Interesting comment.

This is a comment I received in response to my "Say NO to Frankenfood" post. It was posted anonymously. Mr. or Ms. Anonymous doubted that I would publish the comment because it doesn't fit with my "world view." I decided not only to publish it but to create a whole new post about it too! Buckle your seat belt....here goes:



Anonymous said (I copied & pasted): "Yep OK, because you have made such a convincing argument about the dangers and you told me to "NO to GM food" Let me guess... you've never been truly hungry have you? I say that because if you have you wouldn't dismiss agricultural science so quickly. You want natural, then go and catch a fish becuase thats about the only food that isn't genetically modified through conventional breeding.If you want ecoli, then eat organic. It comes from the raw sewerage they use to fertilise your food.I doubt you will publish this comment because it doesn't fit with your world view, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to hear it."



Mr. or Ms. Anon.- based on your sarcastic tone I take it I didn't convince you to say NO to Frankenfood in my post about the subject. Well, I've been walking down this path for a long time and trust me- you are not the first "roll & blow" I've encountered. Perhaps I should have put a whole lot of boring statistics and frightening facts about how our food is being tampered with. I figured the evidence is out there and easy to find. I took the less casual slightly humorous approach instead. I find this to be a more effective way of piqueing interest. In addition, my post was not really to debate whether GMO's are right or wrong....of course they are WRONG in my opinion....but to educate people that they are eating them and they probably have no idea. I believe that we should have the right to choose and refuse.


So, sir/ ma'am, let me answer your first question. Have I ever been truly hungry? This actually brings up 2 different points- both of which I will address.



First point: The simple answer would be "NO." I have never been hungry...I'm actually hoping if you've read any of my other blog posts, or if you know me even a little, you would pose this as a rhetorical question but I wanted to be sure and cover all the bases by answering. I am certain that if I were hungry the idea of eating genetically modified food would not bother me enough to refuse a meal. However, this does not make the introduction of GMO's into our food supply without our consent or package labeling right- even for people that are hungry.



Second point: The Monsanto Corp (aka -in my home- "The Axis of Evil") is the leader of GMO production. They've also developed and distributed such lovely products as Roundup, Aspartame, Ambien and rBGH- touting their benefits to both health & agriculture while ignoring the well- documented harm they are causing.....and becoming one of the biggest, richest, most powerful corporations in the world in the process. One of their marketing schemes to convince us that GMO's are a "good thing" is that GM crops will help solve world hunger. Apparently Monsanto must think we are all really naive, stupid, or both. World hunger is NOT created by a shortage of food but, among other things, by corrupt and greedy governments. So if your question about hunger was an attempt to imply that GMO's will help feed the hungry, I'm sorry you bought into that nonsense.


Your next point is about my dismissal of agricultural science so quickly. Wrong. I never dismissed agricultural science and I have been studying what's right and wrong with our food supply for over 20 years now...that's not very quick on my calendar. Feel free to blast me but please, do it with facts and not information you are reading between the lines that you have no knowledge of. Again, if you've read my other posts or know me even a little, I have moved away from my home, friends, family & life to study organic farming....I would say that actually makes me a FAN of agricultural science.

Quick question for you Anon....are you a parent? If you are then I'm sure you can sympathize with the following scenario and if you're not, well, just try and stretch your imagination. You are sitting watching your child at a birthday party happily devour a nice big bowl of ice cream. Your child has some severe food allergies but everything found in ice cream is perfectly safe for him to eat. Then imagine your horror when, before your eyes, your child's throat starts closing as he has an allergic reaction. See, there was fish DNA in the ice cream....and your child is deathly allergic to fish....the ice cream package wasn't labeled as containing genetically modified food so how could you have known? I'm sure, if this were you and your child YOU wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the effect that GMO's are having in our world. Luckily, my children and I haven't ever been in that situation but I've spoken with countless other parents who have. As a believer that children are our future, I think that as parents we should pledge to protect ALL children...not just our own.


It seems it might be in order to clearly define (in over-simplified and non-scientific terms) what GMO's are as they have nothing to do with conventional breeding practices. Species in nature are created to breed with their kind...humans with humans, llamas with llamas, tomatos with tomatos. This conventional breeding (sometimes scientifically generated) creates hybrid varieties. Never in nature would a fish breed with a tomato....until, of course Monsanto figured out how to penetrate the cell wall of the tomato (by using bacteria like ecoli to break the barrier) and inject fish DNA into it. This is, of course, a very oversimplified and dumbed down version of the process and just a single example of the ever-increasing list of GMO's. As I stated in my first post about GMO's, they have now been unleashed in Nature...there's no turning back. I firmly believe that when you educate people you empower them to choose for themselves. We should all have the choice whether to say YES or NO to genetically modified food...but how can you choose when you've never even heard about it?

Fish....ahhhh.....another good point of debate. Me, catch one? Again, no thanks. Not only are our wild fish now dangerously contaminated with high levels of mercury (due to the run-off from coal burning electric plants) but also because of over-fishing practices many species are dangerously close to disappearing- within my childrens' lifetimes. What about the fish in the grocery store labeled "farm raised"?...don't think for one second that those fish are free of conventional breeding practices. Oh, and they're fed....guess what....genetically modified corn. GMO's have, at best, created a well-tangled web that is far-reaching across many different types of foods you might consider safe.

As far as raw sewage in organic food.....I'm sorry, but I just had to laugh out loud at that sentence. I've heard alot of people justify their "organic food is a hoax" opinions through the years....this is probably one of the best. I won't even take the time or energy to debate....instead I'll just wait to share this with my fellow student organic farmers. I'm sure it will create some humorous dinner conversation.

I'm tickled that you brought up "my world view." Gosh....it just sounds so radical and hip and informed like I might consider going on a hunger strike, starting a riot or running for political office or something. Before you mentioned it, honestly, I didn't even know I had one. Your declaration got me thinking though...exactly what is my world view? I actually looked up the definition just to be sure that I completely understood the meaning before stating what it is. "The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world." It would appear from your original comment that you are well-informed of my world view....but, just in case you might have missed something, let me try to define it as clearly and accurately as possible- just so there's no mistaking what I think.

My world view:

We, as Americans, are fatter, sicker and more depressed than we've ever been despite the fact that we spent $2.26 TRILLION on healthcare in 2007. We suffer from chronic headaches, allergies, PMS, low energy and digestive disorders. We jack ourselves up on caffeine, sugar & anti-depressants during the day then put ourselves to bed with alcohol and sleeping pills. Our infant mortality rate is the 2nd worst in the developed world- right behind S. Korea & Cuba and just slightly above Croatia, Lithuania & Taiwan. "Adult-onset Diabetes" has now been changed to simply "Type 2" because of the numbers of children who are developing it. It is estimated that 40% of the children born after 2000 will develop it in their lifetime. Our Standard American Diet has gradually trickled out into other parts of the world....and with it....our Standard American Diseases.

We have lost control....we've given our health away to doctors, pharmaceutical companies & insurance companies. We've given our food away to factory farms, mega- corporations & processors. We've given our creativity and individuality away to marketing firms, mass media and paparazzi. We've given our right to be a nation of, by & for the people away to politicians, lobbyists and bureaucrats.

We are in deep doo doo.

I'm not radical. I'm just a Mom who has Hope. Hope that I can help make the world a little bit better place....for my children and the generations that will follow. Hope that I can continue to educate myself with Truth so that I can educate others and empower them to make good choices for their health & happiness. Hope that I can teach my children how to respect their Bodies, their Minds, their Spirits and their Earth. Hope that when it's my time to leave the physical world that I'll rest easy knowing that I tried to do something worthwhile instead of burying my head in the sand pretending like it all might go away and be just fine. Hope that we can gain some of our freedom and control back....one small step at a time. Hope that my actions will inspire other people to live healthier, happier, more fulfilled lives....and that they might inspire others.....until the grass-roots effect is far reaching enough to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry or cold at night....World Peace is not out of the question you know....but first, is Hope. My world view is full of it and I'm finding that it's pretty contagious- careful because you might catch it.

So, my friend, thank you for your comment. It helped me more clearly define my world view and affirmed my convictions about GMO's and organic food to an even more impassioned degree.

Buddy's girlfriend.

Now, we're not ones to go 'round spreadin' rumors....really we're just not the gossipin' kind....but....word on the rural route....Buddy Boots has got a girlfriend. Yes, scare love is in the air! She lives right around the corner. She's a sassy gal, wears a pink moo moo and accessorizes with a fly swatter and sponge rollers. Her skin is a creamy white and scary red is her favorite lipstick shade. She's quite a looker- and very good at her job- Buddy has every right to be smitten. They're making plans to meet after the harvest is over....trick or treating at Halloween may be their first scare-date...they're deciding now what they will dress up as for the occasion.

Say NO to Frankenfood.

Remember when we were little and all went with our Moms to stand in line and sign the release for the genetically modified food experiment that started back when we were kids. We all held hands, sang songs and rejoiced at being part of history. We knew that the experiment would deliver all the things it promised and we signed our names with pride to be part of the progress it would bring the world. What a happy happy day that was.....

What? You don't remember that day? Sadly, I don't remember that day either, yet we have been the guinea pigs in one of the largest biological experiments ever conducted on the human race.... conducted unknowingly. Where exactly was the dotted line to sign on before I became a lab rat?

Think you're exempt? Have you ever eaten processed food, drank a soda or eaten at a restaurant? Well, chances are pretty good (almost definitive) that you have eaten genetically modified food. Commonly known as GMO's (genetically modified organisms) or GEO (genetically engineered organisms) or just GM or GE. Most of the corn and soybeans currently raised in this country are genetically modified....aka Frankenfood.

The implications of genetically engineered food are frightening- environmentally, financially and for our health. The statistics are astounding at best...and unfortunately GM crops are here to stay (ever watched Jurassic Park?) Didn't they listen to the Chiffon Margarine commercial in the 70's..."it's not nice to mess with Mother Nature!"

So what can we do? Say NO WAY to Frankenfood. Say UNH UNH to fish DNA in your tomatos & Brazil nut DNA in soybeans. Say I WILL NOT eat food injected with bacteria and e-coli to make enormous profits for the producers yet compromise my health & that of my family. Read your labels- if you buy packaged food be sure that it says NO GMO's (organic is your best choice)....otherwise, if it's in a package and doesn't say it, you can place a pretty good bet there are GMO's inside.

For more specific information on GMO's, their dangers and how to SAY NO click here:

http://www.saynotogmos.org/

Our last week.

My mom & sister have been here for the last week. We covered many miles traveling through Vermont and around this area while they were here. We saw Lake Champlain, The Shelburne Museum, Ben & Jerry's and the Simon Pearce glass factory in Queechee, Vermont. We enjoyed visiting with friends in Amherst and spent last Saturday at the Brattleboro Farmer's Market (aka, my favorite place on Earth). We ate too much good food, spent too much on souveniers, saw beautiful scenery, stayed in good places....the vacation turned into an action-packed week of fun. Here are some pics with highlights from our travels!

The livin' is easy.

I have always had high hopes of creating a lazy summer. Somehow the vision in my head of "summertime and the livin' is easy" got sidetracked with busy-ness: day camps, organized activities, play dates, swimming lessons & packing for "vacation" time (you know those vacations where you come home needing a vacation because you're exhausted from your vacation)...all the while trying to design and produce new product for summer market and fill market orders.... Ours was more like "summertime and the livin' is chaotic with too much reality." "Summertime and the kids are out of school so Mom's got to shift gears 34 more times during the day (up from her normal 57 times a day when they're in school) to figure out who goes where when and try to get a few hours of work in here & there sporadically so the business doesn't go under." I never wanted to wish the summertime away and pray for school to begin but....I always did.

One of the things I've come to understand here is that this whole experience of coming to Farm School was Life's little trick to help me get back on track. Sometimes when we can't do it on our own we need a little Divine Intervention or a good ole' Universal Kick in the "you know what". I had not been here long when I realized that farming had actually moved way down the list of importance in the reasons that I came here.

The livin' here is easy, simple, uncomplicated, unhurried. Some days we stay in our pajamas until noon and some days the kids are on their bikes riding through the garden rows by 9. There are probably 340 less "things" to do here than when we lived in Dothan but I haven't heard the phrase "I'm bored" once. We've spent time playing games, cooking, picking out books at the library and reading, tie dying tee-shirts, watching movies, picking wild blueberries and working in the garden. It's a picture of contentment that I could live in forever.

Slowly, I am beginning to feel a shift within myself....which, I believe, is the real reason that I was drawn here. I am "remembering" something I didn't even know that I had forgotten....or maybe I knew it, I was just far too busy to go look for it in an intensive way. We come into the world with our minds, bodies & spirits connected- perfect pictures of spiritual beings within human bodies. Unfortunately many of us lose that connection as we go through life....forgetting a little more each day amidst the material world we live in...seeking answers for why we feel a void. We read self-help books & listen to Oprah about how to get it back, go to church- kneel & pray, sing hymns and give our monthly tithe, we do yoga & qi gong, eat the right foods and acquire alot of stuff. We all find "our truth" in different ways....seeking is the important part.... and slowing down enough to receive the answers when they come.