GMO #2

We used to watch a science-fiction show, 'Doctor. Who' when our children were growing up. In at least one show the good Doctor was fighting against another being that among some of the atrocities he had done, he had crossed different species and came up with some odd creatures. It was one of those moments to shudder over. Another sci-fi show not related to Doctor Who, a scientist, in stages, turned a young man (who had been interested in the scientist's daughter) into a snake with human characteristics. That wasn't a happy show either.

I bring those shows up to highlight how things and times change.Back in 1980 scientists produced the first GE (genetically engineered/ GMO?) rabbit. Today we are looking at GE goats. A cross between a goat and a golden orb-weaver spider (a cannibalistic spider that produces: "silk, tougher than Kevlar, is a hundred times stronger than human ligaments.)"

While as a scientist this may be intriguing, as a regular human being I kind of put this up there with the Doctor Who and that other sci-fi show. Of course, one might ask, what's the big deal? The goat is still a goat. A cute lovable animal...right? At this point I'm thinking about Asian Beetles.

You know those stinking things that look a lot like Lady beetles, but aren't? That someone from the department of agriculture brought over from Asia to help (as an experiment?) control soybean aphid pests. That's a freebie, just in case you ever wondered where they came from and why. No, that doesn't answer why they swarm into our houses, bite, and stink, and etc.  But that's what I'm thinking about when people, say like scientists, and unsuspecting citizens ask 'so what', and 'what could go wrong?. 

I don't know how far these folks want to go with this. You can't tell by looking at the goats if they have the added traits, by the way. Not all do, but they do pass it on in their genetic code. And of course we need another government agency to regulate all of this...and this is part of the questions being asked. What if down the road some or all of these things come back with unintended consequences? Consequences that can't be controlled.

  There are many on both sides of the GMO issue. To the grain/crop farmer, as far as I can see it is a wash. Good and bad. In some ways it may be contributing to super weeds and pests. That's the bad side. Europe and foreign markets aren't real keen on GMO crops, but so far the U.S. has come out on the upper hand of (it looks like forcing) selling them our products GMO and all. Many of our own consumers want and in many cases are willing to pay extra for non-GMO (and organic).

I don't trust the research in either direction. I've been told anonymously by researchers, I can prove what ever you want—all it takes is money. However, some people do notice a difference when they and their families go organic and non-GMO. I've raised our garden, and we raised our truck farm organic and non-GMO for forty-five years. It isn't easy, sometimes it's gotten ugly, but I wouldn't change it. And I've gone back to using 95% heirloom varieties.

We've been business owners. We've worked for business owners, and one of the fundamentals is that the market and the customer determines what you sell. If there isn't a market for a product, or the customer doesn't want what you've got what can you do? I would think you would give them what they want.

There are fads that will pass, but the consumer keeps getting more vociferous, insisting on what products they want. I haven't waded into the grass-fed arena. I'm waiting a couple of years to decide if chicken eggs really know their mammy ate grass. I do like the home-grown brown eggs with their dark orange color. Brown eggs are reported as having a bit of a higher protein than white eggs.

I haven't even gotten into the ethics of some of these things, other than alluding to Doctor Who, and the sci-fi show. These things do bother me for several reasons. Scientists are acting like little kids with a new toy. They've found this wonderful information, and they want to manipulate it. To play God as it were. There are a number of things that are wrong with that.

• Only God is all-knowing. Only He can see all of the nuances and end results. 
• They/we aren't God and they/we are playing with a loaded gun. Like Pandora, something we may not be able to get back in the box.

In the Old Testament God had some laws for His people after they entered the Promised land. We today don't need to follow those commandments and statutes, but as I said last article they still make me wonder as to why they were there, and if we should be more careful with what we are doing.

"Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed: neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together." (Leviticus 19:19 ASV)

"Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which thou hast sown, and the increase of the vineyard." (Deuteronomy 22:9 ASV)

Hallelujah! What a Savior!