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internetworkers - Re: [internetworkers] Genetically modified foods - (was fahrenheit911, at a theater near you!)

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  • From: Ian Meyer <ianmeyer AT mac.com>
  • To: "Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/" <internetworkers AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Genetically modified foods - (was fahrenheit911, at a theater near you!)
  • Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 10:48:49 -0400


On Jun 23, 2004, at 10:33 AM, Jeremy Portzer wrote:

On Wed, 2004-06-23 at 10:20, Ian Meyer wrote:


because those thousands of genes were already in the plants, as opposed
to just inserting genes that may end up doing all kinds of unexpected
weird stuff

But the point is they DO NOT do "all kinds of unexpected weird stuff".
Genes are codes to make proteins. In the case of the RR gene, it makes
a protein that alters the mechanism by which Roundup normally works.

Now, I agree that protein mechanisms are extremely complex, and it's
important to test things to be sure there aren't unexpected side
effects. But you are just changing one SMALL aspect of the whole mix,
unlike hybridization which changes THOUSANDS of proteins unknown to the
hybridizer. Why are thousands of unknown changed genes somehow better
than one well-studied carefully known gene?

those thousands of proteins come form the plants, proteins that work, that do their job properly, whereas the inserted genes, although they may work right themselves, who's to say that they don't have some strange side effects on the other genes and protein production? frankly, with the recent stuff of pharmaceuticals being misused and not properly tested, im not that trusting of Big Corp's custom veggies.

whats really weird to me is the people against the labeling of
(artifically) GM foods...

It's because theses labelling ideas usually latch on to this paranoia
that artificial genetic modification is somehow a horrible idea, when
science for the most part has shown it's just fine.

labeling wouldn't acknowledge any supposed dangers, just make consumers more aware

(Same goes for certain processing techniques such as irraditation.)

thats a lot less suspect than GM foods, IMHO, and doesn't need labeling

I don't have anything against the voluntary labeling of foods that are made without
artificial GM though. And maybe some rules should be made to clarify
this, like the rules for 'organic' labelling.

yeah, a rule like, if you say is isn't GM, then it can't be GM.





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