Market Farming

["GlobalCirclenet" <webmaster AT globalcircle.net>]

The so-called logic "If we did not do it, someone else would anyway, So why
shouldn't we get the money..." is a little too convenient for some of us.
It can be a handy excuse for just about any evasion of responsibility, from
the tavern owner selling to drunk drivers to farmers drenching produce in
harmful pesticides. It's not that we're all to blame for misuse of
everything we sell. The difference is when we know a product is going to
cause harm or be misused. For example, guns, cars, alcohol, and tobacco can
all be misused, but of those four only tobacco is always harmful.  That, I
believe, is the point where we take or evade responsibility for the end
result. It's called ethics. Ethics and personal beliefs about farming and
food have a great deal to do with the market farming and organic movements.

Why shouldn't we get the money?  Because I'd rather someone else make money
from "selling death" or any harmful product. This is only a personal
statement, about as clear as I can make it, and if someone just can't help
nitpicking me for having a personal opinion, then I will not be the one to
ignore the moderator's advice.

paul & barb - on the continental divide
http://globalcircle.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 10/21/2002 at 7:21 PM Rick Williams wrote:
>
>Probably there are a number of folks here who do not like it that the U.S.
>(or any particular country) produces and sells arms, including land mines,
>to other nations and are sometimes profiteering from selling death. But
the
>same logic applies. If we did not do it, someone else would anyway. So why
>shouldn't we get the money as Wendell would say.
>