Most of you have already heard about what's going on
with genetic engineering and some of you more than likely have been
acting upon it. Unfortunately though, most of us really have no idea
what's going on. I've come across a list of companies that have been
using GE products and first off would like to tell you a little about
the facts!
WHAT IS GENETIC ENGINEERING......
Genes are the building blocks of life, they make humans
humans, and plants plants! Genetic engineers cut genes apart from two
completely different species and transfer them together to grow food, or
as the GE industry claims "to provide consumers with higher quality,
better tasting food; and to make less costs and work for farmers"! In
the past four years over 40 varieties of crops have been genetically
engineered, including more than 50% of our soybeans, 50% of our cotton,
and 25% of our corn -- impacting over 2/3 of the food in our grocery
stores. The biotech industry intends to genetically engineer all of our
food within the next 5 to 10 years.
SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM.......
The food hasn't been proven safe and their claim is that there's no
evidence that anyone has gotten sick, died, or even had any allergic
reactions to the GE foods that are out there, and this is their idea of
scientific proof! This isn't proof. People get sick, die, and have
allergies everyday. The food isn't labeled, so no one can say that these
occurrences weren't from eating a genetically engineered product. In
fact many scientists are against genetic engineering and admit it has
not been properly diagnosed before thrown out into the market.
THERE'S ALREADY SOME PROOF......
In 1994, a GE bacterium developed to aid in the production of ethanol,
produced residues that rendered the land infertile. New crops planted on
this soil grew 3 inches and fell over dead.
In 1996 scientists discovered ladybugs, that had eaten
the aphids that had eaten GE potatoes, died.
In 1999 researchers at Cornell University discovered
that Monarch butterflies died unexpectedly from eating milkweed plants
that had been dusted with the pollen of GE Bt corn.
In 2000, a leading European zoologist found that genes
from GE canola jumped the species barrier and were picked up by the
bacteria in the digestive tract of bees. This indicates that antiobiotic-resistant
genes in GE foods can cause the bacteria in our own intestines to mutate
into some superbugs that cannot be killed by antibiotics.
And what's worse is what's in store! Viral promoters are
invasive agents used by genetic engineers to trick a cell into accepting
and integrating an alien gene into the cell's own DNA. Some scientists
predict that releasing viral promoters into the gene pool could lead to
the creation of superviruses and novel infectious diseases for organisms
at every level of life -- from bacteria to humans.
WHAT CAN BE DONE.....
Demand labeling of GE foods. Press the issue to the president, to
congress, and have everyone you know press the issue. Below is a website
that lists companies that use GE products. Boycott them, telling them
that you refuse to eat their company's products until they stop using GE
products. Write as many companies as you can, even if you don't eat
their products to begin with! The future of genetic engineering lies
with us!
Here is a website which will give you a list of over a
hundred companies that use GE products!
You can either go to http://www.foe.org/safefood/companylist.html
or simply click here List of Food Companies !
To contact the president you can do any of the following
CALL: 202-456-1414 (switchboard) / 202-456-1111 (an operator will take
your
comments on this line).
FAX: 202-456-2461
E-MAIL: [email protected]
LETTERS: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20500
Remember, the fate of what we eat lies in our hands. The
more people that demand a stop to genetic engineering, or at least the
labeling of GE foods, the closer we are to winning!
Go on to Plutarch
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