Plant breeding in the public interest

[Paul Cherubini]

I wrote:

> > Can you [Pat Foley] give us some specific scenarios or models of potential 
> >"disastrous" consequences [of plant breeding controlled by a few big 
> > seed companies]? Perhaps examples from other industries long 
> > controlled by a few hands?
> > These "dangers" and "disastrous consequences" are not obvious to me.
> > That's why I requested specific scenarios and models or examples from 
> > other industries.

Pierre A Plauzoles wrote:

> Easiest answer I have had the pleasure of posting in some fourteen years: 
> the lack of decent public transit (see any of the newsgroups that deal with rail 
> transportation).  With the general public forced to come to the oil companies'
> trough or be unable to maintain their mobility, the public chooses the 
> former, resulting in air pollution,asthma and other
> respiratory diseases due to the pollution, and so on (I could also include
> the fact the petrochemical industry thinks it can get away with murder 
> by pollution. 

Pierre, I don't get your point.  Have the oil companies coerced the public into 
prefering commuting solo in 8 cylinder, 5000 lb sport-utes even in cities with
excellent rail transportation and financial incentives to car pool?  Did the
oil companies play a role in the Nature Conservancy's decision to purchase
a fleet of 8 cylinder, 5500 lb Chevy Surburbans instead of 4 cylinder, 3200 lb
Volkswagen Vans? Have the oil companies ever had anything to do with Mr. fossil
fuel Paul Ehrlich's decision to often use his private plane to fly around the world
instead of commercial jetliners?

> Love Canal finally did catch up with Hooker Chemical, did it not?

Yes, but were there irreversible disastrous environmental consequences 
at Love Canal? According to the EPA Fact Sheet on Love Canal at 
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfnd/site_sum/0201290c.htm the Hooker
Chemical dumping that caused the pollution problem was carried out way back 
between 1942-1952. Industry has not behaved this irresponsibly in modern times.
The EPA fact sheet on Love Canal also says the site has been cleaned
up and currently " does not present a threat to human health and the 
environment."

Paul Cherubini