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Imagine that you are a man, exhausted from an intense day at work. Your belly is full. You're sleepy. You tuck your little youngster i...
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Wednesday, September 21, 2016
It doesn't matter what the topic is. If it is different, it's attacked. As if rebuking others would incite change.
Why are we so quick to attack others views? What great and lofty position are we in to force one view on another? Why are we creating and encouraging more negativity?
I do not understand this.
My husband is a Republican with strong views on family, politics, and religion. I am not. My belief system is vastly different than his. We have healthy debates but we don't resort to name calling and berating each other. We RESPECT each other despite how misguided we may think the other is.
Let me ask you this question: How to you teach your child? Do you call them stupid? Do you make them feel less human? No, you are kind, you use feeling words, reasoning, and perhaps give examples.
The plain simple fact is when we listen, we listen to respond. We do not listen to understand. There is an intolerant stance when there is a difference of opinion.
We need to stop this negativity, hate, and bickering amongst us. It is not gaining ground. We are sliding further from where we want to be as a whole.
In closing, I pose a challenge to everyone. The next time you come across a viewpoint or position that differs from your own, kindly open up a dialog. Listen to what they have to say. Don't listen to rebut, listen to understand the position. I can guarantee that you may not agree with it. I can also guarantee that when that person leaves they will respect you for listening.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
As my kids get older I find myself thinking about when they were younger. The innocence that was unique to the young; with their eyes open wide, eager to learn, trusting that the words spoken by their parents is gospel. Being the type of parent I am, I realize now that I have damaged my kids to the point I will be billed for their therapy; and yet at the same time, taught them a valuable lesson.
The biggest of these lessons involved Oreo Cookies. The lesson I now dub as “Never take anything at face value.”
When my oldest was a toddler I kept a stash of Oreo Cookies. I didn’t necessarily like Oreo cookies, just the creme filling. So I would grab about 5 cookies from the bag, twist the two sides apart and eat the creme, them put the two halves back together. Sometimes my husband at the time would take the halves and put them in his ice cream or just eat them. Until one day I found the perfect receptacle for disposing of these unwanted, tasteless halves.
One day she toddled up to me, tugged at my pants leg. Her big blue eyes asking before her small voice asked “Momma cookie?” Well, I just so happen to have three cookies ready for her and gave her one. A big smile emerged from her face, her eyes danced as she took it with both hands put it to her mouth. I handed her another which she gladly accepted. She toddled off to go play with her toys munching on the two chocolaty halves, dropping crumbs as she went into the next room.
All was well in the world. I made my daughters day by giving her a cookie and I got my creme filling. It was perfect. This perfection continued for five years. Five wonderful, glorious years creme filled years.
Until her father ruined it.
Her father was digging in the cookie basket. My daughter being the mad cookie fiend that she is, raced into the kitchen, arms up, begging for a cookie. Little did he know his next action would bring about a devastation that would unhinged the delicate world that this poor innocent child existed in.
He reached into the basket and handed her an Oreo cookie, creme filling and all. I entered the kitchen just in time to witness the horror, the disgust, the utter travesty. She looked at the cookie wondering what in the world that white stuff was. She then gave her father a look that said “Do you not know what a cookie is?” and them proceeded to burst into tears. She ran from the kitchen into the dinning room wailing, each stomp of her foot punctuated her piercing wale as it impacted the ground. She chucked the cookie onto the table clenched her fists at her side continuing her hysterics.
Her father who had either the patience nor the tolerance for such an emotional display, picked her up and placed her into her room.
I am left standing in the dining room contemplating killing the man of my first born child. Surly this is grounds for divorce right? The delicate balance in which the world exists in, is now in shambles. The system was destroyed. I am left with the very possibility that I may have to eat the whole cookie instead of the creamy goodness that I crave.
The worst part of this whole debacle is even though her father had no clue as to the extent of the actions; neither did I. My daughter is betrayed. Her mother lied to her and concealed the truth from her. She is now 21. To everyone we meet the first thing out of her mouth is. “Hello, do you know my mother is an evil woman because she lead me to believe for seven years that Oreo’s had no filing?”
I am now known to be a vile and evil woman. I should be locked up for the neglect and abuse of a young child. Well its either the Oreo Cookie Catastrophe or the “Mel Gibson Is Your Dad Debacle”. But that is another story.
Dr. Robert Fraley, the chief technology officer for Monsanto explains “We have 7.2 billion population today. That is going to increase to 9.5 billion by 2050. That means we have 35 years to basically double the food supply.” Genetic Engineering can increase crop yields, offer crop varieties that resist pests and disease, and provide ways to grow crops on land that would otherwise not support farming because of drought conditions, and depleted soils.
This seems like a valid reason to help nature along so to speak. However, the three biggest companies in the field of Genetic Engineering are Monsanto, Dow Chemical, and BASF. Monsanto is the same company that developed and created Agent Orange in the late sixties for the military. Roundup, a popular weed killer is also produced by Monsanto. Dow Chemical produces a product called Lorsban, an insecticide that is extremely toxic to humans. BASF produces a variety of fungicides, herbicides, and insecticide. The most shocking tidbit of information about BASF is that it partnered with Bayer in the 1920’s to form IG Farben Trust. The death camp Auschwitz; the largest human extermination facility in history, is a 100% subsidiary of IG Farben Trust. Let us take a moment and think about this. Why are companies that create these caustic chemicals and had a their hands in the largest mass genocide in history doing in the midst of Genetic Engineering?
Their brilliance to help along our food supply is rather interesting. Tomatoes have been mixed with a fish gene, particularly flounder so that it will be more resistant to frost. Bacillus thuringiensis or BT is a naturally occurring bacteria in soil and has been used for years by organic farmers because the sun breaks down when outside of the plant. The BT gene is spliced into corn making the plant in itself its own pesticide. So when the bug eats any part of the plant it dies. These are two examples of what genetic engineering is doing to our food. What does this mean for our food supply and our environment?
Dr. John Hagelin explains “If you can teach a tomato to produce enough flounder blood it will become more resistant to frost. Which is great, but what happens if you are allergic to fish?” Dr. Hagelin continues to explain “BT has been spliced into corn to create its own pesticide. BT is so deadly toxic to insects, the finest film from BT corn kills the monarch butterfly just by landing on it. What is the effect on us consuming BT corn? No one knows.”
Most farmers and gardeners know that when working with pesticides insects become resistant over time. Farmers have to find another solution to protect their crops. BT Corn will have the same outcome over time, creating super bugs. The same with weeds as well. Monsanto has genetically engineered seeds to withstand herbicides, but not just any herbicide; their own chemical Roundup. In Paraguay, Monsanto sells genetically engineered soy. There are a few problems with these seeds. The first is that you can’t save seed over for next years planting, an important part of farmers. The seeds produced engineered soy do not grow the following year. Forcing farmers to purchase more from Monsanto. The second problem, the seeds have their own spliced gene to withstand Roundup; also a Monsanto chemical. Farmers purchase Roundup to spray their fields now creating a super weed that the chemical can’t touch. To combat these super weeds and pests farmers are forced to use larger quantities of other more potent chemicals.
In the Arctic Circle the Svalboard Global Seed Vault is there to protect the bedrock of agriculture—genetic diversity. This seed vault is known as the Noah’s Ark of seeds because in the case of a global catastrophe this would be our last resort to replant earth. The seeds vaults director Cary Fowler states “The idea was to put an end to extinction for agricultural diversity. For thousands of years, farmers maintained genetic diversity by saving their own seeds. Without diversity, we face the potential for starvation. When we lose these traits we are in a waiting game for our crops to fail and fail permanently.” Today farmers are purchasing the same seeds from GMO manufacturers. Having the same monoculture could be a disaster waiting to happen. If something should happen; if one of those families should develop susceptibility to a new disease it could potentially wipe out that entire species.
To date, human clinical trials have not been done to study the effects of genetically modified foods on the human body. Currently, there is not enough research and studies to prove that genetically engineer foods have no long-term health effects for the human race. These biotech companies have produced seeds to coincide with other chemicals they also produce, effectively creating a round robin and a monopoly. Dr. John Haglin states that he is deeply concerned that life scientist is implementing bioengineering
without adequately understanding the lessons we have learned from the physical sciences. DNA is complex, nonlinear system and splicing foreign genes into the DNA can cause unpredictable side effects that could harm the heart of the human consumer.
This is completely terrifying. Big corporations in the race for money and monopoly have now tainted our food supply without first knowing what the consequences are. Nearly all processed foods are from GMOs. European countries recognize the issues of GMOs and have pushed for labeling foods that contain them, others have banned their use altogether.
Scotland announced on Sunday, August 9, 2015, that it would move to ban the growing of genetically modified crops throughout the country. Richard Lochhead stated that the Scottish Government has long-standing concerns about GM crops—concerns that are shared by other European countries. Japan is staunchly opposed to GMO crops and forbid GM seeds from being planted in the country, New Zealand is the same. Germany bans the cultivation and sale of GMO corn. France forbid cultivation of MON810 corn in 2008 and to keep GM crops out of the country. Switzerland banned all GM crops, animals, and plants on its fields and farms in 2005. The United States and Canada are the two countries that stand out that do not have current legislation or labeling of GMO foods.
A first world country United States currently does not have legislation in place banning the growing of, or product labeling of GMO foods. For as many people that know about the issues GM foods, there are multitudes that know of GM Foods but don’t know why they should be concerned. The health and ecological concerns regarding this hot topic need to be heard in order for the populace to make an educated decision regarding the food that is consumed. Wide and varied research needs to be done on an individual level, propaganda made by major companies in support of their own product needs to be taken with a grain of salt. GM foods has the potential to change our world. This change isn’t in the best interests of humans.
References
Betty Martini. Rense.com . MissionpossibleUSA@altavista.net (published email), December 17, 2000. Website. August 2015
Brett Wessler, “Commentary: GMO oh no, no” Cattlenetwork.com . May 26, 2011. Website. August 2015.
Jennifer Ackerman republished from National Geographic. Science.nationalgeographic.com May2002.Website August2015.
Naturalrevolution.org . List of Countries that Banned Genetically Modified Food. February9,2015. Website. August2015.
Natasha Geiling. Thinkprogress.org . August 10, 2015. Website. August 2015.
“Savior Seeds & India’s Water Crisis.” Vice Season 3 Episode 9 . HBO. New York. 08 May. 2015. Television.
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