Russ On Franken-Carrots

Says Russ:

Mu,

I agree with PIRG here.
If U2 agree, alert your following masses...


U.S. PIRG : help stop contamination of the food supply
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 17:36:09 -0500

Dear U.S. PIRG supporter,

The Bush administration is proposing to let huge agricultural conglomerates off the hook for contamination of our food supply by genetically engineered crops. This unscientific approach is being advanced to help the biotechnology industry avoid liability for potentially contaminating conventional food crops with unapproved genetically engineered crops. Please take a moment to tell the Food and Drug Administration that you want them to protect our food supply instead of shielding big biotechnology conglomerates from responsibility for their actions. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste itinto your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=281&id4=ES

Background:
The Food and Drug Administration does not approve genetically engineered crops for food safety. Instead, the system in this country is voluntary and the biotechnology industry largely functions on the honor system, conducting its own tests and consulting with the government only if it wants to. It is a system that favors the needs of industry over the needs of consumers. Under this lax oversight system, the biotechnology industry has made major mistakes, contaminating conventional crops with genetically engineered material never intended for human consumption, such as pig vaccines that were grown in corn, or contaminating the food supply with a protein thought to be an allergen. The biotechnology and food processing industries do not want to be burdened with regulations, nor do they want to have to initiate any more product recalls, and so they are seeking to be able to contaminate the food supply legally. On November 24, 2004, the Bush administration proposed eliminating the biotechnology industry's responsibility for contamination of the food supply - and putting that responsibility on the American public.

Please take a moment to tell the Food and Drug Administration that you want them to ensure the safety of America's food supply instead of shielding big biotechnology conglomerates from responsibility for their actions. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this email to them. To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=281&id4=ES

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski
U.S. PIRG Executive Director


Says Mook:

Mostly, I don't.

But it would be worth posting anyway just to get GeneThug's response-- he'll go rabid.

Mind?


Says Russ:

Do tell! You don't see a problem with the theory of self-regulation? Does a de-regulated "honor system"work in other industries where the public trust and health is daily put against the almighty dollar; if no one is watching, corporations --when considered as *living* entities sharing certain rights ofcitizenship-- behave pathologically, or so I've read lately (Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Global Crossing, Adelphia, Savings and Loan, Mutual Funds...). As Richard Caplan used to assert, the biotech industry simply is not interested in taking the additional ethical, costly steps required to stem abuse ofantibiotics a gene markers. Just like you should not stop taking antibiotics before the doctor's prescription runs out, and you should not quit applying medicated antibiotic creams after one day, the use of antibiotics as gene markers requires conscientious management. Releasing products for public consumption -- without removing test-antibiotics applied during research -- subjects the public to risks of new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This is serious stuff. I'm not a biologist and anyone who wants to understand this in the Mookblog audience ought to lookthis up for him/herself.

It's a major reason why the EU and several African nations go apeshit every time our industry makes attempts to enter their markets! Anyway, go ahead and put this on the blog --though I'll check ya out in a moment; mebbe you've posted PIRG's solicitation already..?