letters
TO THE EDITOR
advertisement in the EW a few weeks back
for TOBACCO? Did the EW advertising
staff know that tobacco is a product which,
when used as intended, kills the user and
those in close proximity? Is EW that hard
up for advertising dollars? It seemed so …
I don’t know, un-EW-like to see a full page
color ad for something that kills. Was the
“natural” label on the tobacco supposed to
make it more acceptable? Come on, folks.
Get it together.
Christy Sherman
Eugene
GM DANGERS
In response to Camilla Mortensen’s
Feb. 21 article “Ready for Roundup Ready
Sugar?,” please watch Debora Koons
Garcia’s excellent documentary The
Future of Food as soon as you can. The
fi lm provides stunning information about
unlabeled, genetically modifi ed crops
making their way into our bodies and our
environment with little or no testing.
Even more, after farmers’ fi elds in
Canada were allegedly accidentally cross-
pollinated with Monsanto’s Roundup
Ready varieties, Monsanto demanded
patent usage fees from the farmers
because the patent follows the GM gene.
That’s right. If the gene is in the plant, the
company who owns the gene can demand
payment for its usage. It doesn’t matter
how it got there.
Since most of the farmers did not have
the fi nancial means to fi ght, they settled out
of court and are forbidden to discuss their
settlements. One farmer fought — and lost.
Canadian judges supported Monsanto’s
patent usage claims, and the farmer was
forced to pay up. What a precedent!
The implications for Oregon’s sugar
beet farmers? If cross-pollination occurs,
they not only can lose their naturally
developed seeds, but they can also be asked
to pay patent usage fees on the GM variety
that invaded their fi elds. Shouldn’t the
farmers be suing the GM crop-producing
companies for the destruction of their
naturally developed seed?
Labeling of GM foods is law in European
Union (EU) member countries. Why is the
U.S. dragging its feet on this issue? Without
proper labeling of GM foods, health effects
cannot be monitored and health effect
databases cannot be compiled. Without this
basic information, it’s much more diffi cult
for people to avoid GM foods on physical,
mental, spiritual or moral grounds. And
there is no accountability for companies
if adverse health effects are linked to their
GM products.
According to the fi lm, Monsanto
has patented over 11,000 seeds, many
of them not even genetically modifi ed.
Visit thefutureoffood.com for more
information. And thank you, Camilla, for
your informative article.
David Moody
Eugene
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