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[Jeremy Portzer <jeremyp AT pobox.com>]

On Tue, 2004-06-22 at 15:35, Shea Tisdale wrote:
> But I can't resist all their ads and their chemically engineered,
> bio-engineered, genetically modified food stuffs they sell!
> 

Your comment of course was sarcastic.  But it brings up a point that I
have -- why is there a common assumption (at least among
leftists/liberals) that "bio-engineered" or "genetically modified" foods
are such a horrible thing.  After all, they allow for a number of things
that help the environment, supposedly a liberal cause.  For example,
crops that are modified to resist Roundup herbicide ("Roundup Ready"
soybeans and corn from Monsanto) reduce the use of other herbicides that
can cause plant damage downstream.  Or, crops modified to bring higher
yields reduce the need for fertilizers that can cause algae blooms and
fish kills.  Such crops contain no difference whatsoever in the end
product, and as such are perfectly safe for human and animal
consumption.

Sure, like any new technology, genetically engineered foods need to be
evaluated carefully, weighing costs and benefits.  I'm not arguing for
an end-run around the scientific method.  But when the scientific method
is applied, we should pay attention to it!  

--Jeremy

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| Jeremy Portzer        jeremyp AT pobox.com      trilug.org/~jeremy     |
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