Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Musings: Speak Easy

One thing that's long bugged me about the Hawaii anti-GMO movement is how a few people try to act as if they represent everyone.

Like Gary Hooser telling the Syngenta shareholders that he was delivering a message from his community about how “very concerned” we were with the company's activities on Kauai.

Like Phoebe Eng delivering theatrical anti-GMO testimony, supposedly on behalf of a couple dozen “well-known, long-time westside families” (who were never identified), as if they couldn't speak for themselves.

And like Ashley Lukens, director of Hawaii Center for Food Safety, pretending she is actually in the position to “share Hawaii's story” — with the help of Vandana Shiva and Pierce Brosnan, no less.
Pierce, as you may recall, endeared himself to Kauai folks by suing a now deceased Wainiha taro farmer to try and keep her water for his landscaping ponds, totally gaming the system to get a TVR permit for his house in Haena — one of two TVRs he owns on Kauai, like he really needs the extra dough — and landscaping the beach, replete with applications of chicken shit.
As for Vandana Shiva, what's with that oversized bindi? Since it's supposed to represent the third eye, the place of concealed wisdom, what does it say about her state of consciousness that she chooses one made of plastic? She's wrought nothing but trouble for the Islands and is certainly in no position to tell any story about Hawaii — except, perhaps, a fairy tale.

If those three scammers are the “heroes” of the anti-GMO movement, it speaks volumes — and none of it good — about the caliber of its membership.

Speaking of speaking, I've repeatedly dinged Hooser for using County Council resources to submit testimony on behalf of bills that benefit his nonprofit, HAPA, but have nothing to do with his Council duties. 

Turns out Councilman KipuKai Kualii has done the same thing, advocating for a state Senate bill that would “appropriate funds for the planning, design, construction, materials and equipment for the Anahola Hawaiian Homes Association (AHHA) for an East Kauai Community Recreation Center and the Anahola Pilot Agriculture Park.”

But KipuKai committed a double transgression in identifying himself only as a Councilman and failing to inform the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that he is President of AHHA, and thus has a direct interest.

While we're on the topic of Anahola, what ever happened to the $1 million that KIUC gave the community last October, for hosting the solar project? 

Though Anahola residents gave the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands many suggestions about how to use the money, and asked for a community meeting to try and reach consensus on how to spend it, DHHL has been non-responsive. The money has apparently disappeared into the black hole that is DHHL, while the community has nothing to show for it.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

With all the monies that Danner has in grants for the Hawaiians....they are asking for more??? Give me a break!! Let her use some of those monies she is stashing somewhere to make more illegal camping structures on the beach...OMG..

Common Sense said...

drive on the east side. anahola solar looks like a jail. giant eyesore, I understand it is closer to the power lines, but they should have done some sort of setback. thanks a lot danner

Anonymous said...

It's a shame and a sham what DHHL has done to its people. They act accordingly to how the county of Kauai is ran.

Only a few families get all the benefits while their whole nation suffers and is played to believe that they aren't receiving opportunities to rise as a culture and nation.

These Uncle Tom sell out house plantation slaves are what's wrong with the island of Kauai and the state of Hawaii.

Anonymous said...

Off topic Joan but please allow:

While my wife and I slept on Saturday night April 16, 2016, someone entered our home and stole our iPhones from our bedroom and a bottle of wine from the kitchen. We live in the Kilauea area. My wife awoke to a figure about 5 foot 3 wearing a dark hoodie at the foot of our bed. By the time she woke me up the intruder had left.

The intruder then called the police and gave a fake roll over accident report which diverted the police from our house. It seemed like forever for them to show up.

Please be careful. Our phone were literally 6 inches from our heads and our 5 month baby was in the room.

Don't let Kauai lull you to sleep. We had shut a back door but forgot to lock it.

Never again will we let this happen to us. If I ever get my hands on that........

Anonymous said...

Joan can you name a single Bill that Hooser testified on that benefits HAPA?

Joan Conrow said...

11;17 -- We've been through this before. Every time I wrote about Hooser doing his testimony, I provided links to the bills, all of which supported the HAPA agenda. Try using the search function, and you'll find them.

Unknown said...

Great, NOW I have to boycott Pierce Brosnan movies too. On a lighter note, Gary Hooser is really a legend in his own mind. Judging by his blog, you'd think the seed companies are already packing, they've won their appeals, banned all pesticides in Hawaii is eminent, and Seeds of Hawaii will supply the whole island with cheap organic food. Man, I thought the BS was deep in my feedlot. https://garyhooser.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

No good rotten snake.

Kouchi declares no conflict

Jessica Else - The Garden Island Posted: 10 hours ago

Senate President Ronald Kouchi did have an investment in a company owned by Kevin Showe, who also owns some property that the legislature is...

Anonymous said...

Yep we remember so well how Pierce Brosnan diverted an irrigation feed that was used by many for their taro patch. A Hawaiian lady friend was actually teary eyed when she told me that all of her babies were dying from lack of water. She said that she had been raising that taro since her existence in Wainiha. But hey Brosnan has the money and can afford the best attorneys. Apparently the water that once ran through many properties now only runs through Brosnans and into his lilly pond.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Ron Kouchi is trying to enrich his good buddy Kevin Showe, not once but twice in this year's state budget. Not only does Ron seem to think buying land for preservation on the Big Island is a good thing, he wants to use excess TAT monies to do so. Let me see, withhold TAT monies from the counties by keeping the cap in place so that the locals can pick up the cost of hosting visitors, and then use those monies to payoff your buddy Kevin Showe by purchasing this land, which Ron himself had a former interest in. Yea, there's clearly no conflict there. Then, just in case that Kevin Showe enrichment program doesn't fly, let's put another $5 million in taxpayer money towards the purchase of the over-priced Waipouli project for "affordable housing" on Kauai. Oh wait, that also happens to be owned by Kevin Showe. Yep, no conflict there either. Ron has since conveniently moved the funds from he intended for the Waipouli Courtyard to another affordable housing project, but that doesn't cover his trail of cronyism. If you haven't figured it out by now, Ron is for Ron not for the people he's supposedly serving. Time for a change Kauai.

Anonymous said...

Joan supporting a Bill that supports an organizations agenda is not unethical, it is supporting a Bill that provides money or other tangible benefits that creates the ethical conflicts. You are correct that KipuKai was in fact acting unethically because the Bill he was supporting did benefit directly an organization he is in charge of. Your zeal to take down the big fist has you playing fast and loose with the facts. Mel is on the Board of Friends of the Drug Court and he often testifies in support of "get tough on drugs" laws. This is the same as Hooser and HAPA, and there is no direct benefit to the organization and no conflict.

Anonymous said...

That's pretty pathetic that Lukens considers Shiva, a professional liar, and Brosnan, an actor, as her heroes. What a deluded bunch of wannabe farmers whatevers.

Joan Conrow said...

@3:14 -- Regardless of how you try to justify it, it's inappropriate for a councilman to use County resources, and his county position, to support a bill that advances an organization he heads. And Mel being on the board of Friends of the Drug Court is not the same as Hooser being president of a group he created.

Anonymous said...

the common theme on the post - "a bunch of actors" Shiva, Brosnan, Lukens, Hooser. Including Ron, Kipukai, and Mel. Let's see if Shay has the courage to go through with her threat to provide the evidence of wrongdoing she claims.

Anonymous said...

kouchi is a spinmaster. calculating, shrewd, clever and as crooked as they come. add to his other investments, free blocs of stock in growing companies. he is so good there are several Ron wannabes on kauai doing their damnedest to emulate the master. Kualii is nothing more than a sacrificial lamb used by the folks behind AHHA. when his usefulness is pau, he'll be dumped like yesterdays rubbish

Anonymous said...

Another slap on the wrist for someone who is connected. The DA should be held accountable for lying about not recovering a GUN in the vehicle. It seems to me that attorney's and judges aren't held accountable on Kauai. ODC form should be submitted on the negligent DA.


Road rage leads to fine

Michelle Iracheta - The Garden Island

LIHUE — A Lihue man who was involved in a 2013 “road rage incident” where he brandished a weapon was fined $500 after he pleaded no contest to a reduced charge.

Bryson Yoneo Higashi, 35, was driving along the traffic circle in Kapaa when he and another motorist got into an altercation on the highway. The two vehicles sped along behind the Kapaa Bypass road with the two motorists shouting at each other, until Higashi allegedly pulled out a weapon, according to court records.

“Who started it and who ended it, it’s really unclear,” defense attorney Mark Zenger told the court Monday. “There was some interaction that was really inappropriate on the road.”

The man in the other vehicle called the police while driving during the incident.

Higashi was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on May 16, 2013.

Higashi was originally charged with terroristic threatening in the first degree, a class C felony and promoting a detrimental drug in the third degree, according to the June 12, 2013, indictment, which states that Higashi threatened the victim with a Crosman airsoft gun.

On Monday, Higashi pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct and was asked to pay $500.

The gun was recovered from Higashi’s vehicle, despite the deputy prosecutor stating Monday no weapon had been recovered.

Higashi could not clearly articulate to the court how he would handle the situation differently if it were to happen to him again.

His attorney said that it would help if he were to be the one to call the police.

“Let it go or call the police,” Zenger told the court. “Roads are dangerous. In this particular incidence, the other guy called the police first … Next time and there will be a next time where someone does something on the road that offends him, he will react to it differently. My hope is that he will do that.”

Higashi has a prior record. In 2015, he was fined for disorderly conduct; petty misdemeanor in 2012, second-degree terroristic threatening in 2010, five TRO violations in 2009 and harassment conviction in 2008.

Anonymous said...

Do you think pierce actually allows strangers to sleep in his bed, or does he not really rent his house as a vacation rental? It seems like someone of his wealth and privacy, would not really rent to strangers.

Anonymous said...

8:24 he should have gone to jail with that record. What's the judge waiting for, a murder?

Anonymous said...

@ April 26, 2016 at 12:36 PM

That area was all taro in the old days. I owned a property that was adjacent to and makai of the lot that Pierce Bronson owns. I sold it in 1999. When I sold it, the guy who owned the Bronson property was Gary Lee. Gary apparently had a need to put his property in his brother Lawrence’s name. Anyway….it was Gary that built all those picturesque ponds into the lot. A move to make the lot more valuable. So it was he that created the draw on the awai that also fed our former taro lot and others makai. Once Gary filled his ponds, the normal water level in the awai returned. But that was then.

Anonymous said...

2:52, you are only partially correct. Gary Lee did the original water theft and before pierce bought the land he told Auntie Cathy he would restore the water, but he never did and decided to fight it in the courts rather than give her back her water. I always thought that led to her no longer being with us. He sure doesn't care about what is right, Hawaii people or the land even or especially since he is a great actor his actions have not been PONO.

Anonymous said...

Brosnan never restored Kathy's water to her property. And yes Brosnan did fight her in court. He didn't want the water traversing his whole property so he sent the access back to the river rather than have it run makai. But hey no taro for an old Loving Kanaka woman, but we do have a vacation rental with lilly ponds.

Anonymous said...

State law prohibits the destruction or blocking of taro awai. So where was the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation on this issue? Or do they only help people with false quiet title claims.

Anonymous said...

the 1 million going pay for the AHHA community center. AHHA arranged with DHHL the solar farm, 1 million mahalo from KIUC to DHHL, 1 million mahalo DHHL to AHHA.

Anonymous said...

Earth Justice if fighting for the Waimea/Kekaha people/water on this one. Relax.

Joan Conrow said...

Yes, 4:17, Earthjustice has found a way to make money off a westside water fight, so yeah, they'll be feeding from that trough for as long as they can drag it out. Just don't fool yourself that it's for the people/water. It's all about them.