Common sense, biotech don't mix

Oh my gosh! Kevin Richards of the American Farm Bureau (Capital Press, Oct. 12) writes about common sense and biotechnology. One would think that he is being paid by Monsanto.

He says "the overwhelming scientific consensus on the safety of modern biotechnology is unequivocal." That is patently untrue. It only works if you cherry-pick the articles that favor biotechnology. And even if spraying Roundup to kill weeds near Roundup Ready soy, sugar beets and corn is a good thing, it is best for Monsanto because every year later they need to spray larger amounts to kill the weeds. More money for Monsanto!

And he does not talk about Roundup residues on and in food. Do any of you want to eat small amounts of glyphosates, i.e. Roundup? He, himself, needs to exercise a little common sense.

Richards needs to read a short article buried later on in that same issue of Capital Press about the emergence of superweeds, i.e. those that are herbicide resistant. This was predicted years ago. According to the article, there are now 23 glyphosate-resistant weeds. And no doubt there will be more, and then Monsanto will make more money developing new herbicides to deal with the glyphosate-resistant ones. We need to end our dependence on chemical weed control, the Europeans are light-years ahead of us in banning Roundup Ready crops.

Seems pretty obvious that some serious changes in American agriculture need to be made. Did you know that both Obama and Romney feed their families organic food ? Romney even has all kinds of healthy organic foods in the galley of his airplane. What does that tell you?

Jolly Hibbits

Bandon, Ore.