Tuesday, February 10, 2004

 

 ~*~   Local action ~ global ramifications

   The pros & cons of Meassure H in Mendocino County

This Sunday past, The Santa Rosa PressDemocrat ran both pro & con essays on this most important issue.  I will leave the links to each argument in it's entirety, while reprinting portions of each.  This will permit me to comment and/or ridicule whatever portion I see fit.  My personal remarks, as always, will be designated by the following symbol: ~*~ (I've recently added an extra ~)

YES ON H: Mendocino County voters shouldn't roll dice on GMOs

By DAN HAMBURG 

The whole world will be watching on March 2 to see whether Mendocino County voters have the foresight and the fortitude to stand up to Monsanto, Dow Chemical and rest of the bully boys from biotech. We would be the first county in the nation to do so.

~*~  I LOVE a good fight!

Measure H bans the growing of genetically engineered plants and animals in Mendocino County. Consumers will still be able to purchase foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMO) at grocery and feed stores. Measure H will have no effect on biotechnology in medicine, or on the sale of such medicines in Mendocino County.

 The fact is genetically engineered products simply haven't been tested enough and have already put our health at risk. The genetically engineered amino acid L-tryptophan was marketed in the United States in 1989 as a food supplement by the Japanese company Showa Denko. Within a few months of being sold, the supplement had caused the deaths of 37 Americans, apparently from Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome (EMS). At least 1,500 others were permanently disabled.

A definitive answer on the cause of the toxic effects was never reached because all relevant evidence in Showa Denko's laboratory was destroyed before it could be examined.

Measure H is cost-effective, good government and so well written that it passed muster with the county's own attorneys who called it "clear" and "enforceable."

By banning the growing of genetically engineered plants and animals, we stand up for what we most love about Mendocino County: its natural and impossibly diverse beauty and its gritty, independent spirit. We don't like the idea of fish genes in our tomatoes or rat genes in our rice. We like our salmon and goats just the way God made them. In fact, many of our best customers, both here and abroad, like our products that way, too.

~*~  Fish genes in tomatoes is one thing..., but rat genes in our rice...?  Nice imaging there, Dan. 

 

NO ON H: Measure is poorly written -- and fatally flawed 

By PETE PASSOF 

.....Measure H means higher taxes. There's really no debate that Measure H would require either higher taxes or cuts in existing county services or both. Measure H creates a whole new government program that requires county staff and resources to implement. But the authors of Measure H didn't include one word about how to fund this program.

Measure H gives the county two choices: Either raise taxes or cut services.

County government could choose from a number of taxing options to finance Measure H, including a new assessment on homeowner property taxes.

The other option to finance Measure H would be to cut existing services and divert those funds to implementing Measure H. The final decision would be up to the Board of Supervisors, however, health care, law enforcement, road maintenance, libraries and other programs would be among the programs at risk.

Measure H means more government intrusion in your private life. Another example of how Measure H is poorly written is that it not only applies to farmers and local nurseries, it targets individual homeowners too.

 ~*~  This tired old Republican bugaboo again?  It'll raise taxes...?  More government intrusion in our lives..?  All these friggin' Republicans DO is intrude on our lives!  And this guy claims our health care will be at risk if we DON'T permit rat-gene rice?

Measure H throws out the baby with the bath water. Measure H bans all plants produced with assistance from biotechnology even those that could benefit the environment.

Take Pierce's disease, for example. It is lethal to grapevines, and there really is no conventional way to resist it even though farmers use millions of pounds of pesticides to fight it. Scientists are using sophisticated biotech techniques to develop grapevines that are resistant to this disease. Several experts at UC Davis believe the only solution for Pierce's disease is going to come from biotechnology. According to the agricultural commissioner, if a biotech solution is found it could eliminate the need for pesticides to fight it.

By banning cultivation of insect-resistant crops developed with the assistance of biotechnology, Measure H could lead to an increase in the levels of pesticides in the area's ground and surface water.

~*~  Whoa...! Hold the phone there, pal.  When I researched gentically modified wheat we discovered that the reason it's thought to be an improvement over nature is the MASSIVE amounts of hebicides it can withstand!  Approaching the problem that way has TWO benefits for Monsanto, since after they sell the GMO seed, they can also sell them extra herbicide!

The anti-Monsanto seed movement is spearheaded by organic farmers.  To be organically certified, you must use NO herbicides or pesticides!  Kind of exposes the bullshit being bandied about here.  The organic farmers save their bullshit for fertilizer

Measure H is well-intended, but poorly written and fatally flawed. It would lead to higher taxes and loss of privacy. It is scientifically inaccurate and would prevent Mendocino County farmers from using plants that would reduce pesticide use. Please vote no on Measure H and urge its supporters to go back to the drawing board.

~*~  If anything, I believe all of those potential dangers are inherent with the DEFEAT of Measure H!  Certainly the GMO research is scientifcally inacurate at best.  As for your loss of privacy, try planting the seeds of your new genetically modified stock.  Even if your neighbor's seed inadvertently is windblown to your property....can you say, "Lawsuit"?  Because Monsanto certainly can!  And will!

Here's a California variation on "the fish out of water" theme:

Sea lion found along Merced County road  

 

Le'see....do we have time...?  Why....YES....just enough....for tonight's edition of

Letters to the Editor

Editor -- Former Gov. Gray Davis had his faults, but at least he didn't pretend to be a reformer and then hold $50,000 and $500,000 pay-to-play fund- raisers during the budget cycle.

Why are Republicans usually such outrageously hypocritical sleazebags? It's time to impeach Schwarzenegger.

TYREE HILKERT

San Francisco

~*~  Dear Tyree;  ...Um....because they can get away with it...? 

Editor -- Apparently John Vinsko (Letters, Feb. 6) is upset that the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, which he claims violates the laws of nature. Unfortunately, he used a rather poor analogy by writing that the "ridiculous decision makes about as much sense as a decree saying henceforth dynamite will not explode if you light a match to it."

Anyone who has worked with dynamite will tell you that it takes more than a match to set off dynamite. It takes a small explosion from a blasting cap.

HEDLEY PRINCE

San Francisco

~*~  Very astute Hedley.  I like the cut of your jib!  BTW....creating Frankenstein is against the "laws of nature"...not homosexuality, which occurs in nature among various species besides human.

No Bush 'war record'

Editor -- Regarding "White House irate at Democrats' criticism of Bush war record" (Feb. 4): President Bush doesn't have a "war" record. He has a training record, and a rather poor one at that. He didn't even complete his training in a timely fashion, and was in fact AWOL a number of times, failing to report for training as ordered.

Bush's claim to a war record is an insult to those past and present National Guard members who report for duty as required every time, who train diligently and who do their best to remain truly ready to serve whenever called to do so.

Now Bush, having no concept of war as it really is, has recklessly pushed us into war in Iraq by citing faulty and/or fabricated intelligence. Hundreds of Americans have been killed and thousands wounded with the toll rising daily. We have killed or injured thousands of Iraqi innocents.

Glad as I am that Saddam Hussein has been caught, there is still no proof that he or his government played any part in the Sept. 11 attacks or were an imminent threat to us.

We desperately need strong leaders with actual battle experience, as well as intelligence and integrity to lead us out of this mess. We'd better elect some.

CHLOE-ALEXA MILNE

San Francisco

~*~  Dear Chloe;  Congratulations....you make the 3rd off-beat name in tonight's letters entries!  I particularly like the point about Bush's actions being an insult to all the National Guard members who have reported for duty as required.  It's a proper response to Bush's claim that Kerry is denegrating the National Guard when he says Bush recieved privileged treatment by being accepted there to skip Vietnam service.  Bush said he supported the Vietnam war (is there a war he DOESN'T support?) and that he "chose" to serve in the Texas Air National Guard.  R-i-g-h-t.  Those positions were much coveted because they did NOT require Vietnam service!  Which only made them harder to join, especially after all the Congressmen protected their sons by getting them accepted.  How come all of our present-day warmongers managed to skip the actual fighting when the oportunitry arose?  Just more coincidence...?

That will be it for tonight folks.  It's been about a month since I changed the Sonoma Co Pho-of-da-mo, but consider it done!   Since I hadn't pointed out the previous one, here it is too.

So...from all of me...to all of you....I bid you good night

~Brahma* 

posted by ~Brahma 2:11 AM