Pulling Weeds

I know that weeds are not something that most of the Northern Hemisphere has to worry about right now, but in Tucson, where I live, weeds grow year-round. When I noticed that I had some quick growing weeds on the side of my house this past weekend, I knew I had to take care of them.

When I first moved into my house, I always pulled the weeds. If I went more than one week without pulling, I would likely have to spend a few hours the next weekend trying to get rid of all of them. When The Husband moved in, he took over weed duty and began spraying. While I may not have been thrilled that he was spraying Round-Up, I was just happy to be relieved of the chore.

But this past weekend, when I saw the weeds growing, I knew that I could not in good conscious let The Husband spray Round-Up again. While Monsanto, the makers of Round-Up say that it is perfectly safe, studies are raising questions:

1) Could Round-Up be lethal to amphibians? A University of Pittsburgh study found that Round-Up caused a 70% decline in "amphibian biodiversity." During monsoon season, we have small frogs all over the area naturally keeping the bug population down; Do I want to risk killing these cool little frogs, and throwing off the natural balance in my neighborhood? I don't think so!
2) Could Round-Up hurt a fetus? A University of Caen (France) study found that the herbicide could “induce reproduction problems” in humans by damaging placental cells and hormones. My biggest weed problem area is right next to a public sidewalk. Am I putting the lives of the unborn babies in my neighborhood in danger by trying to kill a few weeds? I'm not willing to risk it.

But that's not all... Monsanto has been labeled as one of the most evil companies on the planet. Why, you ask? Read this article and you'll see why. If that one doesn't convince you, read this. Or just Google "Monsanto is evil" and you'll see what I mean.


And do you think the FDA will try to protect us from the onslaught of GM foods? Well considering that the former vice president of public policy and chief lobbyist at Monsanto Company is the new senior advisor for the FDA, I wouldn't hold my breath.

So, with all this in mind, I happily went outside and pulled those pesky weeds out of the ground. I won't support Monsanto as it poisons our ground, harasses our farmers or screws with the genetic make-up of my food.

Before spring rolls around and weeds start popping up in your area, do some research about what you might be spraying on your lawn and the companies you're supporting.

Image from Heyokamagazine.com