tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post6520906164417677677..comments2023-10-17T04:51:08.765-10:00Comments on KauaiEclectic: Musings: Smells StinkJoan Conrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-47518260843428210872013-12-01T20:50:51.785-10:002013-12-01T20:50:51.785-10:00"Referring to the work of US investigative re..."Referring to the work of US investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, the report points out that the notorious defence contractor Blackwater, later renamed XE Services and now Academi, had sought to become "the intel arm" of Monsanto, the agricultural and biotechnology corporation associated with genetically modified foods. Blackwater was paid to "provide operatives to infiltrate activist groups organizing against the multinational biotech firm."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-56806528272848562232013-11-13T10:57:49.161-10:002013-11-13T10:57:49.161-10:00As the recipient of yet another anonymous cowardly...As the recipient of yet another anonymous cowardly insult on your blog, Joan, I would like to ask why you allow anonymous comments. Right to know and all that - it seems like people should have to stand behind their words instead of spewing their vile hate and misinformation as cowards. Anonymity breeds hate and lies, as well as duplication to create an appearance of popularity of an opinion.<br /><br />To the anonymous coward who insulted me, no I don't get paid a dime from anyone on either side of the issue. I have no skin in the game at all, unlike many paid local activists. I argue for what I believe is best for Kauai, that is all. Like Joan, I fight mostly about tactics - lies, fear-mongering, misinformation, hate, threats... If I see any of that from the pro-GMO side, I fight that, too, as anyone can see looking at my publicly available Facebook feed.<br /><br />Joan and I are on opposite sides of the GMO issue, but we can argue like adults. And we use our names, like adults, instead of throwing rocks from behind trees like grade school children.Chuck Laskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16719048370037095323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-15635560584718573802013-11-12T20:24:44.125-10:002013-11-12T20:24:44.125-10:00Why not give them a chance and let them try. They...Why not give them a chance and let them try. They have the most at stake; after all this county is in reality an island and our county government is the government of the island. State and Feds are offshore entities who will just make the industry push more paper, which is how they would have it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-61071737034591108452013-11-12T19:42:59.243-10:002013-11-12T19:42:59.243-10:00"9:42. Do you believe state laws are tough en..."9:42. Do you believe state laws are tough enough to cover the citizen's concerns? There is no disclosure. No buffer zones."<br /><br />I don't know if the state laws are tough enough. But compare the Pesticide Law, Clean Water and Air Pollution laws (that are the state's responsibility to enforce) with Bill 2491 (and you can use any iteration -- original bill, or the subsequent drafts) and tell me which legislative schemes are, in theory, more comprehensive and provide greater protection for people's health and the environment. It's hard to say the state laws are not tough enough because it appears they're not being rigorously enforced. The state law requires disclosure of what RUPs are purchased but don't require disclosure of where, when or in what amount the RUP is applied. The federal laws require buffer zones in accordance with the RUP's label and who knows if those buffer zones are enforced. The pesticide/biotech industry should be closely monitored and regulated. But does the county have the resources or personnel needed to enforce 2491 and is it up to the task? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-47298981379010300692013-11-12T11:31:13.010-10:002013-11-12T11:31:13.010-10:0010:31 AM
OMG! Is this a real post, no it's no...10:31 AM<br /><br />OMG! Is this a real post, no it's not possible that someone in this day and age with even the minimum of education to function in society would actually believe the things written.<br />Communism does not work, and what you suggested was communism. It has been proven that way in every instance, USSR, China, North Korea, Cuba and any other place that it was tried.<br />But now I read it again I can see the real message<br />"sieze the land, punish the capitalists and share the land and the money"<br />You want something for nothing, thats the outcome that will make you happy.<br />Work for yourself and stop hoping to live of everyone elses hard work.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-77099143173934420332013-11-12T07:33:37.526-10:002013-11-12T07:33:37.526-10:00"What if council just passed a law stating th..."What if council just passed a law stating that pesticide experiments are an industrial use and not an agricultural use? Get the "right to farm" out of this debate, because they are not farming - they are testing industrial toxins."<br /><br />Interesting approach.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-35598387481966404872013-11-11T16:49:17.613-10:002013-11-11T16:49:17.613-10:00The same transportation network that carries every...The same transportation network that carries every product that you buy in stores or on the net ? That one? Or the one that flies thousands of people all over the world on an hourly basis? With regard to a carbon footprint, we have met the enemy and he is us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-50259413688782774252013-11-11T14:15:09.113-10:002013-11-11T14:15:09.113-10:00Regarding the impacts globally of industrial ag:
T...Regarding the impacts globally of industrial ag:<br />The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) was an international effort involving the World Bank, the UN Environment Program (UNEP), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization, UNESCO and other international institutions that conducted a three year study (2005 – 2008) to evaluate the relevance, quality and effectiveness of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology. The project involved 900 participants, including 400 scientists, development experts, and 110 countries, examining the intertwined problems of global agriculture, hunger, poverty, power and influence. Their findings sent shock waves through the conventional agriculture establishment. The majority of the countries involved approved the findings. The USA, under pressure from the powerful Biotech Industry, did not approve the findings; making this important information not well known to our citizens. If you want to read more, google the IAASTD findings.<br />As far as the question of greenhouse gas contribution: industrial ag is number one when you factor in the transportaion network integral to it's long distance marketing, and one must include methane gases from industrial feedlots and hog farms. One much overlooked factor that pushes it over the top is the CO2 that is not sequestered by soil that has been rendered unhealthy by chemical pesticide and fertilzer over usage.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-12075402532097751582013-11-11T13:57:04.087-10:002013-11-11T13:57:04.087-10:009:42. Do you believe state laws are tough enough t...9:42. Do you believe state laws are tough enough to cover the citizen's concerns? There is no disclosure. No buffer zones. Only token over sight of chem activities. State over sight is exactly what those boys want. Kind of similar to how they wrote their own FDA standards against their own industry back in the good ol Reagan years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-76975370574075278132013-11-11T09:42:23.104-10:002013-11-11T09:42:23.104-10:00"Please tell us 10:11 exactly who at the stat..."Please tell us 10:11 exactly who at the state level you would trust to look after our well being here on Kauai."<br /><br />Currently, no one. But Governor Abercombie, like the politicians on the Council, tends to react to political pressure. What if, instead of thousands marching to "pass the bill", thousands marched to "enforce the law"? What if all this media attention that is focused on a bill that may not be legal was focused instead on the State's abysmal record in enforcing the Pesticide Law, Air Pollution and Water Pollution laws? What if you had people holding signs at the airport that said "Stop The Poisoning Governor"? What if you hung out at his representative's office on Kauai demanding to know what he's doing? What if you flooded Abercombie, Kouchi, Kawakami and Tokioka with phone calls, e-mails and face to face pleas for some action? <br /><br />That may not get results. But the county bill is and always has been doomed because it will either get thrown out by the court after years of legal bills or it will be poorly enforced after years of trying to figure out what to do and who will do it. And if you want to know about the county's record with issues that are clearly its responsibility, ask Joan, Glen Mickens, Caren Diamond, etc. That will tell you all you need to know about how this will end. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-5438006757507084052013-11-11T09:12:15.788-10:002013-11-11T09:12:15.788-10:00"And the largest contributor on the planet to..."And the largest contributor on the planet to greenhouse gases is....drum roll...industrial ag."<br /><br />While ag is a big contributor of greenhouse gases, it does not come close to transportation, electricity generation or manufacturing. <br /><br />http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html<br /><br />http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/31/this-giant-chart-shows-where-all-our-greenhouse-gases-come-from/<br /><br />http://www.whatsyourimpact.eu.org/co2-sources.php <br /><br />How's your carbon footprint?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-55796188913651207842013-11-11T08:10:56.842-10:002013-11-11T08:10:56.842-10:00'Auwe nohoi 'e! Now there's a pilau th...'Auwe nohoi 'e! Now there's a pilau thought. I'd rather go to a party with gohan, rafute, kalua, na'au, loko, pipikaula, pinakbet, poi, caldareta, nishime, pork sour cabbage, won ton, haupia, coconut cream cake and talk stink about malihini than sit around with the malihini nibbling goat cheese, kale, crudités, wheatgrass and whatever while listening to them plot on how they can stuff their nasty agenda down our throats along with all that roughage. 61Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-78295237087461341462013-11-11T08:01:49.509-10:002013-11-11T08:01:49.509-10:00This administration needs to stop protecting uneth...This administration needs to stop protecting unethical, guilty FOB's. The extortion coming from the building division where they know they have inspectors who are not only drawing the plans and walking them thought the permitting process but running the construction company that is building them is freaking outrageous. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-20210393531131487372013-11-11T07:33:06.584-10:002013-11-11T07:33:06.584-10:00Because that's what it's been for a lot of...Because that's what it's been for a lot of people, yanno, play-acting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-2876444209928564082013-11-11T07:17:43.151-10:002013-11-11T07:17:43.151-10:00Joan, I just thought i would make the posts an eve...Joan, I just thought i would make the posts an even 60. It has been a great debate on your blog. Too bad we can't all meet in real life, sit down and debate all of this face to face. Now that would be something. Who is up for that? A Joan Blogger Party? We can have security there, oh say about 20 to 30 actors playing KPD and they can pat us all down, and check our stuff at the door. We can meet in a small 55 seat room, and take a name and wait 19 hours to testify. We can sleep in tents the night before, and take a number and wait our turn. I think that bringing a little realism into what the general public has had to go through to testify on this issue would be fun!. We can role play it out, with blue shirts and red shirts giving stink eye at each other, and each trying to change the others mind. And afterwards, we can eat separately, and sort of taunt each other with our catered lunches. The red shirts can invite the blue shirts to eat organic, healthy lunch, with veggies , fresh juices, water, fresh fruits and homemade dishes that are low in sodium, and salt and sugar, where the ingredients are mostly purchased from local Kaua'i farmers, (the real ones, the ones that actually grow food). and the blue shirts can invite the other side to eat heaps of sticky white rice, with lots of salty shoyu mounds of fatty Kalua pig, and fatty chicken with all of the skin and fat left on, and fatty red meats, with the fat nice and crusted (yummy!) and mayonaissy potato mac salad, washed down with chocolate cake with icing, and lots and lots of sugary soda. I mean I think it would be a lot of fun. Kinda like historical re-enactment, yanno? :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-23388729864004391842013-11-10T12:59:52.640-10:002013-11-10T12:59:52.640-10:00Please tell us 10:11 exactly who at the state leve...Please tell us 10:11 exactly who at the state level you would trust to look after our well being here on Kauai. Either you are sadly out of touch with recent history or you have a vested interest in that state/biotech cozy relationship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-46303299854732011572013-11-10T12:44:45.172-10:002013-11-10T12:44:45.172-10:00You are sadly right 11:02. And the largest contri...You are sadly right 11:02. And the largest contributor on the planet to greenhouse gases is....drum roll...industrial ag. Crime is they only procuce 30% of the world's food supplyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-32070072283026535542013-11-10T11:02:24.464-10:002013-11-10T11:02:24.464-10:00Don't worry, climate change will make this iss...Don't worry, climate change will make this issue seem manini in a few years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-84168954253792053072013-11-10T10:31:56.552-10:002013-11-10T10:31:56.552-10:00The government knows best. The feds and State know...The government knows best. The feds and State know much more than we do. The County knows even more. business people are generally poorly trained and do not know how things really work. we have to trust the government, they should allow them to take care of all of our needs. Private businesses only take from the people. If Kauai county took all of the land, gave a piece to all of the people, we could all eat what we want. Wallmart, Costco, Pioneer these big corporations are only out for profit. None of them are run very good. The county should run everything, they should tell the doctors what to do, ration out food and land to all the people. I am sick and tired of having to work and see all of these people that are greedy and have big houses and nice cars. The county counsil is finally on the right track, correct the injustice, sieze the land, punish the capitalists and share the land and the money. It is time for all of us to get together and demand our rights for clean air, water, food, apiece of farming land and a fair deal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-75898412191897431182013-11-10T10:16:48.637-10:002013-11-10T10:16:48.637-10:009:21 -- You're on to something there.9:21 -- You're on to something there.Joan Conrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-49827890942438138162013-11-10T10:11:23.156-10:002013-11-10T10:11:23.156-10:00"The only folks trusting the state to regulat..."The only folks trusting the state to regulate this mess is those who need to be regulated in the first place."<br /><br />And you put your trust in the county? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-63651931944779500812013-11-10T09:41:07.418-10:002013-11-10T09:41:07.418-10:00What the Philippines is going through is only a ma...What the Philippines is going through is only a matter of time for us. Due to rampant growth, virtually almost 4 times our population since Iniki, and the fact that seed companies grow no food for us, only seeds that they experiment, and burn afterwards into the air after dousing them with a cocktail mix of restricted use pesticides, that is a trade secret to each company do you really think they will stick around on Kauai? That is a laugh. They will claim every penny of losses from the DOA, pack their bags and leave, leaving a huge mess behind, and no food for anyone to eat. Keep supporting something that does zero for our island in the long run, cannot feed us, and is in no way sustainable. And don't count on Walmart, Kmart, Home Depot and Cost U less to feed all of you, trust me. Don't expect the workers to not have to go home and care for their families. Looting is a definite possibility this time. We don't even know if those buildings can survive a major hurricane. I can tell you that a few of them tremble in the slightest wind, so don't count on it. All of these buildings were built after Iniki, and the average Hurricane Clamp, breaks at 180 miles an hour. Iniki doubled that. Without fostering Organic farming and true food production, and local productions of meat, and bread manufacturing as well as fruits and veggies, we have absolutely zero food security and this island will starve, unless like before the Military steps up and feeds us MRE's like they did before. After Iniki many major monoculture Export agricultural operations closed their doors forever, and were not replaced by food production, but by luxury gentlemen estates .The population is made up now of at least 50 percent of people who have not been here long enough to remember our hurricane. Don't expect Kumbaya in the streets and politeness people. We have been indoctrinated now with the comforts of the mainland. Then you tell me how right these seed companies are and how wrong those of us that are merely fighting for food security on this island, and sane pesticide regulations are. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-72589213688550259142013-11-10T09:21:41.587-10:002013-11-10T09:21:41.587-10:00Joan,
I realize that grand conspiracy theories are...Joan,<br />I realize that grand conspiracy theories are de rigueur on the northshore. However, a more parsimonious explanation would be: village politicians with giant egos take on a topic far beyond their competency. That they were manipulated by outside interest groups that were clueless about local culture/politics and armed with their own agendas (i.e. not necessarily in the interests of Kauai) only strengthens the argument that they are far, far out of their league.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-87380914734039236932013-11-10T09:12:34.627-10:002013-11-10T09:12:34.627-10:00At least the AG zoned TVR fake farms probably won...At least the AG zoned TVR fake farms probably won't be used for open air poison spray experiments. <br /><br />Sarcasm aside the point is, are we really protecting our AG lands so they can experiment with pesticide mixes on those lands? TVR is less harmful. These "seed" companies keep calling it their right to do AG, but if the primary activity is testing how good this years toxic cocktail kills plants, maybe it's not AG at all. That sounds more like an industrial use to me, all due respect to the chem attorneys.<br /><br />What if council just passed a law stating that pesticide experiments are an industrial use and not an agricultural use? Get the "right to farm" out of this debate, because they are not farming - they are testing industrial toxins.<br /><br />RolloAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-52967326974253362482013-11-10T08:37:36.116-10:002013-11-10T08:37:36.116-10:00Kauai politicians will allow poison testing farms ...Kauai politicians will allow poison testing farms in our backyard, but can't get us a drug treatment center. <br /><br />Open air testing of poison? Yeah, let's put that right next door. DuPont Pioneer says it's OK. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com