From: Smigrodzki, Rafal (SmigrodzkiR@msx.upmc.edu)
Date: Thu May 02 2002 - 07:02:12 MDT
Mike Lorrey [mailto:mlorrey@datamann.com]
<mailto:[mailto:mlorrey@datamann.com]> wrote:
Hal Finney wrote:
>
> It's your group so you can do what you want, but...
>
> ...I don't see why, of all the threats facing us in the
world today,
> organic foods are high on the list! Why beat up on people
who just want
> to eat healthy?
### I applaud Mike's idea and I agree with his choice of
issue to be tackled. The "organic" food craze and the attendant lies and
misrepresentations of genetic engineering do affect the future of
life-saving technologies and even now result in deaths of innocent Third
World people.
What I found a bit worrisome is the call to enter grocery
markets in the guise of salespersons. This could result in legal liability,
and, being a secretive, deceptive behavior, could undermine the cause of
science by making the activists appear untrustworthy in the eyes of the
public. We should never stoop to the level of ALF, Greenpeace, and PETA
terrorists.
What I would suggest is declaring one week the "National
Non-Organic Awareness Week" and organizing picketing of large markets,
polling public about their attitudes towards organics (and how they change
if we provide true information about it), all with fastidious adherence to
the law, openness, and scientific rigor. Entering the premises other than to
shop or collect information would be probably not advisable (you might want
to consult a lawyer). Also, have a means of escape in case of physical
danger from irate eco-freaks.
Informing local journalists beforehand might be very
important, too. Depending on the amount of support and the willingness of
activists, other issues could be tackled during the "Clone Now!", "Save the
Gene-Altered Trees", and other campaigns.
Rafal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:13:46 MST