>
Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 15:45:05 -0700 (PDT)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24]
Status: RO
Hi all,
More follow-up on the gene protection initiative.
Laurent
Forwarded message:
> From mw122_at_columbia.edu Thu May 14 15:29:31 1998
> Dear Fellow Swiss,
>
> you either were unhappy with the letter I sent you a few days ago or you
> would have liked to see an Enlish or French version. Below is a modified
> version of that letter. The changes concern what was perceived by some as
> polemic and unhelpful. So far about 90 people have signed. If you find the
> letter now acceptable and would like to sign on please let me know.
>
> The letter is being translated into French and Italian to be sent also to
> newspapers in those parts of Switzerland. I would like to thank all of you
> for your support and suggestions. In particular I would like to thank
> Silvia Arber for help with the German version, Nicolas Schmitt for help
> with the English version and organising the tranlations into French and
> Italian. I am also most grateful to everybody who forwarded the message to
> others, in particular to the well organised group in the bay area led by
> Thomas Hauser (thauser_at_dnax.org) and Brigitte Ganter. My wife, Naz Erdeniz,
> also was a great help and put up with this exercise.
>
> As was pointed out to me, the vote takes place already on June 7 not on
> June 17.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Marcel Wehrli
>
>
>
> As Swiss abroad, we find surprising that Switzerland is considering to
> prohibit genetechnology. Switzerland, as a country without natural
> resources, can only compete in todays world because she heavily and
> successfully invested into education, research and development. Because of
> this forward-looking attitude the Swis scientific system is highly
> respected by the world and is widely viewed as a model. As scientists we
> are well aware of the importance of genetechnology: 90% of our biomedical
> knowledge has been aquired over the past ten years - and to a major part
> by exactly the gentechnological methods that are to be prohibited by the
> initiative. Accepting the gene protection initiative would have
> disasterous consequences. It would mean giving up the potential
> breakthroughs in medicine and technology for which Switzerland has already
> invested large amounts of resources and has developed considerable
> expertise. In addition it would result in the loss of thousands of direct
> and indirect jobs in key industries and universities. Is this the future
> we have in mind for Switzerland?
>
>
>
> Als Auslandschweizer sind wir erstaunt, dass die Schweiz ein Verbot der
> Gentechnologie erwaegt. Die Schweiz als Land ohne Rohstoffe ist in der
> heutigen Welt nur konkurrenzfaehig, da sie massiv und erfolgreich in
> Ausbildung, Forschung und Entwicklung investiert hat. Durch
> zukunftorientierte, weitsichtige Investitionen in diesen Sektoren ist die
> schweizer Wissenschaft zur Zeit weltweit geachtet und gilt als Vorbild in
> vielen Beziehungen. Als Wissenschafter wissen wir, wie wichtig die
> Gentechnologie ist: 90% unseres biomedizinischen Wissens wurde in den
> letzten zehn Jahren erworben - mehrheitlich mit genau den
> gentechnologischen Methoden, welche die Initiative nun verbieten will. Die
> Annahme der Genschutz-Initiative wuerde katastrophale Folgen fuer die
> Schweiz haben. Es wuerde den Verzicht auf die zu erwartenden Fortschritte
> in Medizin und und Technologie bedeuten, in welche die Schweiz schon viel
> Geld und Energie investiert hat und zur Zeit weltweit an der Spitze steht.
> Zusaetzlich wuerde es direkt und indirekt zum Verlust von tausenden von
> Arbeitsplaetzen an Schluesselstellen in der Industrie und den
> Universitaeten fuehren. Ist dies die Zukunft die wir fuer die Schweiz
> wollen?"
>
>
>
> Dr. Marcel Wehrli, New York, New York, USA
> Dr. Silvia Arber, New York, New York, USA
> Dr. Huber Amrein, New York, New York, USA
> Dr. Fredi Bruhlmann, Riverside, California, USA
> Dr. Anna Stalder, La Jolla, California, USA
> Dr. Hanspeter Gerber, San Francisco, California, USA
> Dr. Lorenz Hirt, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
> Dr. Antonius Koller, La Jolla, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Trudi Schupbach, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
> Dr. Stefan Ludwig, Sunnyvale, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lorenzon, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Prof. Dr. Stefan Baumgartner, Lund, Sweden
> Prof. Dr. Nicolas Schmitt, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
> Prof. Dr. Mariann Bienz, Cambridge, Great Britain
> Peter Leuzinger, M.B.A., CH-6300 Zug
> Dr. Marek Mlodzik, Heidelberg, Deutschland
> Stefan Marti, Research Assistant, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
> Dr. Catherine Zwahlen, Toronto, Canada
> Dr. Christian Sarkenmann, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
> Prof. Dr. Verena Andermatt Conley Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
> Dr. Verena Bichsel, Rockville, Maryland, USA
> Dr. Raymond Turin, Troy, Michigan, USA
> Tom Conley, Arlington, Massachusetts, USA
> Matthias P. Huenerwadel, Logistics Manager, Ruston, Louisiana, USA
> Prof. Dr. Joachim Rosenthal, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
> Dr. Donat Agosti, New York, USA
> Dr. Nef Serge, Dallas, Texas, USA
> Dr. Andreas Warburton, Ithaca, New York, USA
> Dr. Marcel A.Deruaz, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
> Martin Indermaur, Research Associate, Newark, Delaware, USA
> Dr. Etienne Burdet, Burnaby (Vancouver), British Columbia, Canada
> Dr. Lorenzo Leoni, San Diego, California, USA
> Marcel Zueger, Civil Engineer, M.S. Ventura, California, USA
> Olivier Glauser, Staff Engineer, San Diego, California, USA
> Dr. Thierry Droz-Georget, Los Angeles, California, USA
> Dr. Hans U. Weber, Menlo Park, California, USA
> Hanspeter Loertscher, Diplom-Physiker, Newport Beach, California, USA
> Beatrice Pires-Stadler German Instructor, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
> Prof. Dr. Walter F. Bischof, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
> Frederic Buehler, Ing.Chim. dipl. EPF, Seattle, Washington, USA
> Dr. Guido Hunziker, Pasadena, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Ruth Steward-Silberschmidt, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
> Dr. Maximilien Murone, South San Francisco, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Alexander Schier; New York, New York
> Cedric Tille, Graduate Student, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
> Dr. Gregorio del Val, Berkeley, California, USA
> Walter A. Weber, Staff, Menlo Park, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Jurg Ott, New York, New York, USA
> Christophe Moser, graduate student,Pasadena, California, USA
> Edouard Bugnion, Dipl. Ingenieur ETH, Menlo Park, California, USA
> Georg Cramm, Division Manager, La Jolla, California, USA
> Dr. Andreas R. Tobler, Menlo Park California, USA
> Olivier L. de Weck, Dipl. Ing., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
> Dr. Alessandro Puoti, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> Dr. Lukas Novotny, Richland, Washington, USA
> Dr. Daniel Hunziker, Mountain View, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. David Arnosti, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
> Marc-Andre' Schwab, Senior Staff Engineer, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
> Karin Brueschweiler, B.S.E., Tempe, Arizona, USA
> Prof. Dr. Erhard Bruderer, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
> Dr. Andreas Aebi, Pasadena, California, USA
> Beat Kueng, El. Ing. ETH, Ontario, Canada
> Dr. Fredi Bruhlmann, Riverside, California, USA
> Dr. Anna Stalder, La Jolla, California, USA
> Dr. Hanspeter Gerber, San Francisco, California, USA
> Dr. Lorenz Hirt, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
> Dr. Antonius Koller, La Jolla, California, USA
> Jean-Marie Dubois, Regional Sales Manager, Carlsbad, California, USA
> Hanspeter Nagel, Software Engineer, San Jose, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Joachim Rosenthal, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
> Dr. Christian Itin, Stanford, California, USA
> Dr. Romain Sechaud, San Francisco, California, USA
> Dr. Daniel L. Geiger, Los Angeles, California, USA
> Guido Cornella, Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford, California, USA.
> Dr. Laurent Mieville, Stanford, California, USA
> Prof. Dr.Juerg K. Siegenthaler, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
> Dr. Beatrice Sommer, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
> Dr. Judit Halasy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
> Prof. Markus Breitschmid, Burke,Virginia, USA
> Dr. Erich Weber, San Diego, California, USA
> Prof. Dr. Christian S Stohler, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
> Dr. Sara Droz, San Francisco, California, USA
> Dr. Beat Stamm, Kirkland, Washington, USA
> Michele Rizzolio, Research Scientist, Durham, North Carolina, USA
> Dr. Martin Gassmann, London, Great Britain
> Dr. Patrik Vuilleumier, Davis, California, USA.
> Dr. Francois Huber, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
> Dr. Antonio Conconi, Pullman Washington, USA
> Stephane Courtine, Software consultant, Durham, North Carolina, USA
> Dr. Thibaud Stoll, San Francisco, California, USA
> Dr. Thomas M. Hauser, Palo Alto, California, USA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Thu May 14 1998 - 15:38:20 PDT
