A sermon

[mikewj]

Here's a clip from Wikepedia regarding GMO seeds. Note that the 'Terminator' gene is OWNED BY MONSANTO! Can there be any doubt that they will implement this technology to prevent farmers from being able to save seeds from the crop in order to plant the next one?


Terminator' and 'traitor'

An often cited controversy is a hypothetical "Technology Protection" technology dubbed 'Terminator'[5]. This yet-to-be-commercialised technology would allow the production of first generation crops that would not generate seeds in the second generation because the plants yield sterile seeds. The patent for this so-called "terminator" gene technology is owned by Delta and Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. Delta and Pine Land was bought by Monsanto in August 2006. Similarly, the hypothetical Trait-specific Genetic Use Restriction Technology, also known as 'Traitor' or 'T-gut', requires application of a chemical to genetically-modified crops to reactivate engineered traits[6][7]. This technology is intended both to limit the spread of genetically engineered plants, and to require farmers to pay yearly to reactivate the genetically engineered traits of their crops. Traitor is under development by companies including Monsanto and AstraZeneca.

In addition to the commercial protection of proprietary technology in selfpollinating crops such as soybean (a generally contentious issue) another purpose of the terminator gene is to prevent the escape of genetically modified traits from crosspollinating crops into wild-type species by sterilizing any resultant hybrids. The terminator gene technology created a backlash amongst those who felt the technology would prevent re-use of seed by farmers growing such terminator varieties in the developing world and was ostensibly a means to exercise patent claims. Use of the terminator technology would also prevent "volunteers", or crops that grow from unharvested seed, a major concern that arose during the Starlink debacle.There are technologies evolving which contain the transgene by biological means and still can provide fertile seeds using fertility restorer functions. Such methods are being developed by several EU research programmes, among them Transcontainer and Co-Extra

[JWFITZ]

I wouldn't get too excited about intellectual property rights and patents. Fewer and fewer countries respect that sort of thing, and some, Brazil in particular and is especially in pharmaceuticals completely ignores them. As a writer, the lowest royalty paid fellow in the "rights" food chain, and a highly plagiarized one too--I say right on. I'm really an open source sort of guy and my books can be bought local, but you can get them for free online too. Soon enough it will be very hard to keep any technology locked up.

Is anyone being forced to use the seeds? No, of course not. Farmers choose them because the engineered traits are engineered to solve local problems. If they didn't produce higher yields or higher quality foodstuffs no one would touch them. Whether that was prudent or not is a completely different issue; and I'd say in the developing world mostly NOT, as the high production yields often leaves a sterile soil in which only hybrids will grow. As well, there is no question that the GMO flag is waved often as a WTO protected inside tariff or boycott, as one if on can claim the product is unsafe, you can exclude it from import under WTO rules and protect and subsidize local farmers. There is a lot of that, and it's a big source of the not so clean money in the anti-GMO troop.

[gtill]

No hybrid plant seed will produce plants whose seed is true enough to replant! Just like a mule!

[JWFITZ]

In many ways I didn't intend for this thread to become a commentary on GMO's. Rather, my intent behind the thread was to comment on the fact that many progressives waste far too much time on fringe issues and far too little on core issues. This thread is nothing but evidence of that, I'm afraid. We face a future of a 2 degree C change for certain in this century, if all CO2 emissions ceased a year ago. If we cease all emissions in a decade, we'll see 3 to 4 degrees. If we don't cease at all, we'll see 6 to 8, the oceans will largely die, and there is a possibility we're on a relentless track to look like either the surface of mars or venus. These are the stakes. It is PAST time to get informed.

I'm going to be 40 this year. I've had a fine life full of wonder and adventure. I'd hate to think I'm going to spend the next 40 watching everything I care about die. I work at the project relentlessly, but I do admit it is hard, especially when that tour helicopter goes over, and I think--well, everything I worked for for the last year went down the tubes with that. . .and then it happens 10 more times.

By the way, I get accused of being too negative, in a very hostile way, often. Well, let me tell you, I spent the day planting koa, a dozen plants, started from seed, and I plan to do that monthly.

A pessimist does not plant trees.

[kani-lehua]

*bump*

www.wideeyecinema.com/?p=105

the world according to monsanto

"On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television (ARTE – French-German cultural tv channel) by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won’t ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years."



malia paha o lohe aku

perhaps they will hear