With the inspiring news this week from the UK and Australia, messages of delight have been pouring in to GM WATCH. Below is a celebratory message from Dave King but we've also included another that reminds us of the difficult struggle going on in countries where Bush and the biotech industry have been more successfully exerting their malign influence.

1. Grateful and humble: Reply to GM victory in UK
2.Time to party!
---

1. Grateful and humble: Reply to GM victory in UK

TO GMWatch Humans, Jim Thomas & Sarah North

As a Tawo Seed Carrier of sacred plants, please accept my humble and grateful thank you for all your personal sacrifices.

To quote the Mahatma, "this world has enough for everyone's need but not enough for one man's greed."

Here in Turtle Island we continue to resist being  the guinea pigs of Monsanto and their ilk.  WE  need your prayers.

Love,
Lilia Firefly
Tawo Seed Carrier
---

2.PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM DAVE KING ABOUT THE BAYER DECISION AND THE END OF GM CROPS IN BRITAIN FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS

Dear friends and fellow campaigners,

Right now, I am on a huge high about the Bayer decision.  As you probably know, I started campaigning against GM food in 1990 (I was the first director of The Genetics Forum, which, with Greenpeace UK, were at that time the only organisations in Britain campaigning on GM).  Yesterday, Jim Thomas described what it was like when he started in 1996: in 1990 it was the same except that no-one had any idea what genetic engineering was.  I scarcely even dreamed then that we would see a day like this.

In the last seven or eight years, I haven't done much about GM food.  This is mainly because you all got involved, and it was very clear to me that you were all doing such a great job that I didn't need to keep on plugging away at GM food.  So I got to take on the next challenge, human genetics.  But I never stopped dreaming of a day like this.  This is one of the great days of my, and I hope, your life.

So the main point of this message is simply to say THANK YOU from me, personally to you for the incredible work you have done, for your courage and for not giving up.  I cannot match most of you, except, perhaps, in the not giving up department.  The world does not thank us very often for the work we do, so we have to thank each other.

I also want you to feel what it means to your life that sometimes we can actually WIN, not just fight the good fight because we know it's the right thing to do.  Sometimes, you can win when you're pushing a door that is already starting to open, but nobody can say that that was the case here.

So, right now, get up from your computer, and, if you haven't already done it a lot, dance around the room, punch the air (or whatever you do), hug someone, MAKE SOME NOISE, claim some credit out loud!

GO ON, I really mean it, do it now.
---------

So the only other things are a demand, and some wise words from some great people.

I ABSOLUTELY DEMAND THAT WE DON'T LET THIS MOMENT PASS, AND THAT WE HAVE A PROPER PARTY.  I normally hate parties, but I'll make an exception in this case, in fact, I'll even help organise it.

Finally, here are some words from Seize The Day from their song of the same name:

We were outrageous and brave
and sometimes, yes sometimes,
we got away with it!
We knew enough to change the world,
We held up our hands,
We were the answer to our prayers,
We were revolutions!
Here we are, here we are,
living on our little star,
living out our little lives,
bigger than we realise.
------------

I look forward to seeing you at the party.
Dave King
Human Genetics Alert
Unit 112 Aberdeen House
22-24 Highbury Grove
London N5 2EA
t +44 (0)20 7704 6100
f +44 (0)20 7359 8423
[email protected]
www.hgalert.org

Go to a Print friendly Page

Email this Article to a Friend

Back to the Archive