GMOs: Where Do You Stand?

[Steve]

GMOs are of course Genetically Modified Organisms.  I have noticed that a lot of people show a hesitance towards eating GMOs or supporting their creation or use. 

Personally, I think they are a great idea.  If you can make a tomato heartier and more cold resitant by splicing in a sequence for a cold shock protien from say, and arctic fish, what is the harm?  People call these things "Frankenfoods" and seem to think that by eating them something bad will happen, or there may be health effects.

People also have a lot against Monsanto because of their round-up ready terminator seed.  The issue here, if you didn't know, is that the wheat produced from these seeds are extremely high yield, immune to round-up pesticide (a monsanto product) and the biggie, they do not reproduce.  In other words, if you want to grow it, you have to keep buying the seeds.

People scream bloody murder and call Monsanto any number of names, David Suzuki HATES them, and they apparently eat babies.

People see them as profiteering corporate slime, who could feed the world, but does not because they want money.  Why not just breed the hearty grain, round-up ready, with reproductive capability so we can ship it by the intermodal load to Africa and end all hunger in the world? 

Regardless,  where do you stand on the issue of GMOs?  Some say science, some say sin, some say playing "God".  What do you say??

-S-

[brian]

I'm not worried about eating them, as I am pretty sure any GMO foods would be as safe as regular foods.

The two major things I am concerned about are the plants getting out of control and the related corporate issues.

Monsanto is pretty evil though.  Just look at how they went after Percy Schmeisser because he did what farmers do every year, kept his seeds for next year, when some of his farm was contaminated by Monsanto's seeds.  Or how they tried to shut up the people who did the Seeds of Change film a couple years ago.

[Steven]

I pretty much agree with Brian. I don't really have a problem with GMO's in principle (although the GM tomatoes taste like shit ). If used properly they could definitely solve a lot of problems (I don't know a lot about agriculture). It's more the shady business practices of Monsanto that concern me. There was the whole RBGH thing which I believe is a Monsanto product where they tried to cover up it's harmful effects.

[X]

I want my hotdog to fetch it's own ketchup, already!

What's taking so long?

[Gerry]

Yeah, in principle, I have no problem with GMO's.
In fact, I believe the production of insulin for diabetes is produced by a GMO.. A bacteria which has had the "insulin gene" inserted into its genetic code, so it happily produces insulin which is of no use to it, so we harvest it.

When they start producing vegetables which produce their own pesticides, it should be examined more closely, but if evidence showed it was safe, I wouldn't have a problem with it.

And about Monsanto, I don't think most people hate them because they produce GMO's. People hate them because of their business practices.
The advocates against GMO's cling to Monsanto's immoral practices to further their cause.

[Brennan]

I'm in support of GMO or GM crops etc. Right now however the only people that can afford to research and use this technologies is big industries. I think they are a necessary step for agriculture.