Clintsearl’s letter supporting GMO crops [“Grapes of Wrath,” Feb. 24-March 2] shows a complete lack of knowledge on the issue. First he claims "that every living thing is the product of genetic modification." While that is true, many of those living things will kill us. Think botulism, Ebola, small pox, even the yearly flu kills tens of thousands—to name but a few.But the more serious issue is the lack of independent research—there is none. The manufactures of GMO crops will not sell you seed to do research and will sue those that try. So the only information out there are positive studies by the companies themselves. This is like taking the tobacco companies’ word on the health risks of smoking. Of greater concern is that the FDA and Department of Agriculture go along with this [Food, “We’ve Created a GMOnster,” Feb. 17-23]. Don’t take my word for it—Google “GMO independent research” for a wealth of information.
Letters: Oh, Brother Oh, Brother
I gave the Alibi the benefit of the doubt that I missed the sources of the author’s data. [Letters, “Health Care, Smealth Care,” Feb. 24-March 2] I did not miss it. Doyle cites "a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health." How am I supposed to look up something referred to as "a study"? And, "opponents want the new law to go bye-bye and represent a disproportionately noisy minority." Who says they are a minority? And 85 percent of the public support the health care bill? Eighty-five percent of whom? Does she mean voters, those with a driver license, or those who drink coffee and soda? "Furthermore, more than 100 of the nation’s leading legal scholars released a joint statement demonstrating the constitutionality of the individual mandate." Who are these scholars? Where can I find the original document if it even exits?I could reference a few more unsubstantiated "facts," but I think this is enough. I wear glasses thank you, and I can see just fine, possibly too well to let this kind of crap go unchallenged. I stand by my original statement that “Get Your Hands off My Health Care” [Miss Diagnosis, Feb. 17-23] is nothing more than a rant. If the author is a graduate student, she should know how to properly cite sources. I understand those responsible for compiling articles for the Alibi wouldn’t know how to cite sources. I can forgive them, but not a graduate student. And, I’m still not convinced that [Jerry Ortiz y] Pino didn’t write it.
Letters:
Editor’s Note: Not to harp on this, but since you already got the ball rolling: As is our practice with every article published in the Alibi (commentary or not), we checked each factual claim made in this article against their original sources. We then hyperlinked the author’s references to their corresponding source texts over at alibi.com. There, you can click on phrases in the article like a “study from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health” citing as much as 85 percent of the public’s support (as well that “minority” opposition conclusion), and you’ll be transported to the very document in question, which in turn outlines how the poll was conducted (with color graphs and everything). Rather than print a mile-long footnote with the names of 100 scientists, we just linked right to the statement they wrote. We try to make it as easy as possible for readers to check out our stories’ sources for themselves.
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