genetixCyberSnowball
Part of the Global Days of action against genetic engineering
Contents: Press release and Action Alert

genetixCyberSnowball Press Release

For Immediate Release on 5th October 1998
gcsb@softhome.net also <http://gcs.8m.com/>http://gcs.8m.com/ or
<http://gcs.webjump.com/>http://gcs.webjump.com/

INTERNET GROUP TAKES ON THE GENETIX MULTINATIONALS

ELECTRONIC CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND HACKTIVISM TO HIGHLIGHT 
DANGERS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

genetixCyberSnowball is 12 days of internet actions from the 4th to the 15th 
of October.
Throughout this period the dangers of genetic engineering will be 
highlighted through a number of imaginative internet actions taking 
inspiration from the highly successful UK genetixSnowball and Gen 
campaigns.
The largest of these actions will use 'Electronic Civil Disobedience' tactics 
to target a biotech multinational web site using techniques similar to those 
developed for the ECD Floodnet actions in solidarity with the plight of the 
Zapatista. This will be on Saturday 10th of October at 1900 (7pm) GMT.
Other actions will be organised on a personal and spontaneous basis such 
as:
- Politicised hack groups to target the genetic engineering and biotech 
sites, with an aim to subversion - i.e. 'correction' - of home pages. 
Hacktivism in action.
- Mass E-mail petition campaigns - one this week and one next, one 
targeting biotech multinational and one targeting major governments.
- Fax and phone blockades.

Media sessions can be arranged.
gcsb@softhome.net also <http://gcs.8m.com/>http://gcs.8m.com/ or
<http://gcs.webjump.com/>http://gcs.webjump.com/
Ends

genetixCyberSnowball Action Alert
5th October 1998 - Effective until: 15th October 1998
gcsb@softhome.net also <http://gcs.8m.com/>http://gcs.8m.com/ or
<http://gcs.webjump.com/>http://gcs.webjump.com/

Please foreward widely.

genetixCyberSnowball is 12 days of internet actions from the 4th to the 15th 
of October.
Throughout this period the dangers of genetic engineering will be 
highlighted through a number of imaginative internet actions taking 
inspiration from the highly successful UK genetixSnowball and Gen 
campaigns.
For more details please see the website:
<http://gcs.8m.com/>http://gcs.8m.com/
or 
<http://gcs.webjump.com/>http://gcs.webjump.com/
This e-mail has been forwarded to you in the hope that you will agree with 
the letter below and participate in the petition.
To take part in the petition you need to forward this e-mail to the four 
addresses below (copy and paste them into the 'To:' box - or preferably 
the 'BCC:' box)
Edit the new e-mail so the subject line reads "Genetic Modification of 
foodstuffs" and delete all text above the dashed lines
Remember to add your name(s) at the bottom and 'personalise' the e-mail 
to your likeing.

To: positions.statement@monsanto.com, dekalb@dekalb.com, 
info@ag-tec.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir/Madam,
I write to express my deep concern at your involvement in the genetic 
modification (GM) and release of foodstuffs.
I feel that they pose severe and very real risks to the environment, heath, 
and the developing world.

The risks of releasing these plants into the environment are not known, but 
there is evidence that they are higher than you insist.
Cross breeding [1] and contamination of other crops is very possible and 
has high and has quite irreversible problems.

The heath risks are also worrying, their is little research into weather GE 
could trigger allergies, cause toxic build-up or gene-transfer [2] in humans.

The developing world, and poorer people in general are also at risk from 
this technology. It promises to 'banish' hunger and starvation, but the 
benefits never arrive (like the 60's 'green revolution')  - it's just too 
expensive.
Particularly, technologies such as Monsanto 'Terminator Technology' 
- which makes a plants seeds infertile - mean that sustainable subsistence 
farming is abolished and without multinationals the poor could not grow 
crops.

I hope you take this my worries into account and cease these dangerous 
and greedy experiments until the risks of these technologies can be made 
clear.

Yours,
[Your Name]

References
[1] Allison Snow, Ohio State University has investigated the cross breeding 
of GE oilseed rape with the weed, brassica rapa and found that the weed 
could pick up the herbicide resistance of the oilseed.
[2] For example, using the virus-like agents created to implant new genes 
into plants. This has been documented as occuring in mice with 
'Terminator Technology'.
Ends

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