War crimes against our food

by Leslie Goldman

am grateful that the heads of Bio2001, the large convention of the Biotech industry, San Diego, June 23-27, 2001, kept such good registration records. I want to salute them for securing, for future generations, a great tally of all the names, addresses, phones, and emails. I would like this to become part of a permanent record we can look at later. I want it to become public record, these names of the people who are putting their money where their mouth is, the names of the out-on-a-limb risk takers who considered themselves the venture capitalists, the leaders, the financial back bone support for the once lucrative field of genetically engineered Biotech foods, and its outreach and influence into the field of medicine.

    At this very moment, the freedom to choose the foods we deem best for our personal life, health, and liberty are being taken from the American people.

    Let's keep the record straight. Let's keep the record straight of which leaders of Op-Ed pages held back the free and fair flow of well-meaning reporters who had it in their capacity to inform and educate the American people.

    American agribusiness leaders, at the forefront of our genetically modified food efforts, are not dumb. They know what they are doing. They understand that whole, pure, and natural food cannot coexist with gene altered food. The gene altered foods cross pollinate. The natural foods are contaminated.

    “The real strategy is to introduce so much genetic pollution in the food system that meeting the consumer demand for GM-Free is seen as not possible. The idea, quite simply, is to pollute faster than countries can legislate then change the laws to fit the contamination,” said Naomi Klein in an article on genetic tampering.

    Arran Stephens, president of Nature's Path, an organic food company in British Columbia, told the New York Times in April that GM material is even finding its way into organic crops. “We have found traces in corn that has been grown organically for 10-15 years. There's no wall high enough to keep that stuff contained.”

    “Indeed, there is so much genetic contamination in North American fields that a group of organic farmers is considering launching a class action suit against the biotech industry for lost revenues how can you sell to consumers demanding GMO-Free foods when you can't keep the genes out of your fields?” Klein said.

    Our well meaning Biotech venture capitals are participating in what future generations will view as war crimes, war crimes against our God-given food supply. “I was only taking orders; I did not know what I was doing,” hardly got war criminals off easy in wars past.

    The natural food industry is one of our healthiest and fastest growing American industries that also welcomes venture capital. They will be supported in court by Europeans, who are not putting up with our GM-modified foods, and people and governments from 35 countries worldwide who are developing, mandatory GM labeling laws.

    Class actions are inevitable. With an assault on our food supply day by day, and a growing global population that will not allow this, these class action suits may be here quicker than we can finish a can of genetically modified corn chowder.

    Let's keep our records straight. In years to come, it may be important to know who was misguided, and who supported what.

    We still have time to preserve our right to grow and eat whole, pure, and natural foods if we all act now and together.

    Leslie Goldman, Enchanted Gardener, is a poet and author of the “Plant Your Dream” book series. Book one, Plant a Seed, Grow a New World, is now available in a collector's self-published edition; contact him at Engardenaol.com.