Image: One method of gene therapy –
taking human cells, “editing” them genetically, and reinserting them
into the human body where they will replicate and carry out their newly
designed functions. (Microsoft Encarta Online Concise Encyclopedia)
….
Gene therapy is the identifying of faulty
genes, be they inherent or mutations in the form of cancer or aging, and
designing a vector to replace the faulty genes with fully functional,
repaired versions of your genetic code. Once introduced, the corrected
genes replicate themselves, displacing aged, mutated, or faulty
versions. The technology is a double edged sword however – and can be
used to harm just as well as help – in very profound ways. Public
awareness and engagement in the emerging field of genetics is an
absolute necessity to ensure this technology is used for good rather
than profit, or worse yet, increasing death and disparity.
A Promising Sword Still in the Hands of a Dangerous Enemy
The prospect of using the concepts behind gene therapy for
genospecific weapons was mentioned in the Neo-Conservative Project for a
New American Century’s (PNAC) 2000 report titled, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” (.pdf) which stated:The proliferation of ballistic and cruise missiles and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will make it much easier to project military power around the globe. Munitions themselves will become increasingly accurate, while new methods of attack – electronic, “non-lethal,” biological – will be more widely available. (p.71 of .pdf)
Although it may take several decade for the process of transformation to unfold, in time, the art of warfare on air, land, and sea will be vastly different than it is today, and “combat” likely will take place in new dimensions: in space, “cyber-space,” and perhaps the world of microbes. (p.72 of .pdf)
And advanced forms of biological warfare that can “target” specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool. (p.72 of .pdf)
This September 2000 document would also state (emphasis added) :
A transformation strategy that solely pursued capabilities for projecting force from the United States, for example, and sacrificed forward basing and presence, would be at odds with larger American policy goals and would trouble American allies. Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor. (p.63 of .pdf)
Exactly one year later, the US would
“serendipitously” experience “a new Pearl Harbor,” described as such by
the very signatories of this report. This “catastrophic and catalyzing,”
not to mention convenient, event was the September 11, 2001 attacks on
the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington
D.C. The “transformations” described by the 2000 PNAC document would
then unfold in quick succession, including elements described under
“cyber-space” warfare now demonstrably unfolding against nations like
Iran.
Likewise, ideological partners of PNAC at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), namely Jon Entine, constitute modern day Nazi eugenicists, who have literally penned articles advocating a renaissance of
the disgraced inherently racist pseudo-scientific discipline while
laying the groundwork for legitimizing genospecific policies – including
in warfare. When it is time to present genospecific weapons to the
public, it will be those like Entine at the AEI crafting the talking
points.Entine is also a tireless supporter of genetically modified organisms (GMO), more specifically the poisoned, dangerous products of big-agri giants like Monsanto and Syngenta. His website, the “Genetic Literacy Project” is a shameless clearing house for big-agri lobbying efforts - funded by big-agri. His ties to corporate-subsidized academia and corporate special interests indicates that his intentions to abuse this technology are not merely the rants of a single man, but an institutionalized agenda he serves as a spokesman for.
People like Entine thrive because of the vast and profound public ignorance surrounding genetics in general as well as topics including genetic engineering, gene therapy, and the threats and opportunities each represents. A real genetic literacy project, run by local DIYbio community labs (video), with hands-on projects and workshops, would go a long way in combating big-agri’s reality skewing “Genetic Literacy Project.” Tying these local groups with nearby institutions not only helps keep those on an institutional level honest, but also working in the best interests of the majority, with communities supporting them.
When lies are told by the likes of Entine and other paid-for faux-academics, a well armed population will be immediately aware of it. With a network of increasingly better equipped community labs, people will have the means of holding accountable corporate-giants, and combating their encroachments upon their communities in terms of agriculture and health care. In the light of truth, people like Entine and those he represents cannot operate with the impunity they now enjoy.
Image: Glybera – the first
Western-approved gene therapy may treat a rare genetic disorder
affecting the pancreas for an entire lifetime with a single treatment.
One doesn’t need to stretch their imagination far to imagine the
consequences this will have on big-pharma profiteering, nor the measures
they will take to protect their interests. Ultimately, such treatments
belong in the people’s hands – not special interests and the governments
that serve them.
