This was posted publicly on Facebook today by the Molokai Dispatch. Hawaii is under a hurricane watch and for someone who wants to be a politician, she doesn’t seem to have a clue about the basics of emergency preparedness. Are voters really going to trust her as leader if she is this clueless about some basic government functions???
***No campaign has asked me to write this post and I’m writing it from my own perspective. I’m tired of dirty politics against a local Kaneohe guy by activist groups that have rooted in Hawaii. I don’t want history repeating itself.***
First it was the Washington, D.C. based Center for Food Safety sending out junk mail to Kaneohe residents supporting Robert Harris, the director of the Sierra Club in Hawaii. Well, no sooner did that fill thousands of residents’ mailboxes did another mailer come out from the Sierra Club’s Super PAC. The most ironic thing about both of these so called environmental groups, is that they are using a lot of resources, cutting down trees, and burning a lot of gas, as well as using toxic chemicals to send out these laminated, glossy mailers to people. At the time same time, these folks are claiming to save the earth. Something just ain’t right here.
Here’s the mailer that got sent out recently to support their candidate of choice, while also trying to vilify the opponent, Jarrett Keohokalole, a long time, local born Kaneohe boy who likely knows more about my hometown than the Sierra Club or the Center for Food Safety.
Note that the Sierra Club’s logo is that of a pine tree. How many pine trees we have in Kaneohe growing like that? Note how he also lists all the developer’s donations on this flyer. So this must mean it’s a huge red flag that Robert Harris isn’t going to support development at all in Hawaii. So for all of our family and friends who work in the construction industry and other related businesses, he’s not looking out for you. These folks don’t even want agriculture on land or homes but seem to want it fallow, for environmental purposes. If you are planning on wanting to buy and affordable home, he’s not looking out for you either. Is the Sierra Club planning on making affordable homes for you and your families? Hmm… Seeing this tells me no way.
This is just a prime example of big mainland money under the guise of the “green movement” trying to influence politics in little old Kaneohe. First is was Jessica Wooley and the San Francisco based Earthjustice (formerly known as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) backing her up and now it’s Robert Harris and the California based Sierra Club. Are these groups looking out for the rubbah slippah locals? No way!
Several months ago, I became aware of the Washington, D.C. based Center for Food Safety arriving in town. I wrote a post about this activist group when I saw it posted on the Kanu Hawaii site. They are now here in our islands to try and bring their mainland influences to our smaller communities and it’s clear what their true agenda really is again.
Here’s a flier that was sent out in to people in the Kaneohe/Kahaluu area by the Center for Food Safety just a few days ago. My entire family members are long time residents there for over 60 years now and seeing this arrive in our mailboxes did not please us at all.
It’s not surprising at all that HCFS is supporting Harris, who is the executive director of the very anti-biotech group, the Sierra Club. He was also a proponent of supporting Jessica Wooley in getting her the House of Representatives seat several years ago. Now he is seeking to fill that seat with his mainland style activists’ values with a mailer from the HCFS.
He also sent me a message about a month ago regarding his candidacy. I’m guessing he has read my criticisms of where he stands as a political leader in all of this.
It’s great that he wants to talk about growing more food and working together for better policies. So my response to him was this.
Well, I was so hoping for a response to my question but never got it. I’m starting think that these politicians are really not about working together when they openly support groups like the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice, who have a single agenda for Hawaii, which is to use scare tactics to take away agricultural tools from farmers and ranchers. They are lawyers and environmentalists, not farmers or business owners and they don’t know our history in Hawaii, yet they are willing to come and take over the conversations.
I find the flyer quite amazingly misleading which is of no surprise when it comes from activist groups who are always misinforming the public. Here’s the blunders I found on those mailers.
First Blunder: Champion for local farms and local foods
The Sierra Club that Harris supports is against biotechnology so knowing that connection, he’s definitely against the papaya farmers and ranchers in our islands who have used this technology for 20 years. How can you say you’re a champion of the local farmers when you work for a group that opposes their practices? There’s several farmers in his district that he apparently are not aware of that he forgot to talk to.
Second Blunder: Will support local farmers and protect agricultural lands
The Sierra Club has a legal arm known as Earthjustice that they use to enact lawsuits in the name of environmentalism and later use it to funnel cash into their coffers. It’s basically a money making operation of the Sierra Club. If they are willing to protect agricultural lands, why has Earthjustice and the Center for Food Safety trying to join the lawsuit against Big Island farmers? Not only is Earthjustice suing on the Big Island, but they have also joined the lawsuit in Kauai against the seed companies. If they are about protecting agricultural lands, why are they fighting the people who are using it to farm? If they about helping Hawaii, why are they suing the smallest farmers anyways?
Third Blunder: Protect your right to know what is in your food
Once again, the disingenuous “right to know” argument enters the picture. That’s the fighting cry of the activists like Naomi Carmona and her Babes Against Biotech crew. She and other activists don’t care about the “right to know,” for if they did, they wouldn’t join groups that are GMO free. Well, we all know the truth about these claims for the activists clearly put it out there for all to see. They also want the 1.3 million Hawaii folks to endure increased costs associated with labeling which will really help all local people make a living here. These activists don’t seem to realize that they have a label called organic and GMO free but are willing to burden everyone for their disingenuous claims.
Fourth Blunder: Will protect our homes, schools, and hospitals from dangerous pesticides
First of all, Kaneohe has very few farms, let alone GMO farms to begin with. Ashley Lukens, a political science doctorate, seems made a erroneous statement on a CB article stating that, “The issue of genetic engineering in Hawaii is an issue of pesticides.” (It’s always the non-farmers who are quick to spread their pseudo-expertise about how and what farmers should farm.) The farms are out in the more rural areas and homes are far apart there and the farmers themselves live on the same property and are small. Many have been there for decades with no report of illness at all. None of these farmers waste anything for that matter and only use what is needed and to assume that they all use dangerous pesticides is so wrong at every level.
Ms. Lukens doesn’t realize that Hawaii people live in a tropical environment that bugs and pests thrive. Shall we forgo the termite treatments, fly traps, ant sprays, roach treatments, rat bait traps and allow pests to invade our homes, schools, and hospitals. What even more interesting is that the district that Robert Harris is seeking to represent doesn’t even have a hospital in it! Kaneohe is a completely different town and they obviously haven’t figured it out.
This statement on this flyer clearly shows the Hawaii Center for Food Safety’s fear mongering messages. They don’t live here in our community and it shows.
Blunder Five: “At my farm in Kaneohe, Robert Harris is a champion for local food.”
Many of my friends and family who received this card look at the farmer in the photo and said, “Who’s that?” No one seems to know who this farmer really was. Turns out Rick Barboza isn’t a food grower but a Hawaiian native plant grower in Kaneohe. Apparently, the Center for Food Safety and Robert Harris himself didn’t bother to talk to the long time food growers in his district. If Harris is going to support local food being grown, how come he didn’t come talk to some of the long time growers in the area? Shouldn’t he have a photo of a farmer of that person who is actually doing the work to grow food? I would think so but the message is clear, they are not about including these others in the conversations apparently. They have their own mainland agenda and aren’t going to include the local people.
It’s interesting that the Center for Food Safety did not put a non-food producing farmer on their mailer. Last year, then Representative Wooley made a presentation to the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board that she was planning on redefining agriculture as the growing of food. They must have changed their tune to the politicians as they are putting a non-food growing farmer on there.
What’s also telling about Harris’ agenda is that we can’t forget about the Sierra Club’s smear campaign against Pono Chong back in 2012 where they set up a site called NotPono.com and sent out fliers that led to his defeat. Local boy Pono Chong was ousted for supporting the developers and construction jobs that so many of our family members and friends hold in our communities. Who’s gonna provide and build affordable housing and jobs for these folks? The Sierra Club?! As we can see now, they are about taking things aways.
What the Fliers Should Look Like if People Were Honest
I decided to take the liberty of correcting these fliers and hope that people realize what the message should really be. If we want honesty in our leaders, we better research who they really are and who’s backing them up.
Let’s hold our politicians to a higher standard and seek for honest information on who they really are and what they support. It’s clear that mainland money is talking here by all the misinformation posted on those fliers. If we want a better Hawaii for the local folks, do you homework on your candidates and vote smart. Who is looking out for the rubbah slippah folks?
Just the other day, there was an update news post that the same funders of the anti-GMO movement here in Hawaii had made considerable contributions to the Vermont labeling law defense fund. The trustees of the Ceres Trust, Judith Kern and Kent Whealy, donated some $50K to the fund, helping it top $160K. It is estimated that the state’s defense of this bad law will cost it some $8M! If people have so much money to burn, why spend it like that? Wouldn’t it be better spent to actually help people?
It makes me pretty mad that these rich mainland folks drop money like rain to influence bad laws that ultimately take away from our taxes that should be used for us local folks first and foremost. They make as if GMO regulation is the ultimate priority here and our own politicians have been bought hook line and sinker to this message and it’s pretty disturbing to me. Can no one see the priorities here in our state?
On a Star Advertiser poll done several months ago, one of the priorities that were recognized was that of homelessness. Just take a drive through Waikiki and our own capitol and you see why folks don’t like it. We’ve got sidewalks covered in makeshift tents, urine reeking parking lots, human feces in public areas, people lying on public property, and it all adds up to blight. In a city and state where our beauty is touted and people imagine paradise, we get nothing of the sort when you visit our state. The public bathrooms at our beautiful beaches are smelly with broken faucets, litter, and vandalism all over. Some bathrooms can’t even be used because its been taken over by homeless people living there and you get greeted by their lovely pit bull protecting them. It’s a major problem and yet our politicians like David Ige and Russell Ruderman wants to push for GMO labeling and regulation. Forget what the city and state look like, they’ve got a different priority at hand.
If you follow the issue with the public schools system, you also see that there are major problems there. Kids have to endure long hours of school in 95 degree classrooms only to have a fan blow hot air at them. Teachers spend their own money to add to their classroom lessons because there is no added funds. My mom, as a teacher, had to keep snacks on hand because many kids did not get enough food to eat and couldn’t concentrate in class. Screens and facilities are dirty month after month only to be cleaned when a church group rents the facility out and does the work for free. Some schools have no books and teachers have to purchase paper to create lessons taken from the computer instead. Our children should be our priority to politicians but some choose to shift the issue to GMOs because that is more important than what happens in our schools apparently.
Another recent news story was that our local farmers are getting older and the younger generations aren’t willing to take over. The average age of farmers here are about 65 years old. Farming is such an attractive occupation lately when politicians like Brian Schatz, David Ige, Kaniela Ing tout home rule. Farmers not only have to comply with federal mandated laws like the burdensome Food Safety and Modernization Act, state laws, and now county level laws. Add on to that the increased cost of health care, taxes, property taxes, energy costs, and supply costs to the mix that really make farming a great job. These politicians somehow think that increasing legislation on farmers and their businesses are really going to make lots of people want to take on this risky and laborious job that has plenty of money to make. Wanna be politicians like Robert Harris also have a way to increase local food supply more by just coming up with a magical number of 20 to 30% but somehow forgot to talk to the current farmers about how this will happen. I guess an act of god will magically solve this problem or maybe more millionaires will come to our state and grow our food for us. Once again, the politicians are all about problem solving and going after biotech foods is going to give us more farmers and more local foods somehow.
With so much more GMOs in our food supply, we shouldn’t be surprised of some eye opening statistics. Many anti-GMO activists keep claiming that GMO foods are killing us with all kinds of diseases but amazingly the people who eat this the longest are living longer! It’s estimated that by 2030, 25% of the population will be over the age of 65, and Hawaii will have the largest population of 80 year olds in the nation! Yup, those GMO foods are indeed killing us all and making us live long lives. As a result of this growing elderly population, more families are having to lose hours of work or quit work all together to take care of these folks. It’s not easy work taking care of an elderly person and raising your own family at the same time. I know because I’ve been doing this for over 8 years already and so many others are in the same boat as me. The cost of care is going up so families have to sacrifice much to care for their kupuna and we lose out on our own retirement savings. There are thousands of families doing this across our state and it takes a toll on each and everyone of us who are caregivers but the politicians are always looking out for us. They are going to work on labeling those GMOs so that we have more expensive food and lose more income from being caregivers. That’s a real priority to them.
I mustn’t forget that there are some wealthy people in Hawaii doing good like Pierre Omidyar, who is trying to get local people more fresh milk. It’s too bad that the very people he catered to with Mao Organics are now the same ones who are fighting his investment in the Kauai dairy. Rich people also have plenty of money to sue to stop the dairy but then offer nothing in terms of growing Hawaii’s local food supply. It’s funny how the anti-GMO folks love their organic foods and then turn against the same person who provided more of those organic foods that they are demanding. These people have no allegiance to anyone for that matter and that’s what we are seeing.
With all the money flowing into our state with the anti-GMO, anti-ag issues, why can’t that be used more constructively to help address the real priorities at hand? We have so many of them and yet our politicians want to regulate something that truly shows no evidence for enacting such legislation. These rich folks are spending lots of their monies to take away from the local folks who don’t even pay attention to what’s going on. Their gambling and tinkering in our state is really going to come at a big cost as it takes from each and every person who contributes to our state. As someone with lots of money, wouldn’t you want to give it to something useful rather than use it to take away from us local folks? It’s sad that our politicians can’t even see that either. Every time they support bad legislation, it takes away from our keiki, kupuna, and all local people and we all lose because someone had a lot of money to waste.
As a kid, our parents want us to hang around the good kids. If you get in with the good kids, it also makes you look good and stay away from trouble. Who you hang out with is a reflection of one’s own morals and values, as well as your family. No one wants a kid who’s a delinquent. In today’s modern world, that lesson is quickly forgotten as millions have decided to hang around and share some bad information from a not so truthful guy who made a lovely threat asking his followers to kill those who support biotech. Do you hang around those delinquents? Remember that you are who you associate with.
It’s so not surprising that Mike Adams of the prolific anti-GMO Natural News website is resorting to calling for threats against those who support biotechnology. He quickly set up a website, Monsanto Collaborators, hours before announcing this threat on Natural News itself. He has been a huge proponent of fear mongering among the Hawaii anti-GMO movement here and it’s no surprise that he has a myriad of complaints being lodged against him with the FBI as a result. This guy is an insult to most people’s intelligence but unfortunately, so many activists in Hawaii love this dude who accuses biotech of crimes against humanity and so. Many of the anti-GMO activists here share his hate for biotechnology and if you look further about how this vile huckster has overtaken logical and rational thoughts, all you have to do is look at how well entrenched he has made himself. Let’s take a closer look at how intertwined ALL of the anti-GMO groups are to this deranged fellow that has swamped over the internet.
Food Consumer
This site is full of untested health food claims and GMOs are dangers quips. It’s a typical anti-GMO buy this latest health food and hate GMOs because it’s gonna kill you site. And it too loves Mike Adams!
From the FoodConsumer.org page.
The Babes Against Biotech
Want good science from the Babes Against Biotech? You’ve got it. Straight from Natural News itself right on their site that touts “their resources!” Now we can see why so many of their followers keep thinking that every disease on earth is caused by Roundup and GMOs. Thanks Mike Adams!
Food Democracy Now!
How is Food Democracy Now tied to Natural News? Well, he touts their petition on his page too and wants people to sign it! This bogus site is chock full of Agent Orange memes, GMOs are killing you, you are dying, and so on kind of information. Mike Adams loves helping these folks out!
Vandana Shiva
Let’s look at Vandana Shiva and how she’s related to Mike Adams. We find that she is even touting his page on her site, SEEDFREEDOM, which she quickly removed but is cached on Google for now. It’s just a reminder that she too touts this kind of vile attitude towards those who support biotech. She has made many a visit to Hawaii to spread her vile love in our islands thanks to many mainland funders of a supposed “grassroots campaign!”
Just another lovely reminder that she not only supports violence towards biotech supporters but she also calls farmers “rapists.” Nature lovers are such lovely people inside.
The Center for Food Safety
Then let’s see if Center for Food Safety is linked to Natural News and it sure is. Mike Adams loves their anti-pesticide messages that he adds to his pages too!
The Hawaii GMO Justice Coalition
So when all these anti-GMO groups are put together we get their followers in Hawaii touting it left and right on those GMO Free groups across our islands. See how much they love this site!
The Hawaii GMO Justice Coalition has sought Natural News out to call for their massive protest too. Note how they portray genetic engineering as a “crime against humanity” back in 2012.
GMO Inside
GMO Inside is yet another non-stop pusher of “label it” and “GMOs are killing you” kind of repetitive messages. Their latest tirade is that Starbucks is killing you with their GMOs and who do they use as their source of information? Natural News of course!
GMWatch
GMWatch is a Canadian based anti-GMO group that is hell bent against Monsanto, just like Natural News is. And why shouldn’t they be? They share his information too!
Jeffrey Smith and the Institute for Responsible Technology
Jeffrey Smith, the flying yogic of the movie, Genetic Roulette, is also featured on Natural News Health Conspiracy Radio. How could he not be a part of Mike Adams’ tirade or paranoia across the internet?! He’s an essential component to all of this fear!
Not only does Mike Adams adore Jeffrey Smith, but the love affair is mutual with Smith featuring his honored friend on his own website complete with a video!
Kauai Truth
Here’s another local activist website based on Kauai that’s written by Ray Songtree called KauaiTruth.org. When you look at the top of his page, you’ll see his love for the Babes Against Biotech and Hawaii SEED. Go a little further down his page and you’ll see his “independent” sources of information and who is it? Natural News. Visit the GMO page and you’ll get more from Dr. Mercola, Dr. Don Huber, Vandana Shiva, Jeffrey Smith, and once again, Natural News.
Sustainable Pulse
Sustainable Pulse is now the go to source for the Babes Against Biotech because they’ve sort of come to realize that Natural News is a joke and have “tried” to change their tactic. Nearly ever link on their Facebook page is from this “GMOs are killing you” site once again as everything else is pretty much debunked. How are they connected to Natural News? They do post stuff from them as “good and valid” information!
The Organic Consumers Association
A huge pumper of bad information is the OCA, aka the Organic Consumers Association, led by Ronnie Cummings, is also touter of Mike Adams websites. Of course they will state that Natural News, Mercola, and the OCA sites are the most trustworthy when it’s written by Natural News itself. (*major head bonk*)
Kauai Rising
Kauai Rising is yet another anti-GMO group here in Hawaii that tried to get a petition to add change the county laws but did not succeed. They too support Mike Adams’ plethora of bad information.
The SHAKA Movement
The SHAKA Movement is just another bunch of folks who are off on another planet but really are in California. I’ve written about them here earlier. If you go to their website, you’ll find links to many of Mike Adams bestie, Jeffrey Smith, the anti-GMO brothers of the internet. They are great at fear mongering too.
Natural News is an Internet Sewage Spill of BAD Information
It’s pretty evident that this belief that biotechnology is creating a “crime against humanity” talk comes a lot from Natural News and so many other sites that share his beliefs. There’s no facts and the unwitting consumer easily gets sucked into its fear filled messages that they are being harmed. That’s why we have a very vocal bunch of activists who are crying for protections of this perceived “danger.” Take a look at how many posts from our very own politicians who spew Mr. Kill Biotech Supporters’ message and its clear that they all are drink from his cup of anti-GMO punch.
Down to Earth even touts Vandana Shiva, a supporter of Mr. Kill Biotech, through Hawaii SEED.
Hawaii County Council member almost repeats herself word for word to Mr. Kill Biotech’s tirades. She too must read Natural News!
State Senator Russell Ruderman willingly aligns himself with activists like Mr. Kill Biotech and he’s pretty darn proud of it.
Even a Congressional Representative, Tulsi Gabbard, has read too much of Natural News from her funder, Down to Earth.
A State Senator wannabe, Terez Amato, also is believing in those health conspiracies that Mr. Kill Biotech touts. No wonder she thinks Thalidomide and papayas are related.
State House of Representative Kaniela Ing has also fallen in love with Mr. Kill Biotech’s message of “label it” with this review on the Hawaii Center for Food Safety Facebook page.
Former Representative Wooley herself spreads the same message that Mr. Kill Biotech repeats over and over again. A lawyer at that can’t tell bunk science from real science!
The Result of Poorly Informed Leaders= A Fear Mongered Public!
As you can see, even Hawaii leaders can’t even decipher bad information when they see it and nor do they do their homework. They too fall for the conspiracy theories and “we’re being poisoned” attitudes that are prevailing in the conversations around biotech and agriculture in our islands. It shouldn’t be surprising at all that we see the same bunch of sites being shared among thousands and those thousands are scared, clamoring for politicians to save them from this perceived danger. When you’re so afraid of something, you act without thinking, which means sharing bad memes and bad links.
As once can see, we have a ton of bad information, poorly educated politicians and a public prone to supporting kooks like Mike Adams aka Mr. Kill Biotech, now using this to make laws. No wonder those SHAKA Movement folks have somehow interpreted the Hawaiian gesture to no longer mean “what’s up friend” but “here’s the bird because I’m scared out of my board shorts.” A vote for the moratorium also means that you support this guy’s deranged message that biotech supporters should be killed. Do you really want to support that kind of messaging in our islands or are you willing to look further as to where you might be getting some bad information? Please do the latter folks and remember that childhood lesson to hang with the good kids and not this bad egg.
If you’ve posted any of these websites, touted this information or even plan on voting for any of these politicians or the moratorium, you might just want to rethink your support of them. Supporting them means supporting Mike Adams and his message to kill people like myself and other farmers, scientists, and agriculture supporters like the ranchers and paniolos who base our decisions on real evidence and support biotechnology as a tool for our future. He has no aloha and neither do any of the people who back him up. The mainland based SHAKA Movement folks need to use their new interpretation of it and SHAKA this guy out of the way of our islands.
Better yet, get a good idea of who is this really is… A kama’aina or a kook? You decide.
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=860fa3b2df922c99191b700938de9572
The Maui County Moratorium is now the forefront of the anti-GMO movement once again and I’m seeing the typical pattern of comments from the anti-GMO activists being spewed all over the internet again. Here’s some of the latest ones being posted from a recent Civil Beat article.
Why is fear filled statements so prevalent in the conversations lately? Why are so many people feeling as if they are being sprayed or poisoned but continue to stay within the area despite the so called danger? They know the truth but are willing to bend the truth to their advantage in the name of hobby activism and it’s bad news.
I’ve decided to look further about why fear is so prevalent in the conversations in Hawaii to get a better understanding of why it has taken root here.
The Anatomy of Fear
This is the definition of fear from Wikipedia. Note the keyword here is “belief.” Fear is the the belief that someone or something is dangerous or bad for you. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it indeed is bad but one is believing that it is.
A good example of this is my grandmother’s fear of worms. As a young girl, she was always afraid of it and it remained a part of her belief system well into her old age. She had neither been harmed by them and nor could they really harm her but it was an entrenched belief that she had. Even if the worm was made of Play Doh and fake, it still sent shivers down her spine and sent her screaming. So why do people persistently maintain fears like this even if it is completely unfounded?
From the website HowStuffWorks, fear is really our brain’s chain reaction of events also known as the fight or flight response. The article goes into full detail on how fear is created in our minds. It is really an unconscious series of events that occur in our brains. One is the low road which is the “quick and messy” response and the other is the high road where more time is taken with a more calculated precise response of the interpretation.
Translating this into the current issue at hand, we can see that fear is clearly being used by the activists here. Lots of internet posts are being touted and the immediate response is to be afraid of the this technology after reading an article or seeing a scary memes on Facebook.
From the Center for Food Safety website of a well suited lawyer in a gas mask. Scary imagery indeed.
More gas mask imagery from the Kauai Bill 2491 fiasco.
Homemade gas masks from the Babes Against Biotech page.
People are being made afraid at every single encounter they are hit with, whether it be the media or at a march, fear is the predominant theme of the anti-GMO movement. Their immediate reaction is the maintain the low road of avoid it at all costs because it is believed to be dangerous and harmful. Note that they “believe” that it is a danger and when reinforced over and over by politicians like Gary Hooser and his tirades, it becomes a reality to many of them. When the majority of people lack a good understanding of the history of agriculture and have a little to know science knowledge, this makes for a large population to be susceptible to this kind of tactic.
Two years ago, the target issue was that GMOs were dangerous. When study after study got debunked, the activists had a hard time using that argument and it shifted to GMOs are pesticides are dangerous. Ashley Lukens of the Hawaii Center for Food Safety was quoted in a recent Civil Beat article stating, “In Hawaii, the issue of genetic engineering is an issue about pesticides.” So does Ms. Lukens think that it means something else is other parts of the world when they are also engineering plants to fight bugs for the same reason? Of course, she’s a PhD in political science trying to tell the agricultural community how to farm and what to use. (It’s no different than the carpenter telling a nurse what to do in a bigger sense.)
When fear has become deeply entrenched the into the brains of many of the activists, it’s no longer about reason and logic. It’s about protecting themselves from this perceived harm. Presenting any type of evidence such as water tests, residue tests, and other data will not change the primitive neurological paths of fear developed in their minds. The Department of Health can do a million of tests and still not find any data to support their beliefs, but they will continue to believe in this danger. It’s ingrained into their minds already and no logic or reasonable discussion can change that, ever. Fear has been an effective emotion that binds so many people together in this “movement.”
Their high road response this created fear is to now become activists and fight it within their GMO free groups and rallies. This is the calculated, supposedly well thought of response to combatting this belief that they are being harmed. These activists will easily use conspiracy theories, chemtrail beliefs, a misunderstanding of medical conditions and illnesses, and bumble up correlation and causation to justify their actions. When put to the test in the court of law however, there must be proof beyond a reasonable doubt presented in order to support the reasoning, which the activists’ facts will falter when scrutinized. Fear also turns people into ugly emotional people, who are unable to see the consequences of their actions as there are made to feel as if there is not other choice in the matter. You can’t reason or bring these people out of the swimming pool of fear that they are stuck in.
Decontructioning Fear To Save Our Communities
I’ve been in a many discussions online with others and have seen a clear pattern among the anti-GMO activists. When presenting factual information and questioning their links, if they are not able to refute it, one will get blocked and banned by them. I’ve been banned from the Babes Against Biotech page for pointing out that organic pesticides can be dangerous to bees, and from the Hawaii GMO Justice Coalition page for asking the death threats to stop. I was even blocked and banned by a politician wannabe, Kent Fonoimoana, for pointing out how environmentalist groups are trying to block farmers from farming. Challenging an anti-GMO activist to look further about the issue gets most people instant, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” It shows how unreasonable they are about discussions and dialogue which is not what we need in Hawaii. I’ve never posted anything heinous or threatened anything, and just simply questioned their logic and reasoning for their stances and bam, I get blocked or called a bully. Forget the fact that I get nasty emails or comments on this blog which I refuse to allow. It’s clear that people who align with this “movement” are not about discussions or are ready to be questioned on some of their stances. They want one thing alone and that is all their seeking.
These outside activists have even gone as far as trying to infiltrate our agricultural communities by bringing in their fellow Filipinos to try and split them apart. Here’s a flier that was posted around the internet to demonstrate this.
Note the funding on the flyer indicates that it’s all mainland funded groups like the Ceres Trust, PANNA, PANAP, and the Hawaii Center for Food Safety, who provide more outside non-profit money to the local sounding, Hawaii SEED. Their goal? Tear communities apart and take apart agriculture in Hawaii!
The same motives apply to the SHAKA movement, who disingenuously claims they want safety studies before the agribusinesses can farm. Why do so many of these members also belong to GMO free groups?! Their true intent is clear when you research it further and it is unacceptable to me to use fear, false intentions, and misinformation to tear apart our Hawaii communities. None of these groups are about living together as they don’t care and nor do the funders of these people care because they are living off in Washington, D.C. and the San Francisco having a ball seeing our communities being torn apart. That may be the mainland way, but it sure isn’t the Hawaii way.
What’s even more disturbing about the SHAKA movement is how many of these people said that they will replace the lost jobs with “organic, sustainable farm jobs.” When it’s pointed out that organic farming only provides 1% of Hawaii’s food, the response changes so quickly. The activists cover themselves up with, well, these people can go on welfare, which is an acceptable solution for our communities to them. People with real jobs and families do not want to live on welfare and why is an outside person dictating that to our local folks?!
Maui County Council member, Stacey Crivello, pointed out a sad fact in a recent news article on Maui News of what happens when activism succeeds in our islands. When Walter Ritte’s antics managed to get Molokai Ranch closed, hundreds of people lost their jobs and their homes to foreclosure. Others came in and bought up these homes at foreclosure prices and the original owners became tenants in their own homes. That definitely is the breaking of the human spirit that Stacy Crivello mentioned in her commentary. People dream of one day owning a home that comes through handwork and dedication and it will all be lost when a bad law is passed.
The anti-GMO movement in Hawaii has become one of manipulation of people’s fear and repetitive misinformation campaigns to tear apart “the companies.” However, upon deeper inspection, it’s not tearing their intended target apart, the reality is that it’s tearing our families and communities apart. It’s not about facts, logic, or reasoning either. We are slowly eroding at the very essence of Hawaii that brought us together to begin with, bit by bit, piece by piece.
I see it the issue like a haku lei that has so many distinct component in it that put all together make it beautiful. If we keep picking it apart and try to put only one item in it, is it going to be as beautiful and diverse as when it was first put together? No. We need all parts of the lei, from the big dendrobium, to the ti leaves, ferns, baby breaths, lokelani blossoms, and the very core of raffia that it sits on to be that beautiful lei. If we remove the core that supports the pieces, we will have nothing left to work with and our lei will just sit in pieces.
That’s exactly what is happening to our Hawaii communities with outside activism attempting to rip out the very base of agriculture in our state. If we as the public allow this to happen, we will not be able to have a working and functioning system to build upon. Like the haku lei with no raffia or ti leaf as its binder, the whole lei will be nothing but bit and pieces of flowers and greenery that is now wearable or as beautiful. That is not a reflection of the diversity of our Hawaii agricultural communities. Mainland based activism isn’t able to see the very foundation of our heritage of this “local style” and are ready and willing to destroy it in any form and fashion. I will not standby and let this happen and nor should anyone else.
I have to thank Dr. Kevin Folta for commenting on my blog the other day. What he said really got me thinking more about the anti-GMO club and why we have such a problem. It’s not just that they don’t understand the rationale of science and the process, but they also have problems with trust. Who are you to trust in all of this mass information on the internet? There’s so much conflicting information all over the place and how are you to navigate through all of this?
I decided to put together a simple guide for how to figure out who is trustworthy and who isn’t. Read on!
Red Flag Number 1: Celebrity Status
A huge red flag for me is that if someone is a celebrity and are touting being anti-GMO, I wouldn’t trust them for anything. For one, most of them have no training or education at all to make the claims they do and tend to jump into these hot topics for attention and fans. Here’s a great example of celebrities and their anti-GMO activities.
Who can’t forget Roseanne Barr?! We haven’t heard from her much on the issue since she has refused to pay up her donation to the Babes Against Biotech.
Bette Midler, a part time Kauai resident who jumped on the anti-GMO bandwagon.
Vani Hari aka “The Food Babe”
Rachel Parent, a then 14 year old activist with the Right to Know Kids
Darryl Hannah with the Babes Against Biotech leader Naomi Carmona at the Mana March.
Kelly Slater, a professional surfer touts organic food.
What do all of these celebrities have in common? First of all, none have any higher level education in any kind of science at all. I highly doubt they know much about DNA let alone farming and what it takes. Secondly, they all repeat the same Monsanto mantra word for word. Thirdly, they all use fear in their messaging from you’ll get cancer and autism if you consume GMOs. None are independent thinkers and repeat the same messaging over and over again. And really, do you trust a surfer to tell you what to eat???
And think about it for a minute. Would you trust a plumber to build your house? Would you listen to a teenager for your nutritional advice? Would you use a electrician to treat your illnesses? If you answer no to those questions, then why are you using a celebrity for what you eat? Do they actually have the right education and training to make the claims they do? Uh, no. They are there to sell things, act the part, but they aren’t for teaching anyone anything. TV is a lot of made up stuff so why go to the tube for “good” advice???
In this sense, common sense should rule. Common sense tells you that these are not the people you should trust for your information on agriculture, nutrition, and last but not least, biotech issues. It’s just as bad and making stuff up. That’s exactly what Hollywood and TV are good for though!
Red Flag Number 2: “Scientists” that Have Single Studies
Meme by Jeff Cotter posted in the Facebook group, Skepic
Hopefully, you got to read the page I published on “The Most Misunderstood Concepts of Science and Thinking by the Anti-GMO Club,” to give you some basic tenets of this process. Key point is that science is not pick and choose what kind you like. It’s an evidence based meaning that you continually build data to bolster or reject your claims. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting quite a few “scientists” here in Hawaii courtesy of the tax exempt Hawaii SEED and other richly funded anti-GMO clubs.
From a post in the GMO Skepti-Forum by Richard Green, this summarizes these “scientists.”
This meme was a means to gather the rogues, now lets take a closer look at this motley crew:
Gilles-Éric Séralini: He is active in research and is the author of the infamous rat study that was retracted and recently republished without critical review. His work is often shown to have poor methodology and analysis.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/06/24/profile-of-gilles-eric-seralini-author-of-republished-retracted-gmo-corn-rat-study/Charles Benbrook: Benbrook is an agricultural economist at Washington State University and science advisor for The Organic Center. He is the author of a widely panned study on pesticide use in GM crops.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2012/10/03/when-bad-news-stories-help-bad-science-go-viral/#.U8gxcajSCuxJudy Carman: Another active researcher and the author of a study on pigs which were fed GM corn. The study was found to be lacking in many areas.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/henrymiller/2013/07/17/you-can-put-lipstick-on-a-pig-study-but-it-still-stinks/Stephanie Seneff and Anthony Samsel: These two are computer specialists that do not conduct research per se, but use algorithms to look for correlations. They typically engage in what I call reverse snake oil. Instead of a magic elixir curing unrelated conditions, they lay the blame for unrelated conditions on a single cause, usually glyphosate. They have the distinction of having a paper being used as a model for detecting a bogus scientific journal.
http://www.sci-phy.com/detecting-bogus-scientific-journals/Vandana Shiva: Shiva is a philosopher who would like you to believe she is a physicist. A frequent claim is her rallying cry against “terminator genes/seeds”. These seeds are more of an idea than reality, as they never made it out of preliminary development. She is also fond of making outrageous claims with no supporting evidence.
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/01/28/who-is-vandana-shiva-and-why-is-she-saying-such-awful-things-about-gmos/David Suzuki: Suzuki was a zoologist/geneticist and retired in 2001. Now he is an environmentalist who accepts the global consensus on global warming but falls short on accepting the global consensus on GMOs. His vague cautions against unknown risks apply equally to creating new crops from any form of plant breeding. The few times he has been confronted with hard questions have left him flummoxed.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/02/04/rob-breakenridge-we-need-a-better-david-suzuki/Don Huber: Huber is a retired agricultural researcher from Purdue University who was well respected in his day. These days he claims the existence of mysterious pathogen somehow associated with Roundup that only he can see…
http://www.biofortified.org/2014/01/deconstructing-don-huber-a-tale-of-two-talks/Thierry Vrain: Vrain was a soil biologist and genetic scientist for the Agriculture department in Canada. As with others in the gallery, he makes poorly sourced claims to elicit fear. Unlike some of the others, he really doesn’t specialize, his is more of an all-purpose type of misinformation.
http://www.comoxvalleyecho.com/real-science-vs-pseudo-science-on-gmo-s-1.971682Jeffery Smith: Such a gallery would not be complete without Mr. Smith. He has no academic credentials. Not that credentials are needed to understand the science behind GMOs, but Mr. Smith has not made that effort. Like a lot of the rogues, he tours the paid lecture circuit making unfounded claims about the dangers of GMOs. His seminal work is the novel Genetic Roulette, which has been thoroughly debunked.
http://www.biofortified.org/2010/03/academics-reviews-meets-genetic-roulette/To sum up:
The active scientists in this group all seem to start with the end point they want to reach and then try to manipulate enough variables to achieve their goals. That is the exact opposite of how to conduct a good experiment.
The non-scientists and retired scientists seem to be pushing an ideology instead of examining the current research.“View anything these folks have to say on agricultural topics with extreme caution.”
Believing without Questioning=Religious Ideology
If you’re still “believing” in these folks, here’s some additional reading that you might add to see why the your links using them aren’t viewed as evidence.
Press Digs into Anti-GMO Study–Journalists were the first group of people to wonder about Seralini’s lumpy rats when he asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement with a hefty fine of a million euros if it was violated.
Don Huber and the Mystery Pathogen–Video by Dr. Kevin Folta questioning this mysterious claims of Don Huber.
A Generous Offer Turned to Dr. Huber Turned Down–Dr. Folta offers to study this so called pathogen for Dr. Huber with not a response.
Wealthy Activist Vandana Shiva is a Poor Advocate Poor Advocate for the Poor–Shiva has made her rounds here in Hawaii and is said to make some $40K per lecture as well as asks for $10K for travel expenses. She also has an organic farm where you pay to work for free!
Study of Organic Crops Finds Very Little–The recent headlines of organic food having more anti-oxidants questions the methodology used and the person quoted in it, Dr. Charles Benbrook, a well known organic proponent.
Suzuki is Clueless–Video documenting Suzuki’s anti-science flip flopping on Sun News.
Genetic Roulette & the GMOs-The League of Nerds–Myles Powers takes down Jeffrey Smith’s beloved anti-GMO movie, Genetic Roulette. (This video is pretty long as a FYI but a great take down of each of his claims.)
Once More Bad Science in the Service of Anti-GMO Activism–Another take down of Dr. Judy Carman’s bad pig study.
What do the Creationists and Anti-GMO have in Common?–Blog post by Fourat Janabi on why we should keep calm and carry on.
GMO Skepti-Forum Thread on Dr. Thierry Vrain –A compilation of discussions on his claims and sources.
Condemning Monsanto with Bad Science is Dumb–A breakdown as to Seneff and Samsel’s claims and why it doesn’t help their cause.
Tumor Incidence in Normal Sprague Dawley Rats–Scientist have known since 1956 that the rats used by Seralini has a high incidence of tumors. Is it a surprise that he got such results in his study?
The Index of BAD Links
The cardinal sin that so many anti-GMO believers make is posting the same links as their evidence. When they post these links, it just shows that these people’s ability to cross check their information is very limited. The typical links that they post are Natural News, Institute for Responsible Technology, GMO Education, AltNet, Natural Cures not Medicine, Green Med Info, World Truth, Truth Deniers, GMO Seralini, Nation of Change, Dr. Oz, Dr. Mercola, Collective Evolution, Raw for Beauty, and anything GMO Free. What do all of these links have in common? They all sell fear and use partial bits of information to convey their side of “studies” and health claims. There is never any link to the actual study that they are talking about and it’s hard to figure out the actual source of information, but the antis will still use it as “proof” because they don’t know how to research and vet their information.
Before you get scared of what you’re reading, stop and ask questions first. “Is that for real or what?” By simply starting there instead of adding that link to your “GMOs are dangerous” link file, you just might just save yourself lots of anxiety and emotional stress. If you choose to believe, you just might find yourself in a utterly hysterical state and might leave a nasty message for a state senator. Save yourself an apology and ASK questions first before you get yourself into a tizzy fit! It just might save your reputation if you care about it.
Remember, if you read it on the internet and it tells you connect the dots, science isn’t about putting together a dot to dot puzzle. It doesn’t work like that.
Someone sent me the following screenshot a few days ago about what the activists are saying about me. They are always chattering here and there about me so I know I must be ruffling some feathers with them. From stating that I’m poisoning my children or being infertile and full of cancer, they have lots of wonderful things to say about me speaking up against them. It never bothers me because what they say only reflects on how they really are as people.
It’s funny how she now calls me the “GMO papaya princess and vicious attacker of the environmental and food agvocates.” Seriously, this is how small minded these activists think that by putting out facts about what her and her associates do is considered attacks. Facts really do hurt these folks apparently.
Naomi Carmona, who has never farmed a day in her life or ran a business or grew anything for that matter, is now a professional in agriculture. That’s pretty amazing. She suddenly has expertise in agronomy, integrated pest management, human resources, accounting, marketing, public relations, social media, driving and repairing heavy machinery, sales and marketing, and food safety management. Those are all skills that farmers like my dad has and it totally overshadows the skills of any activists for that matter.
There’s so much talk from activists about how they want more local food grown here but then they seek to lobby laws against farmers like the labeling law and pesticide laws. Farmers already have to deal with a huge load of laws from labor laws, food safety, environmental laws, tax laws, and so on. Then we want to pile on more regulations on them and point fingers and tell them, we want you to grow more food to this certain amount. Of course, no one talked to them to see if it was doable and what issues limit them if any. If people really want more local food, they will seek to make farming easier and more attractive as a career, not dissuade people from it. You can’t just say one thing and then do another as things just don’t work that way.
If we want to meet these goals of more local food, we’d better start coming to the table together to see why it’s not happening and end the attacks. This kind of activism is dangerous to problem solving and only makes the situation worse. Farming communities can’t work together when outside people keep leveling attacks in misinformation. They are left to defend their work and are off of their fields. That’s not a good thing.
Why do I keep speaking out against this kind of hobby activism fueled by fear and misinformation? I don’t want Hawaii to be filled with fearfulness of what the scientific process really is and the tools available to grow food. We should have open minds to discovery and further research on how we can improve what we’re doing, not just worried about the food we eat and whether it’s organic! We have the potential to help others in the world and meet our goals, if we allow it but many are using poorly sourced information and the heavy handed tactics of a wealthy, tax free, lobby to influence lawmaking here in Hawaii.
I really do wish I was that papaya princess that Naomi thinks I am. I would have never spent hours after hours working my dad’s farm as a kid or worked in the papaya lab to help save his crops. I took a lot of science classes like chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and physics as well as a business law class to open my mind to the world. I got a lot of dirt under my hands from NOT being a princess and I still love it. A princess would never get hate mails or nasty messages from Naomi’s friends like Jessica Mitchell, Terez Amato, and Dustin Barca. I would never have to work a full time job in the day because a princess never has to work and can do whatever she wishes.
I also don’t sit around watch videos that are meant to scare and prefer to read science journals and magazines to know what’s happening in research around the world and here. My mind seeks information from cutting edge developments on how we can do things better and cleaner. I don’t watch scary stories made up by pseudoscientists and prefer to learn about someone named Norman Borlaug, since he’s the reason why most of us, including you, don’t have to farm and are free to protest across the islands.
Unfortunately, the reality is that I’m not a princess. I’m a farmer’s daughter. I’ve seen the things my dad has gone through to get where he is now and it has not been a pretty journey. We were never rich and had the nicest cars or clothes and latest gadgets. I never got to eat out a nice restaurants or enjoy expensive things. Everything I had was earned through my own work. I have never created funding accounts to pay for me to protest or attend anti-GMO parties. I don’t go to concerts to protest things I don’t know anything about and spend money on expensive food. I don’t have that luxury at all and don’t believe in earning a living that way either. I prefer to stick to facts and live that honest life to my values taught by the hardest working person I know on this earth, my dad.
So Naomi and the rest of the anti-GMO club, you can keep reading your Natural News, World Truth, and other naturalistic fallacy websites touting “your” facts, but if plan on tearing apart farmers that actually grow food and communities that rely on agriculture, you bet I’ll continue to expose the truth about this hobby activism.
And by the way, can you please let your fellow antis know that we’d love to have these campaign signs repaired or reimbursed to Arthur Brun and Arryl Kaneshiro? That’s the pono thing to do and I’m sure you’ll see to it that this is remedied.
Just over a week ago, there was big news that the feral cat population was devastating endangered birds on Kauai. There are several state and federal agencies working on solving this problem. It’s also happening on other islands too.
It’s estimated on Maui alone that there are some 300,000 to 400,000 feral cats in the forests there that are having a significant impact on native wildlife also. Not only do these cats kill and endanger our native species, they are suspected in causing death among another endangered species, the beloved monk seals.
The feces from feral cats and even domesticated ones are suspected in spreading toxoplasmosis in the seal population. Whether the contamination comes from run off into the ocean or dumped cat litter poured into the sewer system, the hardy eggs are making its way into the oceans and getting monk seals sick and killing them.
It is amazing to me that with all the uproar by activists about the GMO issue, I hardly hear a peep about this very real environmental hazard to people, animals, and our oceans. With the thousands of protesters at the concerts and parties, where are they when the earth is really being contaminated and native species are dying? Earth is crying to be defended against these things and where’s that lawyer from Earthjustice to protect it? Where’s the people who is really saving our beloved a’ina when you really need them? I bet some of them are feeding those cats right now, completely unaware of the unintended consequences of their actions.
My brother is the third generation of Kamiya farmers to take over the farm. As a eager young person, he had his own ideas of how the farm should be run and how he should do things. My dad insisted on him learning the “tried and true” ways of doing things first but my brother decided to forge his own path, somewhat ignoring long timed learned lessons in farming. Being the patient guy my dad is, he decided, “Okay, you can learn your own way and find out for yourself.” Before long, after a short lived path of doing it “my way,” my brother came back to my dad and said it didn’t work. My dad knew that it would happen like that because he himself did that with his dad.
My dad is now widely known in our state as the papaya king of sorts because of all the expertise he has developed over the years. He is also a respected leader in the community and serves on some agricultural advisory boards to help develop future practices for farming. As I’ve had the chance to meet people who know him, they speak so highly of him and really respect him for his work and leadership. He’s worked hard to get where he is and had a strong vision as a young farmer as to where he wanted agriculture to go in our state and beyond. From his early days in his early 20’s to well into his 70’s, he’s still going strong as a leader and voice for agriculture in Hawaii. I’d have to say that 50 years is a pretty sustainable career!
As I think back on that story with my brother and learning my dad’s story of his path, I can’t help but think that we really do need to know our roots to remember how we will make decisions for the future. If we want to continue my dad’s legacy and leadership, we have to know him and what he has done. The further I ponder this issue, I realize that this idea of being a great leader and carrying on the torch also means the leaders too must know those who came before them. A leader that we should really take consideration of is the late Senator Inouye and how he shaped the Hawaii we live in now.
The people of Hawaii are deeply indebted to the late Senator Daniel Ken Inouye. He was a visionary man that sought to keep our state at the forefront of our nation when it came to high technology, the military, agriculture, and astronomy, research and education. He wanted Hawaii to be at the top of things when it came to these issues and sought to it that it would happen here. He had a vision for our state and saw to it that it would become a reality.
When asked about what he wished for when it came to his successors, this is what he stated in a interview with Hawaii Business News back in 2009.
“To the extent possible, I hope they would carry out the programs I felt would be helpful in establishing a healthy economy in Hawaii,” he says. “Hawaii should be an important part of the national picture.”
On December 17, 2012, we lost this great leader and have not found that true successor to his legacy in the current environment. We now have his appointed replacement, Senator Brian Schatz, making secession like statements of “home rule,” and Representative Tulsi Gabbard seeking to legislate a label against the very technology that Inouye sought to support in Hawaii. On the lower level of governments, we have legislators like Representative Kaniela Ing, Representative Jessica Wooley, and Senator Russell Ruderman talking about home rule and fear mongering over biotech and leveling attacks against agricultural issues. On the county level, Council members like Margaret Wille, Brenda Ford, Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum, and even Mayor Billy Kenoi enacting laws that ultimately hurt future research and agricultural advances in our state that will affect the very research center that was renamed after him. Even his own party, there was talk of being anti-technology in their environmental caucus discussions. I find it very sad that this is has all happened in just the two years that he passed away. Have our leaders all forgotten the legacy of this man?
“I wanted to carry on activities that would bring all the Islands together.”
Senator Inouye was all about collaboration between entities and people. He stated that he wanted to link the neighbor islands together and strengthen the ties within our state. He focused on projects that helped to attain this with fiber optic links, the Maui super computer, star gazing facilities on Mauna Kea and Haleakala, and the Pacific Missile Range on Kauai. I somehow wonder what he’d be saying if he started hearing the talk of “home rule,” the very thing that he worked against in our islands. (Home rule was something that another great leader fought against, King Kamehameha.)
Great leaders with a clear vision are not subject to trends of the moments and activism. Senator Inouye was not one of these leaders, which is why he was able to sustain his leadership and build the Hawaii he wanted. Not everyone agreed with his programs and stances, however, he used best practices and researched where technology was going and stood his ground. He stood up against the critics and carried on to achieve that goal he had in mind for Hawaii since he knew that is what needed to be done. He neither pandered to voters either when it came to controversial issues. Evidence, logic, and reasoning was his guide, not popular opinions.
In our current political scheme, I just don’t see the kind of visionary person or leader stepping into the big shoes of Senator Inouye. Very few are able to create a vision of what they want for Hawaii and jump on the various issues without any clear goals or a direction to lead from, other than trying to win votes with the rhetoric of “I’m making Hawaii better.” They will repeat that they see the “big picture” but talk from a minuscule position showing their ignorance of how every issue is interdependent on each other. I’ve been taught my my dad to remember my roots as that will guide me for the future. Our future leaders too must remember our Hawaii roots of who came before and lead in that same way if we are to know where we are going and how we will get there.
HawaiiFarmersDaughter 
