Friday, September 05, 2008

Open Source Food versus Genetically Modified Rapeseed of Monsanto

So Percy Schmeiser was the man who had to stand up alone against a Globalist Corporation.

In Britain, Rape is commonly grown as an oilseed crop. In Canada, because of prudish reactions to the other meanings of the word rape, the plant was given the name Canola long ago.

Monsanto developed a GM version of rape/canola that was resistant to their Roundup herbicide:

1. Buy the herbicide made by Monsanto
2. Buy the seed resistant to that herbicide grown by Monsanto
3. Spray the herbicide on the field several times a year to superficially keep down the other weeds and non-GM seed.
4. Pay a license for it year after year, because you never own the seed or its descendents, not unless Monsanto dies.

It sounds like Monopoly, because it is. There is one player, called Monsanto, and it owns the whole board. As if that isn't bad enough:

5. Get sued by Monsanto if their seed lands on your fields, and you don't want to grow their crap as a crop.

Quite apart from this obvious abuse of corporate power, there is a fundamental insult here to all people who believe in Open Source. The definition of a seed, or any genetic material, as intellectual property goes entirely against everything that Open Source advocates believe in.

GM = Genetically Modified = Globalist Monopoly

How many Open Source computer heads who defend GM Science ever think about this, every time they eat something? That the food they eat, which today often contains GM soya, goes against their political beliefs?

Well a Google on Open Source GM reveals that the concept of Open Source Genomics is a few years old, and the article points out that Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) biotechnology should be favoured over Transgenic GM creations.

So why, when Prince Charles spoke up last month against GM, did I not hear any of his opponents mention MAS biotechnology?

Silence is Golden for those who are protecting the Golden Eggs laid by the Transgenic GM Geese.

Open Source versus GM. I like it. I wonder where all that GM Canola Rapeseed oil goes to. How can we avoid it? Stuff it down the throats of stupid Labour Governments, maybe?

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