Earlier this year, the activist organization US Right to Know (USRTK), bankrolled largely by a $47,500 donation from the Organic Consumers Association, submitted Freedom of Information requests asking certain US academics for e-mails dating back to 2012. This was to ascertain whether their ‘messaging’ was being coordinating with 14 companies, including Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Dow and other biotechs, food industry trade groups and their communication firms. The academics had all contributed to an industry-backed website called GMOanswers.com and/or had spoken out against California’s GM food labeling proposition. Over the summer, the activists broke their ‘news’.
These headlines focused on Kevin Folta, a University of Florida researcher, because USRTK leaked his e-mails to three journalists. Two of them co-posted a PLOS blog (now removed), while the third wrote a front-page New York Times news story highlighting a $25,000 donation from Monsanto to Folta’s institution. In both cases, the reporters cherry-picked sentences from several thousand e-mails, highlighting Folta’s communications with Monsanto, often out of context, to insinuate that he is an industry shill–and thus presumably unfit to talk to the public.
These GMOrons, if they really wanted to live their ideology, would have a tough time surviving. I would challenge them to fill their bellies consistently with non-GMO food. Can’t be done. But then who other than GMOrons would want to?
Oh, gov’t funded scientists doing what gov’t funded scientists do…whatever it takes to retain gov’t funding.
Just like the gov’t funded global warming shysters. The econuts couldn’t have demanded their email if they weren’t using public money…
One parasite feeding off another parasite…
I so wish I could effect change on certain minds in my social orbit. But alas, it appears not to be possible. I had a roaring discussion with a young relative (30 yrs old) who of course sees Monsanto as the devil incarnate and GMO foods as a tool of the devil.
So I sent her a link to an Intelligence Squared debate featuring two respected scientists speaking for GMO and two speaking against: http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates/item/1161-genetically-modify-food
At the end of the debate a large percentage of the ‘un-decided’ had moved to supporting GMO foods, based on the science they heard from both sides. The difficulty is that the 30ish relative will never spend an hour listening to a debate because she really isn’t interested in hearing countervailing views to her own and if it can’t be tweeted or reduced to five minutes, it would exceed her attention span.
…the reporters cherry-picked sentences from several thousand e-mails…
Imagine that! Reporters prefabbing a story by picking through junk piles and making it look like all the different pieces fit.
a plus h plus x equals 17
The back to nature freaks so convinced of this Population Bomb poppycock they want millions to starve including here in america they have bumper stickers reading SAVE THE REDWOODS and window stickers KEEP ABORTION LEGAL typical liberals all the way