Are You “Roundup Ready?”

The debate about genetically modified foods (GMOs) entering our food supplies goes on and on. People have very different views depending on their trust of science to do things right. “Better Living Through Chemistry,” as Dow Chemical Company used to say.

The issue is complex because each food item will need to be tested individually to show that it is safe. The question of who will be the lab animals for all this testing leaves us looking nervously at each other. Unfortunately, we KNOW who the lab animals will be—we were signed on for this experiment when we came to the planet at this time. Good luck to all of us.

The whole GMO picture is too complex for me to even think about. It will require time and study by highly trained scientists to unravel and it won’t be solved in my lifetime. The question I think I can deal with is the following: Why does Monsanto spend so much of its resources to develop GMO seeds? Answer: the seeds they are developing are resistant to the common pesticides and herbicides that Monsanto markets. These seeds are “Roundup ready” to use Monsanto’s own slogan. Farmers who plant these seeds can apply large doses of the herbicide Roundup to ensure bountiful crops. What this means should be obvious—the foodstuffs from those fields will contain more herbicide than before. And Monsanto makes more money all around.

Now, the question, boys and girls, is this: Are WE roundup ready? The World Health Organization doesn’t think so. I think I know the answer even without a lot of clinical trials.