Let's save the subject of my latest piece for last - we're going to delve into a myriad of issues. First, let me end my coverage of the "WeinerGate" scandal with these thoughts:

I believe that I've posed this question previously, but I've yet to receive anything resembling an answer - "Do we care more about personal pecadilloes than we do about the lives of our young men and women we send blindly into unjustifiable combat situations, mostly in the prusuit of profits or monetary advantages?" I say this because the United States has engaged in wholesale destruction of countries, mostly under the cover of "removing tyrants", never acknowledging that we were instrumental in their installation in those govermental infrastructures.

I am reminded of the quaint phrase "bombing (them) back to the Stone Age".

Is that more than a cute euphemism for reversing decades of industialization, as we comsume our bread and circuses? Is all of the hoopla really about not focusing on the wholesale destruction of Libya under our current campaign?

Just food for thought, ladies and gentlemen.

So...I updated my last piece with the picture inadvertently (?) released by Andrew Breitbart during his appearance on the Opie And Anthony Radio Show, but as a link. I leave it to you, dear readers, to decide if that bit of silliness is worth your mouse click. This has prompted an abrupt "Abandon ship" moment as Anthony Weiner's career plummets faster than a fat guy off of the lip of the Grand Canyon. But wait - now comes the news that his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton staffer Huma Abedin, is three months pregnant.

Whatever shall we do?

It seems that his fate is in ever more unsteady hands - his district may not even exist come voting time.

Anthony...I don't really see a way back for you, pal. You could take the high road, resign, save us all the ridiculousness of the ethics investigation (it looks to me that the results will come in empty for the ethics in question), and try to salvage your relationship. Huma deserves at least that much from you.

Do the right thing, pal.

Before I get into my GM rant, let me just tip my hat to Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy as he has spearheaded what should be a national initiative:

(AP)

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation decriminalizing marijuana, with supporters calling it a "common sense reform." The measure heads to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who has promised to sign it into law.

After a nearly four-hour debate, the House voted 90-57 to soften the punishment for possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana to fines of $150 for a first offense and $200 to $500 for subsequent offenses. Current state law classifies marijuana possession as a misdemeanor, punishable by a possible jail term and larger fines.

Those younger than 21 would face a 60-day driver's license suspension, similar to the current penalty for possessing alcohol.

The bill also requires anyone 18 years old or younger who is caught with less than a half-ounce to be referred to the state's juvenile courts. And it

requires referral to a drug education program for anyone who for a third time enters a plea of no contest or is found guilty of possessing less than one half-ounce of marijuana.

Rep. J. Brendan Sharkey, House majority leader, touted the legislation's call for drug education.

"If the policy is to punish, there's also an argument to be made to prevent," he said.

In a statement, Malloy said lawmakers recognize that current law "does more harm than good — both in the impact it has on people's lives and the burden it places on police, prosecutors and probation officers of the criminal justice system."

"Let me make it clear — we are not legalizing the use of marijuana," said Malloy, a former prosecutor. "In modifying this law, we are recognizing that the punishment should fit the crime and acknowledging the effects of its application."

Opponents said marijuana is a harmful drug and that the law should keep it beyond reach.

Republican Rep. Lawrence Cafero, the House minority leader, criticized the legislation for what he said reduces the consequences for possession to a traffic ticket or an infraction. He said marijuana has ruined their lives of many young people.

"I've seen scores of students who were fantastic athletes, maybe they were talented musicians or sang in the choir. They filled their life with after-school activities," he said. "Now they quit. They've lost interest in baseball. They've lost interest in sports. I've heard parents say their kids don't want to do anything. They're lethargic."

Bill Simanski, a Granby Republican, said decriminalizing pot will be a boon to "crime syndicates and drug lords."

"It will benefit the people who get rich off of the sale of marijuana," he said.

Rep. Christopher Coutu, R-Norwich, said the legislation minimizes the unlawful use of marijuana.

"We're making a policy statement more than anything else that marijuana in many ways is less dangerous, less harmful than a speeding ticket or a cell phone while you're driving," he said.

The Senate last week passed the legislation with a tie-breaking vote by Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/08/national/main20070181.shtml

It's about bloody time.

Okay...I don't think that many of you understand the grave danger that the only-for-profit industry known as the biotech industry poses to our planet.

Let's begin with this information presented by Dr. Mercola - Study Found Toxin from GM Crops is Showing up in Human Blood:

A new study is causing fresh doubts about the safety of genetically modified crops. The research found Bt toxin, which is present in many GM crops, in human blood.

Bt toxin makes crops toxic to pests, but it has been claimed that the toxin poses no danger to the environment and human health; the argument was that the protein breaks down in the human gut. But the presence of the toxin in human blood shows that this does not happen.

India Today reports:

“Scientists ... have detected the insecticidal protein ...  circulating in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women. They have also detected the toxin in fetal blood, implying it could pass on to the next generation.

Sources:

  India Today May 11, 2011
  Reproductive Toxicology February 18, 2011
 
Dr. Mercola's Comments:

    Cry1Ab, a specific type of Bt toxin from genetically modified (GM) crops, has for the first time been detected in human and fetal blood samples. It appears the toxin is quite prevalent, as upon testing 69 pregnant and non-pregnant women who were eating a typical Canadian diet (which included foods such as GM soy, corn and potatoes), researchers found Bt toxin in:

        93 percent of maternal blood samples
        80 percent of fetal blood samples
        69 percent of non-pregnant women blood samples

    Writing in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, the researchers noted:

        "This is the first study to reveal the presence of circulating PAGMF [pesticides associated with genetically modified foods] in women with and without pregnancy, paving the way for a new field in reproductive toxicology including nutrition and utero-placental toxicities."

    This GM insecticide toxin is already showing up in fetal blood, which means it could have an untold impact on future generations.

Bt Toxin is a Built-In Pesticide

    Upwards of 85 percent of U.S. corn crops contain a special gene added that allows them to produce an insecticide. This way, when bugs attempt to eat the corn they're killed right away (specifically their stomach is split open) because the plant contains an invisible, built-in pesticide shield.

    The particular gene added to most corn crops is a type of Bt-toxin -- produced from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria. Genetic engineers remove the gene that produces the Bt in bacteria and insert it into the DNA of corn (and cotton) plants.

    They claim that Bt-toxin is quickly destroyed in human stomachs -- and even if it survived, it won't cause reactions in humans or mammals ...

    But studies are now showing that this is not the case, as Bt toxin is readily passing into the human bloodstream and animal studies have already shown that Bt-toxin does cause health effects in animals, including potentially humans. As Jeffrey Smith, executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, wrote:

        "Mice fed natural Bt-toxin showed significant immune responses and caused them to become sensitive to other formerly harmless compounds. This suggests that Bt-toxin might make a person allergic to a wide range of substances.

        Farm workers and others have also had reactions to natural Bt-toxin, and authorities acknowledge that "People with compromised immune systems or preexisting allergies may be particularly susceptible to the effects of Bt."

        In fact, when natural Bt was sprayed over areas around Vancouver and Washington State to fight gypsy moths, about 500 people reported reactions—mostly allergy or flu-like symptoms. Six people had to go to the emergency room.

        … The Bt-toxin produced in the GM plants is probably more dangerous than in its natural spray form. In the plants, the toxin is about 3,000-5,000 times more concentrated than the spray, it doesn't wash off the plants like the spray does, nd it is designed to be more toxic than the natural version.

        In fact, the GM toxin has properties of known allergens and fails all three GM allergy tests recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and others."

GM Insecticide Poisons Also Showing Up in Waterways

    Given that Bt toxin has now been confirmed in the human bloodstream, it should come as no surprise that it has also infiltrated the environment.

According to one study, 50 of the 217 streams, ditches and drains near cornfields that researchers tested were found to contain Cry1Ab above six nanograms per liter.

    The protein is getting into the waterways via corn stalks, leaves, husks and cobs that blow into the water -- a phenomenon that's incredibly common since farmers often leave such material in fields to help minimize soil erosion.

    Eighty-six percent of the streams tested contained various corn material with the potential to transmit Bt-toxin into the water. Further, because the study was conducted six months after crops were harvested, it indicates that the GM protein lingers in the environment. Now that this GM toxin is showing up in waterways, it has the potential to devastate aquatic life and continue to spread, uncontrolled and unrestricted, across the entire United States and world.

GM Foods May be Leaving GM Proteins in Your Body

    In case it's not clear, I want to reiterate that this new study in Reproductive Technology has confirmed that if you eat GM foods that contain the insecticidal Bt toxin, it appears likely that it will be transferred to your bloodstream.

    As I mentioned earlier, as of right now about 85 percent of the corn grown in the United States is genetically engineered to either produce an

insecticide, or to survive the application of herbicide. And about 91-93 percent of all soybeans are genetically engineered to survive massive doses of Roundup herbicide.

    What this means is that nearly ALL foods you buy that contain either corn or soy, in any form, will contain GM components unless it's certified organic by the USDA.

    There's very convincing evidence that eating these genetically modified foods spells nothing but trouble for your health. As Smith discusses in thisinterview, scientists have discovered a number of health problems related to genetically modified foods in general, however these studies have been repeatedly ignored by both the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

    In the only human feeding study ever published on genetically modified foods, seven volunteers ate Roundup-ready soybeans. These are soybeans that have herbicide-resistant genes inserted into them in order to survive being sprayed with otherwise deadly doses of Roundup herbicide.

    In three of the seven volunteers, the gene inserted into the soy transferred into the DNA of their intestinal bacteria, and continued to function long after they stopped eating the GM soy.

    However, the GM-friendly UK government, who funded the study, chose not to fund any follow up research to see if GM corn -- which contains the BT toxin -- might also transfer and continue to create insecticide inside your intestines. Now the evidence has come through nonetheless, as the study in Reproductive Technology shows that it does transfer, at least to your bloodstream (and the bloodstream of your baby if you're pregnant).

    This is extremely concerning, as in this interview Smith also mentions an Italian study where they fed BT corn to mice. As a result, the mice expressed a wide variety of immune responses commonly associated with diseases such as:


Rheumatoid arthritis

Inflammatory bowel disease

Osteoporosis

Atherosclerosis

Various types of cancer

Allergies

Lou Gehrig's disease
        

    I've gone on record saying that due to the amount of GM crops now grown in the United States, EVERY processed food you encounter at your local supermarket that does not bear the "USDA Organic" label is filled with GM components. So you're eating GM foods, and you have been for the last decade, whether you knew it or not. You can thank Congress for this, and the USDA and Monsanto. What ultimate impact these GM foods will have on your health is still unknown, but increased disease, infertility and birth defects appear to be on the top of the list of most likely side effects.

How to Say "No" to GMOs

    If you don't already have a copy of the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, please print one out and refer to it often. It can help you identify and avoid foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Also remember to look for products (including organic products) that feature the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal to be sure that at-risk ingredients have been tested for GMO content.

    You can also download the free iPhone application that is available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

    If you're feeling more ambitious, you can also order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure from the Institute of Responsible Technology in bulk and give it to your family and friends. When possible, buy your fresh produce and meat from local farmers who have committed to using non-GM seeds and avoid non-organic processed foods as much as possible, as again these are virtually 100-percent guaranteed to contain GM ingredients.

Okay...are you awake yet?

 

I'll leave you with this: if you were to sew fins to your hands and feet, would that in and of itself allow you to swim just like a fish does?

Let's be more careful with our world.