Genetically Modified apples that don’t brown are in the news this week. The Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny apples were created by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, a small company in Canada. The USDA approved them for U.S. consumers on Friday.
“The morons say GMO foods cause famine?” an incredulous Rufus said when we saw one on ABC News holding a sign.
Global Warming, measles, and GMO apples give us a good stepping stone to consider facts and truth and moronity.
GLOBAL WARMING
Political Assertion: “Man-made Global warming is making sea level rise.”
Fact: The Isthmus of Panama “recently” formed; that allowed armadillos to migrate from South America into North America by the early Pleistocene.
Fact: The Bering land bridge intermittently connected Asia with North America as sea levels rose and fell under the effect of ice ages; at one point that allowed early humans to migrate from South America into North America.
Truth: The climate does change over time but none of those huge changes had anything to do with humans. Only a moron could believe a politician can fix it with a tax.
MEASLES
Political Assertion: “Vaccinations cause bad shit.”
Fact: The United States eliminated measles in 2000 thanks to vaccination levels over 90% of the school-age population. China and Mexico have almost no measles infections thanks to vaccination levels over 90% of the school-age population.
Fact: Measles cases in the United States are at their highest level since 2000.
Truth: Most current infections occur in unvaccinated people, most of whom declined the injections for religious, philosophical or political reasons. Only a moron could believe that the political science of climate change is so vastly right but the real science of disease prevention is so vastly wrong.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
Political Assertion: “GMO foods cause famine.”
Fact: Genetically modified wheat doubled yields in Mexico, India, and Pakistan and have saved over a billion people from starvation.
Fact: Modern corn (maize) began with a huge leap in genetic modification about 10,000 years ago when farmers in Mexico domesticated maize by choosing seeds because they came from taller plants or tasted better or were easier to grind. This selective breeding or artificial selection led directly to the corn we enjoy today. Modern genetic tools reduce the labor force needed to produce enough food for us and reduce the need for evil pesticides.
Truth: Politicians make stuff up. Morons believe them.
TRUTHS
• The solar deniers cult simply ignore the inconvenient truths that their computer models are flawed, that Michael Mann’s flawed hockey stick graph was never real science, and even that solar activity has some small teeny-tiny relationship to temperature here.
Whether climate change is man made or not has become a religious argument with the faith-based politicians who believe with all their hearts and none of their brains using the story to make money and that magic will keep their feet dry and their crops growing. The facts paint a different story.
The climate is always changing. The wise human will prepare for the change while the moron rails against the thermometer.
• The liberal left and the conservative right have joined forces under the anti-vaxer’s tinfoil hat of political science disease prevention.
Whether vaccine is good or bad has become a religious argument with the faith-based anti-vaxers political cult who believe with all their hearts and none of their brains that magic will keep them safe. The facts paint a different story.
Vaccination can prevent the once common diseases that ravaged us — polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, rubella, mumps, tetanus, rotavirus and the flu. The wise human will protect him or herself while the moron rails against the needle.
• ABC News also noted in the GMO story that 80% of the corn we eat is genetically modified. ABC News was dead wrong. 100% of the corn we eat is genetically modified.
Whether genetic mods are good or bad has become a religious argument with the faith-based politicians who believe with all their hearts and none of their brains trying ban all change and that magic will keep them fed. The facts paint a different story.
Foods evolve whether we do it in the field or the lab. The wise human will measure the impact of the change while the moron rails against the science.
So. Facts and truth and moronity.
The wise human observes a problem, gathers facts, has an idea, tests the idea, and draws a conclusion. The wise human tests that conclusion against any new data.
The moron hears a perfect idea on the Interwebs, finds a fact that confirms the idea, concludes it was a great idea and never ever needs changing, and then rails against the science that contradicts him or her.
And that’s the Truth!
Possibly everything you said is true. I haven’t heard anyone “rail against the needle” of inoculation, but I have heard them state opposition to being FORCED by law. It is called Freedom of choice.
Herman Goering proclaimed that the “good of the state supersedes the rights of the individual.” His political party was called The National Socialists, and they had an acronym that escapes me at the moment.
I’ll get my shot when Herr Blogmeister scrubs the Swastika off his Gesäß.
— George
Having already had this discussion back channel, I think George has already seen these stats:
“Getting a measles shot is a personal decision. It’s Feedom of Choice.”
Uh huh.
Having the brakes removed from your car is a personal decision. It’s Freedom of Choice. You won’t kill all of us either way but you might kill some of us. Either way, it’s my tattooed ass on the line here when you make a “personal decision.” And my great-granddaughter’s.
“If you are vaccinated, or immune because you contracted it, then it doesn’t matter if the anti-vaxxers exist…”
That’s not correct. Here’s just one example from a friend: “I got measles at age 28 despite having had all the shots because it was on my campus. Light case, no biggie, but if I hadn’t been generally healthy, who knows?”
Six of the cases from Disneyland got their MMR shot and still managed to get infected. All but two of them had gotten at least two doses, the standard recommendation.
Two doses are 97 percent effective against infection.
Measles is crazy contagious. Take 1,000 peeps. Of the 100 people who aren’t vaccinated, about 90 will get infected. Then, of the 900 people who are vaccinated, 3 percent — 27 people — get infected because they don’t have full immunity.
Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children. From 2001-2013, 28% of children younger than 5 years old who had measles had to be treated in the hospital. Measles in kids can lead to pneumonia (often fatal in older people), lifelong brain damage, deafness, and death. In 2013, there were 145,700 measles deaths globally – about 400 deaths every day or 16 deaths every hour.
Those are worldwide statistics but all it takes is one unnecessary death in this country because George didn’t get his shot…
I’d rate the brakes analogy more accurate than not. If you don’t have brakes, you won’t hit *every* car on the road whether they have brakes or not but you will hit some of them.
Only a moron could believe that the political stance of anti-vaxing is so vastly right but the real science of disease prevention is so vastly wrong.
The climate here in the Dallas Metroplex and surrounding counties has dramatically changed since 1980. Native fauna and flora have been decimated. Were in our third year of drought. Change by whatever cause is written in the strata. Change, mutate or die. first I grew vegetables. Now I grow desert plants.
GMOs by whatever means are an interesting floral menagerie . My beef is that I buy very attractive GMO produce that are like women I’ve know. Flat tasting dry pulp inside and no personality. I like my produce the way I like my women. Wholesome, tasty, tasteful and homegrown.
Due to my documented register of allergies I am exempted from vaccines containing formalin and/or mercury so I take alternative measures that have been effective. A modicum of prayer also helps. Considering the history of our institutions of higher learning vis a vis objectivism, I cannot put much faith in the science community.