The One About I Am For Genetically Modified Food In Theory, But Not In Practice.

It has recently been in the news that there may soon be available farm grown salmon that grows at a greatly accelerated rate.

As is so often the case in these matters, there appears to be a strong division along political lines. On the Right this is seen as a wonderful idea, and to them there is no possible reason why it should not be implemented. On the left this is seen as a terrible idea, and to them there is no possible reason why it should be implemented.

And then there's me. I think it's great. In theory.

You see I grew up on Star Trek, both in reruns of it's The Original Series, and also the movies and The Next Generation. I saw a fictional world where there was no hunger, because through science we had found ways to provide enough food for everyone. I personally believe that the use of applied science is going to be our best hope if we have any left at all of making a better life for people.

The problem comes in the practice. Specifically in the fetishization of Free Market Capitalism, and the Demonization of reasonable Government oversight.

The current BP situation is a perfect example of this.

In essence we are on the cusp of realizing Ronald Reagan's stated goal. We have indeed starved the beast. Government as a viable organ for managing our day to day affairs is dying. The only problem is that it seems like none of the Reaganites, nor Reagan himself every put much thought into what would replace it.

So while one beast was being starved, another was growing fat and sassy. Namely The Corporatocracy. The Corporatocracy has grown in strength to the point that it's adherents routinely ignore any and all government directives, and They Get Away With It. They have been aided and abetted by politicians on both the Right and the Left. So now if these salmon are approved, you can pretty much bet that there has been little to no truly independent study of the potential risks. And I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the information comes from the company or companies that want approval to go ahead, much like it has been discovered that the approval for BP's deep water drilling was given based on documents they wrote, which were merely rubber stamped by the agency that was supposed to be regulating them. And of course if the salmon turn out in any way to be dangerous it will be about as easy to get the project halted as it has been for BP to deal with the catastrophe resulting from their placing profit as being of singular importance, far above safety, or human lives.

If there comes a day that our government gets back to doing what it is supposed to be doing, and agencies meant to look out for our common welfare get back to doing their jobs, then maybe we can go forward confidently with exploring a great many things, from Genetically Modified food, to Nuclear Energy.

I'd like that a lot. I for one would love to live in the future posited by Star Trek. But the way things are going I fear that it’s probably going to look a lot more like the ones shown in Waterworld or Mad Max.

Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!

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The One About As Ye Sow So Shall Ye Reap

It seems that Bob Etheridge's attack of a couple of Right leaning college students with a video camera has become as Sheriff Bart might say, an underground sensation. Everyone who's not in the Mainstream Media is talking about it. The one's on the Right are gloating, and the one's on the Left are either rushing to defend him, or to distance himself from them. But it seems to me that everyone is talking as if all of this is happening in a vacuum, completely isolated from anything else going on right now in the world of politics. But the truth is that nothing, and I mean Nothing happens in a vacuum. So let me offer the friends of Progressivism a little food for thought, and connect a few dots for you.

First of all let me make it clear that there is absolutely no question to any rational person that what Congressman Etheridge did was wrong. There is absolutely NO excuse for laying hands on another human being simply for asking a question. And if you are a regular listener to The Young Turks (and if you aren't you should be) then you heard the show's creator and host Cenk Uygur ask the rather sensible question of what exactly was Etheridge doing that he had such a flip out to be video taped and asked a question in public. But even Cenk, who I have enormous respect for seems to have missed the chance to ask some pointed questions of those on the Right.

Namely, what kind of reaction other than fear and paranoia in politicians of the Left were you expecting when members of the Right, most notably Sarah Palin, offer up rhetoric, that suggests if not outright advocates the use of violence against Left wing politicians?

Frankly this whole situation stinks more than just a little bit. Now I'm not suggesting for even a second that what happened to Etheridge was part of any kind of organized conspiracy. I am fairly sure that the kids are just what they seem to be, and that Etheridge over reacted of his own free will. However I do think that the whole situation could be seen as resulting from what I call a Conspiracy Of Bad Intent. First Right wingers, both politicians, and media figures use rhetoric suggesting, inciting, and celebrating violence against Left wing politicians, and against government institutions. Then a few people usually separately but occasionally collectively take action inspired, incited, and encouraged by this rhetoric. And then as a climate of fear and paranoia is created among politicians on the Left, and the inevitable results of that climate start to make themselves felt (disproportionate, and inappropriate reactions being the primary ones) the Right Wingers step up and excoriate the Left, all the while doing their best ignore and obfuscate their actions of the recent past and the part they most likely have played in all of this.

It’s a bit like the way that a person might torment a sibling behind their parents back, doing things to incite them, and then once the sibling retaliates they act the part of the innocent victim.

But here's a fact Right Wingers, you are not innocent. And while you may have managed to get some people to forget or ignore the part that you and your pro violence rhetoric may play in this and other potentially worse situations to come in the future, not all of us have such short memories.

Keep The Faith My Brothers And Sisters!