At 11:07 AM 8/2/00 -0600, Steven Bissell wrote:
>John, why did you cut off the end of my question? " How is that an
>environmental issue?"

I am sorry Steve. That was no intentional. I know all about Roundup. I wrote
a book on it. It was also a thesis for my first science degree. There are
copies about. I can post a few pages on the list regarding the effects on
wildlife if you like. 

If you want to reduce the use of Roundup in agriculture, you will have to
stop buying Roundup Ready food crops. 

One thing that I noticed about the people (a fraction of Canadians) that
like GE foods is that accept any kind of argument. Like the Fumento
personality says about smoking:

If some people can quit smoking, then smoking is not addictive. 

Fanatics are known specifically for one thing: the willing suspension of
disbelief. Most people who say that they support GE foods on the table will
also claim: "well don't you want to eat?" 

It is the same argument that some people use regarding the use of
pesticides: "Well don't you want to eat"?

That is what they told me when I attempted and succeeded in stopping
broadcast use of Roundup on forests: "Well don't you want to live in a house?" 

It gets really absurd after awhile. It is like some one is controlling their
thoughts. They actually never knew that the pesticides were harmful. Then
one day they find out the hard way. Like one family that tried to get rid of
all the knapweed in their horse pasture with Tordon. Well they got rid of
the Knapweed for sure, but nothing would grow in the pasture for about five
years, and when something did grow there, it was more knapweed. They
complained about aches in their bones, one or two of their horses got sick.
And then one day they had their well tested. Sure enough the residues where
still there. They got sick from the well water with arthitis like symptoms.
They sold the land and moved to a place with uncontaminated soils. 

Anyway some people learn the hard way. Look at the Northern States where
they are having  problems with contaminated wells from nitrates and
pesticides. In Iowa for instance they are taking action now, and have a
program (funded by taxes) to reduce and eliminate the use of pesticides and
nitrogen fertilizers. It is a real problem there because the ranchers and
farmers cannot drink the well water in many cases. There are babies born
with methaeglobinemia (sic). I have an book on this and what is being done
there...

Steven, frogs are not dying off all over the world. They are doing fine here
in BC. There is no pesticide useage here (except in the Okanagan and the
Lower Mainland), and no acid rain. I am a list member of the frog
deformation list and there are not many reports from BC of deformed frogs
and declines, but in Alberta there is because of the use of pesticides there
in the fields. 

john foster



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