humans cannot replace the sun's red spectrum light sustainably. Flowering plants like tomatoes and peppers should be grown in the appropriate season (summer). And while you are going through those seed catalogs, look for open pollinated varieties that will breed true so you can collect the seed for the next year. And try to stay away from hybrids (F1) because the seeds you collect will give you unknown results. By the way, ALL heirloom varieties are open pollinated. Have fun in your new garden!!!

There are a couple of problems. One is that most people have no idea of how or why these foods would be harmful. The other is that people are so overwhelmed by (often contradictory) warnings about everything we eat, drink, use or breath---not to mention the new, improved medicines that end up killing people.

The biotech industry's claim that the genetically modified food already consumed has not made anyone sick cannot be proven. Do you know anyone who has suffered from unexplained health issues????How would it be possible to determine whether or not it was the gm food or something else that makes one sick, since it is impossible to know what food has the altered genetics in it. It would be impossible to isolate it as the causative agent. There have been no post-market epidemiological studies to back up the claims of food safety. In fact there have been few if any long term feeding studies on the products' safety at all. Most of the animal studies have been extremely short term and done in the closed labs of the industry and not available for peer scrutiny because the contain "proprietary" information.

The claims that "genetically modified food is already subject to more than adequate requirements for testing and approval before products are released for human consumption" are made by the biotech industry, but rarely do they mention that those tests are done by the industry or paid for by the industry.

Bovine growth hormone (a gm product used extensively on dairy cows in this country) was not approved for use in Canada or Europe because of safety concerns. You're still drinking it. I have my own cow.

Siouxrose,

What I appreciate, on the other hand, is your common sense perspective. But I must correct you on something. Nothing in Mark Abram's post has anything to do with logical science. Only deceit. Many studies of GM modified substances have shown that in great amounts laboratory mice developed chromosomal damage which leads to cancer. But his gun analogy, however, may be accurate. To compare an obvious gun in a consumer's hand with GM foods, while not quite the same thing, is very telling. When you pick up a gun, if your smart, you know not to point it at anyone, even if it's believed that it's not loaded. You know that you hold a dangerous product that could enter your body and kill you. When you pick up 70 percent of processed food items in the supermarket, you might as well be putting a gun barrel in your mouth because that's the same kind of Russian Roulette you're exposing your body to with Genetically Modified foods. Unfortunately this danger is unlabeled, so the consumer is like a small child in a gun store surrounded by loaded guns on the counter.

Abram's disingenuous word-smithing is below contempt here. Yes, many natural foods (like coffee beans for example) have toxic or allergenic substances in them. But what Abrams fails to tell you is that they are not in lethal concentrations to affect you permenately. And they sure as helll don't inadvertently modify the bacteria in your gut by accident like GM food has been found to do. They sure as hell don't inadvertantly modify your DNA piles (your chromosomes) causing you problems reproducing daughter cells like GM food has been found to do in large amounts (in surpressed industry data that our rubber-stamp FDA refuses to force these big food mafias like Monsanto to reveal.)

Yes natural food can cause alergies. If I eat 100 oranges this morning, I will have a reaction, but it still will not damage the ability of my cells to reproduce themselves! Unstable Genetically Modified food has been known to do this.

The problem here is choice. Big organized crime sydicates like Monsanto, do not want you to have any choice so they have contaminated FDA and the white house to accept an honor system whereby they swear they will tell you if they see any dangerous side effects before they dump this poison on the American food supply.

This whole arrangement reminds me of the nightmare of Axis Chemical in the movie Batman. Unfortunately in our sad tale, there is not one homocidal "Joker", but rather 500 of them on wall street.

The poor guy at the frankenfood market is now screwed. His choice is GM chromsomal damage from mountains of processed poison in plastic bags or GM chromosomal damage from GM gene spliced frankenproduce.

Megacorps like Monsanto have only been playing God with your food for a few years now. Nobody knows the mortality rates or Cancer incidence that will crop up ten years from now.

We all are now lab rats.

The bottom line for me on GM food is that there is no good reason for it, other than to provide the agri-chemical industry with another product to force down farmers' throats. Just like bovine growth hormone. No need for it. Why do we have it? (Yes, that is a rhetorical question.)

I would like to see people like Mark Abram go find something useful and productive to do to earn a living. Simply coming up with an unnecessary product that has a lot of problems inherent with it, and then developing industry talking points for it, and bribing our legislators to agree to their use, does not count as useful or productive.

"Abram's disingenuous word-smithing is below contempt here."

Mark Abram has been found to be disingenuous on other issues as well. I've written him off along with his bud, Daniel David. Two pees in a pot.

Daniel David does not even come close to Mark Abrams disingenuous garbage. DD is just a devoted democrat that still believes that the Dimwits actually can represent "we the people". DD just hasn't reached the same stage of disillusionment that many of the rest of us attained. Mark Abrams is an evil schill. DD isn't at all.

Pacplayer: Thanks for your post. I didn't realize you were so informed on this issue. I get so tired of fighting this battle alone. It's nice to have company.

SPARTACUS: thanks for raising the vaccine issue. What defies all statistical probability is the rising rate of autism in otherwise perfectly healthy babies... all this run to push a number of questionable chemicals into NEW babies lends credence to PAYPLYER stating we're all lab rats now! Talk about child abuse! To knowingly introduce into healthy tissue these quasi lethal cocktails on the SUPPOSITION they prevent disease. It reminds me of the way the forest department decides on random burns. MOTHER nature may well send lightning bolts, but for people to think in all hubris that they can predetermine WHERE she intends to send the fire bolt and obliterate that portion of the woodlands is the same game of cerebral roulette that predetermines the entire population has the same odds of getting some contagious disease, and thus puts this hex (a/k/a vaccine) on everyone IN case. And that no one has freedom to NOT take these, that is, if they want their children to attend public school, land of the free? Free enterprise? Where?

Remember, pollination happens.

GM pollen freely moves outside human-designated boundaries and alters what it pollinates. You can buy organic and get GM.

Corporate testing of GM stock is being done in open fields leased from farmers who do the work and ask few questions. Even pharmaceuticals.

These "experiments" are being done without human feeling by deconscienced actors.

spartacus: Your theory that GMO crops have something to do with colony collapse in bees is definitely being researched. One complication that they have run into is that many/most GMO crops are "Round-up Ready". This means that these crops use MORE herbacids than regular crops. It's hard to figure out if the additional toxic load has anything to do with it. Also, are the "weeds" that are being destroyed part of the bee food chain. Than you have the impact of corn with a built in Bt virous that kills catapillars. This Bt virus has already affected butterfly populations.

If this is something you would like to find out more about, go to this link:

http://organicconsumers.org

Organic Consumers Asso. is where I started my activism and how I found Common Dreams. They are a great organization and I suggest that everyone visit their site regularly. They now have forums where you can discuss relevant topics.

The media, and the committee that made the recommendations, are missing the real issue. It is almost certainly true that eating meat from cloned animals poses no unique hazards from the meat itself. However, there is a major risk from this practice: a natural herd has some measure of genetic diversity, and with it varying resistance to specific pathogens. Not so a cloned herd, who all share identical genotypes. As a result, epidemics can quickly sweep through a herd of cloned animals kept in close quarters, as they are in modern agriculture. This can lead to the spread of foodborne infections such as E coli H7O157, Salmonella, and multidrug-resistant pathogens. Since most emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, the threat to the public health is real and frightening.

GM should stay out of the food business and stick to making crappy cars. Sorry, bad joke,,,,or is it? See "interlocking directorates".

The vast majority of Americans have NO IDEA 85% of supermarket groceries have GMO ingredients. Nearly ALL processed foods have TVP, soy, canola oil and high fructose corn syrup. Since 100% of all conventionally grown soybeans, canola and corn is genetically engineered crops - unless these 3 crops are certified organic - they are GMO. But since the USDA refuses to force manufacturers to LABEL the products as GMO farmed - consumers have absolutely no idea about the food they are eating.

I don't believe there is public apathy - I believe there is a MEDIA BLACKOUT and CENSORSHIP about the issue. Most of the people I know buy processed food from the supermarket - when I inform them about corn, canola and soy being GMO grown they are horrified - THAT is when I tell them about shopping at the coop and going organic for their groceries and BOOM the light bulb goes off in their head.

The recent bad news that Congress has made it legal to clone animals will result in shoppers REFUSING to buy this crap - supermarkets will wind up not ordering cloned meat and dairy - the bottom line is consumers, if they are INFORMED will make healthy food choices.

BTW - the vast majority of Americans also have NO IDEA their food is irradiated. Irradiated food is not labelled and therefore, there is no huge outcry of protest from the public. But the media would spin this as "public apathy".

I am horrified by the prospect of meat from cloned animals. Asked why they couldn't even require labels on meat was from cloned animals, an FDA spokesman said that they had no authority to do that because meat from cloned animals is identical to meat from regular animals. This is almost certainly not true! It's well known that cloned animals are more prone to diseases- if they are genetically identical how could this be? Wouldn't just a little caution be prudent when it comes to the nation's food? The FDA is the worst consumer watchdog possible- from GM to mad cow to now this Americans should have zero confidence in the FDA.

The "safety" discussion of cloned food appears to be a strawman argument introduced by the corporations while they stealthily weasel their patented products into the system. The "patented" food chain seems nothing more than a means of ensuring control of populations in the future and the money accrued is likely simply a benefit of that. To the corporate government scum which trys to rule the world their top priority, to which all other considerations are subservient, is to maintain control of the populations. And that will get ever more complicated as technology progresses and the dominated peoples become aware of just how rotten are the kind of human scumbags who disdain human rights so that they can perpetuate their undeserved privilages as they play their "game".

Wow, I'm really impressed by the mature and thoughtful comments of those who've disagreed with me by name.

I'm impressed also by the careful scientific research cited by the anti-biotech arguers here. Reminds me of similar discussions on creation science / intelligent design, cold fusion / perpetual motion machines, and global warming denial science BBs.

Well, I guess anything goes if nothing matters.

Thank God we are able to distinguish the "reptillian" minds here from normal human beings. Sorry Mark, try to find your conscience. You are lucky some people still fall for your line of manure. That won't last for long as humanity slowly awakes from your nauseating dream.

Hey, Kernel, I'm with ya but for one small problem: Grow your own food on a small plot within two miles of an agribusiness rape in progress, and your food is soon as much a GMO as theirs is. The wind doesn't care what it blows, and the bees don't care whose pollen they carry so long as the nectar is sweet.

The beauty of nature is grand, but stick some molecular biologist into the mix and things get ugly fast.

Above the word "disingenuous" was used. I vote to change the epithet to "corporate whore". Any other suggestions?

To control the world you need to control the money (Fed/IMF/world central banks), the oil (Big Oil/OPEC), food (Agribusiness/WTO/TRIPS), health/population control (CDC/FDA/Big Pharma/UN/biotechnology) and of course, enforce your domination with military (Pentagon) and intelligence (DHS/CIA/world intelligence/technology). A lot of the cards are in place now.

GM seeds are the food part, and maybe even the health/population control part. In case things go wrong, we have all the worlds original seeds in a seed vault in the Arctic. That's comforting.

More about the GM seeds and the NWO here.

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2008/01/04/reviewing_f_william_engdahl_s_seeds_of_d_1

"Wow, I'm really impressed by the mature and thoughtful comments of those who've disagreed with me by name."

I'm sure you are -- personally I'm amazed at how otherwise-bright/progressive commenter's didn't show any Outrage at the racist/silly personal-attacks heaped on you. Disgraceful...
However, as much as my science-background inclines me to find your posts, here and elsewhere, "reassuring" -- I know better than to 'trust' commercialized/Corporate Scientists. Americans have yet to 'wise-up' to even the real-Intent behind fluoridated-water.
Science 'could' produce even-healthier/'better' foods/medicines by applying known methodologies at the corporate-level. But our corporations, quite obviously, have Priorities of a different mindset guiding their choices to-date. Mercury in vaccines (even after their own Testing and statistics/'blowback' have established high-risk re: Autism), just to save pennies-per-dose for multi-dose vials? It's absurd -- as SO much else is regards GM-foods/fertilizers/insecticides/etc. or 'bad'-drugs'/pollution/dumping/etc. These can't hardly be 'unintended consequences', alone, that are currently harming us, and the remaining-world.
There's some 'taint' and underlying Evil-intent coming out of our Corporate-Agenda -- and I fear it relates to a need for overall 'population reduction' and/or American/Globalistic 'full-spectrum-dominance', or both.
I reach that conclusion because, essentially, I agree with you -- Scientists are NOT stupid, and they HAVE the tools/sense to avoid these commonly-faced 'issues' by now. But instead of decreasing their Incidence/Onset-levels, it seems that these 'mistakes' and poor-judgments are multiplying-exponentially. Worse, and increasingly, all sensible 'roads-home' or safety-reserves are being 'burned as bridges' during a military campaign.
The Public (who they are charged to Serve) seems to be the Enemy. And the first Casualty in any-'war' is the Truth...

Shop at local farmer's markets.
Prepare and cook our own meals.
Teach our children,better than we were taught.
Educate those close to us.
Run for local office.
Join the PTA.
Continue to have discussions like these in order to hone our thoughts and arguments.
Practice what we preach.

"These our the times that try men's soul's."

AlexLawyer

As you posted, cloning animals and crops leads to decreasing biodiversity. A decline in biodiversity (or genetic diversity) also leads to a much greater possibility of new pathogens sweeping through and destroying large amounts of genetically similar farm animals or crops.

In fact, this may have been one of the reasons so many Native Americans succumbed to Euro-African diseases at a much higher level than did European plaque victims (die-off rate)

It is now know that Native Americans possessed a narrow range of genetic diversity before Europeans and Africans introduced new pathogens into their population.

Because of the lack of genetic diversity, many Native Americans could be felled and killed by any new pathogen that breached their collective immunological system.

A deadly new pathogen found no limitations once it breached this collective wall. In other words, a population with a genetically different configuration (that would've blocked its advance) did not exist, as a result, it would rapidly spread and kill a very large percentage of the host bodies.

Of course, the huge die-off rate of Native Americans was caused by several variables (mass killings, mass enslavement and physical abuse, ethnocide destroying cultural moorings, etc.), but the lack of much bio- or genetic diversity was probably a major contributing factor.

It's not just Monsanto and vaccines, check site:

http://www1.environmentalhealthnews.org/

It's the plastics, the teflon, and all of the other goodies used to get us to buy products.

"US Consumers Oblivious to GM Food Fears"

Huh. Just what are the US consumers not oblivious to except Bush-induced fear, Football, American Idol, Paris Hilton, and…and…wow, nothing else comes to mind.