Monday, November 18, 2013

Musings: Chuckables

Out with the dogs in the time of way early, before stars-on-black turned to wisps-on-baby blue, before crickets gave way to bird song, walking down the road, following that big yellow moon.

I found it to be far more inspirational and joyful  than following politics, a pursuit that so often pushes spectators to that place of having to chuckle so as to avoid an up chuck.

Like when Council Chair Jay Furfaro — responding to a comment about JoAnn Yukimura and “three Caucasians” recessing the 2491 vote to bring in a new member to vote their way — pulled out a piece of paper and said, “this is a document that makes of my family...a petition to William McKinley to reinstate the Kingdom of Hawaii. We are Americans.” Oh. OK. Thanks, Jay, for making it clear you're not just another haole. For a heart-stopping minute there, I thought you were going to declare yourself a Hawaiian national. Shucks.

Or when new member Mason Chock, happy and eager as a puppy, spoke earnestly of “how deeply honored I am to be amongst mentors across the table who voted on my behalf.”

Yikes. The Council as mentors. That's a scary thought. And now for the next phase of Mason's education: how to swim with political sharks. Because really, what kind of people would intentionally create a situation that causes a decent guy like Mason to start his political career with a taint?

Which leads to how JoAnn said, at the meeting where Mason was voted in to override the mayor's veto, “We've seen so much leadership in the past few days on Bill 2491 and that's why we're a very exceptional island.”

Or when I got this mean flash of deja vu seeing the same trio — Jay, JoAnn and Tim Bynum — that gave us half-baked TVR laws opposed by the Administration following the same path with 2491. I can just see the tee-shirt slogans now:

Litigate the Law. Draft the Rules. Implement the Law. Enforce the Law. Please Enforce the Law. Pretty Please Enforce the Law. Five Years Down and Still Nevah Enforce the Law.

But then, how many of the pro crowd will actually tune in to the mundane details of making a law a reality? Especially when frequent flier Walter Ritte is exhorting them on Facebook to now direct all their energy toward.... no, not demanding health studies for people impacted by biotech; no, not better regulation of pesticide use; no, not occupy lo'i; no, not affordable farm lots; no, not protection of ag land, but GMO labeling.

Because, of course, Bill 2491 was, at heart, all about GMOs, despite Andrea Brower's flat out lie to the contrary on the PBS Insights show. That's why its sponsor, Gary Hooser, included the GMO moratorium and aligned himself with GMO-Free Kauai way back in January. And that's why a certain Waimea resident, despite being dusted for a decade by Pioneer's pesticides and rallying his neighbors, wasn't even consulted on the bill because he didn't oppose GMOs.

Thunk, bump, thunk, bump, bump, bump. That's the sound of westsiders being thrown under the bus.

Which brings us to this shot of the 2491 victory crowd. Wearing a white blouse, front and center, why, it's Realtor Mimsy Bouret, who sold out the North Shore to vacation rentals. Gee, do you suppose the real estate crowd is salivating over those sunny westside ag lands with their awesome views?  Never mind the poison. That didn't stop folks from snapping up the old pineapple fields. 
Look closely, folks. Because as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Finally, a few readers have suggested I stop allowing anonymous comments. Though the section is often uglier and more inane than it might be if folks owned their words, I made the decision at the onset to allow anonymous comments because I know how little Kauai operates. Lots of folks are afraid to put their names on their thoughts, for whatever reason. Even more love to make kissy face while talking stink behind someone's back. Why shouldn't comments reflect that very real dynamic of our island? Because they're being left by your friends, ohana, neighbors and colleagues, after all. Think of it as the Kauai antithesis of Brand X, as in Uncivil Bleat.  If you don't like the comments, don't read them. Enter at your own risk.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems ironic that this debate is happenning, while there appears to be little control over establishments that serve prepared foods!
As a frequent visitor to the beautiful island of Kauai, I am surprised that there appears to be zero health inspection results posted at any eating establishments!! Many places look unsanitary!!

Anonymous said...

It sure would be great to see support from our island food establishments. An example would be to advertise a specific menu item that is Kauai Organically grown, without pesticide. This is an opportunity to act... Let's see who can step UP to the plate so that our island can beegin to bee all that we can bee, set the example and BEE the example beecause it is the right thing to do, especially now that we know that people ARE watching! It should be as easy as one, two three.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and must also be advertised as GMO FREE!!!

Anonymous said...

Has anyone looked at that token ʻgardenʻ Carvalho attached his name lately.
When I drove by I didnʻt know whether to laugh or cry.

Come Bernard, for once do something with some impetus behind it like an island wide effort for real farming.

Thanks Joan for bringing up the real estate parasites in this picture. Weʻve got to keep an eye on that now.

Anonymous said...

If you're referring to the Mayor's Aloha Garden at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, that is a service project that has been ongoing since 2009 involving the Key Club at Kauai High School under the leadership of Charlene Navarro. It is a wonderful project that not only teaches these high school students about agriculture, but the food from the garden has been donated to the Kauai Independent Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and other charitable organizations to feed the hungry.

Aloha, Beth Tokioka

Anonymous said...

I suggested that you get rid of the anonymous comments not for us, but for you. The hate spewed towards you has to get to you sometimes.

Joan Conrow said...

Thanks, high noon.

Maybe we should get rid of all comments?

Anonymous said...

is it part of tokioka's job to surf blogs at work? wonder if i can ask her a question thru KE as i have not received a response that i asked for back in march this year.....also it would be a nice courtesy if the comments had a name/handle associated but i dont think it should be required, aloha Dean

Anonymous said...

Joan could it be you returned too soon from your hiatus? Your blogging has taken on a very jaded tone and you have come out hyper critical of the proponents of the bill. I'm in agreement with you on some of your criticism but I also know that the biotech companies have lied, threatened and refused to cooperate with members of the community or the council. Ultimately I'm a die hard advocate for the 'aina from ma uka ma kai. Hysteria and politics aside, I look at this as a win, ugly as the process was. I try not to get caught up in the drama or the egos.

Second, as a kanaka all of ko pae 'aina Hawaii is our kuleana to malama and what happens on Molokai or moku o Keawe affects all of us. I strongly support labeling in that its an important component of the food sovereignty movement and a very effective way to take down the transnational chemical corporations through informed cconsumer choice.

Frankly I wanted the moratorium on open field testing of GE crops left in tact but the county lacked the political will to do so. Bill 2491 was the best we were going to get. At least it kicked the state out of its slumber and got the gov to promise moref inspectors. We'll see if the state makes good on their promises as well as the Mayor, Mel and Ross.

My sense is that many of the anti-gmo activists will continue to stay involved because the passage of the bill is only the beginning. I know this movement for food security and sovereignty is in its early stages and our battles are far from over.

Anonymous said...


Hypothetical question ....

A biotech lawyer approaches the Mayor and asks if he thinks a lawsuit should be filed ......

Answering in the best interests of the County, he should say absolutely not.

Answering in the best interests of Bernard Carvalho's political future he should say absolutely yes.

Which answer do you think the mayor would choose?

Anonymous said...

I agree that the Anti GMO movement was behind this bill. I feel bad for the people on the west side with real concerns that they used to further their quest against big ag.

Joan Conrow said...

Dear 2:24,
It's true that following the 2491 campaign left me feeling more jaded than usual about politics, which I have come to see increasingly as a conflict-driven, ineffective tool for social change. I don't plan to cover politics so closely anymore.

It's also true I have been critical of the pro-2491 movement, which I would have loved to whole-heartedly support. Some of it came from confidential info I can't reveal publicly, and some from seeing the pro-2491 camp use many of the same tactics as the biotech guys.

I'm truly heartened that so many people, especially youth, got involved in this issue. My disappointment lies with those who chose to advance what I think of as a progressive movement by using regressive tactics like T&A, fear-fanning, disinformation, dirty political tricks. etc. — and then claiming "this is an emergency" or the ends justify the means. I've also heard people justify it by saying, yeah, but the biotech guys are bad and we're good – reasoning that I feel is flawed.

Like you, I fully support GMO labeling, and for the same reasons. However, I do not think it is the most important issue facing Hawaii, nor do I think Hawaii, with its small population, is the most effective arena for that national debate to play out.

Anonymous said...

In reference to 3:18, hypotheticals may be enlightening, or they could be as crazy as we choose to be, or which side of choir we want to preach/sing to.

The most important debate is population and the carrying capacity of this little planet.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your honesty Joan. I have 3 mo'opuna and for me I worry about the health implications they face concerning what is in our food supply. My daughter is a frazzled Mom who may not have the time or financial ability to buy non-gmo. Labeling would make it easier for all of us who distrust the safety of GMO. My granddaughter contracted a. staph infection that ended up being MRSA. I truly believe antibiotics couldn't help her because of antibiotics used in GE crops and the industrial food system in general. We almost lost her. A big reason why l take labeling seriously.

Big Ag is tied to land issues like tvrs are on the north shore. I agree with your sentiments about the hypocrisy of realtors who have sold out ag lands. Fact is there are many urgent issues and it makes me weary.

This process has taught me that working within the system is ineffective most of the time. I do have to chuckle at Jay and his Hawaiian Kingdom spiel, wtf?

Anonymous said...

I agree with 2:47 pm---i couldn't have said it better! The use of pesticides is directly related to gmo crops! Joan, for us in Waimea, it is an emergency! I also welcomed
the help we got from the anti-gmo folks. You say it's not an important issue facing Hawaii----why not? It's important everywhere on planet earth and we do have the
right to know what we are consuming.Now i am curious to know what junk the redshirts threw around. Isn't it good for us locals to know if we are being used and deceived by people who we believe to be in the same camp? About that realtor in the picture, yes it's stinks, but how many more of them are doing and thinking on the same lines---is she really that hungry to get rich(er)? Oh well, i'm just an average person who loves this island, the land and most of the people around me. Keep informing us, even if it upsets me, i want to know the facts!

Anonymous said...

Joan- I admire your frankness, fearlessly naming names. Most people if they are still in business would NOT put their name to any thing, one way or the other. I predict there may be some difficulty for some real estate firms getting timely responses to paperwork from the County. Bali Hai and Hawaii Life, especially. Hypocrisy paramount. The bill was about GMOs. Lies and more lies thrown as dust to the wind. To label or to Libel that is the question///The West Side side is indeed, thrown under the bus. The Chemicide companies will comply with the State good neighbor agreement and may if possible till the land when Trades are down. But the Agricultural companies will sue and they will win, the circus will begin anew, but the State will step up and hardline the Agricultural laws. One thing is certain, we need a sweep of this council with the exception of the only 2 members who put Kauai first.
BTW- The chem companies must have been here for centuries at least since 1778, Waimea means REDDISH Water.

Anonymous said...

sadly these non-GMO foods are way too expensive for most Kauai folks-I try to shop the Farmers Markets but it is radically less expensive to shop the big box stores and either way how can we be sure they are what they say?
Most Farmers Markets on the mainland are so much cheaper than here-what's wrong with this picture?

Anonymous said...

I can understand your being tired of the hypocrisy but please don't stop covering politics. Otherwise Beth will have to rely on the Garden Island and Andy Parks for her information.

Anonymous said...

If labeling were passed statewide and nationally, more and more people will go non-gmo or organic and our food industry will be forced to comply with consumer demand. Prices will drop accordingly.

I won't hold my breath on the state hard lining agricultural practices. Too much resistance to change and complacency in the system. The next budget crisis will see positions cut again and we're back to where we started.

To those on the west side, the big ag model is obsolete and unsustainable. Ever tied to the chemical treadmill. There was a model that worked very successfully before kanaka were wiped out. We can learn many lessons from indigenous practices and there is a trend nationally for more local, smaller farming. Not just "gourmet farms" as some proponents of big ag claim. More and more people are looking to buy locally, start their own home gardens and support local farmer's markets.

Anonymous said...

How fucking condescending can you get? Local people have gardens. People on the westside who work for the seed companies aren't worried about "big ag models". They're worried about basic shit like a roof over their heads or food on the table. This preachy, presumptive, "just do as we say and the world would be so wonderful" bullshit is part of what Joan has been writing about. And I would love to see a clean, green economy on the westside, but really, give me a break.

Anonymous said...

What's good for you is not necessarily what's good for another, nor what another WANTS in their OWN life. Im sick of people, especially these anti-gmo people saying what Kauai should be eating and farming. If you so desperately want a GMO FREE Kauai, maybe you people should be looking into moving to your own uninhabited island and creating your hippy oasis there.

Anonymous said...

I scan all news sources on a daily basis - including Joan's blog. While I don't always agree with Joan, her analysis is usually thought-provoking and helpful to me in seeing issues from an alternate and knowledgeable point of view. She does her homework before she writes, and she's quick to admit when she's gotten something wrong or clarify if necessary. And if I've missed something in her blog relevant to County government, I can count on at least two or three people to ask "have you read Joan today?"

Aloha,
Beth Tokioka

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's good for you is not necessarily what's good for another, nor what another WANTS in their OWN life. Im sick of people, especially these anti-gmo people saying what Kauai should be eating and farming. If you so desperately want a GMO FREE Kauai, maybe you people should be looking into moving to your own uninhabited island and creating your hippy oasis there.

November 18, 2013 at 7:35 PM

It is posts like this, with the whole "Anti-GMO", "You hippies should go live somewhere else" comments that really rile up peoples feathers. First of all, why is it a "Hippie" thing, to want to not be sprayed by pesticide, and covered in pesticide laden dust? Why is it a "Hippie" movement, when an equal amount of people that are in favor of pesticide regulation for Industrial Seed harvesting companies, are born and raised kaua'i residents? Why is it a "Hippie" thing, to want to have actual crops here, that can feed people and are sustainable?

Are you aware that thousands of people were fed here, pre-contact, using sustainable organic farming practices? Yes! Gasp! Before this place ever even heard of the word "Hippie". In fact, sugar was already on its way out, when hippies arrived here. The idea of sustainable food production was around long before Taylor camp. Seriously, this racist stuff is ridiculous.

You have no idea who each and every person is, just because they may be a haole, they could be a cuacasion, like Beth Tokioka who came here, married a local boy,had a couple of kids, and got into county government. She is an awesome person.

But I have heard the same thing said about 2491 supporters said in an ugly, derisive and prejudiced way. It is too bad such nastiness has to come out all of the time. Enough already. Stop it. The bill passed. get over it, and get on with your life.

Go ahead and eat GMO food, and breath in RUP's to your hearts content. This bill was never about stopping the GMO companies. It was a pesticide restriction and disclosure bill. Nobody started squawking about getting rid of the companies until they refused to be good neighbors, and disclose what they were spraying.

Then people were like "Ok, then they wanna come here, and be rude, and spray us and try to tell our government what to do, heck then they gotta go!". That was just poeple's frustrations.

The moratorium was to stop the GMO's from grabbing anymore public land, and go into even more populated areas while the study was going on. It was meant to be temporary, and it had nothing to do with trying to stop the GMO companies from operating. It came about to stop them from doing in larger tourist areas what they were doing in Waimea.

Honestly I think half the posters here, have never even been to our island. They seem to know so little about how things work here. We LOVE our island. All of us. Doesn't matter where we come from. What about the tourists? Huh? They don't come from here. But they were for 2491 too. You saying that you can live without tourist dollars? Now I know you don't live here.

I think it is you that should leave and go to some paradise where you can RUP everything to death, and eat Roundup and Bacteria laden food until you end up in an emergency room yourself. Then you will see what it is like to be a west side resident for a change. But now, we have a choice on wither the rest of us want to or not.

Anonymous said...

Nobody is stopping you from having sustainable ag right now. There is a lot of land available. What are you waiting for? If you can't do it now how will you do it on the 12,000 acres in seed?

Anonymous said...

And I'm sick of ignorant assholes calling everyone who is against gmo's as "hippies". FYI, seed companies have already moved east ward. This is an island issue and your community isn't the only one struggling for survival. Kauai was GMO free up until the mid 90's when the Bush Administration pushed it through without safeguards, this is not a new concept but GMO's definitely are. On the other hand, farming with out GE crops and chemicals is as old as time.

Anonymous said...

Pioneer has been farming on Kauai for 40+ years.

Anonymous said...

7:35
Sustainable Ag is a joke. The boutique farmers can feed a few fellow star gazers and curious tourists. But the real deal is after you finger out what to grow, who will buy the product, which will be expensive - start up capital, lease, water, labor, transport, spoilage, weather etc. Can you supply good product on a consistent basis. No can do, there are over 200,000 meals needed per day on Kauai. Yep- there is a market- but cost is important.
I thimk some locals are little perturbed (maybe right out furious) by the high-nose altitude many of the No-GMOs have and how they talk down to the poor villagers, who are in so much need of the guidance and direction, by the oh so, enlightened and worthy.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Nobody is stopping you from having sustainable ag right now. There is a lot of land available. What are you waiting for? If you can't do it now how will you do it on the 12,000 acres in seed?

November 18, 2013 at 8:35 PM



Yes, I have also been wondering the same thing. It seems like there is plenty of farmland that is currently available, yet not many induviduals wanting to be actual career farmers.

Why not start this kauai food sustainability movement right now? Maybe all the people spearheading this movement should test out being a farmer and see how it goes on just a few acres...if it pans out, then scale it up to 12,000 acres. Would be awesome!!


Anonymous said...

Ms Tokioka is a class act. She is sounding smarter and smarter--especially compared to the last few yahoos!

Anonymous said...

Aha. Thatʻs what wrong with county functions; Tokioka is ʻscanningʻ blogs and ʻnews sourcesʻ.

Geez, that takes a lot of time. I work and can barely keep up with these things.
I think I need a county job so I can surf the web like George Costa too. Spends HOURS emailing and blogging ON county time. And now Tokioka is admitting to it after all this time.

Joan, please donʻt fall for the bootlicking she just dumped on you so you donʻt start looking into her.

Anonymous said...

Agreed 8:37 PM.

Anonymous said...

Most of us would love to farm, and have a lot of experience. But the truth is, most of us have worked in ag as a farm worker, and never had land of our own. our biggest problem with experienced farmers on kaua'i, is money. We simply do not have the money to take over thousands of acres of land. First and largest blocks for most of us is fencing in the land it's very expensive. The second biggest obstacle is water. Third biggest obstacle is equipement. If you actually lived here, and were a llocal, or a kama'aina at least, you would know those three simple facts. Clearing the land here can be very difficult and expensive. The biggest problem in clearing land here is rocks. Big ones. Another problem is ammending the soil. Most of the soil is highly acidic from past farming practices here, such as pineapple, of which there was a lot before. Pineapple is a highly acidic product. It takes tons of lime, and several rounds of sunhemp to ammend that soil back to a more balanced PH level. Of course, there are crops that do well in a more acidic variety.

The number one organic product that grows fantastic here, is kale, and sells very well. There are also hydroponic crops here, that could be more cost effective to grow, since you wouldn't be needing the soil to produce the crop, such as lettuce, tomatoes, and sprouts. But, as I said, virtually all farmers, real ones, that are from here, would need to be subsidized. An idea, would be to entice some of the larger organic farm production companies to move to kaua'i, and operate much as the seed companies have done, but instead of growing GMO expiramental corn, they would be producing organic produce.

I think this is a win win, have them come in, and underwrite the operations, and then subsidize smaller farmers to produce for them. It takes thinking out of the box. But then, real farmers here know what needs to be done, and what they would need to produce and be successful. Bottom line is dollars. Sad to say, but true.

Anonymous said...

And don't forget much of the "organic" farmland being farmed now has a chemical legacy. Heptachlor, a persistent pesticide, was widely used on Kauai's pineapple fields and those fields were today's organic farms of Moloaa.

Anonymous said...

Some of you keep referring to the anti-gmo people as haole hippies. What do we call the biotechs haoles from the mainland who run the companies and live here? The upper ups for these companies are not from here, and they are white skinned. So, are they here to protect the people and the land or are they here to use the aina, make big bucks and leave the land barren (like in so many other countries) and the people sick--(like in so many other places they have been). These people are like the realtors who do the same@!*&!! Oh Joan, I saw the beautiful moon with the pink skies this morning---here in Waimea--my response was GASSHO!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Of course the mainland organic farms would love to subsidize Kauai growers. They are not in business to make money.

Anonymous said...

Gmo crops have only been approved since the mid-90's. Pioneer wasn't "farming" 40 years ago the way they are today.

Anonymous said...

just label GMOs. For me, personally, I don't care if I eat GMOs or not so the labeling doesn't matter to me, but at least it will be there for the people who would like it.

I like McDs, I like medicine when I get sick, I like GMOs. But that's just me.

Labeling still allows us who don't care about GMOs still consume them, and allows those who don't like GMOs to know.

Simple.

Anonymous said...

"Some of you keep referring to the anti-gmo people as haole hippies. What do we call the biotechs haoles from the mainland who run the companies and live here?"

Fucking haole hippies (condescending assholes who think they know everything) or just plain old fucking haoles (biotech/pesticide or realtor/developer assholes). As opposed to plain old haoles aka plain old Joe or Jane.

Anonymous said...

Joan (15:39),
To draw a moral equivalence in the behavior of those in support of and in opposition to Bill 2491 is a bit much. Fear mongering, hysteria, hyperbole and outright lying were attributes far more correlated with red than with blue. Even the seed companies themselves were more transparent in their motives and positions than the mainland groups behind the bill. You are smart enough to know this, which is probably what bothers you.

Anonymous said...

Joan I love your blog. You share such a great perspective and with such clarity. The politics surrounding this is atrocious! The anti GMO people are bullies, even after their stolen victory. The fruits of their labor in the name of "truth" are rotten! Ive lost friends and sleep over this issue just trying to bring a balanced perspective. Been personally attacked for speaking my mind about it just because I didnt jump on the bandwagon of worshipping Gary and 2491 as the way the truth and the light. And the real work is just beginning. Im sure these people will continue to be irrational and critical and point fingers and cry at every turn of the way just as they have been doing. And they will never take responsibility that Hoosier wrote a lemon of a bill. They will make the Mayor, or county attorney the black sheep. They dont get how things really work and never will. I dont have much faith in Mason and have completely lost respect for all council members except Mel and Ross. And get this, I was originally and Anti-GMO! I would never want to be a red shirt now. Beyond disappointing! I hope people start to see things clearly and see through Gary, and other council members intentions. I hope all the truth comes to the light. Kauai has had enough! Thanks again for your insightful blog Joan!