The USDA is taking this seriously, so one could argue that they could finally be getting the message about the blight of genetically modified crops. This grass, genetically modified to resist Monsanto's popular herbicide Roundup, has the agency worried enough to conduct its first environmental assessment on a GM plant.

As the article notes, the major concern for all of us is that bentgrass mixing with many non-GM plants can create hybrids that could make them immune to herbicides or do something else completely unpredictable. And, by the way, 70 percent of America's commercial grass seed is grown in Oregon, where the grass has escaped, so a wide variety of strains could become contaminated.

To add insult to injury, a week later the Washington Post reported that the U.S. rice supply became contaminated with a genetically engineered variety not approved for human consumption. There is simply no practical way to control the spread of these plants once they are out in the open.

I expressed this concern many years ago and now we are beginning to see real-world evidence of this problem that will only continue to worsen.

The only good that could come from this disaster: It could wake up people to the real harm GM can do.

Contrary to the claims of proponents, GM crops have not been proven safe. The regulatory framework governing them was fatally flawed from the start; it was designed to expedite product approval at the expense of safety considerations.

It used a principal called 'substantial equivalence,' which is intentionally vague and ill-defined, giving companies complete license to claim that transgenic products are 'substantially equivalent' to non-transgenic products, and hence 'safe.'

In reality, there have been very few credible studies on the safety of GM plants. And what findings there are already give cause for concern. In one of the few systematic investigations on GM food ever carried out, 'growth factor-like' effects were found in the stomach and small intestine of young rats that ate GM plants. And there have been other studies that also raised serious safety concerns.

You can help stop this craziness by sharing this information with your friends and relatives. More than half of the public is absolutely unaware that GM foods are rampant in grocery stores. Seventy-five percent of processed foods contain GM ingredients, which is one of many good reasons to avoid them and buy organic instead.

Buying organic is currently the best way to ensure that your food has not been genetically modified. By definition, food that is certified organic must be free from all GM organisms, produced without artificial pesticides and fertilizers and from an animal reared without the routine use of antibiotics, growth promoters or other drugs.