BUYING  POLITICAL  INFLUENCE  BY  BIOTECH  BOOSTERS

It’s well-established that the Junkman Steve Milloy’s “sound science” internet mission was established with Philip Morris tobacco money aimed at undermining industry-critical research etc. Not much has changed!  Pro-GM scientists on the Prakash AgBioView list are being encouraged to respond to the Junkscience.com offer.  Going for the money should be an ethic many there are used to.  There’s also Prakash delight over the second item below which you may also want to respond to.

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 Junkscience.com Announces $1,000 Prize in the ...
Wire Service: OTC (COMTEX Newswire) -  Mon, Nov 20, 2000

WASHINGTON:  The following was released today by Junkscience.com:

Junkscience.com announced today the “StarLink Corn Is Safe” Sweepstakes.  The winner will receive One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00).  The purpose of the contest is to encourage public participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking concerning the safety of StarLink corn— the biotech corn involved in the recent taco shell controversy.

To enter the “StarLink Corn Is Safe!” Sweepstakes, a contestant must visit Junkscience.com (http://www.junkscience.com) and send an e-mail to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expressing an opinion about whether the EPA should approve StarLink corn as safe for human consumption.

To be eligible for the Sweepstakes, opinions must express whether they are ‘for’ or ‘against’ EPA approval of the supplemental safety assessment submitted by Aventis Crop Science for Starlink Corn. It does not matter which position contestants take; only that a view is expressed.
Contest rules apply.  The contest is void where prohibited.

For those who have questions about the EPA rulemaking and StarLink Corn, information is provided at Junkscience.com.

At the conclusion of the public comment period of the EPA rulemaking on Nov. 27, the contest will close.  The winner of the One Thousand Dollars will then be picked at random from all those who submitted eligible opinions to the EPA. The winner will receive a money order from Junkscience.com.

Asked about the contest, Junkscience.com publisher Steven Milloy said, “This contest is made possible by the Internet and is the third such contest sponsored by Junkscience.com. We hope to stimulate public education about food biotechnology and public participation in the EPA regulatory process.”

--- Junkscience.com is the recognized leading provider of news, research and comment on “junk science,” defined as faulty scientific data and analysis used to further a special agenda.

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from AgBioView (looks like some of the listees have already been avisiting!):

Take the ENN GM poll—currently over half of all ENN (Environmental News Network) visitors polled thin GM benefits outweigh drawbacks!  This is not exactly a pro-biotech audience.
http://www.enn.com/features/2000/09/09062000/gmfood_30998.asp

Will the benefits of genetically-modified food eventually outweigh its drawbacks?
Yes             52%
No              48%
Total votes     215