SOME POINTS TO PONDER

FIRST THOUGHT

I was working in my garden this afternoon pulling weeds. We’ve had quite a bit of rain lately and the weeds have grown strong and tall. Not necessarily so with the garden plants, you understand. I had to be careful not to pull up a pepper or tomato plant while weeding, as they were shorter and struggling to reach the sun under the weed canopy.

That started me thinking – always a dangerous pastime. Regardless, my thoughts led me to wonder why in this age of gene splicing that scientists have not been encouraged to find the gene that allows weeds to grow big and strong in dry times while garden plants struggle. Find the gene that enables weeds to be so recklessly extravagant in their growth and transplant that gene into ordinary garden plants and you will become a very rich person, I thought.

You may have heard of Round Up ready soybeans. If not, let me tell you about them. These genetically modified soybeans remain unharmed by Round Up, the herbicide that destroys grass, weeds and other growing plants. It does not affect plants that have not yet sprouted, but when sprayed on a growing plant it penetrates the leaves, travels to the roots and destroys the plant. Round Up ready soybeans, however, are unaffected by Round Up spray after they have reached a certain height. Hence, farmers can plant their soybeans, let they grow until they reach 8-10 inches and then spray the entire field with Round Up. This spraying destroys all weeds while the soybeans keep on growing. The farmer saves time and money by not having to disc the field several times to remove weeds, thus reducing his costs and increasing his profits.

If this sort of gene splicing, creating a gene that specifically rejects the killing effect of Round UP, can be done, why can’t scientists find some way to splice into garden plants the gene or genes that allow weeds to grow whatever the weather? We gardeners would still have to weed our garden plots but the garden plants would now be on an equal footing with the weeds – growing strong during wet periods and staying strong during dry periods.

Frankly, I would like to see Round Up ready garden plants. Plant your tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers and whatever else, and then give them a week or two to become well rooted in their new home. During that time, the weed seeds in your carefully prepared garden will have discovered the warmth of the sun and decide to start growing. Let them. In fact, give them another week or so and then spray the whole garden with Round Up. Voila, no more weeds, just healthy garden plants.

I would pay extra for such plants, wouldn’t you?

SECOND THOUGHT

Isn’t it time we put a stop to the drunk driving nonsense in this country by doing the only sensible thing someone convicted of driving while intoxicated understands – removal of driving privileges?

For the first offense, we might start with removal of license and driving privileges for one month. Too bad if that causes inconvenience for you or your family. If you have to bum a ride to work with a spouse, neighbor or co-worker during that period, that is just too bad. For trips to the movies, grocery store, shopping mall, golf course, or anywhere else, you will enjoy the privilege of being chauffeur driven for one month. You will have 30 days to think about whether you ever want to go through this again.

Should the experience of that lesson be short lived and you have a second conviction for driving while under the influence, you will lose your license and driving privileges for six months! And should you be dumb enough to have a third conviction, you will lose the right to drive a vehicle for life or until you have undergone extensive (and expensive) rehabilitation as determined by the courts.

I’m not finished weeding my garden, so I will likely have more thoughts to share with you in another day or two. Stay tuned.