Putting All Our Eggs in the Monsanto basket.

http://thegazette.com/2013/03/07/china-delays-gmo-corn-rice-to-woo-the-public/


Maybe GMO's are great. Maybe they aren't. But what if they aren't? That is the real issue. By letting big Ag companies like Monsanto gain complete control of the seed business, we are basically putting all of our eggs in that basket. But what if there were other ways to ensure that we protect the future while still taking a chance on progress.
Why not plant non GMO's on one side of the planet, and plant GMO's only on the other? Then, let people make their choice and if something goes wrong, at least we have the other "safe" half. That seems fair and reasonable. Of course, being fair, logical and reasonable means it wont happen. Because it also means lower profits for Monsanto.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022574354


"We regret to inform you that late last night President Barack Obama signed H.R. 993, which contained the Monsanto Protection Act into law. President Obama knowingly signed the Monsanto Protection Act over the urgent pleas of more than 250,000 Americans who asked that he use his executive authority to veto it. President Obama failed to live up to his oath to protect the American people and our constitution."

http://planetsave.com/2011/07/21/hungary-destroys-all-monsanto-gmo-maize-fields/
  
And since we have a President who talks a good game but doesn't really back it up, they can pretty much get away with whatever they want in the search for higher profits. Luckily, at least at this point, the rest of the world is not in such a hurry to put all its eggs in the Monsanto basket.

 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/07/china-gmo-idUKL4N0BY2BC20130307

At the very least, companies like Monsanto should be on the hook to provide profit free greenhouses to protect the current seed that has not been genetically altered. If and when the time comes that we need them (which at best is likely, and at worst certain) that they are there. Otherwise, they are playing Russian Roulette with the future of mankind.
Why should they have this kind of power? They shouldn't.
We elect governments to look after our interests. Isn't it in our collective interest to ensure that the food supply is protected from distortion to the point that it is irrevocable?
If it turns out that GMO's are all that and more, as Monsanto claims they are, then fine we can thank them for improving the way we grow food. However, their track record over time suggests that wont be the case. I wouldn't be betting my house on them getting this right. They simply have not over time. Sure, they always make huge profits, but they also leave huge devastation and destruction behind that.  
I really have no interest in putting my future and all my eggs in their basket, and I think the time has come to make it clear to those who we elect, who we think represent our interests, that if they don't begin to start doing that we will remove them. This is just too important to leave to those like President Obama who can walk away in 4 years and not have to answer for what they allowed to happen.