Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Musings: Way of the World

Out in the garden at daybreak, dogs sniffing, birds singing, hands deep in soil quenched by rain, the sky a study in contrasts: charcoal black over the mountains, pale gold in the east; a co-existence of light and dark. But then, isn't that the way of the world?

Tomorrow the County Council will consider a resolution to investigate the TVR ordinance, specifically as it pertains to the 16 properties covered in the Abuse Chronicles. Please, folks, send emails supporting resolution 2013-55 to counciltestimony@kauai.gov.

I've also learned the Council is not planning to fund Prosecutor Justin Kollar's request for a deputy who would be assigned half-time to zoning enforcement. So is Justin supposed to cram zoning into an already crowded criminal caseload, or become a good county employee and just look the other way? Maybe he should blow off those petty drug and property offenses and focus solely on rich white people committing white collar crimes.

Heck, I know money is tight, but there seems to be a bottomless pit to fund requests for special counsel. Which will no doubt come in handy when the county gets sued, as it inevitably will, over those illegal TVRs.

If you've had any doubt the U.S. government is doing the bidding of the biotech seed industry, a new reportt by Food and Water Watch will lay it to rest. The organization reviewed 926 diplomatic cables between the State Department and embassies in more than 100 countries and found the agency essentially acting as a shill for the biotech firms.

For instance, the State Department produced pamphlets in Slovenia promoting biotech crops, sent pro-biotech DVDs to high schools in Hong Kong and helped bring foreign officials and media from 17 countries to the United States to promote biotech agriculture. Embassies were also directed to "troubleshoot problematic legislation" that might hinder biotech crop development and to "encourage the development and commercialization of ag-biotech products.”

The cables covered the period 2005-09 and were released by Wikileaks. So why is the U.S. so hot to use your tax dollars help these international chemical corporations? As Food and Water Watch surmises:

Although the U.S. commodity crop market is nearly saturated with biotech seeds, most of the world remains biotech-free. Even 17 years after biotech crops were first introduced in the United States in 1996, only five countries cultivated 89.4 percent of biotech crops in 2012 (the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India). The seed companies need the power of the U.S. State Department to force more countries, more farmers and more consumers to accept, cultivate and eat their products.

Meanwhile, do-it-yourself types with 3-D printers are already reproducing handguns at home, and even improving on the original model, despite an order from the State Department to remove online blueprints for the 3D-printable “Liberator” handgun that Defense Distributed posted last week. As with anything released on the Internet, or into the environment, there's no recalling it once it's dispersed.

Yet despite all the insanity, life goes on. Because isn't that the way of the world?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interestingly, the Kauai Farm Bureau seems to be siding with the seed companies on the island. What's the point of pushing for sustainability and food production/security when they're producing GMO SEEDS?!

Andrew Cooper said...

The 3D printed gun was inevitable with the advent of the technology. I am actually somewhat surprised it took this long.

I am looking to budget a 3D printer this year. Not for printing weapons, but telescope parts. A whole lot easier than machining. The ability to more easily fabricate needed items and spare parts at home or in a friends shop is a truly disruptive tech.

Anonymous said...

I hope they do the investigation. turn over the rocks and see what crawl out.

Anonymous said...

Rich White people committing White collar crimes ? Racism at it's finest....try using Black or Jewish and see what happens. You and your White guilt trip iare sad indeed. I thought you had more class. Being White has nothing to do with the problem.

Anonymous said...

I knew all of the TVR lip service was BS! County council and OPA putting up a front to ACT like they were going to really do something about it.

Illegal TVR's are like a POHAKU program for greedy wealthy people. Preferential treatment has already killed 8 lives in the Kaloko Dam incident and another accidental death from an illegal TVR this year.

I guess history will repeat itself over and over again and the people of kauai will never learn.






Lyn said...

If folks are interested in knowing what a 3D printer is, KCC has one in the Cognition Center on campus.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me the farmers want to use want they want to use on their land and not to be told what they should be doing by other people.

Which is the way is should be, if they want to use GMO or non- GMO or pesticides - it should be their choice. They have that right and people who don't own land should not be dictating what they should or shouldn't be doing on land they don't own.

If they sell it at the farmers market then they should be able to tell you what they've used - a buyer has the right to choose betweeen products and a farmer has the right to farm.

Joan Conrow said...

11:28 --The racism lies in the fact that poor brown people are routinely dragged into the criminal "justice" system whereas rich white folks are so rarely charged with the crimes they commit.

Anonymous said...

On the endless money Council is giving to lawyers to defend cases .... does anyone consider they might get settlement for lower than the lawyer fee costs to taxpayers for defending?? Or does the County usually win? serious question.....

Anonymous said...

The Council chooses to pay to defend a bunch of hooligans the feds have already called out, instead of funding a new prosecutor position?

Anonymous said...

Even worse, they chose to de-fund an existing prosecutor position.

Anonymous said...

the defense bar only wanted Justine because he WONT prosecute their clients. Why do you think they supported him. Who votes for the defense bar's pick for prosecutor? Retards. Joan, you were a sucker. But I guess you got all that TVR research out of the deal.

Anonymous said...

3-D printing has been around for awhile now...

http://www.shapeways.com/

Anonymous said...

On 23 January 2012, The Pirate Bay added the new category Physibles. These are 3D files described as "data objects that are able (and feasible) to become physical" using a 3D printer.

Anonymous said...

so guns are now a first amendment right. Deal with that, journalists.

Anonymous said...

Oh now to be fair he was also the choice of the prosecution bar

Anonymous said...

And the intelligent OPA staff.

Anonymous said...

The defense bar wants Jake to return as first deputy.

Anonymous said...


May 14, 2013 at 9:05 PM

Anonymous said...
The defense bar wants Jake to return as first deputy.

May 14, 2013 at 9:10 PM

That's meant as a joke, right Anonymous 9:05 PM?

Whites and white collar crime...but let's not forget Jessie Jackson and Martin Luther King's own son...and O.J. Simpson, who is rolling dough, and got away with murder because of his fame. Never mind his race or brutal crime, O.J. played pro ball.

Geographic fact: relocate as far west in the US to the Hawaiian Islands, and the scene does a 360 degree turn.

Who wrote Hawaii is a white man's Mississippi? I think that comment hit the nail on the head.

Anonymous said...

Racism = COK

Anonymous said...

To be more accurate, he was the choice of the white women at the OPA

Anonymous said...

Kauai Farm Bureau---their spokesperson speaks of sustainability, food productivity here on Kauai and supports the gmo companies---how will they work together? What about contamination of seeds, the aina being depleted and toxicity of the aina due to the gmo companies practices? How, when, where? We need a plan, not just talk---we need good land, water, assistance, support from the BIG BOYS so we can BEGIN the TALK! Can you imagine if farmers could lease an acre for $6.53 a month---what a gift---so goes the story for Monsanto on Molokai--renter: Dept. of Hawaiian Home Lands. Let's begin the dream----in my mind i see an organic chicken/egg farm--pretty much like Ka Lei Farms--they don't use gmo feed for their birds! A farm similar to Aloun Farm. wE have good cattle ranchers and one pork farm. Come on Kauai, LET'S BEGIN OUR DREAM!!

Anonymous said...

He was the choice of most of the employees regardless of ethnicity. She was terrible. It's not easy to screw up as badly as she did.

Anonymous said...

May 15, 2013 at 7:00 AM

buy or rent your own land and do what you want with it...stop pointing your do nothing but complain finger at others.

Anonymous said...

please don't investigate us! we are innocent civil servants - pity us!

we have lifelong jobs and you can't touch us!

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Council does not want to fund a prosecutor to look at "zoning violations" because that person might look beyond TVR's and into almost every neighborhood on the island.

Anonymous said...

Council gave lip service, not OPA. If Council wants county wide scope of tvr enforcement they would've funded the already existing position. instead they got rid of it.

Justin talked about what his efforts would be.

Council said - we want tvr enforcement, and didn't fund it.

one thing i don't understand is why do these blogged about tvrs get preferential treatment over the "formal complaints" that are made at planning. while joan's investigations are commendable, what about those people that went according to policy and actually made a formal complaint with the department? they're just put on the backburner because they don't have a blog?

Anonymous said...

Joan's blog puts it out in the light of day and it can no longer be denied or hidden in some forgotten file in planning. The only way to get politicians to act is public pressure. What good is a resolution without any concrete action and follow through? Council members need to start walking the walk...putting their money where their mouth is. Despite what Dahilig says, an investigation is a long time coming. Don't hold the rest of us to a different standard than the well-connected, well-moneyed of this community.

Anonymous said...

CZO complaints are not public information by the way...

Anonymous said...

what was up with HGEA being unsupportive of an investigation - they KNOW there is a problem with SEVERAL planning department employees and want to protect them under the guise of collective bargaining? made they all look guilty of hiding something.

Good work HGEA - they probably are guilty and you already know it - hopefully when the truth comes out - what you are trying to hide comes out as well and the public gets rid of useless, unqualified employees.

Anonymous said...

It seems like a lot of officials and other people are aiding and abetting in the white collar TVR crimes.

I say RICO charges for everyone of these TURDS!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Kauai's Farmers bureau should consult with Oprah for what she has done in Kula, Maui.

Anonymous said...

http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2011-08-04-76203.113117-Oprah-Winfrey-And-Her-Private-Maui-Road.html

Establishing her own PRIVATE road for personal use only in Maui - great example - thanks for sharing.