: This morning I was greeted with this lovely email from a
: fellow by the name of Ken Schauer:

: "Almost all the foods we eat both plant and animal have
: been genetically engineered at one point since we started
: agriculture. I have no interest in any company. In fact I
: am a 56 year old with a genetic condition known as hfASD
: (look it up bitch) The fact that you spread lies about them
: appalls me to no end. You are nothing more than a vulture
: that preys upon the fears of others. I hope your life is

: miserable and short lived. I shall report you to quack
: watch and see how you fair after that. I have researched
: genetics and epigenetics extensively and know for fact you
: have zero scientific backing for your claims. I wish there
: was a hell for you to burn in for eternity but
: unfortunately there is no proof heaven or hell exist beyond
: the plain we now occupy. I will tell everyone I know to
: avoid you and your bullshit like the plague. No need to
: respond as I know you will only lie.

: Piss Off,

: Ken Schauer"

: Lovely, huh? Here is the response I wrote to Ken:

: "Ken -

: Thank you for your warm words! Sorry to hear about your
: condition. I did look it up and from what I read I suppose
: that it is better than outright autism in that you are
: higher functioning, as evidenced from your message -
: although the angry tone of the message gives a bit of
: concern about the reported overlap with Asperger's. I have
: learned to try not to get into any debates or arguments
: with people who have Asperger's, since they have a very
: strong tendency to become quite nasty and refuse to
: consider any facts or opinions that are contray to their
: own. If such is the case with you, then my apologies for
: bothering to respond - albeit with truth and not the lies
: as you predicted.

: Quackwatch? Are you kidding me, Ken? Quackwatch? Oh my! Thanks
: for the laugh - it's great to start the week out with some
: humor. Have you bothered to look into the notorious
: de-licensed ex-doctor and mainstream medicine tool who runs
: that and other similar organizations? I suggest taking a
: look at these:
: http://www.truthwiki.org/stephen-barrett-quackwatch/

: http://www.quackpotwatch.org/quackpots/quackpots/barrett.htm

: You are quite correct when you say that most of the foods that
: we eat today have been genetically engineered. However,
: many of us would point out that selective breeding/cross
: breeding and hybridization, which can occur in nature, is
: quite different than actual gene-splicing and DNA
: modification which can only occur in a lab. Is it
: concerning to you that such artificial genetic manipulation
: has created such Frankenfoods as plants that create their
: own pesticides or plants that are able to withstand large
: amounts of horrific glyphosates such as Roundup which are
: then consumed by an unwitting public?

: Having extensively studied genetics and epigenetics, I would
: think that you would be aware that genetically modified
: plants are causing changes in human DNA that have been
: found to persist for at least three generations? Speaking
: of heaven and hell and such - do you think that man is
: somehow superior to our creator, or nature if you prefer,
: in playing God with our plants and animals? Does it not
: concern you that just one mistake, just one unforeseen
: consequences of genetic modification might have devastating
: effects for human and other life on this planet? Once such
: a mistake is made, it might be impossible for man to ever
: put that genie back in the bottle, and we are already
: seeing GMO crops widely "infect" natural ones.

: When it comes to my own articles and writings, I don't claim
: to be infallible. Far from it. But I do try to thoroughly
: research my articles. "Zero scientific backing"?
: I wonder, did you bother to read the research quoted in my
: articles and references? Surely there are lots of quacks in
: the natural/alternative medicine universe spewing
: unsupported misinformation. Almost as many as in mainstream
: medicine.

: "A vulture who preys on the fears of others"?
: Thousands of people around the world might beg to disagree
: and tell you that they are alive today, or living healthier
: lives today thanks to what I actually try to do, which is
: help open people's eyes to the dangers of mainstream
: medicine, genetically modified foods, herbicides,
: pesticides, plastics and other toxins and provide them with
: the information to address their own private health issues
: naturally so that they may live longer, healthier and
: happier lives.

: Would it surprise you to know that a few decades ago, when I
: began my journey of discovering the truth about health and
: healing, I too was quite skeptical of alternatives to
: mainstream medicine and quite the fan of modern science? I
: believed that real medicine came in a brown bottle with Rx
: on it and that real healers had smocks and stethoscopes and
: medical degrees posted on their walls - and that
: alternatives ranged from quaint and mildly effective at
: best to downright dangerous.

: I bet it would really surprise you to find out that I risked
: my very life working with the authorities to help expose
: the health scam of a three-time felon who sent hired goons
: to find and silence me. I don't like quacks and scammers
: any more than you do, Ken - but I am not one.

: I began my journey after father time and perhaps some bad
: dietary and lifestyle choices led to the inevitable
: conclusion that I was not destined to be young and immortal
: forever and I thought that it might be a good idea to
: search for ways to perhaps add a few healthy years back to
: my life which otherwise might have been taken away. What an
: eye-opening journey it has been! Being a journalist by
: training, I was taught to be objective (outdated as that is
: in today's media world). Even so, it took a lot of
: convincing for me to finally realize that most of what I
: had been told about medicine and health was wrong - that it
: was still nature which healed and for the most part all
: that mainstream medicine was doing was managing symptoms
: with highly profitable, unnatural manmade side-effect laden
: compounds which led to more and more health conditions and
: more and more pharmaceuticals and doctor visits. It's a
: great model for making profits, Ken, but a horrible one for
: healing and humanity.

: Are you aware that over 95% of the FDA approved prescribed and
: over-the-counter medications have side effects? Or that
: perhaps not coincidentally that by mainstream medicine's
: own admisiion, in any given year over 100,000 people die
: from the side effects of their medications even when they
: are properly prescribed and administered? Or that by
: comparison, in any given year exactly 0 people die from
: vitamins, minerals, herbal and other supplements?

: It is much the same with food. Trust me, Ken, I had much
: rather be able to buy the packaged items on grocers shelve
: and less expensive non-organic packaged items, meats and
: produce than the ones that are far safer and healthier. But
: having learned the truth, I cannot do that to my body or
: recommend that anyone else do so. Did you know that 80% of
: the food items on our grocers' shelves contain one or more
: items banned in other countries? And that does not even
: include GMO foods which are also banned, and increasingly
: so, in other countries.

: I began my journey simply looking for information which would
: help my own health - but I realized that the information I
: was finding could be of tremendous benefit to others and
: that it would be a natural thing for me, a writer of modest
: ability, to share that information. Perhaps it might even
: enable me to put down some positive footsteps in the sand
: alongside the river of time which I had disturbed in the
: past. Which is what I have been doing, Ken - not preying on
: other people's fears, Ken.

: I too wish there was a Hell. If so, I firmly believe there is
: a place there in the deepest, hottest depths for the likes
: of the owners and managers of Merck and Monsanto who know
: the real truth about the deadly wares they profit from. I'm
: thinking it would be even deeper and hotter than the
: politicians and televangelist levels. 

: So here I am Ken. It's now been decades and many tens of
: thousands of hours of research and writing about natural
: health and it has long since become my mission in life. And
: I even make a few hundred dollars a month - and ONLY a few
: hundred dollars a month - along the way.

: You know, Ken, if it is possible for you to take an objective
: look, you might consider taking your own journey into the
: truth about natural health versus mainstream medicine and
: mainstream science. You are still a relative youngster
: compared to me. There's still time, and as the saying go
: "And the truth shall set you free". A good place
: to begin might be my modest website.

: On the other hand, if you choose to keep your mind closed and
: if you choose to condemn me and believe what you wrote,
: then that is surely your right. But you could not be
: farther from the truth.

: Live long, healthy and happy, Ken.

: Tony Isaacs
: Natural health author and advocate"