Andy Parx

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The Hate Towards Farmers Must Stop

Today there were two articles featured in Civil Beat.  One was on Senator Nishihara’s introduction to the SB110, with the Right to Farm Act provision, and the second one was one done by Ross Sibucao, a papaya farmer and Hawaii Papaya Industry Association President.

I had thought that the hateful comments would stop, boy was I wrong.  The hate and nastiness is coming out in full force against the farmers.  It’s just despicable that our leaders can’t see this or choose to ignore it.  Read on below to see what heinous things are being said.

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This is not what Hawaii agriculture needs right now.  We need leaders who will foster its growth and development.  It’s amazing to me how so many people believe the earth is changing, but then reject the same technology that can give farmers the tools to overcome this.  A recent news article shows that this is indeed a real problem that will eventually affect us.  The farmers and scientists all know this but somehow the news has missed our government leaders.

It will be more important than ever to have the latest tools available to maintain our food supplies.  When there is a drought or some other extreme weather, we’re going to have to choose what works and in many cases, it may not be organic.  Whatever the case, the most efficient and highest yielding methods must be used.  Why limit the tools now with popular opinion vs. what the data says?

As legislators, you have a responsibility to all of us to do what is right, not just to the loudest shouters and conspiracy thinkers.  Many of you were able to make that same hard decision when it was the issue of gay marriage.  You chose to look at the evidence and support the minority that needed their rights protected.  I still can’t understand why you as leaders, can’t step up and do the same for the rights of farmers.  When there are no tools available to the farmers and too many burdensome laws, will you leave that as your legacy to our islands?

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Famous Thanks to Andy Parx Today!

I’m honored today, my birthday, by Andy Parx!  He apparently thinks that I now work for the “Chemical Companies.”  Read what he says on his blog about me:

(PNN) CHEMICAL FARMERS PLAN LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN TO CASH IN ON S-A EDITORIAL DURING UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION

CHEMICAL FARMERS PLAN LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN TO CASH IN ON S-A EDITORIAL DURING UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION(PNN- Jan, 14) An email circulated among the leaders of the chemical “farming” industry in Hawai`i reveals an upcoming letter writing campaign to try to take advantage of a recent pro-industry editorial in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and a secret meeting between industry honchos and trade groups and the newspaper’s editorial board.The email from Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council board member and past secretary Alan Gottlieb was addressed to a long list of industry insiders urging them “to ride on this momentum (of the editorial), fast” by “asking for _*all*_ of our members (Farm Bureau, HCC, Papaya, etc) to write a *150 word positive letter to the editor* *_and_* *send them to the commodity leader ~ Johnny Gordines @ *Kauai Flowers [email address omitted] (_*not*_ to newspaper yet). We will *hold those letters and submit slowly to create a _sustained_ effort. *Make sense?” (all SIC)This email was then re-distributed to Kaua`i Farm Bureau members by it’s head Jerry Ornelles who revealed the meeting with the editorial board.The list of recipients of Gottlieb’s email contained one puzzling name amongst the “usual suspects” like Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association attack dog Alicia Maluafiti, chemical factory farmer and the funder of pro-GMO advertising campaigns, Richard Ha, Hawai`i Farm Bureau President Dean Okomoto who was videoed assaulting a woman in the hall outside a hearing on GMO-labeling at last year’s legislature , Ornellas, Kaua`i Farm Bureau Vice President Laurie Ho* and Pro-GMO gadfly Joni Rose.The odd name is that of Gary Baldwin, presumably the same Gary Baldwin that was the founder and former head of the Kaua`i Economic Development Board (KEDB) who left the island in disgrace after it was revealed that he was was wanted for various bunko crimes in Colorado and Arizona. He fled Kaua`i when the news was revealed and is said to have settled in the Northwest. Baldwin had risen from a nobody to become former Mayor Marianne Kuskaka’s golden boy, serving on the planning commission and working closely with the Kaua`i Visitor’s Bureau while being groomed for political office.Chris Manfredi, Jason Moniz, Lorie Farrell, Janet Ashman, Brian Miyamoto, Alex Franco, Chris English, Alan Takemoto, Laurie Ho, Eric Tanouye, Eric Weinert, Ross Sibucao and Michael Madamba round out Gottlieb’s list of recipients.

The lobbying effort comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed last Friday by the Kaua`i chemical companies Dow-Syngenta and DuPont-Pioneer to try to stop Kaua`i Ordinance 960 (formerly Bill 2491) which requires disclosure of the specific types, dates and times of the use of restricted use pesticides that are used on GMOs and sets up buffer zones around things like schools, hospitals and waterways. It also institutes a study group to look at the effects of the open air experimentation of pesticides and GMOs.

The letter writing campaign will apparently be timed for publication throughout the upcoming legislative session where a handful of legislators- those who head the list of chemical company campaign cash recipients- are reportedly planning on introducing legislation to try to “pre-empt” Kaua`i Ordinance 960 along with a measure passed on Hawai`i Island that bans outdoor experimentation on foods using genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with some exceptions for those already in production like papaya.

Maui has introduced a measure similar to the one that passed on Kaua`i.

Correction: Laurie Ho is the Vice President of the Kaua`i Farm Bureau. She does not work for the state. The above post has been corrected.

I’m surprised that Andy Parx hasn’t figured out why people are joining together.  Well, we all knew that logic and critical thinking are not  high points in these anti-GMO mob members, so I’m not surprised he’s writing it.  I like many others are sick and tired of you non-farmers, hobby activists (Chuck Lasker’s perfect term!), yardeners, and no local style ways attacking all of us and our families with your barrage of hate and disrespect.  We’re not stepping down, and you can bet that you’ll be hearing from us through the media.  That’s our right to be heard, not just the mob rule’s right.
The day that the mob starts a farm and runs their own business, to actually grow food for others, is the day that you’ll get your turn.  Until then, you can bet people are going to speak up.  And we’re not the ones who tell others to drink poison or accuse others of crimes against humanity. I’ve been told by your mob members that they wished I had birth defects and that when I meet my maker that I’ll be forgiven for speaking up.  I’m not backing down for the sake of what’s needed in Hawaii, who are farmers, not the mob dictating laws.  Our farms coexist because we see that each of us are part of the system called agriculture in Hawaii.  That’s what brought us local folks together and the common bond we all share.  We don’t share mob bonds that read Natural News, Babes Against Biotech posts, Hawaii GMO Justice Coalition, Ohana O Kauai, and others.
Tokyo Rose, as your mob has aptly called me, and gadfly, as you call me, is going to fight back and you can count on that.  By the way, you did forget a big name on your list…  My dad, Kenneth Kamiya, a biotech papaya farmer.