Rice
March 7th, 2007 by Jim VOn the internet I found an article about a corporation’s plans to grow genetically modified rice in Kansas. This rice has been genetically modified to contain human genes. The article is at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=440302&in_page_id=1770&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=NEWS&ct=5
The USDA has indicated that it will approve commercial production of this rice. The human genes are used to produce compounds found in human breast milk and saliva. The plan is to use the compounds produced to treat children with diarrhea in the third world. Compounds included are lactoferrin and lysozyme. These compounds are part of raw milk and they will kill pathogenic bacteria. Raw milk has a number of other ways of killing pathogenic bacteria. (See the PowerPoint presentation at http://www.realmilk.com/ppt/index.html ) Wouldn’t it be a lot better to feed children some good raw cow or goat milk, which has its own anti-bacterial systems that have been engineered by our omniscient Creator? Setup these poor areas with a few good dairy animals and maybe a farmer would be able to make a decent living? Instead we will have some big corporation messing up our food supply in ways that may be impossible to undo and probably making a boat load of money off of feeding the poor.
Jim V
March 7th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Now Jim, don’t go tipping over the apple cart for the corporations and their minions in the government. Common sense never seems to go far with those folks.
March 7th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Sounds like a job for a few good goats. Goats can thrive on marginal vegetation, are happy critters,easily managed by children and love people.sounds like a win win situation
March 7th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Brent,
I guess greed trumps common sense. As my wife says, “They want a nice package that they can store forever and easily ship”. Sending them a few goats or cows or even raw milk doesn’t fit the bill. It frustrates me to see them really have their own interests at heart.
Patti,
My wife has lived in a primitive area of Africa. Her comment was that only a goat or two would be sufficient in most villages. And you are right about goats thriving on marginal forage. In the Middle East, I have seen them climbing up into the acacia trees, which are trees with huge, long thorns.
Jim V
March 7th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
I predict what will happen, is that some of this rice will end up being planted in third world countries, thereby contaminating both wild rice stands, and local land races of rice varieties. This has already happened with corn in Mexico, apparently. Milk producing livestock would work just as well, but never do something simple and rational , when there is a chance to be more clever than ever, or wise. This is like using a 50 caliber machine gun to hunt deer. It just is not necessary. Dos’nt anybody in these corporations, ever just ask “what if something goes wrong”?. . . . . . .
March 8th, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Mark,
Seems that there is always someone that is willing to use a technology even when the likelihood of negative consequences is very high. Too bad our society can’t work with the Creator’s design, rather than thinking we can improve on it.
Jim V