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.

This week has definitely been a bomb of a week with the kind of things that have been coming out of your campaign.  What it shows me is that you are both NOT about solving real problems in Hawaii, but more about contributing to the problems we have here.

Representative Gabbard, the email you sent out this week really made my heart sink even further and given me even less faith about your ability to lead our state for a better future.  I don’t know if you realize what happened to our farmers some 20 years ago with the devastating papaya ringspot virus.  Let me just show you in photos what happened to my dad’s fields as well as hundred of other long time farmers.

Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, a local boy from the Big Island, came along with many other researchers, to do something for the farmers instead of letting our state lose more of them.  He solved the problem with biotechnology and now the papaya farmers are once again starting to thrive.  Even third generations of farmers like my brother is moving in to the laborious but rewarding job of farming thanks to this technology.  Kamiya Papaya is going on over 40 years thanks to research and technology.

When you made that quip about “GMO-free” in your mailer, it really shows me that you’re ignoring the farmers that were saved by biotech and fueling the attacks against their fruit that is no different than those GMO free ones.  Not all farmers are able to grow GMO free given the nature of this disease.  If you are really wanting those local and sustainable food supply for Hawaii, why are leaders such as yourself participating in attacks against people who are growing food in a local and sustainable way?  It just doesn’t make sense to me.  Representative Gabbard, you might want to know that nearly 95% of Hawaii’s papayas are GMO because the disease is so rampant here.  You’re speaking against the majority of the farmers here and it’s downright sad that you can ignore that.

And now, your colleague, Senator Brian Schatz is joining in on the half thought out statements to divide and attack Hawaii agriculture by adding this to fuel the fire even more.

I can’t forget that this “Senator” also fell for the Monsanto Protection Act stuff that there isn’t any mention of, except on conspiracy theory activists sites.  This kind of behavior only shows me that he doesn’t do his homework to research the real issue and relies on the expert advice of loud Google scholars.  And note that Monsanto helped to pay for the research to solve the papaya ringspot virus and donated that technology to the farmers and then donated it to the University!

He must not realize that this stance on home rule has real consequences for real people.  The best example is on the Big Island papaya farmers were subject to a GMO ban but then exempted.  How could these farmers ever defend themselves against this kind of laws with the kind of incomes that they have?  Think about all the time that was lost having to defend themselves against a stacked Hawaii County Council filled with prominent disinformers such as the flying yogic Jeffrey Smith and “correlation equals causation quack” Stephanie Seneff on board to “educate.”  Sitting in the wings were the real scientists and those with real data limited to a mere 3 minutes while the rest were allotted the majority of the time.

Gifts that were passed out at the Maui GMO moratorium hearings yesterday. Fear mongering at it’s best!

So Senator Schatz and Representative Gabbard, I’m not pleased with you at all with your lack of ability to see the unintended consequences of your stances.  You are clearly responsible for instilling discord and misinformation to permeate in our islands.  You are about creating divisive communities like Kauai and the Big Island.  You’ve allowed the radicals that don’t speak for local folks to dictate laws in Hawaii.  Your words tell me that you don’t stand for the kind of Hawaii I want.

The fact that you want to support home rule and GMO labeling only shows me that you’re about trendy activism of the moment and not considering how it will ultimately affect your constituents.  Home rule will mean more money at the county level to fund such laws and taking resources from taxpayers to fund the lawsuits that will undoubtedly happen with bad legislation.  Goodbye to recreational programs and human services programs offered at the county level because those are always the first to be cut.  Aloha to clean and maintained public beach bathrooms that are on county parks.  Everything has its cost and we will all pay for it.  It will come in the form of more fees and property taxes as the likely source which will only raise the cost of living on that “middle class” that you claim to protect.  Is that how you’re planning on protecting the middle class by burdening us more each day?

I can’t forget the fact that Schatz too mocks the Republican party for denying climate change and he himself should be mocked for supporting that evidence, but then denying the evidence around GMOs.  Are you a pick and choose politician just like those you mock?  Senator Schatz, I think you need to learn about Mark Lynas who can teach you a thing or two.

The labeling issue also shows that Representative Gabbard wants people to pay more for food because it will completely change the whole food system and segregation.  At least on the Federal level, the cost can be distributed among 313 million Americans rather than a mere 1.3 million Hawaii residents because of the activists’ curiosity and inability to find that little green organic label.  Of course, those politicians who don’t do their homework will say that it’s a right to know but for others, we know that it’s far from the truth.

I’m really tired of poorly educated politicians who jump of the half-read, don’t do your homework, hobby activism bandwagon already.  My cost of living keeps going up, my kids educational opportunities are going down, politicians don’t know how to research issues themselves and use peepholes to see the big picture, are really messing up the future Hawaii I want for my kids.  I don’t want a that state ignores the world around us and is fueled in fear and ignorance.  I want that bright future where research, curiosity, and ingenuity are the center of our society.  Our leaders should be the very ones nurturing that or they should get out of the way!

I’m attending the BIO Conference this week to help share the story of how biotechnology helped to save my dad’s papaya farm. Many know the stories but have not met the faces of those who have seen it in action. The papaya story is truly a great one about how small farmers are able to use this technology to be sustainable. I took some of vacation time from my real job to attend this opportunity since I see the value in sharing my dad’s story.

As I was walking around outside of the convention area, I naively kept my name tag on. Pretty soon, someone in our group noticed and reminded us newbies to put them away. Apparently, there are paid activists around who will rip tags off to create an inconvenience for conference attendees.

I thought about it more and realized how sad that people do this to others. Here as kids, we are taught to get along with others and treat each other with respect to maintain a civil community. Then as adults we are fine with forgetting that very important lesson. There is something very wrong with that indeed.

On the plane ride here, in my boredom, I had several thoughts about this issue and wrote this piece down after seeing the repetitive rehash of the “multinational chemical companies poisoning” us rhetoric.

We are lucky to live in a free and safe society. Whenever have to worry about going out of our door and being shot or attacked. We are free to go about our lives with little worries and care. It’s something we all take for granted… Peace and civility.

However, that sense of peace and well being has been compromised by several individual leaders. These people have decided to take the liberty of using the public’s ignorance and use heavy handed fear tactics to tear apart our communities. Forget facts and evidence because it means nothing in the face of pure ideology. This ideology of being poisoned by a huge multinational chemical corporation has become center stage completely void of logic, reasoning, and anything factual at this point.

The very leaders who should be using the scientific evidence to guide policy have seem to prefer a role of a community detractor. Yes, when a leader leans to the side of ideology, they are no longer the person who wants to build our communities up. We now have families split apart, neighbors and fellow community members at odds with each other. Although we don’t have to worry about being a victim of war, the agricultural communities are at war.

Haven’t we already learned from history that ideology and public opinion can lead us down a very dangerous path? Remember the civil rights movement where blacks were discriminated against and labeled as an inferior class of people? What about FDR’s decision based on public opinion to intern the Japanese people? What about the hatred and misinformation campaigns against gay people that led to years of hatred and violence toward them? In each case, there was no evidence used to take such action, just opinion and ideology. The very people targeted suffered for years unnecessarily because of the leaders caving to opinion.

They very people demanding that Hawaii go GMO free are just sideliners listening and absorbing opinions off the Internet. These people are not able to read and interpret scientific studies let alone conduct them. Very few if anything have run long time farms and businesses, but the leadership prefers to take their words as fact, leaving the long time ag community supporters shocked.

In a time when we as a world need to look at a basic right for all, the ones with the least to lose stands to harm a very viable option for the most vulnerable. We have become the targets if a ideological movement that stands to have major repercussions across the world. Have we become blinded to the needs of others all in the name of fear? The simple answer is yes and it’s awfully depressing.

At a critical juncture to help build up Hawaii’s food security and sustainability, we have all lost focus on that goal. It’s now about defending livelihoods instead of working on the greater goal. In the first time in our history, a vocal minority has decided to perpetuate this war and keep people from working together. Remember that each action one takes or doesn’t take has unintended consequences that most average thinkers are not able to anticipate.

If we as the public want more local food, then we’d better put down the ideological arguments and seek the truth and use evidence and facts to move towards those goals. You can either be part of the problem or help be a part of the solution. If you plan to be a critic and detractor and offer nothing on the table, get out of the way.

I want a world of peace, honesty, and integrity for my children and other children around the world to grow up in. This is the future I hope and strive for. We are all apart of the world’s community and are contributors to it whether we like it or not and we’d better start thinking like that.

Danforth Fellows Class of 1964

I remember back 15 years ago when I was deciding on what school I wanted to attend for my final step in becoming an occupational therapist.  I applied at several West coast schools and Washington University in St. Louis.  As I sat with my parents discussing my choices, it was clear which school my dad wanted me to go to.  He wanted me to go to Wash U.

Why Washington University in St. Louis? As a young and upcoming leader, he had an opportunity to attend the Danforth Fellowship sponsored by Ralston Purina.  He had attended a land grant college and was invited to attend this event that would open the eyes to people going into agriculture.  Part of this fellowship was spent to he Wash U campus where he had the chance to see the latest and greatest research in agriculture, medicine, and engineering.  It was pretty amazing things to see for a Hawaii boy indeed.

So when I told him that I really was considering going to Wash U, he got super excited and said to go there.  He knew that what I’d see and learn there would definitely open up my eyes and mind.  And like all dad’s advice, he was right about it.

Washington University Campus Map in 1964

The OT school itself was an amazing place to be.  There were the latest and greatest gadgets being used to help people with disabilities, state of the art home modifications, research on how to facilitate independence with self care, and innovative programs to take care of those with mental health issues and children with special needs.  Even though I had volunteered at the state of the art acute rehab hospital in Hawaii for nearly 3 years, what I saw there just blew me away.  There were great things happening and I had barely scratched the surface.  I was excited to learn more.

Now that it has been nearly 15 years since I left Wash U, I realize how much that two years there really changed me as a person.  There are so many amazing things happening in research around the world to make life better for people.  School itself gave me the facts and theory base to practice OT but it did so much more than that.  It gave me a way to think about things in a whole different perspective.  I learned a very unique way of thinking that was never taught to me…  Systems thinking.

In grade school and even through college, I was taught to think very linearly.  If you do X, then Y will result.  The problem with that kind of thought process is that the world does not operate linearly.  Everything is tied together and interdependent on each other.  Affecting one part to change another always results in unintended consequences if we don’t thoroughly look at the entire system that we are affecting.  It’s a pretty big way of thinking and leads to more questions that answers, but that is the beauty of it.  We can really start to see the bigger issues and start to realize those consequences more thoroughly before jumping to some grandiose solution.  I feel as if it makes my mind start exploding with ideas and integrating of the all the connections.  It’s fun and frustrating to think of the issues in this way but so very helpful.

My mind is always thinking about things and connecting the dots to how everything is integrated as part of this system.  Too many people have become very small thinkers here in Hawaii as we can see with the whole anti-GMO “non-controversy.”  It will never matter what kind of tests or evidence comes up, the narrative against the technology is all about the “multinational agribusiness companies.”  Little do people realize the impact biotechnology is having around the work and in their own lives!  From food to medicine to textiles, we are surrounded by biotechnology but the majority continues to fear it.

I can never expect everyone to see the world as I do or think like myself because my experiences are unique.  I wish others think further and research their facts and statements before becoming grounded in ideology.  The very ideology that leads them into thinking they are saving the world does the complete opposite and they don’t even realize it.

Most of the anti-GMO club members have never suffered a day in their life.  None has ever starved a day in their life or had to grow all of their food and textiles.  No Moms on a Mission members have lost a child due to starvation or preventable blindness caused by a lack of nutrition. None of the Babes Against Biotech has spend more than a day trying to grow food for the masses and dealing with the bugs and pests.  None of the rich part time millionaires funding these activists have farmed a day in their life or contributed those carrots that they claim will help poor children.  None of the proponents of the Hawaii Organic Farming Association has ever lost thousands of dollars worth of crops to disease and crop destruction or had people tell them that their fruit was poisonous.  I highly doubt that politicians like Kaniela Ing, Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum, Elle Cochran, Margaret Wille, Brenda Ford, or Russell Ruderman have had to figure out how to stretch their dollar to the end of the month to feed their families.

These people live in a completely different world than most people I know.  They have plenty of food available but will easily complain that they don’t have a disingenuous “right to know,” when in reality, they can simply choose organic.  They are willing to push for political favoring for this kind of movement, ignoring the costs and implications it will have on everything else.  From having to enact the law and enforcing it in the name of curiosity, they are willing to have everyone pay for this.  These people talk about wanting more locally grown food but then turn around and push for laws that make it even harder to farm by limiting tools and technology available.  They also have no qualms with spreading fear and misinformation against certain farmers and don’t think twice about it.  There in no integrity among the followers of this GMO free movement at all.  They thrive solely on fear, emotion, and plain old ignorance of how these decisions will have so many unintended consequences.  That’s just irresponsible and not how we need to move forward for a better future.

Do we want a world steeped in fear, misinformation, and lies of a technology being perpetuated by mob like mentality?  Or do we want an open future that has a huge potential to impact our own lives as well as the lives of other in the world?  We all live together in this world and we should move forward using facts, evidence, and knowledge.  That’s the world I want for my children.

A poem saved by my dad that still inspires him to this day.

My thoughts on the whole biotech issue here in Hawaii… When you’re a doctor, your authority is respected. You can decide the treatment for your patients and the kind of medicines that you will prescribe. When you’re a dentist, you are also allowed to decide your plan of care for that resident. These professionals have gone to school and training to get the expertise that they do to work in their respected fields.  They hold the expertise to do what they do.

The general public and politicians are not allowed to dictate to these professionals what their clinical decisions will be. It is just not in their scope or expertise to take up such roles and is unethical for them to decide that.

Given that, why the heck are we allowing the general public and politicians to be given full authority to decide for farmers what they can and can’t do? Many farmers have been working in their professions for decades and have degrees to back it up. The professionals that support them also have a lot of training and expertise to help farmers.  They know the science and base knowledge to help get things grown.  Their authority is being questioned by a public informed via internet memes and conspiracy theories.

All the meanwhile, the public and politicians are allowed to point finger and dictate what you can and can’t do, yet they have NO experience or expertise in agriculture but get the louder voice. They use the claim that they are the customer which gives them the right. If you’re the patient telling your doctor how you want to be treated because it’s your right, I bet most doctors will say go find yourself another one. They won’t take that, and nor will a farmer. Go find your food from another farmer which is you’re right but don’t tell all farmers what they can and can’t do!

What this whole issue really boils down to is that it’s not the “customers” telling farmers how to do things, it’s an industry. Yes, it’s that big industry that are funding these campaigns to tell people and politicians what farmers need to do. It’s the organic industry that’s behind this disingenuous “right to know” campaign and marches across the world. Essentially, the small farmers like my dad are being told by the likes of organic activists from the Hawaii Center for Food Safety, Ashley Lukens and her boss Andrew Kimbrell, Ronnie Cummins, NYT writer Michael Pollan, former Representative Jessica Wooley, Representative Tulsi Gabbard, and the bikini clad Naomi Carmona, that they have to listen to their demands.  None of them are farmers or have any training to make the claims they do or know what it’s like to be subject to the uncontrollable elements of the job.  These people suddenly can point fingers and tell you what you can and can’t use and how you’re going to have YOUR product labeled as it’s your call.

These people have no qualms making false claims and outright lies about the papayas my dad grows, and nor do they have any experience or expertise in farming or agriculture. If my dad were to go out publicly and tell people lies and spread harmful rumors about something, it would look badly upon him and would be called out. He would never stoop to that level ever, but it’s okay to do that if you’re in the organic industry.  It’s acceptable to spread misinformation to your supporters to make others look bad.  This is never condemned but rather cheered and supported with lots of concerts and parties to further it. It’s okay for them to do this apparently and when it’s called out, they ignore the facts and keep it from others.  Scientific evidence to these people are all considered “propaganda.”

I just can’t sit back and be quiet about what’s happening to farmers like my dad and brother. They are the professionals who should be respected and heard, not the activists who are loud, rude and obnoxious. We rely on the farmer’s knowledge and expertise to get our food and it’s not the opposite. If we’re not the ones growing it, we’d better learn from those who do grow it instead of listening to what a dishonest industry is funding people to say and do.  The organic industry is the Goliath that my dad and brother are up against.  It’s a war only to be won on facts and truth, something that the organic industry is incapable of embodying.

There are certain buzzwords and catch phrases of our time that bug the hell out of me.  The word “sustainability” is one and the catch phrase “big picture” is yet another.  Why do I dislike of the overuse of these words?  Too many people say it and don’t even know what it really means.  From the politicians to community leaders, they brag about being able to see the “big picture” for making Hawaii and the world a better place, but then take actions that show otherwise.

If someone truly saw this beautiful “big picture,” it would mean that they could see how everything is interdependent upon each other and all affects it.  They would be able to pick apart all the different entities that would be affected by a single decision. They would know such a decision has many impacts far beyond the obvious and will trickle down into other areas. What seemed like an “easy fix” tends to cause other consequences in others aspects that maybe unforeseen.  It is pretty hard and complex to think like this and makes you really see how BIG the picture really is.

For the anti-GMO activists around the world, they think that they are doing their part to save the world of this perceived evil.  Whether it be stopping Monsanto, or some other evil agrochemical corporation, they are doing us a favor by taking such action.  Whether it be a ban of growing GMOs on the Big Island or petitioning for a moratorium of crops on Maui, all they can see is that this evil must be stopped.  There’s rich people paying money to influence this yet there is not a shred of credible evidence to back up the rationale for such legislation.  They also use powerful motivators with fear and misinformation from Don Huber’s unidentified organism, to Tyrone Hayes Atrazine and mysterious frogs, and now Jeffrey Smith’s legit sounding Institute for Responsible Technology.  They see their big picture as ridding the world of GMO and pesticides to make it a better place and don’t even realize the full implications of such actions.

What these people don’t see is what else they are contributing to when they protest and hold concerts together.  They don’t see the things happening beyond our own world that their actions have a significant impact upon.  The big picture goes way beyond our islands and around the world.  We have no worries about where our food is coming from and whether or not we will have another meal.  Food is not an issue for most of us.  As a result, we are free to pursue other aspects in our lives with work and leisure and activities.  What about the rest of the world who does not have such luxuries of us?  Shouldn’t we as a nation of wealthy, well fed individuals consider how we can help our fellow human that doesn’t have such opportunities?

When one says that all GMO needs to be banned, consider what is happening around the world…

• A bananapocolypse? Banana crops around the world is in danger of decimation due to a fungal infection.  In some parts of the world, people consume up to 500 lbs of this crop as it is a staple.  Research is being focused on the genetics of this fungus to determine what the source is and how they will solve this problem.

• A deadly staple with a touch of arsenide.  Cassava is the “ultimate food security crop in Africa” and it is under attack by the Cassava Brown Streak disease that renders it toxic and inedible.  Scientists are working on a transgenic crop to help protect it from this disease so that crops are protected.

• California is experiencing the very severe drought and is one of the main regions where most of our food comes from.  It is positioned as the “agricultural powerhouse of the United State” when it comes to food production.  When things are this dry, nothing will grow and how will our current crops stand up against climate change?  Neither organic or conventional crops may be able to tolerate those kinds of conditions if it persists.

• Bt Brinjal can help decrease developing world farmers against old world pesticides.  A public sector developed this crop to help save farmers the need for the conventional methods to grow this essential crop in Asia.  It also protects the children of farmers from having to handle such pesticides.  Without the treatment of pesticides, these people can lose up to 30% of their crops leaving significantly less income and food for their families.

• An estimated 250 million preschool children around the world become vitamin A deficient by the WHO estimations.  About 250,000 to 500,000 become blind every year with half dying within 12 months of losing their sight.  Consider this perspective, that there is estimated to be 1.392 million people in Hawaii.  If we let 500,000 or 35.6% of our residents succumb to this preventable illness, what would that burden be upon us as a state?  Consider that Honolulu has 973K people and to let 500K die or become disabled, where would that leave us?

While we in the US and other western countries are busy fighting about banning and labeling GMOs, what message does that send the world who live far away from the conditions that we experience?  We have clean water, lots to eat, access to education and technology and a hell of a lot of energy to complain about our food.  Some people have a lot of energy to get together to organize marches against some evil corporation or exchange seeds in hopes of a revolution against a corporation.  What good is that kind of action and message send the world about us as individuals?  It tells the world that we don’t care about what happens in their neck of the woods and what happens to them because we never have to worry about these issues at all. What kind of human have we become when we don’t think about our fellow human being?

I really admire how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have really learned about the plight of people around the world and figure out ways to help them.  If we help others, our goal for a better world can truly be fulfilled.  Several key issues that they work on include education of women, access to technology and energy, and food for all.  These are all basics that we are so fortunate to have access to that we take for granted.

If you watch the video posted above, you can learn about the naiveté of Bill and Melinda Gates had about the problems of the world.  They sought the consultations of scientists to help study the problems and how they could best help the issues that we don’t even think twice about.  Multiple issues from birth control, vaccinations, education, and food impact the quality of life of others across the world from us.  Much of why these people don’t have access to some of these tools, are political, which is what Melinda saw as a crime.  They both decided to do something about it.

It is sad to think that we have the power to share the right information for others if we’d take more time to research exactly what we are supporting.  GMOs are not about agro-chemical companies poisoning the world or evil corporations owning the food supply.  If people keep protesting it, it will only force this technology into the hands of companies with the financial backing to bring it to fruition.  It’s about a powerful tool that if given a chance, could do so much to help others that I will never meet, but ultimately have a positive impact upon because I chose to speak up for what it can do for others.

Instead of just wanting that sustainable and compassionate Hawaii, how about thinking beyond that?  If you’re going to do something, why not think about that bigger picture?!

Today I was lucky enough to get several blog posts commented on by none other than a character named Kauai Snarkeclectic.  These are just some of the cryptic comments this person made on certain blogs.  It seems that this person was trying to be snarky but completely missed the point of ALL of the blogs.  (I am posting the comments exactly as it was submitted with no editing.)

On the Tag Team of the Hooser blog, this is what was said…

We just LOVE the way you lacerate, slicve, dice, eviscerate, and strip the skin off of these people. Wow you are really really good! But, no where near as good as Joan Conrow. Not as good as Bill Maher. But we bow to your chooclatey deliciousness, as it just ooozes over this blog, may it be blessed by many more such chocolatey goodness. Mmm, yummy. Wow, you really don’t like these people do you? So, are we getting this straight, these people are like, evil, right? I mean they are really really bad, right? You don’t like them, do you? Lets be blunt, you have severely unkind thoughts about them? Becasue they aren’t farmers. So, I suppose that none of these people have never even seen a farm, is that correct? And by “Farm”, you mean GMO feilds on Kaua’i, that produce seeds only and no food for the people of kauai.We guess we are a little confused. Aren’t seed, just that, seeds, and you have to actually sell them to a REAL farmer to get them to grow stuff? We don’t know, because we aren’t farmers. We have never even SEEN a farm in real life. We think we would be scared to see one. It might attack us or something! are we getting that correct? Because we wanna be correct. We don’t want you putting US through the meat grinder. Or maybe we do. We would taste delicious. You never know. We might even taste better then BHT Corn!.Or an environmentalist for that matter. meh, we hear they are tough. No fat on the bone. Not like real farmers. They are nice and healthy!. Mmm, yummy!

We have to remind ourselves not to post late at night, when we have the munchies. Sorry. um, do you have some spare GMO corn you could send us right now? We are all sitting around, and theres nothing to eat but

Organic crap. And we all KNOW how bad that is for you!

Sincerely, The Kauai Snarklectic Publishing Team.

Thanks for playing with us, we had fun!

Then on yet another post about the giving spirit instead of marching during the holidays, this comment was made…

Wow this is an awesome post! We feel so guilty, here at Kauai Snarklectic. We have a empty BHT Corn Seed can in our office kitchen, and we regularly fill it up with bitcoin. We were thinking of donating it to the “Save the GMO Fund” we started. Do you think it is too late to give something? It is almost May. We could throw in a nice flower lei for good measure! Just don’t tell Santa how bad we have been, or he might not bring us our Halloween presents, when he comes in the Big Pumkin, and lights the Easter Tree!

Also, we really like your blog. a LOT. It gives us hours and hours of inspration. Check our blog and see just how much. Happy Holidays! Cuz there’s always time for pudding…and holidaze!

Then on the blog post about the Kauai County Council and their integrity and leadership…

Joanne Yukimura is on your side. I don’t know why you are including her in this list. What has she done, that is against GMO’s? She supported the GMO companies, and weakened the bill specifically for the GMO’s. She shouldn’t be on this list. That is our opinion. in fact, we are a bit confused. The bill is about pesticides, their use and frequency, and revealing what the companies are spraying. it says nothing about shutting down the GMO’s. How is that even possible? They are billion dollar corporations. They can operate ad infinitum.We beleive what you mean to say, is that the people supporting pesticide use by the GMO companies, are not in favor of the GMO companies spraying them in such heavy quantities near schools, public places, and residents.We are sure that is what you mean. But then again, our editorial staff is never sure what they are gonna have for breakfast each morning, let alone what blogs like this actually mean., Maybe if we were real farmers, and not trust fund babies or hippies we could understand better. Can you please enlighten us on just what exactly you are talking about? Because we are completely lost in a haystack of confusing references and rhetoric. if you had a needle that may be helpful.

The author of these comments confirms many suspected points about this so called GMO Free people.  They don’t know what blogs like mine mean, they aren’t real farmers and are trust fund babies and hippies, and that they need some enlightenment of some sort.  Can someone also lead them out of the haystack and find that needle for them?!

***Note that the Kauai farmers don’t spray near schools, public places, and on people.  They spray for bugs on their farms.  Maybe some people feel that they indeed are pests.***