And it’s not about Obama specifically; it’s about US policy that increasingly turns away from very serious threats to freedom and democracy. But of course they’re only ideals. So, you know . . .
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- Louis BrandeisTension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
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Whatever Works 
I guess Obama can’t win,eh?
He finally takes a stand and people ridicule him….
I’m happy that in the end he may actually get the chemical weapons out of the equation …..
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james, I’m not ridiculing Obama – he’s just the current president and the ‘hands-off’ policy toward Monsanto (who poison kids all the time) is hardly this administration alone – it’s pretty much the entire Federal govt that turns away.
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A reasonable question…
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Luv it…there’s the issue that’s destroying American farming and produce. Give it 25 more years and there won’t be any real food growing.
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I know Moe….
If you get the job you get the good and BAD….
But when stand back this whole thing has been a mess….
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Most of the real science supports Monsanto. It’s only agenda-driven pseudo-scientists railing against them as poisoning anyone. Monsanto’s like Walmart; a favorite target of the anti-American Leftists who care nothing for truth but everything for their ideology.
That being said, I don’t really like Monsanto and wouldn’t cry if they got crushed because I don’t like their business practices even a little bit.
One thing though, I can afford “heritage” produce and GMO-free meats. Indeed, I choose to live very close to the Leftist ideal when it comes to many things, especially diet…but I make a whole lot of money and a $800+ / month grocery bill doesn’t bother me.
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jonolan, The cartoon pokes at the ‘franken-food’ idea, but the political problem with Monsanto – which I assume you agree with – is that they’re trying to OWN all the food.
I’d love to live close to the ‘leftist ideal’ (there you go again) you can afford. I cannot. So I guess that makes me a hypocrite – compromising my ideals just because I don’t want to spend $4.00 for a tomato.
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Moe, it’s also EXACTLY why I virulently hate the Leftists, who want to make my lifestyle mandatory for all. I, as a 2% most years (varies between 3%’er and 1%’er) can afford it and choose, quite eagerly, to live it; most others can’t afford it.
😆 Most of my tomatoes (delicious, heritage varietals all) are grown on my property (I green roofed at high CAPEX), Moe, or in community garden space my wives manage. Once again my Leftist lifestyle shines through.
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As jonolan says, there is broad scientific consensus that food on the market derived from genetically-modified crops pose no greater risk than conventional food. Human beings have been genetically modifying food ever since the invention of agriculture, it’s just that until recently they did it by cross-pollinating and seed selection and lately they have just speeded up that process.
I’m not familiar with any business practices that would render Monsanto worthy of physical attack, but I believe that GMO’s are about the only means the world will ever have of adequately nourishing the projected population. Tofurky, anyone?
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Suing farmers whose crops become “infected” with their product is one problem. The business practice of not allowing a seed-crop from a field, though they’re not selling sterile hybrids, is another, Jim.
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Sure, I get that. Monsanto is just trying to protect it’s patents and maximize profits from them, just as Big Pharma does on its inventions. It’s to be expected, I think, and I submit this is just one more reason why we need good and transparent government regulation.
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JIm – in spite of the words in that cartoon, I actually agree with you and jonolan and am fine with genetically modifying foods to a reasonable extent. It’s an important part of how we’ve been managing to feed more people on this planet than ever before.
But I do find Monsanto to be a threat to us all . . . they now hold something like 93% of the patents on grains grown around the world and are the most litiguous corporation in history as they sue farmers left and right for using their own seed instead of Monsanto’s.
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OK, Moe, I can see your point then. But rather than blame Monsanto, let’s blame federal regulators, the Congress and the courts for not making a patent system that works like one ought to. Big Pharma, same thing for trying to patent parts of the human genome. Blaming Monsanto for acting like this is, I submit, similar to kicking your dog for acting like a dog. Mitt Romney not withstanding, corporations are, well, inhuman. 🙄
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OK Jim,, I’ll see your point right back at’cha! Indeed government has totally ignored their responsibility in this. What Monsanto does is beyond monopoly and – you’re right – regulators and their bosses seem to be fine with it.
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Amazingly, I’d say leave out the federal regulators as they’re largely uninvolved in this specific set of problems and involving them would not improve anything.
Patent law needs to be “revisited” and we need some serious tort reform across the board. Sadly, since our laws are based upon precedent instead of statute. this will be an uphill battle…actually it’ll more closely resemble rock climbing than moving uphill. 😦
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Agreed, it’s mainly a Congress problem. 😦 indeed.
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I don’t really think so. Congress can fix some of it – but won’t as lawyers rarely turn against their own – but a lot of it has to be done at the state level and on a state by state basis.
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Just incidentally, everybody, I recently found out some stuff about GMO’s on an NPR pod-cast about something called “golden rice”. This is a shocking story that affects kids. Lots of them. It has it’s own Wikipedia page and it deserves it. Why? Because a whole lotta people live on just-plain rice and that’s a big problem. One paragraph says this:
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Jim – you mentioned this in another thread. Now I want to know more so will go over and read up
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Don’t EVEN get me started, Jim. I spent too much time in places where this sort of thing was needed and wasn’t allowed to be available. Hell! I spent too much time fighting and butchering children who were paid to stop anything like this this from happening.
Jim, I’m always going to be either your worst enemy or staunchest ally whenever it comes to the truly poor on our planet because I’ve been among them and destroyed my soul in the process.
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I do sense a lot of anger in your comments, John. Blogging is going to be limited as catharsis for you, seems to me, unless you reveal a good deal more than you have. Maybe if you discussed it all with someone close . . .
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Jim, why would I inflict that upon those that I’ve chose nto cherish and protect? Think about that for a moment.
And, point in fact, I’m nowhere close to even thinking that catharsis is my goal, Maybe someday.
But you’re right. I know when I wasn’t but it was a long time – and a lifetime, as he (me that was then) didn’t survive – ago. Since then I’ve done too much, Jim, in too many bad places to ever be other than I am.
Believe me though, Jim, I’m Blessed. I have two wonderful wives who love me even though they have some idea of my life and can, somehow, get past what I am. I HAVE NO ROOM FOR WHINING!
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No catharsis for you? Then why do you haunt a web site with which you mostly disagree?
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Because, Jim. I can actually respect both Moe and most of the commenter, including yourself. In my life, the respect for an adversary or enemy has been a cherished rarity.
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Which is why, jonolan, I view your commentary as dialogue, not conflict, and welcome you here. Also, you’re pretty smart. And smart is good.
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There is money in bombing Syrians thats why 🙂
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