What would it take for me to change my mind?

In a recent conversation about GMOs, the phrase "[I] won't change my mind. I strongly believe . . ." came up.  Well, that's a silly notion . . . to think there is no possibility of ever changing our minds.  Are we God, that we know and understand all?  So as I pondered that thought, I wondered what it would take to convince me that GMOs are bad?  After all, it is unfair for me to hammer on the anti-GMO crowd, when I am as staunchly in my corner as they are in theirs.

So I ask the question to you - what would it take for you to change your mind?  Are you truly open minded about the topic?  I am open minded - below is a detailed description of what it would take to change my mind.  I am willing to believe GMOs are bad, if the following items are addressed.  

I have three issues that need to be addressed.

1.  Not all GMOs are the same.  

To make the general statement, "GMOs are bad for [the bees, the soil, the air, personal health, economy]" is to say "movies are bad" or "wood furniture is bad."  GMOs are a broad category of countless products.  Even if we limited ourselves only to the "food" items (which is where most GMO conversations are centered), there are still thousands of products to consider.  Before I can accept "GMOs (as a category) are bad" I must first believe an overwhelming number of the varieties are bad.  Consider that corn alone has at least 17 varieties.  I bet the real number is closer to 100, but hard data was difficult to find (and really doesn't matter for the purposes of this post).

How would we show any individual variety is bad?  See issue #2.

2.  Prove the existing research is bad.  

Right now, we have 3 areas of research / study and we're missing the 4th.  We have research and opinions claiming GMOs are bad, GMOs are good, and debunking of "GMOs are bad".  But we have no papers specifically tearing into the "GMOs are good" research and showing how methodology is bad or the data is interpreted inappropriately.   If you are going to claim Monsanto products are bad, you need to specifically refute the research put out by Monsanto.  Show me specifically where Monsanto did bad research.  Where is their methodology faulty?  What specific mistakes /errors did they make?

There is lots of hate mongering and name calling against Monsanto (the patent bully, greedy corporate, evil), but these are irrelevant - the only question that matters is the correctness of their research.  You can't address the morality of Monsanto as a company.  I don't care if Monsanto is "good" or "bad"; I am concerned with their research.  Are they doing good research?  Are their findings properly documented and reported?  Are they appropriately interpreted?  Are their results repeatable? 

You can't use anecdotes.  Not a single one.  Not yours, not your neighbor, not a famous person, not an internet post.  Anecdotes are the beginning of science, they lead us to ask questions and seek answers.  But anecdotes are not evidence, and a plurality of anecdotes is not proof.

And you can't complain Monsanto suppresses research.  I call BS on that.  Millions of scientists in the entire world, and many of them with a personal grudge against Monsanto.  Are you really telling me they are afraid to publish their research?  They're afraid to perform the research?  There's no renegades who worked there that can expose the faulty research?  That's just crap.

If you get past all of this . . . you have to publish it in Nature or Science.  Trust me, if you can produce this research, they will have a "hold the presses" moment and make you the cover story the next day.  No self publishing on your blog.  No producing a video of you in a lab coat.  No press release to CNN.  Just boring, plain, publish it where it can be reviewed and scrutinized by actual scientists.  Good Morning America sharing science opinions is about as useful as me sharing muscle car reviews.  Why did I pick those two?  They are the premier publications for general science.  And they would kill for an expose on that.

3.  Replace the GMOs with alternative solutions to the problems currently being addressed GMOs

Show how you can solve the problems that GMOs are solving, namely, increasing yields, lowering herbicide and pesticide use, protect the rain forest, use less fresh water, longer shelf life, easier to transport, extend the season of fresh foods, etc.

Related articles - GMOs and bees, GMO wheat can help feed the world, the original GMO - tomato (didn't know the tomato had such a noble history), One of my personal favorite debunk articles (not about GMOs) about the fork over knives movie,

Baby Advice - Post 3

Breast Feeding.

"Breast fed baby's poop doesn't stink."  People LIE.  It stinks.  Some days, it smells nasty.  Perhaps it's worse when they are eating food, but make no mistake, it's not a bed of roses at any stage of the game.

A breast pump will provide a tremendous amount of freedom.  While the baby is breast only, you have to stay where breast feeding is convenient.  The biggest place where this is a problem is while driving, in a restaurant, and night feedings.

When driving a car, you can't breast feed and keep the car in motion - despite previous family experience - this is generally regarded as "unsafe".  Having a bottle allows you to keep the baby on the schedule while keeping the family moving.

The problem with restaurants is not that it's public (see post 2 for commentary on public feeding), but rather the timing.  It always happens that baby is ready for food just as your fresh steak is coming out of the kitchen.  By the time you eat, the steak is cold.  Or the ice cream is melted.  Or the ice melts into the soda.

And night feedings.  While baby is breast feeding, there's really no reason for dad to wake up - there's nothing he can do to make the situation better.  If there's a bottle of breast milk, then dad can help.

Of course, all this is negated if your family chooses formula.

Back to breast pumps.  I don't care how cheap it is . . . don't buy a manual pump.  A manual pump works like a spray bottle - an old spray bottle that's a little tough and not an gentle squeeze.  So imagine this . . . squeeze the bottle once each second for 20 minutes.  That's just one side.  And assuming your breasts release milk quickly.  Now do it again, on the other side.  Wait 2 hours and do it again.  Your hands will kill you.  Don't buy a manual pump.

Baby Advice - Post 2

• Baby Sleeping

Figure out where the baby will sleep a month or so in advance.  Lots of details you can figure out on the fly, but it's really important to have a place for baby when you get home.  We arrived home at 1 AM after delivery, and didn't have a place for him.  Luckily, a friend had a bassinet they loaned us and delivered at 10 PM before we got home.

Baby doesn't need to sleep in the parent's bedroom.  Babies will frequently get startled and wake up for a few seconds, cry a little, then back to sleep.  Christina said my snoring woke the baby up frequently.  So, for the baby's sake, let him have his own room.  If you don't have a separate room, let him sleep in the living room or a closet.

Speaking of baby sleeping, if you keep the house quiet, the baby will never learn to sleep well.  Your whole life you will be trapped by wrapping your life around the baby.  You and yours already have a life; baby needs to find a place in that life, not the other way around.  Make a few adjustments, but live your life, wash your dishes, listen to your music, etc.  Now that doesn't mean you put the baby in the TV room while you watch Gwar videos.  When the baby is sleeping on the first floor, I don't run the blender.  But I still cook and chop veggies and make dinner.  I still wash dishes and load the dish washer.

• Breastfeeding

A lactation consultant is nice - they can provide lots of experience.  Breastfeeding is not as "natural" as hippies make it out to be, it takes practice, work, and more practice.  It doesn't just happen.  You should do some reading, learn as much as you can so that you have questions to ask.  Also, spend time in the breastfeeding section of your favorite store - you'll see lots of products you never thought of before, and that may lead to some more questions.

Purchase a nice chair for nursing.  Sliders (as opposed to rockers) are real nice, and you do get what you pay for . . .

And we come to the new age argument for breastfeeding in public.  "It's natural . . . why should we be ashamed?"  You know what else is natural?  Pee.  Pee is even more natural - everyone does it every day of their life.  And when I pee in public, people get upset.  Sex is natural.  Clipping toe nails is natural.  Breastfeeding is an intimate moment with mother and baby, let her have that time.  She can sing and play with baby and enjoy an intimate bonding experience.