tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post82253741706117030..comments2023-10-17T04:51:08.765-10:00Comments on KauaiEclectic: Musings: ChuckablesJoan Conrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00172330100788007499noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-41586339229854260962013-11-21T09:39:44.958-10:002013-11-21T09:39:44.958-10:00Joan I love your blog. You share such a great pers...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!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-37253129883740431592013-11-20T22:08:46.412-10:002013-11-20T22:08:46.412-10:00Joan (15:39),
To draw a moral equivalence in the b...Joan (15:39),<br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-35606244440292103682013-11-19T18:05:07.754-10:002013-11-19T18:05:07.754-10:00"Some of you keep referring to the anti-gmo p..."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?"<br /><br />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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-91769287595026253672013-11-19T10:57:28.837-10:002013-11-19T10:57:28.837-10:00just label GMOs. For me, personally, I don't c...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.<br /><br />I like McDs, I like medicine when I get sick, I like GMOs. But that's just me. <br /><br />Labeling still allows us who don't care about GMOs still consume them, and allows those who don't like GMOs to know.<br /><br />Simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-6191191541283783662013-11-19T10:29:56.488-10:002013-11-19T10:29:56.488-10:00Gmo crops have only been approved since the mid-90...Gmo crops have only been approved since the mid-90's. Pioneer wasn't "farming" 40 years ago the way they are today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-14195213862991314652013-11-19T08:12:41.260-10:002013-11-19T08:12:41.260-10:00Of course the mainland organic farms would love to...Of course the mainland organic farms would love to subsidize Kauai growers. They are not in business to make money. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-24700393749669624612013-11-19T07:26:44.046-10:002013-11-19T07:26:44.046-10:00Some of you keep referring to the anti-gmo people ...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!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-28159307554148135342013-11-19T05:54:39.803-10:002013-11-19T05:54:39.803-10:00And don't forget much of the "organic&quo...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-3452254475404725572013-11-19T05:22:09.422-10:002013-11-19T05:22:09.422-10:00Most of us would love to farm, and have a lot of e...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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br /> 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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-38187028246544544982013-11-19T00:06:49.943-10:002013-11-19T00:06:49.943-10:00Agreed 8:37 PM.Agreed 8:37 PM.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-13206496314830705932013-11-19T00:02:50.340-10:002013-11-19T00:02:50.340-10:00Aha. Thatʻs what wrong with county functions; Toki...Aha. Thatʻs what wrong with county functions; Tokioka is ʻscanningʻ blogs and ʻnews sourcesʻ.<br /><br />Geez, that takes a lot of time. I work and can barely keep up with these things. <br />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.<br /><br />Joan, please donʻt fall for the bootlicking she just dumped on you so you donʻt start looking into her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-55590801110768048662013-11-18T22:41:01.592-10:002013-11-18T22:41:01.592-10:00Ms Tokioka is a class act. She is sounding smarte...Ms Tokioka is a class act. She is sounding smarter and smarter--especially compared to the last few yahoos!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-85300605196129968072013-11-18T21:51:18.293-10:002013-11-18T21:51:18.293-10:00Anonymous said...
Nobody is stopping you from havi...Anonymous said...<br />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?<br /><br />November 18, 2013 at 8:35 PM<br /><br /><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!!<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-27713031132391972912013-11-18T21:50:16.668-10:002013-11-18T21:50:16.668-10:007:35
Sustainable Ag is a joke. The boutique farmer...7:35<br />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.<br />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.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-51004942790836824122013-11-18T21:45:03.368-10:002013-11-18T21:45:03.368-10:00Pioneer has been farming on Kauai for 40+ years.Pioneer has been farming on Kauai for 40+ years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-15334850536929714762013-11-18T20:37:45.772-10:002013-11-18T20:37:45.772-10:00And I'm sick of ignorant assholes calling ever...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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-25373652572819760352013-11-18T20:35:35.873-10:002013-11-18T20:35:35.873-10:00Nobody is stopping you from having sustainable ag ...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?<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-22812377433596445812013-11-18T20:20:14.166-10:002013-11-18T20:20:14.166-10:00Anonymous Anonymous said...
What's good f... Anonymous Anonymous said...<br /><br /> 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.<br /><br /> November 18, 2013 at 7:35 PM<br /><br />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? <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-14673387782768259812013-11-18T19:43:23.972-10:002013-11-18T19:43:23.972-10:00I scan all news sources on a daily basis - includi...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?"<br /><br />Aloha,<br />Beth TokiokaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-58981200077719367082013-11-18T19:35:53.734-10:002013-11-18T19:35:53.734-10:00What's good for you is not necessarily what...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-33909594185635625722013-11-18T18:59:40.319-10:002013-11-18T18:59:40.319-10:00How fucking condescending can you get? Local peopl...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. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-78460609961942095192013-11-18T18:39:26.100-10:002013-11-18T18:39:26.100-10:00If labeling were passed statewide and nationally, ...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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-17394371432412836972013-11-18T18:00:38.132-10:002013-11-18T18:00:38.132-10:00I can understand your being tired of the hypocrisy...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.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-21096551966433956932013-11-18T17:42:31.201-10:002013-11-18T17:42:31.201-10:00sadly these non-GMO foods are way too expensive fo...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?<br />Most Farmers Markets on the mainland are so much cheaper than here-what's wrong with this picture?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875069982976812251.post-27068045085977796752013-11-18T17:31:09.207-10:002013-11-18T17:31:09.207-10:00Joan- I admire your frankness, fearlessly naming n...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.<br />BTW- The chem companies must have been here for centuries at least since 1778, Waimea means REDDISH Water. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com