>Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Kelly Cummings, who lives in Franklin County.
On March 19 I was at the Statehouse listening to testimony, in the Senate Judiciary Committee, on H.112, the GMO labeling bill. I must say I found the testimony of one Val Giddings to be very interesting. Mr. Giddings has come to Vermont several times to tell our legislators why they should not support the labeling of GMOs.
For those of you who might not know, Dr. Luther Val Giddings is the former vice president for Food & Agriculture of the Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) — the industry’s major trade lobby which represents such corporate giants as Aventis, Bayer, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta. Mr. Giddings’ specific responsibility at BIO was to promote GM crops. He is now a senior fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Washington, D.C. So pretty much, Val Giddings is a lobbyist. He’s a promoter of his product and his client. His product is GMOs. His clients are Monsanto and the biotech industry. He never seems to mention this in his testimony.
The biotech company lobbyists are some smooth operators. Some of the best that money can buy. They really know how to push their agenda and get their message spread around. I mean one day they’re in Vermont, maybe the next day they’re in Connecticut, then on to New Hampshire, Maine, Washington. You know, wherever some state might want to label GMOs. In fact, the biotech lobbyists are so slick that before you’ve even had time to really think about what they’re saying, or most importantly not saying, they’ve gone and convinced you of how GMOs are flawless and perfect and will never ever be anything but! They will convince you why their scientists are the only scientists who know what they are doing and you are an uneducated emotional fool if you should decide to disagree with them. They will tell you their evidence is the only evidence that is correct and therefore matters. The studies they cite, often using the misleading term “independent,” are the only studies that have been done properly.
Check out some of the “independent” scientists and studies they cite and you will find them connected, one way or another, to Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer, etc. In the minds of biotech companies and their lobbyists, “independent” doesn’t mean what the public assumes it means and what the dictionary says it means. They will tell you every other scientist and scientific study in the world is trying to mislead the public should they disagree with the likes of Monsanto and the other biotech companies. Kind of brilliant the way they work. The biotech companies accusing those of us who want a label of being “misleading.” All the while, “misleading” us. There are always two sides to every story.
In my search for more information on Mr. Giddings I came across some very interesting stuff. He’s taken his 10-page testimony on the road presenting it to various state legislatures that are considering the labeling of GMOs. One interesting observation was when he was speaking to the Connecticut General Assembly’s Children’s Committee about labeling GMOs in baby food. In his opening statement he said, “Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today. I am here at the invitation of a friend who works for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). She asked me to speak with you because of my experience with the science, policy, and regulation of crops and foods improved through biotechnology.” Looking further I found where Mr. Giddings, when talking to the Vermont Agricultural Committee & Forest Products Advisory Board, presented his 10-page testimony but changed his friend at BIO from a “she” to a “he.” It’s important to notice this change in the use of gender. It’s important because it shows the subtle changes, the tweaks, that are employed when someone is manipulating an audience. The subtleties used here are not by accident but by design. When talking GMOs, babies and food Mr. Giddings knows the value in having a friend who is a “she.” His whole testimony is full of manipulations such as these. He sets it up so to make legislators feel uneducated, foolish or emotional should they consider questioning his testimony. Mr. Giddings has written numerous articles about GMOs. In his articles you will see words like these: “scientifically illiterate politicians,” “crusaders against innovation.”
To ask for a label is not unreasonable. In fact it makes perfect sense. Yet the biotech industry is still threatening our desire for a label with a lawsuit.
What you will never see however, is anything — and I mean anything — negative or questionable about the biotech industry or GMOs. As far as his writings go, GMOs are flawless, perfect and not to be questioned.
You don’t have to take my word for it. He’s easy to find on the Internet. Go and look for yourself. Look thoroughly. But make sure when you’re reading his stuff to look between the lines. Take care to also notice what he is not saying. Mr. Giddings is very good at what he does. And he moves along very quickly expertly pre-empting any questions that might come up. But in the end, no matter how hard he tries, or how good at his job he is … he can’t convince me of the perfect. I don’t know about you but I know of nothing or no one who is perfect. And maybe this is where the biotech industry has made a fatal error. Telling us there is no need for questions or concern with GMOs … because GMOs, are perfect.
It is because of our human “imperfect-ness” that I and the majority of Vermonters want to see a simple, matter-of-fact label on the foods we eat. Just in case, down the road somewhere, they find out they made a mistake. Or one of their perfect studies doesn’t pan out for the long haul. Or something that was unforeseen at the time of their report of “perfectness” crops up. After all, we are human. GMOs don’t make themselves. Humans do. And as much as Mr. Giddings would like you to believe the biotech scientists don’t make mistakes, the truth is, we all make mistakes.
So just in case they need to recall a genetically modified ingredient, we would really like them to have a way to do that. This is where a label would allow us the ability to track back to the source. Things are recalled every day. Cars, toys, foods, car seats, medicines. I don’t know if GMOs are good for us or not. But I do know they are not perfect.
To ask for a label is not unreasonable. In fact it makes perfect sense. Yet the biotech industry is still threatening our desire for a label with a lawsuit. It seems so strange.
And if you really slow down and think about it you can’t help but wonder, why did the biotech industry spend millions upon millions of dollars fighting to defeat the labeling laws in California and Washington? Why didn’t they just let the bills pass and then sue the states? It certainly seems like it would have been much cheaper, by far, to sue the states for a few million dollars vs. trying to stop California and Washington’s legislation by spending millions upon millions of dollars. So, are they just bluffing? Can they really win if they sue a state? There are plenty of legal arguments out there that say no. What kind of information would come to the forefront about the biotech industry if they sued us? Would it be a public relations nightmare for them? Whatever the answers, it sure seems they’re trying really hard to intimidate us with threats so they don’t have to actually take us to court! Reverse psychology anyone?
I am sorry if the biotech industry thinks our wanting an ingredient label on the things we eat will hurt their marketing strategy. It is really too bad it has turned out this way. But instead of blaming us … is it not really the fault of Monsanto and the biotech industry for these feelings of public distrust? Down deep don’t we all wonder …if GMOs are so “perfect” why have they not been forthcoming with all the evidence to back it up? Why is it they have never reported a negative study? And for that matter, why not allow true independent studies? Ultimately if GMO ingredients are so perfect seems like they should be shouting it from the roof tops! Buy this! Eat this! We will gladly show you how great it is! We will gladly let anyone show you how great it is! It is the perfect food! Wouldn’t we all wish to eat the perfect food? What a perfect, perfect marketing strategy. But instead of handing out those tasty samples in the grocery store aisle … Monsanto and the biotech companies are handing out lawsuits. I don’t get it.
Perfect is as perfect does.
