Though
Kauai has been significant to the outside world primarily as a
tourist destination and Navy base, it's gaining some national
attention due to Bill 2491, the GMO-pesticide measure that goes
before the Council again on Monday.
Over
at Slate.com, writer Adam Skolnick has a interesting piece, reporting that a Waimea resident has been petitioning Pioneer
since 2000 to install windbreaks and mitigate dust. One has to wonder why Pioneer kept stalling, if it's the "good neighbor" it professes to be.
Skolnick also reported, (emphasis added):
In
the days leading up to public testimony, the chemical companies
flooded local media with ads, and flew in experts who spoke at town
hall sessions and testified before the council. One of their experts,
Dr. Steve Savage, a former DuPont employee and professor at Colorado
State University, presented a graph that compares per-acre RUP use on
Kauai to 17 states – including the entire corn belt.
At
first glance, it appears that Kauai uses less than half the
pesticides of the heaviest user, Kentucky. But read the fine print
and you’ll discover that while other state measurements represent
annual usage, tiny Kauai’s is calculated for a single growing
season. And we know that there are at least two, and often three
growing seasons in Hawaii, which means the amount of RUPs sprayed per
acre on this small island dwarfs that of all 17 states during their
biggest ever pesticide usage years. That is misinformation at its
most egregious, but may explain why the companies are so dead set
against disclosure.
Skolnick
ended with this:
As
for the suspected cancer cluster, whispers from local surgeons,
radiologists and oncologists who have been concerned about a possible
elevated cancer rate on Kauai for years finally reached the state
Department of Health in June who asked the Hawaii Tumor Registry for
a statistical analysis. The results can be found in a trim, one-page
report that suggests there is no cancer spike on Kauai.
“Anecdotal
evidence can be relevant,” said [Dr. Brenda] Hernandez, “because
that’s the front line of disease occurrence.” According to
Hernandez, the only way to determine if there is a cancer cluster in
Lower Waimea is to conduct a focused epidemiological study, which
would cost upward of $250,000, and could be part of an EIS were 2491
to pass. “If I lived there,” she added, “it would concern me.”
If
there's reason for concern, shouldn't such a study be conducted in
lower Waimea whether 2491 passes or not? I mean, $250,000 is only half the
amount that's been blown defending the county against Councilman Tim
Bynum's civil rights lawsuit — and just a quarter of the sum the state kicked down to resurface the Mana racetrack. Surely the county and/or state can scrounge up some
cash for a health study.
Meanwhile,
Forbes published something more akin to a hit piece that describes
how “an impressionable anti-GMO mob mentality
has been carefully cultivated in Hawaii by slick and well-financed
outsiders.” It states:
Although
they claim their opposition to the innovative technology is home
grown, a Genetic Literacy Project investigation, still in its
infancy, suggests that the opposition is flush with cash, getting
hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from mainland anti-GMO
organic organizations that have an ideological stake in blocking new
farming technologies.
It
also alleges that Walter Ritte, a board member of Hawaii Seed, may
have violated election financing and disclosure
laws in his 2012 run for OHA.
Walter
will be back on Kauai again this weekend to rally the troops at the
“mana march.” While it's great that people are finally waking up
about this issue, I don't understand the political strategy behind
holding a march on Sunday, when Lihue is essentially a ghost town. It
seems a troubling metaphor for the 2491 campaign, which has both
sides trapped in their respective echo chambers.
More
to the point, why isn't the march being held in Waimea, the epicenter
of the real action? By which I mean the place where the dirty deeds
are going down, as opposed to where the political theater is staged.
Posts
25 comments:
Ritte needs to stay home and take care of the GMO crops on Molokai.
Fear and emotion are poor substitutes for FACTS. If there truly is a higher incidence for cancer etc. on the west side, there should a flood of reports of these occurrences to the DOH, EPA etc. by the KAUAI docs. Ooops, there are none, because even the Kauai docs know that to make a biased report based on emotion and fear is a lie. The EPA, DOH and most government Apparatchiks salivate at bringing a big company down, and if they had such reports, they would be on Kauai breathing ahrd and heavy. It is all about fame, baby.
Kauai needs facts. Have the council do it's own EIS, easy as pie, just a little dough needs to be spent.
Big Ag is working legally under the hard umbrella of Federal and State laws, if they are in violation - crucify them.
For a government to make a law (with no FACTS to support the action) that outlaws a legal activity, will allow this same government to outlaw your own activity if your activity happens to be on the unapproved list put out by the groovy and hip.
Gary in his heart may feel this law is a good thing, but in his head he knows the damage that is done, by using fear and hysteria to pursue his political aspirations is very bad for Kauai.
As Jack Webb said, "Just the facts, Ma'am, just the FACTS"
Not to nitpick.... well let me nitpick; this Skolnick article does not appear to be a product of slate.com- either in tone, depth of research and some other particulars like due care. The marquee is Salon and the url salon.com. On the whole, I think a real Slate product would have been much better researched and written by someone much more familiar with the subject matter than this author who leans heavily anecdote and is pretty dismissive of the Hawaii Tumor Registry analysis in an apparent rush to lay all blame for all things on the seed companies. Perhaps he knows his audience well. Who is Adam Skolnick and what's his customary beat (science fiction, travel)? It is certainly not science or law if he can get all gushy about the former "Legal Trustee" for Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate? On the whole, this is a deceptive citation- false in attribution and woefully inadequate. I wouldn't rely on this because it doesn't resonate with authority of much beyond the KKCR Echo Chamber (mahalo for that- it's apt).
Walter Ritte and his wife are always welcome to Kauai by many of us! It's a good thing Kauai is being supported by the mainland anti-gmo organizations--we welcome and appreciate their help! WE NEED HELP! Visibility in the political theater is a very wise thing! Waimea is/has been overlooked, so why do it in Waimea. People look at the Westside as a 3rd world community. However, we are a smart, intelligent community and will stand up for ourselves cuz no one in government really has been very good to us. Ross and Mel believe that the State and Feds will help us---don't they know that they haven't all these years! The State's answer has always been, WE DON'T HAVE MONEY!What makes Mel and Ross think the State and Feds will change their minds, what makes them think that we can count on the State and Feds? We have lost hope in those two entities----so we look to our County government for help and we go back to the same thing and will definitely get 'the go around" again. Whoa, so frustating!
Fear and hysteria!!?? Live in Waimea and you will have to live in fear! Don't talk, if you don't live in Waimea Valley! We would all like to move to cleaner air, but just can't afford to. What damage has the bill done? It has made people aware of what's going on in regards to the biotech companies here. If they have nothing to hide regarding what they are doing, it wouldn't be such a big thing---they would comply without being so hardnosed. Also, don't forget, this is about pesticides, not gmo foods. I would love to have labeling--why don'[t these biotech companies want labeling, are they trying to hide something . . . again?!
Wonder if all those blue shirted people across from the mall in front of grove farm land leased by big AG got paid to be there, wear a free t-shirt and wave at people?
Mutlti-national chemical corporations using their mostly brown working class people to promote their agenda. They got the bucks to put into full page colored newspaper ads, tv and radio. Those of us on the other side need all the kokua we can muster. Come Kauai any time Uncle Walter. We need leaders who can inspire, who have been in the trenches for years. To the person who says people who live near these fields have to expect to live with nuisances of farming. What the hell are they doing farming in the heart of Lihue, in front of Kaua'i's biggest shopping center or at the "gateway to Kauai" where all our visitors pass through? With all the land at their disposal, planting away from schools, residences, hospitals, etc. is a no brainer and to fight that is the ultimate in arrogance. This is not just a westside issue either. Seed companies have taken over behind Hanama'ulu (Wailua Falls), Puhi, Kipu, Maha'ulepu and Poipu, our busiest resort destination. That makes for good PR. Kauai residences deserve better.
5:05 pm Waimea is/has been overlooked, so why do it in Waimea.
That's WHY you do it in Waimea to shine the light there.
Many of us love Uncle Walter, but local people from Kauai impacted by the pesticides used here on Kauai should be the face rather than uncle from Molokai.
With all due respect, I think there is plenty of room for anyone who wants to support our fight, including our brothers and sisters from Moloka'i. Kanaka are connected spiritually and genealogically to all of Ka Pae 'Aina Hawaii and what happens on our moku affects all of Hawaii nei. Yes those directly affected by the seed companies on Kauai should be at the forefront but I don't see Uncle Walter taking that away from any one. He is offering his kako'o and mana'o coming from years of activism. Mahalo nui Walter.
"Yes those directly affected by the seed companies on Kauai should be at the forefront "
Then why aren't they?
Pesticide use, GMO Seed Companies, Corporate bullying is a GLOBAL ISSUE. It goes way beyond our little island. Come one come all , seen and unseen, to help. We are not alone.....Mahalo.
Yes everyone come. But Kauai people should lead.
Do you red shirts see irony in driving to anti-gmo protest using gas with ethanol made from GE corn?
no more ironic than shooting a gun at someone who is shooting a gun at us.
At the urging of his constituents our Council member wrote this bill to address the concerns of Kauai people. He is the only government official, aside from the council on the Big Island, that has been willing to take on the industry. Not all people are born leaders, more are willing to follow. Our focus should be on the big picture and our end goals. Come together for the common good.
Like the No Nukes concert back in the eighties at Madison Square Garden powered by nuclear energy.
Let's come to Common Ground- where the illegal restaurant on AG land is located.
I buy NON-ethanol gas.
its labeled.
next........
oh Alicia.....is that you??
If Jay Furfaro, or any balanced person went to Big Ag and had a comprehensive conversation, perhaps Big Ag would have shared information and a reasonableness would have prevailed.
Big Ag (and anyone else who has interaction with Gary in business) knows that Hooser is at many times unreasonable, greedy and self-righteous.
Gary has no interest in facts, truth or result oriented dialogue.
Harmony and balance are impossible when a personal agenda is set above the community.
Would any of you embrace and share ideas toward a solution with a hard jawed, my way or the highway person? Gary jumped the gun, and it will take dedicated and caring others, to pick up the pieces and hopefully sew the broken fabric of Kauai's citizens together.
Get Jay or Nadine to negotiate, before this poorly written bill gets shafted.................all we want is the truth.
Follow the money and you'll know why the State is not interested in regulating the pesticide industry. Many wise investments in the legislature.
I marched yesterday in spite of Walter Ritte's presence. Joan your comment about why on Sunday is somewhat valid but I suspect it was the day where you could get the best turnout and have minimal negative impact on local Lihue business. Probably should have another march as the a final vote gets closer during council hours. Big Ag/Big Chemical companies are the problem and the reason we have a "broken fabric" on Kauai. They should either changes their practices or get the hell off Kauai and good riddance. Want more info? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hawaii/
Why are we getting hung up on whose leading? I saw plenty of Kauai faces organizing and coordinating that huge effort and Walter was one of many guest speakers. Its my guess that the people in Waimea and Kekaha have to support 2491 out of the limelight and quietly in order to continue to live in those westside communities without repercussion. Lets not forget Walter's wife is a Kauai girl, who is personally connected to this island and this issue. But that's beside the point. It was a successful march, and Sunday worked because more of us were off. I agree that the next rally should be in front of Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow's facilities.
Sunday worked well for Biotech too as the blue shirts dominated on Monday
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