Frankenfood

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

CLOSING THE CIRCLE

Linda Fisher spent five years as Monsanto's top Washington lobbyist. She also managed Monsanto's political money. In 2001, George W chose her to be deputy administrator of the EPA, the agency's second-highest post. The EPA has regulatory authority over plants genetically altered to contain pesticides. Monsanto is the leading producer of those altered plants.

Science has spoken, but money shouts. Monsanto and the other food contaminators have poured more than $100 million into Washington lobbying in the past six years and they are major campaign donors to Bush, the GOP, and the Democrats in congress, so the essentially unregulated, let-'er-fly policy toward these dangerous organisms was written by them. The scathing NAS report was only a one-day story. If Bush even saw the report, neither he nor anyone in his administration lifted a finger to implement any of its recommendations, nor have the congressional leaders of either party.

"Virtually all participants said that bioengineered foods should be labeled as such... Most participants expressed great surprise that food biotechnology has become so pervasive in the U.S. food supply... [and] outrage that such a change in the food supply could happen without them knowing about it."

-- The "Well, duh!" findings from a series of 12 focus groups convened by the FDA, 2001

When informed about the genetic tampering with our dinner, a good 80 percent of people polled say, "Hell No!" to being Monsanto's guinea pigs. But it's the old tree-falling-in-the-woods question: "If the people shout their opposition, but congress and the White House have Monsanto checks stuffed in their ears, do the people make a sound."

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print