prop·a·gan·da
noun, derogatory
information,
especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or
publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
The latest round of
agricultural propaganda is about to be unleashed on the Islands. It
starts Wednesday night with the first in a statewide lecture series
on glyphosate (Roundup) and “the implications of genetically
engineered foods on our health.”
“Inform yourself
and make educated choices” urges the flyer. Though it's hard to see
how that is possible with a program that presents just one strident
point of view and features a “scientist” who outlandishly claims
her research has shown that glyphosate causes autism. Gee, and all this time I
thought vaccines were the culprit.
The propaganda
punch gets an extra squeeze of juice Saturday night with the premiere
screening of “Aina: That Which Feeds Us,” a slick, big-budget
film that ramps up the fear about Kauai's seed companies and
romanticizes agriculture.
Ironically, it's
presented by Waipa Foundation, an organization that has been unable
to produce any significant amount of food, even with free land [correction: a below-market lease] and a steady
infusion of volunteer labor and money from private foundations,
donors and public funds.
Last year, you may
recall, the hype was all about atrazine, with Tyrone Hayes making the
rounds in the spring, followed by anti-glyphosate speaker Don Huber
in the fall.
Because it's not
just enough to plant the seeds of paranoia. They must be carefully
tended with steady applications of fertilizer. As in bullshit.
Meanwhile, I
noticed that tonight, Civil Beat is hosting a screening of “Merchants
of Doubt,” a documentary film that claims to reveal propaganda by
outing “the pundits-for-hire who sway public opinion on issues of
importance.”
Gosh, could they be
pulling back the curtain on the anti-GMO/anti-ag activists? No such
luck. Watching the trailer, I saw the film instead focuses on the traditional bad guys: Tobacco and
chemical lobbyists, climate change deniers.
A few sample
snippets of dialogue:
Keep it simple.
People will fill in the blanks with their own, I hate to say biases,
but perceptions.
We're the negative
force. We're just trying to stop stuff.
It's kind of an
amazing accomplishment. Such a small group of people have had such a
tremendous impact on public opinion.
All of that could be applied just as well to the alarmists, extremists and dilettantes — many of them paid lobbyists — who have hijacked the left in Hawaii. Yet I have no doubt that the
majority of the "progressive" folks who will be watching that film — including Civil
Beat, which often builds stories around fake experts like Ashley
Lukens and Nomi Carmona — have no clue that they're either part of
or supporting the exact same style of propaganda on the left.
What struck me,
though, was this comment explaining the smoke and mirrors technique
used by propagandists:
“It's all about
preventing you from looking where the action really is, which is to
say the science.”
In Hawaii, the
anti-GMO movement is busily distracting people from so many real
issues — gentrification, displacement of locals, a
lopsided economy, the scourges of tourism, poverty, hunger,
low-paying jobs, homelessness, sea level rise, ice.
And all the money that is being spent on anti-GMO/anti-ag propaganda — flying in Vandana Shiva
and the other ideologues, producing slick films, staging "shame" protests at the state Capitol, etc. — could have been used
to conduct health studies or actually help people.
So what is it really costing us to be conned by the anti-GMO/anti-ag movement in Hawaii?
Posts
42 comments:
Wow. I had no idea that the film was presented by the Waipa Foundation. Good info and really increases the credibility of the content. I love the people, the mission and the work going on at Waipa. And Sabra is also someone who brings a lot to the table in terms of trust and credibility. Can't wait to see it!
I also loved the people and the mission at Waipa, so I was sorely disappointed to see it had lent its name and squandered its credibility on this super slick propaganda, right along with Sabra. Sad. Very sad.
But hey, enjoy! As the old saying goes, "There's a sucker born every minute." Some folks just love to be snookered, even when they've been warned.
This article on daily Kos is particularly timely: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/16/1402892/-The-War-Against-GMOs-When-the-Merchants-of-Doubt-are-activists-not-corporations
I agree whole heartedly that way too much time, money and resources are foolishly spent on issues that really don't solve problems or alleviate the loss of our culture on Kauai. It is so disheartening and better yet, disgusting, to see gated estates and the privatization of land which only leads to another local family's loss of hope that they can continue to make it on Kauai. May sound like a pity party cry, however, our issues here are real. Our struggle is real. I think the anti-gmo battle can wait until the more important issues are dealt with first.
Seems everyone but you gets snookered Joan. We are so, so lucky to have you shining a light for us!
Noticed Harvest the realtor is also part of group
Oh, I used to get snookered, 10:54. But then I stopped letting sympathy and emotions sway me and began looking at facts. Once I became more discerning, the snookering stopped. So don't give up! There's hope for you, too!!
Yes we are! Don't feel bad 10:54 AM; hopefully you'll see it soon.
And the fact that SHAKA is bringing in Seneff and Carman speaks volumes, as well. Hopefully people like Kevin Folta will be in attendance to provide some rational counterpoint (if they would even be allowed to speak).
That's why the old coco palms should be a Hawaiian cultural center.
It should also serve as a museum to the old days of Kauai and show how Kauai was once such as great place to live.
Now it's just gotten out on control and ruined by the people you all voted into office.
I wonder how many 100 of kids went through Waipa summer program this year? How many tens of 1000's of kids learned so much more about the land and culture, than would have if Waipa it was the hotel they proposed back in the 80's. How much food Joan? Ask all the snookered Kupuna of the north shore how much poi they get from Waipa every Thursday. Your a heavy woman.
Joan when you say "Presented by Waipa Foundation" you strongly implies that they are a sponsor of the film. Is that true? I have only seen the trailer but don't recall any credits showing Waipa as a sponsor. Did I miss that or did your excellent sources scoop the truth on this one like so many other great scoops you have made.
Waipa Foundation is a local sponsor:
Saturday. July 25th, 2015
Waipa Foundation
Sherpa Cinema
Event Brite
World Premiere Movie Screening 7p
"Aina:That Which Feeds Us"
Doors Open 6p
Movie Premiere 7p
Love your work Joan! Thank you for speaking the truth and staying on the side of TRUE science.!!!!!!!
FYI -- the 7/25 showing of "`Aina" is sold out, so they've added a 4pm showing Sunday 7/26 at KCC PAC
@10:16 -- That is how propagandists work. They enlist trusted people/groups to participate to give their materials a veneer of credibility.
As for Waipa and its kupuna poi, that is a commendable service. However, Waipa does not grow all that taro; it buys taro from other farmers. Waipa may be a fine cultural experience, but it is an abject failure as an agricultural model.
There's no better example of a CON JOB that this Mayor, Admin, and Council and that's why there should always be TERM LIMITS. Family and friends that aren't qualified to hold county positions will always have a JOB when crooks are voted into office. Get rid of this CHUMP already!!!
6:37. Term limits can be determined at every election yiou idiot. Just prove your con job theory to the voters and your chump reasonings and the term limits for mayor or council will be done. No one has ever reached the council term limit is what I heard Ross say? The voters can and will enforce term limits so we don't need it. Plenty good candidates next round, Brun, Perry, DeCosta, Laranio, Cowden (hee hee)
One of the glyphosate speakers is a computer modeler. How does that make her a Roundup expert?
From Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
General Info
This business is not in good standing.
MASTER NAME THE WAIPA FOUNDATION*
BUSINESS TYPE Domestic Nonprofit Corporation
FILE NUMBER 95751 D2
STATUS Active
PURPOSE CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, FARMING, GARDENING AND FOOD SUSTAINABILITY; NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION.
PLACE INCORPORATED Hawaii UNITED STATES
REGISTRATION DATE Jun 16, 1994
MAILING ADDRESS P O BOX 1189
HANALEI, Hawaii 96714
UNITED STATES
TERM PER
AGENT NAME STACY SPROAT-BECK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AGENT ADDRESS 55-785A KUHIO HWY.
HANALEI, Hawaii 96714
UNITED STATES
MAHUIKI,SAMSON K SR P/BM Apr 1, 2010
SMITH,ALLAN A V/D/BM Apr 1, 2010
SWARTMAN, MICHELLE S/D Apr 1, 2012
MIJARES, SCOTT T/D Apr 1, 2012
SPENCER,GAYLA D/BM Apr 1, 2012
HASHIMOTO,SHANN A D/BM Apr 1, 2012
KOBAYASHI,CHRISTINE D/BM Apr 1, 2012
KEALOHA,KEONE D/BM
Michelle Swartman is one of those developing Omidyar hotel on the bluff at Hanalei. Another link between high-end real estate development and the anti-GMO movement.
@7:36 AM, look into her "research" if you want some good laughs. Gosh, I wonder who might be supporting her work????
i am very upset u would think Waipa is something bad or doing something wrong Uncle Sam taught me all about kalo gave me a patch to work he has more wisdom
and love then anyone here the Sproats are an institution n Kauai are true Hawaiian farmers those Sproat girls did good from the tarot patch to law degrees and phds lotsa born and raised true good Hawaiian Kauai blood on that list and you are implying this Michelle somehow is making Waipa corrupt somehow well that is ridicuous Uncle Sam would not allow that so i am very disappointing n your insinuation JoanConrow you should apologize to these noble true north shore Hawaiian ohana for what you are writing I am very sad reading your words and yo say you love Waipa is not true look what you are writing
Four comments for Joan and my fellow readers:
1. Check your facts. Waipa Foundation operates on free land? In fact we pay a significant amount of annual lease rent to Kamehameha Schools, and Iʻm sure you can find that in our public filings.
2. Indeed Waipa is the local sponsor of the film because we reserved the presentation venue at KCC.
3. One of my favorite `olelo no`eau goes: If youʻre planning for one year plant kalo; if youʻre planning for ten years plant a tree; if youʻre planning for a hundred years teach the keiki. Fortunately at Waipa we do all of those things, so even if we may not, according to you, produce a "significant" amount of food today, we are in good shape for the future.
3. And finally, when you do see the film Joan, pay close attention to Sabraʻs message at the very end, because it is most especially for you.
You're right, Stacy, I did see the lease rent in your public filings, which were filed late, and I have corrected the post accordingly.
You make it seem as if all you did was reserve the venue, when your father also appears in the film and you told me it reflects the organization's core values.
So the question remains, why is Waipa, an educational entity, supporting propaganda?
Originally Waipa was 100 farmers of Hanalei, and ended up mostly the Sproats who run Waipa. It is very surprising to see Michelle Swartman on the board, along with promoter Keoni Kealoha, master impregnator, and anti GMO landrich farmer Kobayashi Chris. Everyone loves Sam,that is true. Now they are asking the Kauai Open Space Commission for funds to purchase land. What a joke, Waipa owned by the richest trust in the state, has the balls to ask the county to buy land for Waipa. One question, if the county bought land for Waipa, would it be for the general public to use or just a few lucky people? How would it be public?
Kids must be taught both sides of the educational system. Otherwise these little ones will be relegated to lower paying jobs. Like it or not, kala has been important in all society. Either you work for it, take it or have it given to you.
The real test of the Sovereign Movement (Molokai especially) is if the Feds/State take FoodStamps and welfare checks away. Take away the kala and REAL revolution will occur.It is always about money and power. Same with the Fistee Movement, at the end of the day, there will powerful Fistees and run of the mill little fistees, y'know the milyun little fistees gripping and waving in the air. Power and money. Land and power.
There is more to running a society than growing a little taro and spoutin' a few Hawaiian words.
But then, I guess the new King or Queen with absolute rights and total land ownership could sell the land back to the Ag guys or Hotels again. Those Kingdoms, do need the kala too.
There will never be social justice until the kids are educated. Take a look at the Asians. The most aligned group of the past century. Stuck in concentration camps as Americans, Yellow Peril Congressional Laws directed at these people. And fifty years later...the Asians are the highest paid and most well educated "group" in the Country.
It ain't war, it is education.
Take away Roundup and there will be more weed wakers a flyin" Imagine all the Ag/State/County roads being mowed or weedwhacked. Fence lines and other perimeters?
Just the weed whacker back injuries will fill up Wilcox, let alone the screaming 2 cycles screaming thru the wind.
Roundup is a good tool. Leave it alone.
Why does Waipa have Michelle Swartmann on it's board, and how much did they pay off Waipa? Sometin smells fishy
Just wondering how much is a "significant amount of annual lease rent to Kamehameha Schools"?
Propaganda? One persons propaganda is another persons truth.
@9:42 AM, if your "truth" is backed by an ideology whose MO is to demonize who it sees as marketplace competition using lies, distortion, divisive rhetoric, and false "science" that doesn't stand up to credible peer review and publication, then you are on a slippery slope. But I guess that doesn't matter as long as you believe you are right and refuse to consider all the evidence, only that which supports your firmly entrenched world view. The ends justify the means, right?
You’re right. ʻĀina is a propaganda piece. It includes information about a very particular point of view, the Hawaiian point of view on the past, present, and future of food production in Hawaiʻi. In the past locally grown food fed hundreds of thousands or by some estimates, millions of people in pre-contact Hawaiʻi. Today, a great majority of our staples are imported and in the future, because of the effort by organizations such as Waipā Foundation, there will be less food imported and more food sourced locally. If you are a strong believer in the benefits of globalization, capitalism, importation, dependence, and industrialized agriculture, well then yes, this short film is most certainly biased. On the other hand, one could speculate that these modern ideals may not be the best fit for the most isolated archipelago on Earth. But no, it is biased because it speaks to the fact that there are currently efforts across the state to increase how we grow our own food and this is not at the top of the wish list for the greater majority. If you do not see the future of the Hawaiian culture growing and flourishing here in Hawaiʻi, (as it does in the ahupuaʻa of Waipā which is stewarded by the employees and ʻohana of Waipā Foundation) well then yes, this is most certainly presented in a misleading nature. ʻĀina suggests that positive change, valiant effort, and small-scale food production can yield long term gains in Hawaiʻi. This short film is narrated primarily by Kauaʻi residents who have made enormous contributions through Hawaiian culture past, present, and future to kamaʻaina and visitors alike. So if one does not share these points of view, yep you guessed it; yes, this is most certainly a propaganda piece.
I do enjoy the Tuesday Farmers Market and the Saturday Hanalei Farmers Market. Are these markets GMO free? Are they involved in the politics of it all and are they controversial?
8:45--And here comes the Orwellian apologist and rationalizer for the propagandist. You left out the part where it drums up unwarranted fear about the seed companies through all the usual fear-mongering and deceptive tactics. Come on. Kauai as ground zero for pesticide exposure in the world? You folks really need to get out more. Not to mention how Waipa and the activist groups with their nonprofit status, subsidies and big inherited-wealth donors have benefitted from capitalism. No one has a problem with a flourishing Hawaiian culture, practicing aloha/malama aina or small scale food production, and as I've pointed out repeatedly in this blog there is more than ample land to do that without displacing the seed company. Waipa itself has unused land it could be making available to small farmers on the NS.
Growing more food is fabulous, but the number one reason more food is not grown on Kauai is the price of land. Not that long ago, in the 80's, Kilauea lands were divided up into mostly 10 acre parcels for cheap, these were CPRd and people bought them and some started farms.Before too long the price of the land increased so much,if you wanted to make money, selling the farm was all you coud do as anyone who wanted to farm could not make it financially as farmers.There is no crop in the world except Marijuana that would be profitable enough to pay for the land. The real farmers cannot make it on gentrified lands. Many of these lands are no longer in agriculture at all and most just grow ornamental landscaping and tourists.While the west side has dry hard red soils, Kilauea has brown nice soil and more rainfall,better for farming. If we want to grow more food, we need agriculture lands to be protected, not just the west side. Kealia, Kapaa all the lands that were sugar, but are empty now, focus, focus focus. If all you are ever told is we are ground zero, maybe we should question if we are ground zero for wiping out agriculture. And Waipa has a lofty mission, but grows a pathetic amount of food for all that money it gets.
8:17 -- Waipa's 2013 tax return.
http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2013/990/313/2013-990313224-0af35c52-9.pdf
It’s funny how we don’t hear anything any longer about “peak oil” which was the basis of the entire food sustainability movement. I guess the localizationists finally realized that the vast majority of people weren’t going limit themselves to only buying food and goods from a place they could walk or ride a bike to. Or maybe they realized that much of mankind is way smarter than they are and that we here in Hawaii will never be in the position to starve or where our food costs will be so much that we can’t afford to eat. Shoots, even Joann Yukimura voted against lower food prices when she authored the law that stopped Walmart from building a grocery to add additional price competition on Kauai. But then, that was to protect her family that owns a food brokerage and was selling to the grocery stores. She said it was about protecting the Mom & Pops groceries like her friends that owned Big Save until they sold out to Times. Oh, well. So the concern about food sustainability is about equal to the concerns about chemtrails. Lucky we have such deep thinkers in office. A bunch of anti-science and anti-logic thinkers. I guess this is what too much pot smoking turned the hippies of the 60s into.
Thanks, 7:00AM. I didn't see anywhere on the return a list of the contributors who gave over $1,345,000 in 2013. The return says they're supposed to list the contributors (Part IV, Page 3, Item 2).
The anti GMO movement is a feeble machine compared to the mass propaganda perpetuated by these gigantic chemical corporations with horrendous track records for poisoning the earth and it's people. Shame on you Joan for not recognizing this and siding with these monsters. Every single Google optimized page that these Chemical giants puts out reeks of multimillion dollar public relation firm advertising (propaganda). Maybe Kauai isn't ground zero for pesticide exposure but it is these same corporations who are responsible for the places that are. I can understand that you are tired of the issue but for you to side with these evil multinationals who want nothing more than to control the worlds food supply at any risk just means that you are "drinking what they're selling". A lot of us realize that public opinion is for sale. But most of us, I fear, including you Joan, have already drunken the "poisonous Kool-aid". And how can people possibly "inform themselves" when all of the "scientific facts and studies" are funded, conducted, and published by the same corporations who are selling this poison. WHO COULD AFFORD TO TRY TO PROVE THEM WRONG?! The truth as we know it only depends on who has more money to promote their point of view. Try doing this Google search: MOST EVIL CORPORATIONS IN THE WORLD Now do you still want to defend these guys?
1:13PM - LOL!!! You just eat the anti-GMO bullshit up like ice cream don't you?
Joan Why not attend the meeting. You might learn something. Verify the findings. Report on it. Certainly, you're not condoning doubling down on pesticides, herbicides, poisons as a solution to increasing food production. I agree with your belief thither are real estate interests that will build out the agricultural lands with homes, malls resorts and such.
We've started to frack for oil and that's kept America's supply up, as well as our use of alternatives, like natural gas, biofuels, etc. But even the petroleum industry agrees that production of "easily" extractable oil is at or near its peak.
Scientists Envision Fracking in Arctic and on Ocean Floor
By BEN LEFEBVRE
July 28, 2013 9:37 p.m. ET
Scientists in Japan and the U.S. say they are moving closer to tapping a new source of energy: methane hydrate, a crystalline form of natural gas found in Arctic permafrost and at the bottom of oceans.
At room temperature the crystal gives off intense heat, earning it the nickname of "fire in ice," and making the estimated 700,000 trillion cubic feet of the substance scattered around the world a potentially major fuel source, containing more energy than all previously discovered oil and gas combined, according to researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey.
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