Musings: Poisons and Toxins

Dustin Barca , the anti-GMO activist and defeated Kauai mayoral candidate, was arrested Tuesday night for driving under the influence and having an open container in his car.

But he didn't get charged with DWI because his breath test was reportedly just within the legal limits.

Drinking while driving. Gee, such a great role model for the keiki.

So often it seems the same people who are loudly proclaiming we're being poisoned by pesticides and GMOs are engaged themselves in unhealthy habits. Dustin was observed smoking cigarettes, and now drinking while driving. And his anti-GMO cronies, Gary Hooser, Fern Rosensteil and Malia Chun, are packing a lot of extra weight, which is a well-documented health risk.

Is it too much to ask that they work on their own issues before telling the rest of us how to live and what to worry about? 

Of course, nothing freaks them out more than seeing ag workers in hazmat suits. Though as  the Iowa Meets Maui blog notes, in this case it's an organic farmer, applying a "natural soap spray."

So often it's about fears, rather than facts, as this meme makes clear:

Meanwhile, the local paper carried stories this week of a guy caught trying to steal a safe on a skateboard, and another guy driving crazy on Kuhio Highway. One look at their mug shots tells you all you need to know about their state-of-mind and motivation: tweakers.

Crystal meth is a toxic substance that is clearly harming people on Kauai right now, destroying lives, families, fortunes, bodies and souls. Yet the self-proclaimed health watchdogs totally ignore that known deadly toxin, and instead focus on the bogeyman of possible low-level pesticide exposure. But then, there's a lot more money to be had fear-mongering about GMOs than helping people kick the shit.

Speaking of toxins, nothing pulls out the haters and crybabies like a post on illegal vacation rentals, and last week's piece on the Wainiha B&B contested case hearing was no exception. But the rigorous reality of a hearing may have had an effect on other homestay hopefuls, with one applicant — Realtor Susan Gailey — withdrawing and two more saying they were going to, though they haven't yet submitted formal letters. When it comes down to it, not everybody wants to show their tax returns and be subjected to intensive questioning.

And finally, remember this?

Yes, the Hawaii Superferry, obtained by the U.S. Navy and renamed USNS Puerto Rico, has moved to the East Coast.  Under a lease agreement with the Navy, it will become the new high-speed ferry to run between Maine and Nova Scotia, starting this summer.

Proving the adage “one man's meat is another man's poison.”