"....are we all ready to grow our own produce, raise our own meat products, weave our own cloth? Aren't those places called third world countries? Most of us would not survive without stores...…"
not necessarily, much of Europe still exists like this, France, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Greece, to name a few. Russia and Most of europe has been boycotting and trying to ban Monsanto from coming in and setting up GMO crops, its been a long hard battle but they are winning, although Monsanto won't stop, they are finding GMO crops in Europe that weren't planted there or allowed, Monsanto still insists on opening up big headquarters throughout Europe and they continue to fight them off. Much of Europe has banned most of the pesticides and herbicides that we use all over this country, along with GMO.
There should be and are alternatives to the disgraceful poisoning of our ecosystems, animals, and produce. but its big business, and heavily infiltrated into the political processes of this country.