A couple weeks ago the White House stopped taking calls from the public regarding the bill that President Obama planned to sign allowing genetically modified salmon to be raised in the U.S. On the very last day (Friday, September 17), I called the White House and told them how I felt about it. They jotted my comment down and thanked me. My friends called, my students called, some random guy who walked into the juicebar I was dining in called. It takes about 3 minutes.

Note: If your comment is of particular interest it will be sent directly to the president.

America is a great big nation and many issues start closer to home. For a local concern, call your congressman or congresswoman. If a congress person receives around 20 phone calls in a day regarding a specific issue, the aide will actually call the congress person on their cell phone, even if they\’re debating on the floor of the Capital building.

I\’m a vegetarian and I don\’t eat fish, but I believe the issue of genetically modified (GM) food products has become a serious problem.

*I get up on my soap box*

Foods that are genetically modified show evidence to cause damage to vital organs and immune systems and cause pre-cancerous conditions. Many GM food product tests are actually designed to avoid identifying details of associated health issues. Those that do provide data based on lab tests often result in lab rats with serious illnesses and sadly, death. This may sound bizarre, after all doesn\’t the FDA, the agency that approves all of these products, have our best interest in mind? Not necessarily, and besides, most of the time the public doesn\’t hear the whole story. For example, according to Jeffrey M. Smith\’s book Seeds of Deception, \”Internal FDA documents made public from a lawsuit, reveal that agency scientists warned that GM foods might create toxins, allergies, nutritional problems, and new diseases that might be difficult to identify\”.

*I step off of my soap box*

A recent article from NPR on GMO Salmon, Biotech Battle: Are Genetically Engineered Fish Safe?

If you\’d like more resources to look into, check out the Institute for Responsible Technology and The 100 Year Lie. For other opportunities to take action go to The Sierra Club.

P.S. Add the White House\’s number to your contacts and use it often: 202.456.1111