We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, January 30, 2015

There Is No Scientific Consensus On GMO Safety

Click here to access article by Colin Todhunter from his blog.

Todhunter draws material from scientists to argue that science has not arrived at agreement on this issue. Meanwhile agricultural corporations using GMO technology keep maintaining that the technology is perfectly safe. Of course, the technology is creating vast amounts of wealth for the owners of these corporations. 

As I've argued before, capitalists pursue wealth because of its easy convertibility into power over others which is its main objective. The pursuit of wealth is mostly a means to such power. 

Another unique feature of the capitalist system is mostly a great secret: the nature of capitalist class power is that it is very indirect so that it usually functions without the use of coercive physical force. Instead capitalists rely more on "market forces". To be sure, ruling capitalist classes have installed powerful coercive forces (militarized police forces, a huge military-industrial complex producing all sorts of lethal weapons, a huge prison system, etc) whenever market forces cannot accomplish their aims. With their ownership/control of media, they are also able to spread lies about their operations whenever the truth gets in their way. Todhunter is a media activist that is putting the lie to messages amplified by corporate media that GMO foods have been shown by scientists to pose no significant hazards to the health of humans or the environment.
The industry's claim that there is a 'scientific consensus' on the safety of GMOs is about as bogus as its claim that this technology is required to 'feed the world'. That too is a deception....