U.S. using food crisis to boost (GMO) bio-engineered crops

[thuja]

The story of golden rice sums up the enviro-nuts pretty well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice

This engineered strain of rice could have saved millions of lives and prevented hundreds of thousands of cases of blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency every year. The developers of the rice voluntarily agreed to forgo their intellectual property rights in order to make the rice available to impoverished people as a humanitarian gesture.

But it never happened, because the anti-GM luddites had a coniption fit. These assholes are blocking use of a food that could improve millions of lives, because of some nebulous, undefined fear of "franken-foods". They don't have any scientific evidence to support their fear of golden rice, but they're willing to condemn millions of third world children to preventable blindness regardless.

your concern for blind third world children is just perfect for the poorwashing campaign.

 

[amy31416]

The story of golden rice sums up the enviro-nuts pretty well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_rice

This engineered strain of rice could have saved millions of lives and prevented hundreds of thousands of cases of blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency every year. The developers of the rice voluntarily agreed to forgo their intellectual property rights in order to make the rice available to impoverished people as a humanitarian gesture.

But it never happened, because the anti-GM luddites had a coniption fit. These assholes are blocking use of a food that could improve millions of lives, because of some nebulous, undefined fear of "franken-foods". They don't have any scientific evidence to support their fear of golden rice, but they're willing to condemn millions of third world children to preventable blindness regardless.

I agree completely--let the people decide for themselves. Greenpeace is simply against GM foods across the board with no real thought put into it. It's just cruel to not give starving people all the options available to them.

I would actually love to use this rice over plain white rice, which has very little nutritive value.

 

[thuja]

actually, greenpeace have put LOTS of careful thought and research into the issue of gm, and that's why they oppose it. there really are no groups opposing these things just on principle. no one can just waste time like that .

 

[amy31416]

actually, greenpeace have put LOTS of careful thought and research into the issue of gm, and that's why they oppose it. there really are no groups opposing these things just on principle. no one can just waste time like that .

I don't have any problem with people disliking GM foods, I think it should be a personal choice. I do have a problem with people taking that choice away from others.

 

[thuja]

I don't have any problem with people disliking GM foods, I think it should be a personal choice. I do have a problem with people taking that choice away from others.

the gm crops destroy other things besides human's health, it is dangerous to the environment, and they pollute other valuable crops, so as humans, it would be kinder and wiser to avoid them altogether. also that corporation mentioned so often and its equally bad friends are the owners of this technology, never farmers or other people. those corporations are greenwashing and poorwashing and actually forcing their technology on everyone else.
it would be like all people having personal choice to have nuclear weapons.

 

[amy31416]

the gm crops destroy other things besides human's health, it is dangerous to the environment, and they pollute other valuable crops, so as humans, it would be kinder and wiser to avoid them altogether. also that corporation mentioned so often and its equally bad friends are the owners of this technology, never farmers or other people. those corporations are greenwashing and poorwashing and actually forcing their technology on everyone else.
it would be like all people having personal choice to have nuclear weapons.

I disagree.

As far as nuclear weapons go, nuclear technology is also a source of energy and is not inherently bad. It's what people do with it that is good or bad. Same with GM technology--it can be good or bad. If I were starving, GM foods would be damned good.

 

[SeanEdwards]

the gm crops destroy other things besides human's health, it is dangerous to the environment, and they pollute other valuable crops, so as humans, it would be kinder and wiser to avoid them altogether. also that corporation mentioned so often and its equally bad friends are the owners of this technology, never farmers or other people. those corporations are greenwashing and poorwashing and actually forcing their technology on everyone else.
it would be like all people having personal choice to have nuclear weapons.

Random chance has been performing GM on all life forms on planet earth for as long as life has existed. Why do you find human directed GM more scary than the random GM that occurs naturally every day?

 

[thuja]

i trust nature, not overeager humans in search of wealth at my expense, and nature's expense.
also hybridizing is not always genetic engineering. hybridizing plants and animals has been happening naturally, and by human effort for ages.

 

[SeanEdwards]

i trust nature, not overeager humans in search of wealth at my expense, and nature's expense.
also hybridizing is not always genetic engineering. hybridizing plants and animals has been happening naturally, and by human effort for ages.

Nature brought us bubonic plague, aids, avian flu, SARS, cancer, birth defects, and sharks.

You think some weenie in a lab coat is going to beat that list?

 

[amy31416]

Nature brought us bubonic plague, aids, avian flu, SARS, cancer, birth defects, and sharks.

You think some weenie in a lab coat is going to beat that list?

Hey now, don't try me sister.