Genetically Engineered Corn Producing Herbicides in Your Gut?

According to the Organic Consumers Association, widely cultivated variety of genetically engineered corn may be slowly poisoning American consumers. Their recent email newsletter (see link below) says, "Dupont's Pioneer Liberty Link corn was bioengineered to withstand high levels of the toxic herbicide glufosinate. Enzymes in the plant actually break down the herbicide, making it less toxic to the plant, thereby allowing farmers to apply higher levels of herbicides to the plant and surrounding weeds. Scientists are now finding that enzymes in the human gut are likely "reactivating" the herbicide within our bodies. A recent study on rats found that 10% of the chemicals were reconverted back to the toxic herbicide within the digestive tract of the animal. Another study on goats found a full 30% of the herbicide was rebuilt in the gut. Glufosinate is known to cause nerve damage and is a likely endocrine disruptor. Scientists are also concerned that by reactivating the toxic chemical in the digestive tract, it is likely killing off beneficial bacteria necessary for healthy digestion." (Learn more: Organic Consumers.org)

Whoopee-doo! Isn’t bioengineering great! Go ahead, giant greedy mega-farm corporations, use our world as your private little laboratory. Use us as your guinea pigs! Anything so you can save a buck or two on farming techniques. We’re sure you’ll pass the saving on to us – eventually – right? And heavens no, don’t mess with that inconvenient "organic farming" stuff! Too much work!

This is getting so ridiculous. It’s beyond criminally offensive, which it surely is, into the realm of utter stupidity. This tinkering with life, playing God, is bound to backfire, and backfire bigtime. We must restore sanity, in this field as well as everything else. This November, "throw the bums out!" – for real this time! Let’s start with a fresh new "crop" of "organically grown" candidates. Don’t vote for the guys with the biggest ad budgets – they’re always the worst, and they’ve got to repay their corporate backers. It may require a little more research than voting for the guys with the slickest commercials that tug at your heartstrings in their emotionally-manipulative ways. You may actually have to get online and look around! It’s actually a lot easier than the old days to find out about alternative candidates, so go ahead, exercise that clicker-finger! If you don’t, you’ll just keep getting more of the same. Is that what you want?