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GeorgiaHLA 2009 1. Agriculture Bill (#pending)
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GeorgiaHLA Legislative Intitiatives 2009
Georgia HLA Raises Concerns Over Genetically Modified Foods Genetically Modified Foods, Agribusiness and Monsanto Many of us are not familiar with terms like Agribusiness or Monsanto even though we are likely consuming their genetically modified products everyday. What does genetically modified mean? Basically all living things have DNA. These strands of DNA contain genes which give the organism its functions, characteristics and processes necessary to sustain life. Manipulating DNA, proteins and genes, all falls under the title of biotechnology. In the world of agriculture, companies like Monsanto use biotechnology in order to make crop production (amongst other things) better by building into the DNA code of seeds things like pesticides, drought resistance, increased nutritional content, etc. Unfortunately, the science and testing aspect of the process is driven by greed and profit margins. Which means Monsanto is pulling in the big bucks, but at the expense of your health and well being. What makes genetically modified food dangerous? In the process of genetic modification, the desired gene is coated with a promoter- this causes the gene to kick into high gear when it enters the new DNA strand, otherwise it would enter and remain dormant. Then gene and attached promoter is literally blasted into a group of cells in the hopes that it will stick to some of them. There is no way to control where exactly on the DNA the gene will attach, and the promoter is capable of switching on dormant viruses in the DNA, overproducing allergens, toxins or carcinogens, and promoting genetic mutation. What this means is that there is absolutely no way scientists can predict what mutations or foul play can emerge from the genetically altered food. The following excerpt is taken from www.responsibletechnology.org/utility/printpage/index.cfm?ObjectDI=191 "The FDA's Division of Food Chemistry and Technology, for example, predicted in 1991 that genetic engineering might create "increased levels of known naturally occurring toxins" or the "appearance of new, not previously identified" toxins. Subsequent studies have verified this. GM yeast, for example, contained a 200 fold increase in a naturally occurring toxin. A GM tobacco plant produced a toxin not found in natural tobacco, and not directly created by the inserted gene. The FDA division also warned of "undesirable alterations in the levels of nutrients," and of an increased tendency to gather "toxic substances from the environment" such as "pesticides or heavy metals." These concerns were also later verified. But the warnings by the FDA scientists' were ignored, even denied, in the official FDA policy. That policy was overseen by Michael Taylor, former outside attorney for Monsanto, turned FDA policy chief, later turned Monsanto vice-president." In an independent Russian study, Irina Ermakova, a leading scientist at the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, found that rats fed a diet including genetically modified soy increased the mortality in their young six times, amongst other disturbing findings. 85% of the soy grown in the United States is genetically modified and used in processed foods in the form of oil, flour and lecithin. It is also used in infant formula which is generating high levels of concern in other countries, but the information is suppressed by mainstream media in the U.S. The FDA does not require any safety tests on genetically modified foods. Yet, read this quote from the New York Times. "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food," said Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job." When you consider the inbred nature of Monsanto and our government, you should begin to get suspicious that something is afoot. Here's just a sampling: Michael Taylor, Legal Advisor U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also Head of the DC office Monsanto Corp. Josh King, Director of Production of White House Events, also Director of Global Comm. Monsanto Corp. Mickey kantor, Secretary U.S. Dept. of Commerce, also Member of Board of Directors, Monsanto Corp. Margaret Miller, Chem Lab Supervisor, Monsanto Corp, also Deputy Director of Human Food Safety, U.S. FDA. When Monsanto moves into a country, they patent the indigenous seeds, then sue any farmers who use the patented indigenous seeds. So the farmers are forced to buy seed from Monsanto. (A big difference from discouraging indigenous seed use). The seed is more expensive and the yields are often significantly lower and of poorer quality than the indigenous plants, causing a spiraling down in serious debt for farmers. Also, farmers who use seed from personal crop production of the Monsanto seeds are sued for stealing patented product. They are forced to purchase new seed each year. This is what is happening in India leading to wide spread suicide amongst farmers and unrest. In the United States, Monsanto sues small diary farmers for labeling their product "no added growth hormone" or "no rBGH" forcing the farmers to remove that labeling from their packaging. Monsanto has also sued farmers for using some of their patented seed technology when modifications in the crops was due to Monsanto genetically modified pollen blowing onto neighboring crops, causing genetic alterations. The health implications of GM foods are startling. "Soy allergies skyrocketed in the UK by 50% after GM soy was introduced. According to Russian scientists, allergies there tripled in the three years corresponding to the widespread introduction of GM foods. And food related illnesses in the U.S. doubled between 1994 and 2001, when many GM crops entered the food supply." We need to get GM foods and crops out of Georgia. Getting GM food out of the school system is a good place to start. For more information, please visit these websites: www.responsibletechnology.org
Proposed GeorgiaHLA Supported Legislation for 2009: 1) Agriculture Bill- Will be carried by Terry England, Vice-Chair of the Agriculture committee. Terry and I met this past week to go over the bill and we agreed that the acreage amount of 2.75 seemed to high, and that would be changed to 1 acre. The attachment contains the bill. 2) GM Bill- Legislation calling for the removal of all genetically modified food from the school system of Georgia. This bill is not yet in existence, but I'm putting together the general wording which will then be put into the hands of Bobby Franklin in order to be drafted into the bill. Below is a link for an article from a couple years back. The study in Wisconsin can be procured, but it isn't available free. I'm ordering it. Also, The Institute for Responsible Technologies helps campaigns for the removal of GM foods from school systems. I have emailed a request for assistance with educational materials, etc. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/DocumentFiles/5.pdf 3) Ban the NAIS in Georgia. This is a bill removing Georgia from compliance with NAIS, which has never been authorized by Congress, and will be nationally mandatory by 2011. Ike Hall offered up the following legislation which was passed in Oklahoma-- I think that it is very good, and addresses our previous concerns that a firm stance against federal intrusion into our state must be boldly declared. But I think that something very specific in regard to NAIS should be included or offered separately. This is an article on the NAIS sham in regard to food safety: www.alternet.org/story/46876/ 4) HB1 Criminalizing Prenatal Murder- This bill is same as last year. It is the right of states to define murder and prosecute murderers. Georgia has the most liberal abortion law in the nation, abortionists can terminate prenatal children up to the day of delivery. Furthermore, most clinics in Atlanta operate illegally without ambulatory surgical licenses. Surgical abortions are most commonly performed after 7 weeks gestation, and not before 6 weeks gestation. The pregnancy must be healthy and viable, the heart beating, before an abortion can be performed. What many do not know is that the medical costs of post-abortive women are much higher than non-post abortive women. It is important to note that sidewalk counselors in Atlanta report more than 90% of abortions are on black women. Black women have triple the risk of PTB (preterm birth) and quadruple the risk of XPB (Extreme Pre-term Birth, meaning before 28 wks gestation). In 2006 and 2007 the Institute of Medicine confirmed that "prior first trimester induced abortion" is an "immutable medical risk factor associated with preterm birth." XPB infants have a 129 times higher risk of cerebral palsey compared with full term infants amongst a greatly elevated risk of other complications. Due to post-abortive women delivering PTB and XPB, there has been a national increase in initial neonatal hospital costs in excess of $1.2 billion. A woman who has had two induced abortions has a doubled risk as that stated above of PTB and XPB. A woman who has had 4 induced abortions has an 800% increase in risk of XPB. A post-abortive woman who received a single first trimester vacuum aspiration abortion is 5x more likely to have breast cancer. With each IA, this risk is increased. The most common induced abortion method in the U.S. is vacuum aspiration ("suction"). According to the AGI (Alan Guttmacher Institute) President there have been no citations of animal studies on this method of abortion. Surgical procedures which are not previously investigated through animal experimentation are in direct violation to the Nuremberg Code and the Judicial Council of the American Medical Association. Since 43% of pregnancies in black women end in IA, black women are disproportionately subjected to a procedure that has not been proven to be safe, and has increasingly proven to be extremely harmful. Regardless of a person's opinion in regard to when life begins, abortion is an unsafe medical procedure which leads to physical and mental trauma in the mother that drives up healthcare costs, and erodes the quality of life for the post-abortive woman. Legalized abortion has merely insured that abortionists can garner huge profits in the "medical" profession without any government oversight, prescribing medications in violation of label usage, and performing an unsafe procedure which generally results in immediate or eventual complications. Legalized abortion is unsound medicine, and has insured that women in a vulnerable state are subjected to doctors motivated by greed.
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