SheldonTimes

Fran and I spent Villanova fall break (Monday 10/10/ – Sunday 10/16) hiking more than 100 miles (camping at night) with the Right2Know marchers. Marchers arrived at Lafayette Park (opposite the White House) on Sunday and heard speakers such as Vandana Shiva explain how large corporations such as Monsanto are genetically modifying the foods that we eat but refusing to let us know which of our foods contain these GMOs (genetically modified organisms). No reliable data is available about possible effects of GMO modified foods on humans (quite intentionally so, because the food is “assumed” safe), but buyers should have the right to make up their own minds about this. In Europe and most other countries, knowing if your purchases contain GMOs is considered a legal right, but not so in the United States. Vandana Shiva described some horrible experiences that poor farmers have had when they came into conflict with these large agribusinesses that literally drive farmers and their families to starvation and death. President Obama made a campaign promise to include GMOs on product labeling, but has reneged on that promise. We were there to remind him that a President should at least be honest.