Russel Mokhiber
thiab Robert Weissman
thaum
Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman xav hais rau National Press Club
hauv Washington, DC kom rave txog kev lag luam biotech thiab nws cov kev xav, nws
hu ua Gene Grabowski.
Grabowski,
ib tug qub Associated Press reporter thiab tam sim no yog tus cev lus rau Lub Khw Muag Khoom
Cov neeg tsim khoom ntawm Asmeskas, zaum ntawm Pawg Xov Xwm Pab Pawg hais lus.
Grabowski
zoo siab ua raws li Glickman qhov kev thov. Tom qab tag nrho, GMA thiab Glickman yog bosom
buddies ntawm qhov teeb meem ntawm biotech zaub mov - lawv ob leeg pom zoo tias txij li thaum biotech
cov zaub mov tsis txawv ntawm cov khoom noj khoom haus, tsis tas yuav tsum tau sau npe.
xeem
lub lim tiam, Glickman hais rau National Press Club ballroom ntim nrog biotech
kev lag luam thiab agribusiness executives, nrog reporters nqa tom qab.
thiab
nws tsis chim rau lawv. Glickman hyped cov txiaj ntsig ntawm biotech zaub mov, thiab
downplayed qhov txaus ntshai. Lub npe ntawm cov lus hais qhia txog nws txoj kev hlub rau tus
kev lag luam: "Yuav ua li cas cov kws tshawb fawb, cov neeg ua liaj ua teb, thiab cov neeg siv khoom kawm paub hlub
Biotechnology, thiab yuav ua li cas yog tias lawv tsis ua?
Ib txhia
Cov neeg sau xov xwm tau txhais tsis raug Glickman's "tsib lub hauv paus ntsiab lus los coj kev saib xyuas
ntawm biotechnology nyob rau hauv lub xyoo pua 21st" - ib tug caj npab txoj cai ntev
txheej txheem, kev lees txais cov neeg siv khoom, kev ncaj ncees rau cov neeg ua liaj ua teb, koom nrog pej xeem, thiab
kev ncaj ncees thiab qhib kev lag luam - raws li lub ntsiab lus tseem ceeb ntawm tsoomfwv tau mob siab rau kev rov ua dua tshiab
kev lag luam uas tau khiav roughshod tshaj kev txhawj xeeb txog kev noj qab haus huv rau pej xeem.
In
qhov tseeb, cov lus tuaj yeem sau tau - puas yog? - los ntawm Biotechnology
Lub Koom Haum Kev Lag Luam (BIO) lossis nws cov tswv cuab cov tuam txhab xws li Monsanto thiab
Genentech.
cov
hnub tom qab Glickman cov lus hais, tus kws sau xov xwm nug BIO tus thawj tswj hwm Carl Feldbaum
seb qhov kev hais lus sawv cev rau "lub tshuab loj" rau kev lag luam biotech.
"Nws
Feldbaum hais tias, "Peb zoo siab nrog nws
tsib txoj cai. Raws li koj tau nkag mus rau hauv cov ntsiab lus, kuv nrhiav tsis tau ntau rau quibble
nrog. Nws tsis muaj txoj hauv kev rau kev lag luam biotech. Nws yog heev
zoo."
Tom qab
cov lus hais dhau lawm - thiab cov neeg siv khoom siv biotech nyiam nws - peb koom nrog a
pab pawg neeg sau xov xwm nrhiav qee qhov kev qhia meej los ntawm Secretary.
We
nug Glickman vim li cas USDA siv $ 100,000 los pab tsim cov noob terminator
thev naus laus zis - yog tias cov neeg ua liaj ua teb cog cov noob no, tseem nyob hauv kev txhim kho zaum kawg, lub
Cov qoob loo uas tshwm sim yuav tsim cov noob uas tsis muaj menyuam, thiab cov neeg ua liaj ua teb yuav raug yuam
mus yuav cov noob tshiab los ntawm cov tuam txhab.
At
ua ntej, Glickman muab cov lus nug rau nws tus pab, Keith Pitts. Tab sis peb xav tau
Glickman los teb cov lus nug.
"I
yeej tsis nyiam lub npe ntawm nws - nws ntshai lub ntuj raug txim tawm ntawm kuv, "
Glickman hais tias.
Zoo,
yog li lub npe scares koj. Tab sis li cas txog technology nws tus kheej? Ua li ntawd ntshai
lub ntuj raug txim tawm ntawm koj?
"Peb
yuav tsum tau kawm qhov no, "nws hais.
Tab sis
Sir, koj puas xav tias cov cuab yeej no yuav tsum tso cai rau hauv kev ua lag luam?
lwm
Glickman koom nrog qw tias "nws tau teb cov lus nug."
Tab sis
Glickman paub tias nws tsis tau teb cov lus nug.
"Hauv
yav tom ntej, peb yuav tsum ceev faj heev ntawm USDA kom peb tsis txhob nyiaj txiag zoo
ntawm cov kev npaj uas tsis suav nrog tsev neeg cov neeg ua liaj ua teb xaiv, "Glickman tau hais.
In
nws cov lus hais, Glickman tau ua lub ntsiab lus tias cov khoom noj khoom haus tau tsim kho
twb nyob rau hauv cov khoom noj. Rau xyoo 1998 cov qoob loo, 44 ​​feem pua ​​​​ntawm US soybeans thiab 36
feem pua ​​ntawm US pob kws yog tsim los ntawm noob caj noob ces.
yog
koj txhawj xeeb Mr. Secretary tias peb twb noj genetic hloov lawm
cov zaub mov tsis paub nws, yam tsis tau sau npe?
"Koj
tej zaum yuav yog, kuv tsis paub tias koj yog los tsis yog," Glickman teb. "Kuv noj
txhua yam. Yog muaj dabtsi, kuv noj. Kuv xav tias nws muaj kev nyab xeeb thiab zoo. "
"Los ntawm
thiab loj, cov neeg muaj kev ntseeg siab nyob rau hauv lub teb chaws txoj kev ruaj ntseg zaub mov
kev cai," Glickman tau hais. "FDA tau pom tias muaj kev ywj pheej."
Tab sis
FDA tau raug foob rau kev tso cai rau cov khoom noj biotech ntawm lub khw uas tsis tsim nyog
tshuaj xyuas. Thiab tus txiv neej uas pom zoo cov zaub mov ntawm FDA tuaj rau FDA los ntawm txoj cai lij choj
ruaj nyob qhov twg nws sawv cev Monsanto, thiab tom qab nws stint ntawm FDA, nws tau mus rau
ua haujlwm ncaj qha rau Monsanto lub chaw haujlwm Washington, qhov chaw nws zaum hnub no.
"Txhua
Kuv tuaj yeem hais yog tias cov khoom noj muaj kev nyab xeeb, "Glickman hais.
Glickman
tau tawm tsam cov neeg European rau kev tawm tsam biotech ntshuam los ntawm United
Xeev. "Thaum koj mus dhau qhov ntawd [rau Tebchaws Europe] tus cwj pwm yog - tsis yog
ua rau kuv tsis meej pem nrog qhov tseeb, "Glickman hais.
In
Qhov tseeb, European kev txhawj xeeb txog kev nyab xeeb zaub mov yog nyob rau hauv kev coj ncaj ncees thiab kev ncaj ncees
kev ntseeg txawv teb chaws rau corporatists zoo li Glickman.
cov
Tub Vaj Ntxwv ntawm Wales (Prince Charles) tau nug cov lus nug - "peb puas muaj
txoj cai los sim nrog, thiab ua lag luam, lub tsev thaiv ntawm lub neej?"
"I
tus kheej tsis xav noj dab tsi uas tsim los ntawm kev hloov kho caj ces, lossis tsis ua
Kuv paub tseeb muab cov khoom lag luam no rau kuv tsev neeg lossis cov qhua, "Prince
Charles tau hais.
thaum
nug txog Prince Charles qhov kev thuam, Glickman tau tig.
"I
tsis txhob hais kom nws ua tub huabtais, thiab nws tsis thov kom kuv ua tus Secretary,"
Glickman hais tias.
Ua ntej
nce lub of elevator kom tawm ntawm Press Club, USDA tus thawj coj sib txuas lus Tom
Amontree liam tias peb yog "rude" thiab tsis "zoo."
In
peb ruam npaum li cas?
koj
tsis zoo vim koj tau "sib cav heev" thiab koj yog
nug "cov lus nug tseem ceeb," nws hais.
peb
pom yog tias Glickman tau ua phem rau cov neeg Asmeskas los ntawm kowtowing rau ib
muaj zog thiab tsis zoo kev lag luam uas ua si genetic roulette nrog peb lub neej yav tom ntej.
Nws yog recklessly khiav roughshod tshaj lub precautionary txoj cai, uas
yuav tsum underpin peb cov kev cai ntawm technology. Lub hauv paus ntsiab lus precautionary hais tias,
nyob rau hauv luv luv: Yog hais tias koj muaj scientific uncertainty, thiab yog hais tias koj muaj suspicion ntawm
ua mob, ces ua nrog ceev faj. Glickman tau ntuav ceev faj rau cua. Leej twg yuav
tuav nws lub luag haujlwm?
Russell
Mokhiber yog tus editor ntawm Washington, DC-based Corporate Crime Reporter.
Robert Weissman yog tus editor ntawm Washington, DC-based Multinational Monitor.
Lawv yog co-sau ntawm Corporate Predators: Hunt rau MegaProfits thiab cov
Attack on Democracy (Common Courage Press, 1999, http://www.corporatepredators.org)