Re: Why Planting a Garden Should Be a Priority

[Guest guest]

I just joined http://www.onemilliongardens.com

The send you free heirloom seeds and they have free online gardening classes

that start April 5th.

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 12:50 AM, Dr. Loretta Lanphier <

drlanphier@...> wrote:

Below is why we should be planting our own backyard or container gardens

using heirloom seeds. We should also be including herbs which are so easy

to grow outside or inside. It will provide safe and nutritious food for our

family; a great learning experience for our children, allows us to get much

needed sunshine and is one of the most effective, yet inexpensive, stress

relievers around.

Will Obama's Food Safety Team Finally Regulate the Biggest Food Safety

Hazard of Our Time

If President Obama's new Food Safety Working Group dedicates all their time

and credentials to prevent future food recalls, they will have saved

thousands of people--but forsaken millions.

Over the last decade, our radically changing diet has ushered in the

explosive growth of food-related ailments, such as allergies, asthma,

obesity, diabetes, autism, infertility, gastro-intestinal disorders, and

learning disabilities. Of all the changes in our food, the most dangerous

transformation was the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops.

When these gene-spliced concoctions, such as GM soy, corn, canola, and

cottonseed, came on the scene in 1996, the proportion of Americans

suffering

from three or more chronic ailments. After just 9 years, that nearly

doubled

to 13%. GM foods are the prime suspect.

Government policy at odds with science

Until now, the government has sidestepped the controversy by hiding behind

FDA policy, which asserts that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are

" substantially equivalent " to natural foods and therefore don't require any

safety studies. But as Obama acknowledged, " many of the laws and

regulations

governing food safety in America " are outdated.

In truth, the FDA's GMO policy was not even up-to-date when it was

implemented in May 1992. FDA documents made public from a lawsuit revealed

that virtually all the agency scientists asked to comment voiced strong

warnings that GMOs may cause serious health problems. But the FDA was under

orders from the White House to fast track GM foods, and the person in

charge

of FDA policy was the former attorney of biotech giant Monsanto--and later

become their vice president. The scientists and the science were ignored.

Now that animals fed GMOs--in labs and farms around the world--have

exhibited symptoms related to the growing list of diseases in the US

population, the President's Food Safety team, including Dr. Margaret

Hamburg

as FDA Commissioner, must update GMO regulation. A scientifically sound

regulation would translate into an immediate ban of current GM crops, and

the implementation of rigorous safety testing requirements before any GMO

was put back into the food supply. And certainly mandatory labeling, as

promised by President Obama during his campaign, must accompany any GM food

approval.

Presidents and industry insiders avoid GMOs

The Obama family has wisely opted out of exposing themselves to GM foods by

requiring organic--and therefore non-GMO--foods served at the White House.

They are even planting an organic garden on the south lawn of the White

House, to feature 55 types of vegetables.

The Bush family also had an organic kitchen policy. Bush was

" adamant "

about it, but kept it all quiet.

Even at Monsanto, many in-the-know employees won't consume the company's

own

GM creations. Back in 1999, the management of the cafeteria at Monsanto's

UK

headquarters in High Wycombe, England wrote:

" In response to concern raised by our customers . . . we have decided to

remove, as far as possible, genetically modified soy and maize (corn) from

all food products served in our restaurant. . . . We have taken the above

steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we

serve. "

And one former Monsanto scientist told me that his colleagues, who were

safety testing milk from cows injected with the company's genetically

engineered bovine growth hormone, decided to stop drinking milk--unless it

was organic.

It's now time to let us all opt out of this dangerous and failed GM

experiment. If Obama's team is serious about food safety and public health,

they must take GMOs off our plates and put them back into the laboratory.

_____

>

> M. is the author of publication Genetic Roulette: The

> Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, which presents 65

> risks in easy-to-read two-page spreads. His first book, Seeds of Deception,

> is the top rated and #1 selling book on GM foods in the world. He is the

> Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology

> <http://www.responsibletechnology.org/> www.responsibletechnology.org,

> which

> is spearheading the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America. Go to

> <http://www.responsibletechnology.org/> www.responsibletechnology.org to

> learn more about how to avoid GM foods.

> _____

>

>