Saturday, March 26, 2016

Musings: Political Ploys

It's the Democrat's caucus day in Hawaii, which no doubt explains the new Youtube ad that has Rep. Tulsi Gabbard supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Not so easily explained is the message of the ad itself. As Tulsi duck dives with her surfboard, she intones:

Being a warrior is about believing in what you are fighting for and holding strong to those convictions.

Then she gets all teary-eyed, quavery-voiced as she says she “couldn't in good conscience stay back in beautiful Hawaii and watch my brothers and sisters in uniform go off to combat” before telling us:

Bernie Sanders voted against the Iraq war. He understands the cost of war. Bernie Sanders will defend our country and take the trillions of dollars that are spent on these interventionist, regime-change unnecessary wars...”

So is Tulsi admitting that the Iraq war was a colossal waste of lives and money? And that she participated only to support National Guard colleagues? Then how, exactly, does that fit the description of a warrior “believing in what you are fighting for?”

It's all so confusing. Like Dylan Hooser's letter to the editor, in which writes:

Sen. Sanders has spoken out time and time again about reigning in the corporations ruining our great nation and the planet, in pursuit of profit. His average contribution is $27, from millions of individual, working-class people — not from Wall Street or the 1 percent billionaire-class ruling America.

Yes, down with the evil corporations and the greedy rich. Well, except for those corporations and 1 percent billionaire-class ruling Americans supporting the anti-GMO fight. They and their profits are perfectly OK. In fact, best keep the kala coming, because these supposed “grassroots” groups would collapse without it.

Dylan wraps up with:

Bernie Sanders is a refreshing breath of truth and honesty in the crooked world of politics and needs our help this Saturday.

"Truth and honesty in the crooked world of politics,” eh. Must be tough him to look Daddy Gary Hooser in the eye.

Speaking of which, Gary and Hawaii SEED are already trying to co-opt the April 4 public meeting of the Joint Fact Finding Group, with The Garden Island informing us they will be at the forum, and giving them more ink than facilitator Peter Adler. 

Gary comes out with both barrels blazing, blasting the “agrochemical industry on Kauai and their partners at the State Department of Agriculture.” Mmm, if you believe they're in cahoots, why would you believe DOA would effectively implement the proposed regulations and studies?  Then Hawaii SEED's Jeri Di Pietro chimes in with "'the biotech industry was a part of this balanced committee' and Hawaii SEED expects the fact-finding group to stand up for their recommendations."

First, this was not a “balanced committee.” As I've pointed out previously, a majority of its members were supporters of of the anti-GMO/pesticide regulatory Bill 2491/Ordinance 960, which spawned the JFFG. And as I'll document in an upcoming post, anti-GMO activists had a very strong influence on the JFFG's recommendations.

Second, is anyone else tired of hearing what Hawaii SEED demands and expects? Just recently they were screaming for Gov. Ige to immediately adopt all the recommendations. Yeah, screw everyone who might want to submit comments on the report. They want it NOW, so do it.

Bernie is playing heavily to the anti-GMO and Native Hawaiian vote, combining them into one handy-dandy platform plank:

As a Senator from a small rural state, Bernie has been a strong supporter of small family farms. Hawai’i, which imports more than 80% of its food, can move away from this dependence, and take advantage of its year-round growing season. As president, Bernie will fight to support sustainable and culturally appropriate agricultural programs for Native Hawaiians.  He also recognizes the right of people to know what is in their food, and he has been a leader in the movement to label GMOs.  Bernie believes we must stand up to the demands of Monsanto and other multi-national corporations and support local small-scale agriculture.

What demands are those, exactly? And what are these “sustainable and culturally appropriate agricultural programs for Native Hawaiians?” Subsidies for taro, sweet potato, ulu and pig production? Does that mean only kanaka will get farming assistance under a Sanders regime? And apparently no one told him there is choke farm land available in Hawaii, despite the corporate presence. What we need are skilled and willing farmers.

It's not that I'm against Bernie. I agree with many of his positions. But I'm skeptical of the hype, and even more of his ability to deliver if he is elected. Unless he's got a Congress of Bernie clones, all of his proposals are guaranteed to meet fierce resistance and death.

That's why I kind of cringed when Councilman Mason Chock described Bernie as “our last, best hope.” Last? Best? Shoots. Might as well get out the razor blades right now.

Or course, supporting Bernie primarily gave Mason a chance to plug himself. Just like Tulsi. Because that's politics. Still, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow when Mason, who was brought onto the Council under duplicitous means, asks, “have we had enough of … mistrust in our government processes?”
Yeah, Mason, we have. But somehow, you just don't think that means you.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

The ultimate cynic turns the positive into negative again and again. Remember, that a battery creates light when then negative is turned into the positive. We need a little more light in our world these days.

Anonymous said...

This is a beauty Joan! Not enough room on the Bernie bandwagon for all the hypocrites!

Anonymous said...

Go Cruz!!!!

Manuahi said...

Well said, Joan!

Anonymous said...

Sorry but I can't knock the Chock. Homegrown not flown sincere polite and intelligent. I also cannot gob on Gabbard. Again grown not flown veteran educated and also intelligent. I am in full support of our amazing talent born and raised here. Sorry but this time I do not agree.

Anonymous said...

I said it before and I will say it again Hillary is the MOST QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB FROM ALL THE CANDIDATES......As far as Tusli....well she is Bernies choice for VP!!! so I guess that is worth a few tears...and a lot of acting

Anonymous said...

Hillary is also the most dishonest and untrustworthy candidate. If anyone believes that dishonesty and untrustworthiness qualifies one for for presidency, then by all means, vote for Hillary!

Anonymous said...

Hillary and Donald are the worst candidates to pick from. It's like choosing between Palin and Dubya. Lose Lose situation.

Anonymous said...

Why come them GMO protestors not protesting the Fukushima radioactive poisoning of the Pacific Ocean?

5 years later, radiation so high that not even robots can survive. So go and swim and surf in cesium 134 and 137 that has radioactive shelf life's of up to 2 and 30 years.

Anonymous said...

You gotta live, grow up here in Hawaii to know what a WARRIOR really is----Hawaiian warriors cry, feel sad----they fight their fight in ways you may not be aware of! It's the Hawaiian style way of doing things here!

GMO protesters and Fukushima? We're here in Hawaii, protesting what is most important and imminent for us! We have to make sure we are safe before going on to Japan's problems!

Anonymous said...

Can't knock Chock? He is the former unemployed crash fireman that Hooser, Bynum, Yukimura,and Furfaro drug out to override the mayor's veto of bill 2491, bypassing KipuKai. If anything, he is as pilau as the ones that appointed him to council. His sister bullshits about 36 pesticides in the kids' hair. Who paid for the analyses? My guess would be the Surfrider group. Know nothing but not shy saying shit.

Anonymous said...

Protesters are not getting paid for that type of work. The Big Pharms don't care about radiation because it is not a threat to their industry. Getting a cure with plants will put a huge dent in their business. There is no EAR in FEAR of radiation. The scare tactics is specifically designed for Hawaii. WE believe in what our friends tell us until we find out it ain't true. By then they have already ordered a RED shirt for you. Dammed if you wear it.

Anonymous said...

Japan's problem???

That's what's wrong with you people and you all don't even know it.

What don't you understand about dumping 40-50K gallons of radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean each and every day for 5 years.

Is Hawaii not in the Pacific Ocean???

Warriors??? More like Slaves and worst Drug Slaves for that matter.

Anonymous said...

I doubt Dylan Hooser wrote that Letter to the Editor. He has a little difficulty in putting a string of sentences together. This is probably written by Papa Hoos. Anything to get Dylan into the spotlight.
March 26, 2016 at 11:39 AM.....Mason? Intelligent? Light up another doobie, fantasy prevails in your ethnocentric mirage. Mason is polite and a nice guy, but is at least three bologna slices short of a sandwich. He wonders why the frisbee is getting bigger, until it hit him in the head.
“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”
― NapolĂ©on Bonaparte
“The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky,

Anonymous said...

Yes, Mason is nothing more than a "man of Hawaii" model laying sideways on the council table. Mr. Let's dialogue. How about actually doing something Mason? All you do is talk. Like a beef cake Joann. I thought you'd start thinking for yourself after you got more votes than Gary but he's still Jim Henson to your Kermit. It definitely ain't easy being green with a swollen narcissist's hand buried up your butt.

Anonymous said...

So Joan, you prefer Clinton, Cruz or Trump?

Joan Conrow said...

8:14-- As I previously posted, my own view of the election is reflected in a meme of a screaming child being pulled by the hand, "I don't wanna vote. I don't like any of these people ."

Anonymous said...

6:55 A narcissists hand? or Fist?

Anonymous said...

Joan Conrow said... "As I previously posted, my own view of the election is reflected in a meme of a screaming child being pulled by the hand, "I don't wanna vote. I don't like any of these people ."

Then why attack Tulsi but not Clinton, Cruz, or Trump? Is it because they are all pro-big business and big pro-corporation?

Anonymous said...

Religion is the problem. It has high jacked the Republican Party and makes the left cow tow to idiotic believes in ancient fairytale myths.

Get religion out of politics and government and we can get to a logical reasoning political discourse.

Anonymous said...

3hree things that cause trouble: Religion, Politics & a "mans" choice of woman. (a "woman" choice of man or mans choice of another man or a womans choice of another woman)

Anonymous said...

@ 7:30 am

You have narrowed it down to just one thing that causes trouble: Choice, the choice of your Religion, the choice of your Political support, the choice of your Partner. So the only way to rid ourselves of problems according to you is to remove everyones choices. It is what it is and that is what makes ours a democratic society.

Anonymous said...

It is the people who disagree with your choice.

Anonymous said...


It seems that you are referring to the people that support your views and no one else's. Interesting!

Anonymous said...

@10:14 AM:

There's six more candidates that are still in the presidential running, Clinton, Sanders, Trump, Cruz, Casich, and the sixth and unknown candidate that the Republican Party is prepping for the Contested Convention. Which candidate are you referring to as yours and the people's choice? Just curious!

Anonymous said...

Many Iraq veterans have realized the war in Iraq was a mistake & were adamant that the US not go back. The war was already going on when Tulsi deployed to serve with her brigade, and if you know anything at all about the military, it's only natural to want to support your comrades in arms. But as she said, she saw the true cost of war first-hand and realized - like many others - that the mission of defeating America's sworn enemies was lost.
The real takeaway of the ad is, as Tulsi points out - sending troops to fight regime-change wars must stop. I'm confident that Bernie Sanders will do that.

Anonymous said...

Bernie's path to victory. Smear the opponent with innuendo, steal the opponent's data, trash the organization you are using to gain power, reveal fake endorsements, lie about your efforts to win, and then try to turn the process in on itself while choking it to death. But who cares? The establishment deserves everything it gets!

Oh Saint Bernie, I'm trying to imagine how Mr. Holier Than Thou gets anything done. Oh yeah, he'll mobilize the Sandernistas and their pitchforks.

Anonymous said...

chock: "haven't we had enough distrust in our government systems?" Look in the mirror; you are part of the reason why citizens distrust government. Too many games, Too much insincerity. Too many lies.