The GMO Stigma Propaganda

SUBHEAD: The media war regarding GMOs is really heating up in conjunction with lawsuit against Kauai.

By Michael Shooltz on 15 January 2014 for Kauai Rising -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-gmo-stigma-propaganda.html)


Image above: An activity book for children in support of biotechnology (GMOs).  From (http://action.sumofus.org/a/monsanto-brainwashes-kids/).

It appears that the info war around GMOs in the media is really heating up in coordination with the Lawsuit against the County of Kauai regarding Bill 2491 by three of the Chemical Companies. The Kauai Farm Bureau has initiated a letter writing campaign by it's members which they plan to "funnel" to the Star Advertiser. That began today with Mr. Gottlieb's article (head of the Cattleman's Association) which follows:

Organic Farming Can't Feed the World Farmers have done a terrible job telling our story, but didn't assume we had to ("State must take lead in GMO debate," Star-Advertiser, Our View, Jan. 12). What could be more important and valued by all than 1 percent of our population growing food for the other 99 percent, with the world's safest and most affordable food supply? The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest and most prestigious scientific society, issued this statement: "The science is quite clear: Crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe." One cannot be for sustainability yet reject science in agriculture. We cannot feed the world with organic farming, which takes more resources in land and water, than conventional and science-based farming. Farmers are under attack from a very vocal minority. We need the silent majority and anyone who values eating to speak up. We pray our elected officials will do what is right, rather than yield to the loud din of fear-mongers and Luddites. Alan Gottlieb Kapolei

In addition the following piece has just appeared in the Hawaii Free Press. It is quite "blatant".
(http://www.hawaiifreepress.com/ArticlesMain/tabid/56/ID/11580/The-GMO-Stigma.aspx)

The GMO Stigma January 3, 2014 Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could offer a healthier and more secure future for the poor across the world, says Henry Miller, a physician and fellow in scientific philosophy and public policy at the Hoover Institution. Standard rice crops are heavy in carbohydrates but poor in vitamins. Activists in the Philippines recently vandalized fields of "golden rice," a genetically engineered rice crop that contains beta-carotene. As 200-300 million preschool children in developing countries are at risk of vitamin A deficiency (500,000 children go blind each year due to a lack of vitamin A), a vitamin-rich crop such as golden rice is invaluable. Scientists responded to the vandalism, asking for support for crops like golden rice that could save millions from sickness and death, but the fact remains that many people believe that there is a significant difference between GMOs and conventional crops: In fact, many varieties of corn, oats, pumpkins, wheat, black currants, tomatoes and potatoes would not exist in nature were it not for 50 years of "wide cross" hybridizations (moving genes from one species to another). In North American and European diets, it is only wild berries, wild game, wild mushrooms, and fish and shellfish that have not been genetically improved in some fashion. There are no documented cases of harm to humans from genetically engineered crops. Regulations that are not commensurate with the actual level of risk in producing GMOs have inhibited innovation that could otherwise improve global food security. For many potential crops, testing and development has become economically unfeasible. Many places require GPS coordinates of GMO field trials to be provided, which only facilitates vandalism. Until regulators recognize that GMOs are not a dangerous category of research, genetic engineering will fall short of its potential, only hurting millions who could benefit from improved crop developments. Henry I. Miller "The GMO Stigma," Project Syndicate

I went to the Hoover Institution (a part of Stanford University, which is heavily funded by the Chemical Companies) to learn a bit more about it. It was interesting to note that it requires a password to read the resumes of the "Overseers" of the Hoover Institution.

However, Henry Miller, the author of this article has quite the resume and has been a mouthpiece for the Chemical Companies for over 15 years. In fact he was a part of the FDA when they first began to "fast track" their GMO approval process. See a portion of his bio below.

As the Legislature is about to enter session this is a very good time to begin to observe their lawmaking efforts and would also be a very good time to write to your Hawaii State Representatives letting them know that you will be watching their activities in this legislative session, in this election year, very carefully.

Miller served for fifteen years at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a number of posts. He was the medical reviewer for the first genetically engineered drugs to be evaluated by the FDA and thus instrumental in the rapid licensing of human insulin and human growth hormone.

Thereafter, he was a special assistant to the FDA commissioner and the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology. During his government service, Miller participated frequently on various expert and policy panels as a representative of the FDA or the US government. As a government official, Miller received numerous awards and citations.

Since coming to the Hoover Institution, Miller has become well known not only for his contributions to scholarly journals but also for his articles and books that make science, medicine, and technology accessible. His work has been widely published in many languages.

Monographs include Policy Controversy in Biotechnology: An Insider's View; To America's Health: A Model for Reform of the Food and Drug Administration; and The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution.

Barron's selected The Frankenfood Myth as one of the 25 Best Books of 2004. In addition, Miller has published extensively in a wide spectrum of scholarly journals and popular publications worldwide, including

The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Science, the Nature family of journals, Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, National Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the Guardian, Defining Ideas, and the Financial Times. He is a regulator contributor to Forbes.com and frequently appears on the nationally syndicated radio programs of John Batchelor and Lars Larson.

Miller was selected by the editors of Nature Biotechnology as one of the people who had made the "most significant contributions" to biotechnology during the previous decade. He serves on numerous editorial boards.

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