LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Shame on Carney for GMO vote

Rep. John Carney, shame on you for representing Monsanto and the grocery lobby over your constituents’ right to know what is in our food, by voting for House Resolution 1599. If genetically modified organisms are safe (as you implied in a follow-up letter to me after your “yes” vote), then, what is the harm in including GMO information on labels? How would such GMO labeling hurt you and the special interests lobbying to pass this bill? More importantly, how does this bill help your constituents? Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t. It simply gives us consumers less information about our food, and deliberately eliminates any GMO information on labels. H.R. 1599 will override anything states may choose to enact regarding food labeling. It will give organic farmers no recourse if their fields are contaminated by GMOs, and make them jump through regulatory hoops and spend a ton of money to label their foods GMO-free. It effectively keeps consumers in the dark regarding what is in our food. If, as you say, there is not enough “evidence” to deem GMOs harmful, then, how about providing proof they are safe? Oh, that’s right, you can’t. Thanks for taking away my right as a consumer to decide if GMOs are something I choose to ingest. You, Monsanto and the grocery lobby must be afraid of consumers making an informed decision on what they want to buy and eat; otherwise, you would not have supported this bill. Even though polls have shown an overwhelming majority of the public, in fact, over 90 percent, to be in favor of labeling letting us know genetically modified organisms are in food, you chose to side with big business instead of consumers. You have identified yourself as just another sellout politician, this time to Monsanto and the grocery lobby. Good luck in your run for Delaware governor or any other office you choose to run for, as I will write to the media, and tell everyone I know not to vote for you because you don’t care about the public, especially our health, including our right to know what is in our food. You are willing to let the public be guinea pigs in the big GMO “experiment,” because it benefits you and the lobbyists. Consumer health obviously plays second fiddle to big lobbyist money. There was absolutely no justification for you to vote for this “Dark Act” (renamed by opponents from the original completely misleading name “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act”), except if you want to fill your campaign coffers with special-interest money. Oh, that’s right, that’s how our system works. Shame on you, and our system, for being so corrupt. I just hope the Senate votes this horrible bill down before it becomes law. There is still a chance for consumers to triumph, no thanks to you.

Doreen Peterzak Smyrna