Page 3 - Summer2014

Letters

GMO VICTORY be absolutely safe, and that any fear do adequate testing. Glyphosate and
I live in Jackson County, Oregon, of contamination of organic crops was Bt crops of soy, corn, beets and alfalfa
where local people recently passed a unfounded. would not pass real tests.
GMO crop ban initiative that made A Portland publicity firm had Oregon is now gathering signatures
national news. Here's what happened: plenty of money for TV spots, multiple for a statewide labeling requirement. We
Over two years ago, a local organic mailings to voters and phone calls from will win again. A band of local volun-
seed grower discovered that Syngenta, a Nevada. Voters were told that enforce- teers with tremendous effort can be an
Switzerland-based corporation, had for ment of the measure would cost so much effective force.
a number of years leased many small that law enforcement budgets would be See the website www.ourfami-
tracts of local land for GMO beet seed decimated and teams of enforcement lyfarmscoalition.org or contact me at
production, distributed so widely that agents would be inspecting local farms imedwds@gmail.com.
no pollen-free place was left for related and gardens. Ira Edwards
organic seed production. Syngenta's Medford, Oregon
move into the valley had been so co-
vert that hardly anyone knew about HARMFUL TO
it. HUMAN HEALTH?
A "GMO-Free Jackson County" I didn't renew because I started
group gathered signatures to put an investigating more about health and
initiative on the ballot. The state found that arachidonic acid [found
legislature responded by taking in foods like butter and liver] is very
away local rights, allowing only harmful to human health, causing
state control of GMO farm issues. inflammation down to a molecular
Jackson County was exempted be- level.
cause they had already qualified for Name Withheld
the ballot. A large number of farms
and businesses joined the effort with Chris Masterjohn replies: There are
"Our Family Farms Coalition." Our two problems with the idea that ara-
local WAPF chapter added support. chidonic acid is inflammatory. The
Opposition was fierce, with first is that inflammation is impor-
large donations from Monsanto, tant, and should not be viewed as a
Syngenta, nationwide farm bureaus bad thing. The second is that arach-
and sugar and food industries, using lo- With a very high voter turnout, the dionic acid is not "pro-inflammatory" or
cal farm bureaus and "Good Neighbors initiative passed with 66 percent in favor "anti-inflammatory," but is rather a raw
Farmers PAC." Most local government of banning GMO crops. Neighboring material that our bodies use to regulate
officials and news editors vigorously op- Josephine County passed a similar ban the process of inflammation.
posed the measure, repeating arguments with a 56 percent margin, in spite of the Inflammation protects us from
identical to agribusiness propaganda, state takeover. infection and cleans up damage within
and claiming that the conflict could David versus Goliath, or the mouse our bodies. Inflammation is one of the
be resolved if farmers would be "good that roared? What I see is a massive reasons we are all alive. Our bodies
neighbors." Scientists from Oregon increase in public awareness that GMO regulate the initiation of inflammation
State University and the University of is not safe. and regulate the resolution of inflamma-
California at Davis assured the public If the FDA had not conspired with tion. We do not want a diet and lifestyle
that every aspect of GMO science had agribusiness to decree GMO safe, the that are "pro-inflammatory," nor do we
been thoroughly tested and found to industry would have been required to want them to be "anti-inflammatory."
Wise Traditions SUMMER 2014 Wise Traditions 3

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