Dr. Sears, Monarchs, Bt corn

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Yea, so much easier to 'blame' the villainous collectors and biotech
companies than it is to do anything constructive about the inevitable
ongoing habitat loss that accompanies increase in human population. I doubt
that this will change in our lifetimes -- too many vested interests in human
population growth and no imediate incentive to make the difficult decisions.
A real or fabricated crisis is normally needed to prompt human action on
matters with such sweeping economic, social, religious and moral/ethical
implications

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Gatrelle [mailto:gatrelle at tils-ttr.org]
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 9:08 PM
To: Leps-l
Subject: Re: Dr. Sears, Monarchs, Bt corn


    When the tobacco companies wanted to "prove" that tobacco had no ill
effect on humans they hired the best medical doctors and scientists "MONEY
COULD BUY." Dr. Sears is right on in his comments on monarchs and Bt corn.
There has always been and always will be scientists and/or groups willing to
"prove" anything for money -- or to further their agenda. Hitler had plenty
of experts, scientists, doctors, etc. fully ready to prove which race was
SUPERIOR.There are many outright lies being put forth by more than one group
in relation to Lepidoptera these days.
    Monarchs have been made a glamour species in this country. I've never
seen so many people making money off of a species of butterfly. It becomes
very necessary to have Rome burn to stir up the cause. Or, if it isn't
really burning to make people believe it is. DANGER! monarch are under
attack! Stop the collectors! Stop the Bt corn. SEND MONEY. I used to think
only the TV preachers did this.
     How about this for a REAL threat to monarchs. At the recent
Lepidopterists' Society international meeting in North Carolina this August
it was stated (by the monarch specialist in charge of the program) that the
Mexican people in the monarch over-wintering area were being PAID FOR TAGS
TAKEN FROM 'DEAD' MONARCHS BY THE SCIENTISTS STUDYING THEM. I couldn't
believe this when I heard it! Are these researchers so absolutely dumb that
they think the only monarchs from which the tags are being taken are those
which "died of natural causes." Don't they know that poor people, who can
barely feed their own children, are going to SHAKE EVERY MONARCH OUT OF
EVERY TREE AND KILL OR MUTILATE THEM ALL SO THEY CAN GATHER THE TAGS AND
TRADE THEM IN FOR CASH AND THE CASH FOR FOOD! If you're a hungry family in
Mexico your kids are worth a whole lot more then BUGS!  North American
scientists have now made the monarch over-wintering trees into MONEY TREES!
    So all of us who tag monarchs need to know that when we do so we have
just put a sign on this wonderful insects telling the poor innocent people
of Mexico to "kill me for cash." But don't worry, when the monarch numbers
really do go down it will just be blamed on the collectors, and of course,
Bt CORN.