Dear Miriam,

When I watched the video of the native tribe speaking about the importance of bringing more balance to the way we all treat the earth, I had a heartfelt connection to their passion.  I was shocked when one of them  pointed out that Monsanto had been there and ruined their food and their treasured garden.  He even invites anyone to come and help them, even if it’s just to plant trees.  It’s an amazing experience and a deep rooted cry for help from a people who obviously have very simple lives. (see the video here: www.youtube.com)

I just came across the following article online.  It tells of Monsanto’s work in the region of Colombia around 2001 in a joint military effort to combat drug cartels by spraying Round-up pesticide on their Coca plants.  Is this when the damage to their gardens occurred?  Is that when they began to get ill, also?  Is it still going on?

I  heard in the news that Monsanto made a deal with Dole foods.  I found the announcement here from Reuters (www.reuters.com/article)

Definitely eating organic these days. as I hate being experimented on.  At a recent visit to the farmers market I found myself having a heated debate with a tortilla vendor on the importance of eating organic.  Since his products were not organic I sensed he was a little defensive.  And in this market, I can’t blame him.  But to try and tell me that genetic modifications to foods has been going on for thousands of years is pure ignorance.  The man has confused Conventional Breeding with Genetically Modified tactics.  This article explains the difference: (www.actionbioscience.org)

It’s a tough debate.  On the one hand you have the potential to create food that meets the ultra convenience of society, larger strawberries, crops that can survive frost, and healthy french fries from McDonalds with potatoes that absorb less fat when fried.  On the other hand you have the fact that we are the guinea pigs and are all playing a part in this huge experiment, being that these manufactures have not tested their product enough to secure the safety of our environment.  What happens when these plants cross-pollinate and form mutant plants?  Will there no longer be a species that would come from a non-modified inherency?  Is this part of another disaster waiting to happen?  Or can we prevent it?

For anyone who cares to learn more:

Read more here: Genetically_modified_organism+cross+pollination+versus+gmo