Rob: So you allow heaven stories?

[Guest guest]

THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS ... A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates. She saw a beautiful banquet table. Sitting there were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling to her. "Hello, How are you. We've been waiting for you. Good to see you." When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place! How do I get in ?" "You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her. "Which word?" the woman asked. "Love." The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven. About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been ?" "Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And, my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer. How do I get in? "You have to spell a word," the woman told him. "Which word ?" her husband asked. "Czechoslovakia." Moral of the story: Never make a woman angry ... there'll be Hell to pay later.

The 10:00 a.m. Sunday service is held on the makai lanai at Pualani Terrace in Kealakekua on the makai side of Mamalahoa Hwy. (Rt.11) just south of Kamagaki Market. All are welcomed. For further information call 329-2222 or see our web-site at www.NTCHawaii.org <http://www.NTCHawaii.org> Childcare is provided.

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CONTENTS - Sunday April 20, 2003 program ( A Sufi Easter )- About New Thought Center of Hawaii - Upcoming Programs ( 2 )- Humor ( How,what,where...; The moral of the story is... )- Words of Wisdom/Quest for Quotes ( 24 )- White Board Wisdom ( ) - Worthy Websites ( - )- Attachment ( FDA not regulating genetically engineered food )- Raw Food Recipe ( Wheatgrass juice )- Miscellaneous ( Everyhing I know I learned from the Easter bunny )- Announcements ( 4 )- Personals ( 1 )- Spiritual Message ( Whichever one I feed )- Affirmation ( On choosing wisely )- Reader Feedback ( - )- Editorial ( Drive carefully )

____________________ NEW THOUGHT CENTER OF HAWAII

By providing a loving, accepting, non-judgmental community, we at NewThought Center of Hawaii create a sanctuary for the nourishment, development, and evolution of each person's unique spiritual path.

The circle we sit in represents our inclusiveness and our equality. We have no minister. We take turns facilitating, and we minister to each other. In addition to sharing our own spiritual insights, we invite teachers from all wisdom traditions. We invite and honor such variety and in ourselves and in the world around us. We understand that no single source has exclusivity of spiritual truth, health and joy and that there is much to be learned from many of these sources. We gather every Sunday at 10 a.m. in Kealakekua at Pualani Terrace just south of the Kealakekua Library. You are invited to join the circle. Morty Breier pres. and board of NTCH.

 

 

The NewThoughtWeekly is archived on the NewThought website at www.NTCHawaii.org <http://www.NTCHawaii.org>

 

To be removed from this mailing list, send email to jerry

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UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

April 27 Nassim on Quantum Physics

May 4 Carol Lorraine on "Creativity & Masks."

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HUMOR THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS ... A woman arrived at the Gates of Heaven. While she was waiting for Saint Peter to greet her, she peeked through the gates. She saw a beautiful banquet table. Sitting there were her parents and all the other people she had loved and who had died before her. They saw her and began calling to her. "Hello, How are you. We've been waiting for you. Good to see you." When Saint Peter came by, the woman said to him, "This is such a wonderful place ! How do I get in ?" "You have to spell a word," Saint Peter told her. "Which word?" the woman asked. "Love." The woman correctly spelled "Love" and Saint Peter welcomed her into Heaven. About a year later, Saint Peter came to the woman and asked her to watch the Gates of Heaven for him that day. While the woman was guarding the Gates of Heaven, her husband arrived. "I'm surprised to see you," the woman said. "How have you been ?" "Oh, I've been doing pretty well since you died," her husband told her. "I married the beautiful young nurse who took care of you while you were ill. And then I won the multi-state lottery. I sold the little house you and I lived in and bought a huge mansion. And, my wife and I traveled all around the world. We were on vacation in Cancun and I went water skiing today. I fell and hit my head, and here I am. What a bummer. How do I get in ? "You have to spell a word," the woman told him. "Which word ?" her husband asked. "Czechoslovakia." Moral of the story: Never make a woman angry ... there'll be Hell to pay later.

via Bonnie DeYager

 

- How do you get holy water? You boil the hell out of it.- How do crazy people go through the forest? The take the psycho path.- What do fish say when they hit concrete wall? Dam!- What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long? Polaroids- What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work? A stick.- What do you call Santa's helpers? Subordinate clauses.- What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.- What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.- What kind of coffee was served on the Titanic? Sanka.- What Is the difference between a Harley and a Hoover? The location of the dirt bag.- Where do you find a dog with no legs? Right where you left him.

via Barbara Concoby_________________________

WORDS OF WISDOM / QUEST FOR QUOTES- "Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.

Franklin P. Jones, businessman (1887-1929)- Life is like photography-we use the negative to develop. Guru Harry Cohen Baba via Sig Goode- "To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace." Tacitus- "Celebrate your birthday by hosting a party and asking your guests to bring four or five cans of non-perishable food in lieu of gifts. Then donate the items to your local homeless shelter." Life's Little Instruction Calendar, March 14- "Be faithful in completing even the most humble tasks." Ibid March 15/16- "Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking." John Barrington Wain, writer

- "If you cannot do great things yourself, remember that you may do small things in a great way."

Swami Chinmayananda via L.Morningstar- "What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust." Nelson Mandela, February 28, 2003- "Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind." James Russell Lowell, poet, essayist, and diplomat- "Never bear more than one trouble at a time. Some people bear three kinds - all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have." Edward Everett Hale, clergyman and author - "Our separation from each other is an illusion of consciousness." Albert Einstein via L. Morningstar- "Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties." Jules Renard, writer- "Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. "But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. "Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. "It works the same in any country." Hermann Goering Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials April 18, 1946 via Shannon Rudolph- She'll eventually outgrow all of her outrageous teenage habits except one. Nicotine addicts. Cigarettes kill."

Poster on wall at West Hawaii Tobacco Coalition meeting.- "Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless corrupt." Mahatma Gandhi via L.Morningstar- "Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance." Albert Einstein via Larry Morningstar- "Life is simple. Eat, sleep, bitch and moan." T-shirt spotted March 8 in Kailua-Kona- "It's good to look at what you see." Rick Greenbaum- "It's good to see what you look at." Jerry Rothstein, commenting on Rick Greenbaum's observation- "When things go wrong, don't blame the other person. Examine yourself." Morty Breier- "The de-legitimizing of dissent is the first step towards fascism." Matt Binder in a WHT letter to the editor Mar.30- "Hatred never ceases with hatred. Hatred ceases with love." Gavin Harrison- "This is the devilish thing about foreign affairs: they are foreign and will not always conform to our whim. James Reston, journalist- "Our mortality balances on a heartbeat." Morty Breier. (See editorial at bottom of page)_______________________________

WHITE BOARD WISDOM

Write your quotations on the NewThought WhiteBoard which awaits your wordsof wisdom at every NewThought SundayService. Share your own, or the words of others.

- Shall we dance- Yanni now- Waste not want not- "Wisdom says I am nothing. Love says I am everything. Between the two my life flows." Sri Nisargadatta Maharaji - Feel good- Love all serve all- We are one in love- Prayers for Morty, find love, be well- Stars are the beauty in the sky- What would you do if you knew you were an emissary of love? Right now begin.- We are each suns, a brilliant star, from our light our love goes far.To everywhere and every sun, meeting in the light of the One, We see each other as we are.

- "It's not what you know that causes problems. It's what you know that just aint so." W. Rogers- No reason for love, no season for love, no birth, no death. Sai Baba- Peace is now.- Flapping your arms can be flying when you can't get off the ground.- The world knows me as beautiful. The higher self.- Be free, be free, be free MLK- ...or it will cost you- Love be free.- I must be out of my mind to be here now._______________________________

WORTHY WEBSITES_______________________

ATTACHMENT

In May of 1998 the Alliance for Bio-Integrity led an unprecedented coalition of public interest groups, religious leaders, and eminent scientists in filing a lawsuit to reform U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy on genetically engineered (GE) foods. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and its outcome has demonstrated the irresponsibility of FDA policy and the falsity of some of the major claims made in support of GE foods. Proponents of these foods repeatedly claim that: (a) the FDA rigorously regulates them; (b) FDA policy is science-based; and © there is overwhelming scientific consensus that GE foods are safe. However, on October 2, 2000 the court issued a ruling that starkly refutes each claim. The court determined that: - The FDA is not regulating GE foods at all.

- The FDA's politically appointed bureaucrats did not follow the advice and warnings of the agency's scientific staff about GE foods but disregarded them. - There is currently significant disagreement among scientific experts about the safety of GE foods.

Further, the court avoided the issue of whether adequate safety testing has been done and failed to make a determination that GE foods have been demonstrated to be safe - even though such a determination is legally required in order for these foods to be on the market. Despite the above findings, the court upheld the FDA's policy on narrow, technical grounds. The following paragraphs more fully explain its decision....______________________________

RAW FOOD RECIPETHE WONDERS OF WHEATGRASSIf you are green inside you are clean inside.Wheatgrass is grown from the wheatberry which is the whole wheat kernel. Some of the better qualities of wheatgrass are:- Contains 92 of the 102 minerals in the soil.- It is a complete food.- It is one of the richest natural sources of Vit. A, C, and E and exceptionally rich in B vitamins.- Is 70% chlorophyll which is effective for all chronic disorders.- Chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body, purifies the liver, helps heal sores faster and counteracts toxins in the body.- Improves blood sugar problems.- Relieves constipation.- Reduces high blood pressure and gives the blood iron to improve circulation.- Rich in B17 (laetrile) which can selectively kill cancer cells.- Increases resistance to radiation.- Provides oxygen to the body.- Can keep hair from graying.- Cleansing food.For more information:"Wheatgrass Juice:gift of nature" by B.B. Manning"Be Your Own Doctor" by Ann Wigmore"Nature's Healing Grasses' by H.E.Kirschner, M.D.

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MISCELLANEOUSEVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNYDon't put all of your eggs in one basket. Walk softly and carry a big carrot. Everyone needs a friend who is all ears. There's no such thing as too much candy. All work and no play can make you a basket case. A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention. Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day. Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits. Some body parts should be floppy. Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans. The grass is always greener in someone else's basket. An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare. To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell. The best things in life are still sweet and gooey! HAPPY EASTER! via Judith Lynn

________________________ANNOUNCEMENTS

TAI CHI ONE DAY RETREAT with Jin An WongSpend one day understanding how Qi (Chi) is generated and circulated through your body. Learn techniques to strengthen and create peace in your mind. You will experience varied forms of ancient energy enhancing exercises- Tai Chi Warm Ups-Stretching and relaxing all muscle groups, Tibetan Yoga- Power enhancer, producing fire energy, age reverser. Tai Chi Tao- 8 essential Yang Style movements to create flowing Qi. Qi Gong- Relax and Rejuvenate the spinal column & generate more Qi.SCHEDULE FOR APRIL 20TH EASTER SUNDAY9am-9:30am - Check in / Orientation9:30am-10am - Opening Circle / Introductions10am-10:30am - Tai Chi Warm Ups10:30am-11am - Tibetan Yoga11am-11:30am - Tea Break / Demonstration on 8 treasures Tai Chi Tao.11:30am-12:00pm - Tai Chi Tao (poses 1-4)Noon-1pm - Lunch Break1am-1:30pm - Demonstrate & Lecture on Qi Gong1:30am-2:00pm - Qi Gong Movement2am-2:30pm - Demonstrate Tai Chi Applications & Poses 4-82:30am-3:30pm - Tai Chi Tao (full set)3:30am-4pm - Closing CircleOPTIONAL add onsWe can provide special dietary needs, raw food diet, organic and/orvegetarian meals and drinks for lunch. We also offer Chi Vibrational HealingSessions, Frankincense anointments, and Massages after the class.PRICE$50 per person, work exchange rates available upon request. To RSVP, pleasesend a 50% deposit to Jin An Wong, PO Box 2254, Kealakekua, Hi 96750BRING FOLLOWING ITEMSComfortable loose clothing, a yoga mat or blanket, a seat cushion, lunchfood (unless ordering special meals), drinking water, raingear and sunhat.Bring dinner potluck & flashlight if you wish to stay for sunset.LOCATIONMauna K'ea Gardens in Honaunau, overlooking Kealakekua Bay. By mile marker105, take south side road of telephone exchange station, look for yin yangsymbol on fence. Go up mountain road for about 2 miles, turn right atfork, sign says Mauna K'ea Gardens and a Yin Yang symbol. Follow road, stayon right until you see bamboo gate with Mauna K'ea Gardens sign. Drive thrugate and up to fork on road. park and walk along path to right, up to LavaHouse. Retreat will be outside on the grass.RSVP with Jin An Wong at - 808-938-2606 or wongjinan

KONA DANCE JAM: Reggae Night: DJ Sister Joy. Friday, April 18th. 8pm-11:30pm. $7 or $5members Ethnic Night: DJ Sister Wonder. Playing African, Latin, and Middle Eastern. Friday, April 25, 8pm-11:30pm $7 or $5 members The Kona Dance Jam is changing from Friday night to the1st and 3rd Saturday of each month beginning in May (May 3 and 17) For info call 334-1998 "Basic Permaculture Design Course"with Kona resident and veteran permaculture instructor, teacher trainer, and socially responsible investment advisor Michael Kramer and guests Save the world through permaculture! This revolutionary design process, now 30 years old, merges ancient wisdom with modern science to help us create human systems (land, homes, communities, bioregions, economics, interpersonal relationships, education, and politics) that are modeled on the principles of natural systems. We can create regenerative systems that care for people and the Earth, put our money where our values are, and be the change we want to see in the world. Finally, there's a Basic Permaculture Design Course in Kona, at Paleaku Gardens Peace Sanctuary, and for only $400 (including lunches!). This 72-hour 4-weekend course is perfect for working people; it will be held June 27-29, July 12-13, July 26-27, and August 2-3. Students will use Paleaku for a design project to help plan the evolution of the Sanctuary. Graduates receive permaculture design certification. Alternatively, an "Introduction to Permaculture" one-day workshop is May 31, 9-5, also at Paleaku, for $50. For additional information and/or registration for either event, please contact Michael Kramer, M.Ed. at 331-0910 or MichaelSAI BABA DEVOTEES will be doing bhajans (devotional song and chants). Linda at 325-0633 for info. _______________________________

PERSONALS:

I was at a New Thought service at the end of January. I have just gotten out of the hospital with a blood clot in my right leg. I am wondering if you know someone whom I could hire to assist me for a week or two. I am looking for someone who would be willing to drive me to have my blood tests taken 2 times a week, drive me to the grocery store and to do some cleaning for me. I am happy to pay for these services. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. My telephone number is 322-1454. With Gratitude, Nancy Wiggen

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SPIRITUAL MESSAGEWHICHEVER ONE I FEEDA Native American grandfather talking to his young grandson. He tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. "Which wolf will win, grandfather?" asks the young boy. "Whichever one I feed"._______________________________

AFFIRMATION

ON CHOOSING WISELY I give thanks that there is an Infinite Wisdom that guides me through life's changes. Every choice I make is a decision based upon God within me. My choices are wise ones, and lead to greater joy and harmony. I know I am guided from on high, and am grateful for that guidance now. My life is filled with wisdom and joy. From Science of Mind magazine_______________________________

READER FEEDBACK_______________________________

EDITORIAL

DRIVE CAREFULLY New Thought Center of Hawaii extends its prayers for a speed recovery to Joel Gimple, a violinist in the Kona Symphony Orchestra and contributor to many NTCH, Kona Beth Shalom, and other community events. Joel was involved in a head-on collision on the upper road on the way back from musical rehearsal in Hilo, seven miles north of his home. It was a little after midnight, and he was alone in the car. They had to cut him out of his car. He was wearing a seat belt and his car, a Subaru, had an airbag. These two saved his life but he was very broken up and is presently in ICU at Kona Hospital. Dr. Barry Blum operated on one leg and both feet, in emergency surgery, for eight hours. He still needs surgery on his right arm. In addition he had a fractured rib, dislocated jaw and a cracked eye socket. We all are praying for his full recovery but it will take many many months. Send good wishes his way and sympathy to his wife Jan. The other driver was less seriously injured. A reminder that our mortality balances on a heartbeat. Drive carefully. Morty Breier_______________________________

Aloha till next week Jerry Rothstein, editor NewThoughtWeekly jerry@turquoise"Jerry Rothstein" <jerrySun, 30 Mar 2003 03:59:07 -1000"JR" <jerryUS Court reveals FDA not regulating genetically engineered food

This information is via Una Greenaway of the "Hawaii Genetic Engineering Action Network" (HIGEAN) una 328-8888

ALLIANCE FOR BIO-INTEGRITY Preserving the Safety of Our Food, the Health of Our Environment, and the Harmony of Our Relationship with Nature

406 West Depot Avenue, Fairfield, Iowa 52556 (641) 472-5554 info www.biointegrity.org

.. HOW A U.S. DISTRICT COURT REVEALED THE UNSOUNDNESS OF THE FDA'S POLICY ON GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS A Report on the Results of Alliance for Bio-Integrity, et al. v. Shalala Steven M. Druker Executive Director

..

In May of 1998 the Alliance for Bio-Integrity led an unprecedented coalition of public interest groups, religious leaders, and eminent scientists in filing a lawsuit to reform U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy on genetically engineered (GE) foods. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., and its outcome has demonstrated the irresponsibility of FDA policy and the falsity of some of the major claims made in support of GE foods. Proponents of these foods repeatedly claim that: (a) the FDA rigorously regulates them; (b) FDA policy is science-based; and © there is overwhelming scientific consensus that GE foods are safe. However, on October 2, 2000 the court issued a ruling that starkly refutes each claim. The court determined that:

 

 

The FDA is not regulating GE foods at all.

 

 

 

 

 

The FDA's politically appointed bureaucrats did not follow the advice and warnings of the agency's scientific staff about GE foods but disregarded them.

 

 

 

 

 

There is currently significant disagreement among scientific experts about the safety of GE foods.

Further, the court avoided the issue of whether adequate safety testing has been done and failed to make a determination that GE foods have been demonstrated to be safe - even though such a determination is legally required in order for these foods to be on the market. Despite the above findings, the court upheld the FDA's policy on narrow, technical grounds. The following paragraphs more fully explain its decision.

 

A. Establishing That the FDA Fails to Regulate GE Foods

In its written statements to the court, the FDA admitted it was not really regulating GE foods. The court agreed. It declared that the FDA's policy on GE foods is essentially one of "inaction" and does "not impose any … obligations" on the biotech industry.

 

B. Permitting FDA Administrators to Disregard the Warnings of Their Own Experts

During the suit, the FDA was required to divulge its internal files. These records clearly show (1) that the predominant opinion of the agency's own scientific experts was that GE foods have unique health risks and (2) that they repeatedly cautioned their superiors about these risks. The court acknowledged this, noting that there were numerous statements from the FDA's own scientists "warning" about unintended harmful side effects and "criticizing" the lack of scientific basis for the FDA's policy. However, it held that the agency's political appointees were legally entitled to disregard such expert input. Doing so, the court failed to mention that these administrators had not only disregarded this key information but had lied about it in their formal policy statement by claiming: "The agency is not aware of any information showing that foods derived by these new methods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way."

 

C. Treating Evidence of Disagreement Within the Scientific Community As Legally Irrelevant

The FDA claims that GE foods are recognized as safe by an overwhelming consensus among scientists, and this is the sole legal basis on which it has allowed them on the market. The lawsuit challenged this claim by demonstrating there is a substantial conflict among experts. Nine well-credentialed scientific experts took the unprecedented step of joining the suit as plaintiffs to emphasize their concerns about the hazards of GE foods, and several submitted declarations detailing the scientific grounds for regarding these foods as unreasonably risky. The court acknowledged we had introduced many statements from experts explaining that genetic engineering is "inherently risky", and it stated: "Plaintiffs have produced several documents showing significant disagreements among scientific experts." However, it said that because it was specifically reviewing an FDA policy decision of 1992, it was restricted to consider only the information the FDA had before it at that time. It did so even though we called the court's attention to the fact that by 1991 the FDA clearly knew there was not a scientific consensus about the safety of GE foods, as evidenced by a letter from its biotechnology coordinator to a Canadian health official admitting such a lack.

 

D. Overlooking the Fact That No Adequate Evidence of Safety Exists

The law explicitly requires that even if there is clear scientific consensus about safety, each new food such as a GE food still must be demonstrated safe through "technical evidence." The FDA's own experts clearly informed their superiors about the kinds of tests that are necessary to yield such evidence (e.g. long-term toxicological feeding studies using the whole GE food). But such tests are rarely used for GE foods, and no GE food on the market has been confirmed safe through them - as our scientist-plaintiffs carefully explained in statements filed with the court. Moreover, we directed the court's attention to a memo by an FDA official admitting that the necessary evidence was lacking. Although the court acknowledged that technical evidence of safety is required, it then sidestepped this crucial issue and completely failed to address it. Consequently, the court did not make any finding that GE foods have been demonstrated to be safe. Had it forthrightly addressed this issue, as it should have, it could not have upheld the FDA's policy.

 

E. Outcomes: Continuation of FDA's Unconscionable Behavior and Our Plans for Further Legal Action To Stop It

The suit was determined on a technical point of the law of federal administrative procedure. As plaintiffs, we had the burden of demonstrating that the FDA administrators had abused their discretion by acting arbitrarily and capriciously in adopting the presumption that GE foods are generally recognized as safe. Ultimately, the court held they had not acted in an arbitrary manner. Consequently, it said they were entitled to have presumed that GE foods are generally recognized as safe - even though it is clear that (a) such general recognition has never existed within the scientific community and (b) the technical evidence of safety upon which such recognition is legally required to rest does not exist either. The court did not rule that GE foods actually have been shown to be safe. Moreover, it did not even say that the FDA could justifiably continue to presume that GE foods are safe. Its decision was limited to the particular exercise of discretion made by the FDA in May of 1992. It ruled that at that specific point in time, the FDA was entitled to have made such a presumption; but it clearly indicated we had presented evidence showing that there currently is not a general recognition of safety. Further, the court emphasized that the FDA's presumption is supposed to be rebuttable by evidence it receives to the contrary. Nonetheless, the FDA continues to pretend that there is an overwhelming consensus among experts that GE foods have been demonstrated to be safe. Because of the major flaws in the court's opinion, we filed an appeal in November 2000. However, in January 2001, the FDA proposed new regulations on GE foods that, when implemented, will replace the less formal policy decision of May 1992 against which our lawsuit was brought. In effect, this renders it a waste of time for us to further pursue our suit, since technically we now need to challenge the new regulations, which will require the filing of a new lawsuit. Therefore, the Alliance for Bio-Integrity and the other plaintiffs in our lawsuit dropped our appeal, and our organization intends to participate with many other organizations in bringing a new lawsuit when the regulations take effect. It is regrettable that such a suit is needed, but the FDA's proposed regulations still treat GE foods as if they have fulfilled all the legal requirements to be classified generally recognized as safe; and the regulations therefore continue to permit GE foods to be marketed without safety testing and labeling. By proposing new regulations that essentially do not make any substantive changes in its policy but do make it procedurally necessary for us to drop our appeal and start over with a new lawsuit, the FDA has prolonged the era in which GE foods are inadequately regulated. On balance, our lawsuit accomplished a lot by exposing the FDA's fraud and revealing the unsoundness of its policy and the irresponsibility of its behavior. Even though we failed to overturn the FDA's policy, the court's ruling refutes the standard claims of the biotech industry about the rigor of FDA oversight and the proven safety of its own products. It gives the FDA nothing to be proud of nor does it give the biotech industry anything to brag about. But it does give all consumers something to be very concerned about.

 

 

Alliance for Bio-Integrity Home <http://www.bio-integrity.org/> Send Us Email: info Copyright 2002 Alliance for Bio-Integrity We encourage you to copy and distribute this material provided youmaintain individual documents in their entire form, acknowledge our authorship, and do not alter the intent of our message.