Gaye Levy, Contributor
Activist Post
With all of the publicity given to the California ballot initiative on
GMO labeling, I have seen little if nothing mentioned about an
initiative in my little community that would ban GMO crops within the
boundaries of our island county.
And the truth is, while there are few places in the world that could
remain effectively GMO-free, the San Juan Islands in Washington State is
one of them.
If passed in November, an initiative measure in our county
will prohibit the cultivation of crops, livestock and other organisms
that have had genes intentionally modified in a way that did not occur
by mating or natural recombination. We would essentially become a safe
zone for non-GMO crops, which in turn will preserve our ability to grow
and control our food supply for years to come.
So why is this important and why is this being shared on a website that
promotes prepping? I will get to that, but first a simplistic and easy
to understand primer on GMOs.
A Brief Primer on GMOs
There are a lot of issues surrounding GMOs. Alas, many people recognize
that they are “bad” but have not taken the time to learn why. Or
perhaps they have taken the time but have had their eyes glaze over when
faced with technical terminology or activist falderal.
Let me make things simple with a very brief explanation of what GMO’s are all about.
GMOs are organisms that have been created through through the
gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology, allowing DNA from one species
to be injected into another species. By taking the genetic material
from one organism and inserting it into the permanent genetic code of
another, numerous weird and obscene creations, such as potatoes with
bacteria genes, “super” pigs with human growth genes, fish with cattle
genes, and tomatoes with flounder genes have been created.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
These
same creations are often bred with genes that not only allow them to
tolerate weed killers but to also generate their own insecticides.
These in turn are released into our environment, affecting our farmlands
as well as our food supply.
Did I happen to mention our health and the health of animals as well?
Examples of genetically modified crops, which have been commercially
planted since 1996, include soy, corn, cotton, canola, sugar beets,
alfalfa, papaya, summer squash, potato, tomatoes and sweet peppers.
In addition, a genetically modified grass has recently been approved and
the approval of genetically modified apples and salmon are pending.
With their ties to major corporations and the almighty dollar, the USDA,
FDA and EPA are planning to fast track further approvals of GM crops,
cutting the approval time down to just 18 months. GMOs, if you have not
figured it out, are big business and a money scam pure and simple and
for whatever reason, an alphabet soup of US agencies are in on it.
This is all happening in spite of a growing body of research indicating
that GMO food products have adverse effects upon animal and human
health. Scientists as well as whistleblowers within the GMO industry
itself have produced evidence that GMOs are more toxic, allergenic and
less nutritious than their natural counterparts. For a real eye-opening
experience, take a look at the movie Genetic Roulette (available free online until October 31st and possibly longer). You will be sickened by what you see.
Why are preppers concerned about GMO crops?
Of course the problem, as it exists in most communities, including my
own, is that contamination of traditional crops by genetically modified
crops is generally acknowledged to be unavoidable since
cross-contamination from nearby genetically modified crops can not be
controlled. And so therein lies the need for entire communities to be
GMO-Free, thus mitigating the effects of crop and seed cross pollination
and contamination.
Do not underestimate this contamination issue because it presents a huge
dilemma to those who prefer or who must grow their own food. Preppers,
that group of motivated individuals seeking self-reliance and
independence from big business and government controls, want to grow
their food from heirloom type seeds that reproduce faithfully from one
year to the next, thus ensuring a steady stream of reliable seeds that
can be harvested and planted in subsequent years.
Most preppers, myself included, cook their own food, bake their own
bread, concoct their own DIY cleaning supplies and know how to build and
fix things themselves. Added to that list is the growing of food –
fruits and vegetables – in a sustainable and productive manner.
For all of us, it is important that we control the food
that is produced in our gardens. We want our seeds to be viable and to
reproduce themselves as nature intended. After all, we recognize that
the time may come when our gardens become out a major source of
sustenance. And that, over and above everything, is our concern.
Do we want fish or antibiotic-laden tomatoes in our gardens. No. Do we
want plants that create a chemical pesticide and then spread that toxin
to other plants and perhaps to ourselves? No.
As far as I can tell, the only way to eliminate these issues is to grow
non-GMO crops and to prevent our neighbors crops from contaminating our
own gardens and fields. Which gets me to where I started at the
beginning of this article; this is what we are attempting to do in my
community.
The Final Word
There are those that will say that prohibiting and policing the growing
of GMO crops is impossible. And yes, that may be true on a global
scale. But still, as with our prepping activities, each step we take as
individuals to stop GMOs becomes an important one.
Whether enforceable or not, I hope the rest of the world will keep their
eyes on my little community at election time. In some small way, if we
do become GMO free, we may help change the worl
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