July 4, 2017 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

A Passion for Papaya is Not Propaganda

Dr. Marion Nestle referred to the film Food Evolution as “propaganda” and the other activists like Zen Honeycutt and the Food Babe are jumping onboard. This implies that the content was misleading, and meant to affect opinions using less-than-honest means. I was really shocked when 45 academic signatories wrote the letter calling the film propaganda from the agrochemical industry.

I’m glad to offer you a taste of that propaganda, or should I say, papaya.

The film’s first part shows a horrible battle that happened here in my home state of Hawaii. Non-farmers and well-financed mainland activists wanted my family to abandon a technology, the virus-resistant papaya. The papaya was made resistant by genetic engineering, and it was done by universities and government to help the local papaya farmers. It was not the “agrochemical industry”.

Mainland activists riled up local agitators by carefully crafting a massive fear campaign in our communities and manipulated a vote against the papaya. Claims were made that it was poison, it caused tumors, it was increasing pesticide use and more diseases in the industry. None of this was true, but in fear of retaliation, the majority of the council voted to ban it anyway.

The Food Evolution film crew was in Hawaii because it was the important national story at the time. They covered the story in great detail and presented it as it unfolded, giving plenty of time to the papaya’s opposition.

It also shows how farmers pushed back, and Margaret Wille and the County Council then grandfathered the papaya in, even though they believed (the propaganda) that it was carcinogenic and harmful.

They were caught in a hypocrisy when one tells the public improved fruits are dangerous but then exempt them with pressure. This is fact. This is hardly propaganda. The papaya works, it saved an industry, and is outstanding technology.

So it is very disappointing to me that Nestle, Pollan and 45 others go on record calling this story agrochemical industry propaganda, when it is a far cry from the truth.

It is especially disturbing because many of the people that refer to my family’s livelihood as propaganda are graduate students and professors. It seems like a bad career move to call the chronicling political resistance to successful technology agrochemical industry propaganda.

It is even more troubling that these are students and professors that claim to be in favor of small-holder family farms and sustainability. The papaya allows my family to sustainably produce a local staple that would be gone if it was not for the technology.

If I was a student or faculty member I would think carefully before signing my name to a movement laden with false claims. It seems like the academic road is very difficult today, and when a search of your name shows you standing up against technology and small family farmers, it seems like a short-sighted career move. Your name on that letter symbolizes the rejection of science and the benefits it can have for small family farms globally, who face climate change and it’s consequences. Do you really stand against that reality?

If you ever are over in the islands please let me know and I’ll personally introduce you to our “giant agrochemical industry”, which is me, my family and two dedicated farm workers, growing a delicious and valued fruit. The movie Food Evolution told our story, our fight, and our ongoing success very accurately. I would think very carefully before calling my family’s reality throwaway propaganda.

Joni Kamiya–The Hawaii Farmer’s Daughter

May 22, 2015 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Instead of Protesting, How About Paying Attention?

In today’s Civil Beat, a former “anti-GMO crackpot” as he calls himself, Bronson Kaahui, published a great article about the biotech issue in Hawaii. He calls it out for what it is and it’s hitting a nerve with the antis again.

I just happened to open up my Instagram account home page and came upon an angry looking Manaai Anthony calling out Bronson about the article.

In the comments he writes this so called “challenge,” which almost sounds like a threat.

This kind of stuff is nothing new to this guy at all. When the Civil Beat articles were hot on the biotech issue, he’d tell people to do illogical things like this.

I have to wonder how this really is going to create any productive discussion about biotech.

Using this kind of logic, any anti should also consider doing this to match the challenge they offer.

The anti-GMO activists like Manaai Anthony make claims about the dangers of GMOs but then post their pizzas with GMO cheese! (90% of cheeses are made with GMOs.)

You know that if you argue with these people on GMOs, the argument will then shift to the “evil corporations.” He then sells his product to a corporation by the name of Whole Foods Kahala, and not to Whole Foods Kalihi.

I have to shake my head at this kind of stuff. The sad thing is he preaches this stuff to thousands of followers.

It’s the same with the Thirty Meter Telescope protesters. A commenter placed this photo in response to Richard Ha’s blog post on my page.

I sat there and read this, then remembered the protests at UH.

This is what was on the news a few weeks ago. I clearly see the disturbing of rocks and terrain happening and I know those posters and signs are likely landing up in the trash cans.

I responded to the commenter with these photos and he made this statement.

Something just doesn’t make sense here. If you’re going to say something, you’d better walk the talk. You can’t be making accusations against others and then get upset when you’re called out on it. If you truly want to be credible, then pay attention to the world around you and quit calling everything that challenges your faulty views as propaganda.

Louis accused me of mocking the culture which isn’t what my point is. People get swept up into the emotional highs of these “movements,” then don’t even bother to think logically about the world around them. The Hawaiian culture is one that can aspire to the highest height if more of them stop following bad leadership and catchy slogans being pushed on them by people like the Babes Against Biotech and the Center for Food Safety. These people lead with no aloha and their followers reflect it. They yell to others to wake up. Yes, wake up and think before you blast yourself on the internet.

Don’t cry out against corporations and wave your nylon flags. Dupont created that material back in 1935.

October 2, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Shooting Ourselves in the Foot: The Banning of GM Technology and Research in Hawaii

There is a breaking news story that a possible case of Ebola is at a Honolulu hospital tonight. It’s not confirmed however, but this shows how it is indeed a real problem worldwide should it spread. Hawaii is an international hub that so many people travel through making it a prime location for the spread of contagious illnesses. Recall other illnesses that have made it to our shores several years back from H1N1, swine flu, and Dengue fever. Diseases spread and it can be devastating.

According to the CDC website, genetic testing is used to diagnose this deadly disease. Yes, the science used in genetic engineering is applied in making that diagnosis of the Ebola virus. (Any protests to GM technology in medicine?)

It is also interesting to note that several aid workers who had been infected with it in Africa managed to recover from this viral illness possibly due to GMO tobacco plants that produced an experimental drug. You can read more about this treatment and outcomes here and watch the video below to hear his story.

So while the people of Hawaii are growing concerned about this contagious and very deadly illness, in Maui County, voters are seeking out a ban of GM technology until it is proven safe. Hawaii has the perfect growing conditions to possibly be a contributor to solving this very deadly issue and yet the public will get to vote to block it from happening. Our state could be at the forefront of helping to research and grow medications that can alleviate suffering and death but we’d rather use well read Google scholars to dictate laws that prevent us from being global citizens in helping others. That’s just sad.

We are fearing a technology that can save lives but prefer to listen to lawyers from Earthjustice, the Center for Food Safety, and politicians like Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum, Elle Cochran, and activists like Nomi Carmona and Walter Ritte to dictate laws. I can’t help but wonder if political science PhD. Ashley Lukens of the Center for Food Safety is rethinking her stance on blocking this technology when faced with Ebola. Where’s Vandana Shiva and her life saving offer to the people suffering from this deadly disease? Where’s the organic activists like Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America and her claims that organic cures autism helping to alleviate the suffering of others? Where’s Hawaii SEED and their donations to solve this problem? What’s the SHAKA Movement doing to revamp their ordinance should this disease and others spread across the world? Will we leave ourselves handicapped to do anything to address this problem because we choose the “naturalistic” lifestyle and live in harmony with nature? Ebola is indeed natural and definitely something none of us want.

This is a real issue that we need to address and if we don’t, we won’t be ready for it should it escalate further and we’ve shot ourselves in the foot. Think its not real? Think this is fear mongering? Listen to Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the survivors of the virus, tell his story of what is happening in West Africa.

I know some people are reading Natural News and alternative health sites that are telling you that Ebola is a made up illness and such. Please have some skepticism and get off of those sites as they are making you look foolish for not even questioning it. Questioning genetics and the science behind it only to call it propaganda isn’t considered skepticism. That’s called being scientifically illiterate and not something you should be professing in the social media. Those conspiracy theories aren’t helping your intelligence and critical thinking or logic either. You can post them on the social media and believe them, but quite a few people know you’ve been made the fool but are too nice to not say it.

To pass bad laws like the Maui Moratorium one is irresponsible at best because the touters of it have no idea of the unintended consequences of such an action. Do we want to block our options for very viable solutions because of what someone read on the internet and believes with no facts behind it? I say no and you should too!

September 15, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Succumbing to Fear: The Mexican Limbless Baby Born Near GMO Crops

There’s only a few weeks more until the vote in Maui County to place a “moratorium” on the biotech crops. So it shouldn’t be surprising that the activists are going strong with the fear mongering. Here’s the latest scare image that passing around again to spook parents to buy into the ideology.

Yes, it is indeed scary and refers to a mother in Mexico who lived by GMO corn crops. Note that Mexico has NO crops approved for commercial cultivation to begin with! And of course on the meme, there’s no source of where this photo comes from and any other details about it. It just is terrifying for the unsuspecting person!

However, when you do a bit of searching on this image you’ll see a completely different story of the source. The actual source of the image comes from a well-known anti-GMO website. The story is completely different from the one being told by the poster. It has NOTHING to do with GMO corn fields!

Note that they defects that the baby pictured has is called tetra amelia syndrome is genetic in nature. There is nothing to show that it has anything to do with pesticides and is extremely rare. With GMO crops being grown globally and for the majority of farms in the US, shouldn’t this be more common. It’s not. It’s clear that this is fear mongering at best when you did further for the truth!

Here’s a corrected meme that should be passed around the social media so that more people don’t get freaked out by the outright lies that these activists have no problem spreading around.

July 28, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Fear: The Deconstruction of Local Culture

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. Clearly fear peddlers and not supporters of farmers at all.

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.

April 25, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

And They Cry, “Let the People Decide!”

Once again, there is an upcoming anti-GMO concert party going to happen on Kauai. This poster is going around the social media right now touting this event. This is the hip thing to do in our islands, have a big old shin dig.

Once again the lack of awareness of these activists are glaring. There’s Makana with his GMO cotton overalls and cotton GMO aloha shirt with a guitar that is coated with chemicals. He tries to look as if he is a farmer that is speaking for farmers but in reality, is just a musician. He’s the idol of the GMO Free crowd right now so its time to keep the iron hot!

This concert will likely have high tech devices like speakers and instruments that were made by a multinational corporation but they will scream in horror of their alleged atrocities.

They flying in people like Vandana Shiva from around the world who’s job it is to scare and outrightly disinform people. Forget the fact that she’s not coming here on a home made wooden boat from India. She’s a jet setter traveling all around the world and corporate made high tech planes that guzzle tons of synthetic, earth polluting jet fuels. She wants to save the world with her message of being green is good and use lots of GMO guzzling cars to get to these concerts. She’s out to save the world while polluting the earth.

The concert attendees are earth lovers who wave their hands with peace and love for they are doing the aina a favor. All the meanwhile they are using oil burning power to dance, sing, and party. They eat and drink from corporate made beers or foods that were brought in on gas powered ships to feed the people for that day. The majority of what they consume likely is GMO and they aren’t choking on it that day.

Tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of human energy are joined in that one spot for several hours socializing and reinforcing their beliefs about this Hawaiian sounding movement. They are bonded by this need to save the earth from the poisoners of the world but then don’t even realize their own poisoning of the world.

Tons of trash created by food containers, beverages, and posters fill up the dumpsters that fill our landfills on the island. It piles on the same trash that was created from all the Bill 2491 hearings and the labeling bills. The multiple marches held throughout the year is also buried in the trash mound too, and leeching into the aina.

The sewage created by this gathering is also enormous. It all goes into that fossil fuel powered sewer systems to be processed to save the land from toxic human waste. These people are worried about their water systems but don’t worry about their own impacts on water either when they gather together.

The concert will eventually end and lots of photos and videos of this momentous event will fill the corporate owned social media sites like Facebook and YouTube. These people yearn for the “old days” where things were so much better but will never forget to bring their latest corporate made IPhones or smartphones. Without this high technology, these activists are lost but they still refuse to accept the “evil” ways of modern day farming.

After all is said and done and all the human energy is expended, was there truly a positive impact from what they did? Was there a piece of the aina cleaned that day to keep sea life healthy? Were human lives saved by spending half a day at a concert? Will people be fed sustainably by this day? Did they work towards making Hawaii more food secure? Was the money spent going to last towards a greater cause to actually help farmers keep farming?

Like the transient nature of a concert, so are the actions of these activists. The current fad is to be anti-GMO right now. Forget about the long term consequences of what they re asking for because they can’t see beyond the next concert. They will still go on wearing the textiles that they protest and buy the food and fuel that they fear but acknowledge consuming. They cry, “Let the people decide,” and don’t even realize what they reap the rewards of in their own lives once again.

April 23, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Farewell RoundUp, We’ve Found a New Love, Atrazine

If go on the social media and visit some of Hawaii anti-GMO activist pages, here’s some of the typical things you see on there…

What does all of these images share? It’s all about fear mongering. There is no evidence that goes along with many of these pictures and memes, but just the image alone is powerful enough to convince activists of some horrible outcome as the result of any farm other than organic ones. No one ever seems to crosscheck these statements either and thousands of people just believe without a hint of skepticism.

My grandfather was one of those folks that saw things and just believed it. He loved to watch wrestling and was convinced that it was real. My dad would tell him that the stuff he was watching was faked and scripted, to which he’d say, “No way, it’s real!” The funniest thing was that when there was news of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, he refused to believe it and said that it was fake.

The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words still applies to this day as we are seeing with our anti-GMO activists. These pictures that are constantly being put out there on the social media to people who lack that ability to scratch their heads and say, “Now is that for real or what?” Neither to many of these folks even know how Google operates to pull up the fear laden sites too when they do a search.

It is of no surprise that the fear lovers are going to start up once again by bringing in Tyrone Hayes in May. They have lost their love our RoundUp and didn’t succeed in getting Senator Josh Green to ban it. Their newest love affair is now with Atrazine and Tyrone Hayes.

Before the anti-GMO club goes berserk on this year’s chemical, Atrazine, let me show you how to do the head scratch bit before you just believe it all. You can read more about the selective reporting done by the author of the article posted by the Babes Against Biotech too.

I’m no Google search expert by no means but I am always asking to debunk things because I don’t straight out believe it. If you enter into Google “debunk Tyrone Hayes” this is what you’ll get in this search.

If you do another Google search, with Tyrone Hayes and Atrazine, you get a slightly different picture with a bit more of the activist sites like Democracy Now and his own page, Atrazine Lovers. His academic papers also come up on the top of the search.

If you’re afraid of reading too many words on Google, like most activists, then you’d scurry on over to their next best research site, YouTube. What do we find on YouTube when we search for Tyrone Hayes? Let’s see.

Holy Atrazine-ites! All you get is activist videos that are full of fear mongering. Typical anti-GMO ways again.

When Tyrone Hayes shows up in Hawaii in May, you know what to expect. You’ll get the same kind of message that came along with Dr. Huber, Stephanie Seneff, Andrew Kimbrell, Vandana Shiva, Hector Valenzuela, and others. I also start to wonder, who’s funding these folks to have nice Hawaiian vacations on many of the islands. Are they doing this out of the kindness of their hearts? Hmmm…

April 6, 2014 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

The Real Tragedy of the GMO Free Marches

From Maui Now with Dustin Barca

Last week Sunday was yet another march against biotechnology on Maui. There were quite a bit of pictures and videos posted throughout the internet showing several hundred people.

That makes me really sad to see that. They were there to protest perceived evil corporations, alleged poisoning of the aina, and for saving humanity against chemicals. These marchers were joined by this common cause that they felt compelled to have anger and hate towards. They have been told over and over again that they are being poisoned and float in a state of persecution and paranoia.

These people joined together through the modern technology provided by corporations. Many found out via Facebook and Twitter that there was to be this march. Some even used corporate made planes and cars to get to that meet up. They used ethanol fuel derived from the very thing that they were protesting. There had to be a few that drove in GMO derived electric car batteries too.

As I looked closer at the marchers, I started to see that these people are not aware of the extent of how biotechnology is woven in our world. I saw one of the leaders of the march, Dustin Barca, wearing leather shoes and cotton fatigues that likely came from GMO cow hide and GMO cotton grown in India or Pakistan. Lots of people wore jeans and clothing that weren’t likely from organic cotton sources either.

It is pretty clear from the photos that were taken on corporate made devices and the marches were recorded on high tech cameras like GoPro ones. Many used WiFi with it’s radio waves surrounding them with no idea of what they are being exposed to. They downloaded videos onto corporate supported sites like YouTube and others to share their adventures to followers. These marchers refuse to accept technology for farming but easily accept it in any other form or fashion if it supports their cause.

People also carried water bottles that came from GMO corn derivatives and had no thought in the world of how it was made. Some even left the march and went out to eat at a GMO restaurant. They screamed at how GMOs were being shoved down their throats and want it labeled, but go out to eat without any consideration of what they just said.

They walked in the hot sun under a lot of solar radiation with no fear in the world of what it was doing to the DNA in their skin. They willingly exposed themselves to something that has proven harmful and modifies our genetics but all natural. There was no screaming or yelling that they were having their DNA altered without their consent.

The marchers had signs that they didn’t like the chemicals being used on the seed farms. There were hundreds of signs that were used in these marches. What happened to them afterwards? Did they save them to use for another march or was it thrown into the landfill where it can’t be recycled? What impact did these hundreds and signs have on our aina? Did it beautify our beautiful landscape or add to the trash pile of useless things and add blight to our islands?

Chemicals are very scary to these people even though they likely used them to protect their skin from the naturally occurring DNA altering radiation. The marches willingly subject themselves with chemicals in sunscreens to stop the mutations caused by the natural radiation of the sun and have no fear of being exposed for hours at a time.

Signs were carried and painted on with some GMO derived soy paint or some artificial mixtures of chemicals used for acrylic paints. They rinsed the brushes that contained these paints and added chemicals to the water sources that entered the sewer systems. Not a blink of the eye occurred while doing such a thing with chemicals. Some signs, like the surfboard, was sprayed with spray paint, which that user likely had some chemical drift from that they inhaled. That person survived to protest that day despite the exposure.

Quite a few marchers wore tattoos and displayed them at their march. These tattoos likely came from synthetic sources that they intentionally injected into their skin with no qualms about it. The needles used to apply the tattoos were also disinfected with lab derived chemicals to prevent some spread of deadly diseases. None of this crossed their minds. The inks likely didn’t have any long term safety tests either but the marchers love to use it and aren’t afraid of it. They then decry the precautionary principle but are willing take these unknown risks.

I did notice that some people had nicely highlighted or dyed hair also. They directly applied chemicals to their hair and allowed it to be near skin so that their hair had nice colors and tints. As I looked at some of the leaders of this movement, I find it hard to believe that they do not dye their hair. I’ve never seen an older woman with jet black hair and such even curls. There was not a thought in a world ever considered that this was a chemical and its impact on our aina and reefs. It had to be rinsed down the drain and entered our waters with no thought of the real harm this could cause our earth.

The even sadder fact was that these people brought their children with them to protest something. Kids got to be around adults screaming and cursing at Monsanto. These kids even read the signs painted that GMO means death and they don’t even know what it means. Kids should be opening their minds to what is going on the world but have slammed the door shut because of the fear and misinformation being fed to their parents. It only makes the next generation hide in a darker corner, so afraid of the science and technology dominating our world and the future. They also will have a hate and distrust before they even had a chance to truly learn about the whole issue.

The protesters had lots of time to organize and plan these marches too and didn’t have to worry about where their next meal came from. Some ate GMO snacks on the plane rides over that were offered on the flight. Were they afraid of what it would do? No, they ate it without question. Did these same people have to worry leaving their farms to attend such a march? No, they don’t farm and it’s pretty obvious with the time they have on their hands. They directly benefit from the efficiency and productivity created by the ingenuity of the very farmers that they are protesting and don’t even know it.

So much human energy and resources have been put towards being against something. They all walked together to protest but did they really do all of humans a favor that day? Or was it a group of people that shared the same beliefs and ideology with no facts to base it upon? Couldn’t this energy have been devoted to doing something good instead of sharing their common bond of fear and misinformation? I think so.

The whole idea of people marching for this cause really shows how unaware of the impacts of biotech, and technology in general, has had in their lives. These people will quickly make accusations against technology, but can’t even see how it has impacted their own lives for the better. The tragedy in these social marches is that these people protest something they really have little to no awareness of and it obviously shows.

December 17, 2013 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

1000 Good Reasons to Label GMO Food: A Guide for Politicians

You really should be contacting your legislator now to demand that GMO foods be labeled! Listed are some reasons that you can include in your letter to prove your points also. Feel free to use it.

1) Monsanto owns everything and anything, including the sky. You’ve heard it from your aunty and your uncle and your brother’s friend’s sister that Monsanto owns the whole world. Yes, the seed companies don’t even make the top 25 biotech companies in the world but you still believe everything that is told to you. And because of it, you think they control everything including the weather with their purchase of the Climate Corporation. When one person tells you that the skies are filled with chemtrails, you trust them and believe them. That also explains why there is always rain predicted on your anti-GMO marches.

2) Natural News told you that you will get cancer from it. Natural News also suggested that you to rub urushiol oil as the ultimate sunscreen to protect yourself from skin cancer.

3) The last issue of the Hawaiian Electric Company’s Green Hawaii Magazine stated that you must cook chemical free. GMOs all have chemicals in it. You don’t quite know which ones and don’t even realize that you yourself are made up of chemicals either.

4) WALTER RITTE TYPES ALL IN CAPS AND IT MUST MEAN THAT WHAT HE SAYS IS TRUE. YOU CAN ALWAYS TRUST SOMEONE WHO TYPES LIKE THIS. HE FINDS HIS EXPERTISE IN SURFERS FOR HIS FOOD KNOWLEDGE AND EDUCATION.

5) The Babes Against Biotech show folks that less clothes means more expertise in what is natural food. That includes silicone and some botox tucked in the right places. When they tell you to demand a label, you can trust a woman in a bikini.

6) You can trust a bus driver grandma who is a self professed expert on GMOs that you need that label. When someone reads the latest things off of the internet, you can bet that it is true without a doubt.

7) GMO Free Kauai has a very long and thorough list of scientists to prove that GMOs are dangerous. That list includes world renown scientists like Dr. Dennis Poopy, Organic Eater, Dr. Ye Hua with 20K piece of art in China.

8) When a holier than thou art food store tells you to demand a label, you should. Forget the fact that the more they advertise their GMO free foods they profit nicely also. Fuel the fear and you will get more people to buy into your scheme and demand that label!

9) Hawaii wants papayas from Mexico, Thailand, and Brazil instead of local. Keep demanding that label so Hawaiian papayas are shunned by customers. That’s the goal of Hawaii SEED is to kill off just a few more farmers.

10) Roseanne Barr told you that GMO are bad and that Hawaiians support crop destruction.

11) A wealthy bunch of transplant lawyers from Earthjustice told you to speak up but don’t be rude when you make demands. They can easily afford organic food for their families but you’ll have to wait until you get that label to make it affordable. They have to keep getting in environmental lawsuits against the state so that they can collect on their court costs to keep them buying organic. And these same lawyers quickly turn around and eat GMO food with anti-GMO county council members too right after telling others that it is dangerous.

12) You can become allergic to any and every antibiotic there is on earth from eating GMO food. If this man says its true, then by golly goodness it sure is! Forget the fact that we’ve been modifying genetics in food for thousands of years, DNA has antibiotics and chemicals that will trigger immunosuppression in your shikimate pathway and cause symbiotic endotropy escalation. Yes, it is that bad.

13) There is thalidomide in transgenic papayas and you must demand a label for it because Terez Amato says so.

14) GMO Free Mom also knows that transgenic papayas need labels because it contains Bt in it.

15) Sol Kahn believes that if people disagree with him at the farmers’ markets then he has a right to that label as well as a right to say bad things about him on the social media.

16) Jessica Mitchell of the Babes Against Biotech believes that her organized thinking and expertise in chemicals and plants support her claim to a label.

17) Twitter user CILoveU can’t believe that the sun can alter DNA and as a result of watching “Seeds of Death,” she has a right to know what she thinks she knows.

18) Apa Romano knows that there is an alteration in one’s body fauna when she consumes GMO and needs a label to know it. Now what is body fauna?

19) If Tulsi Gabbard associates with the Babes Against Biotech then you know that she is getting expert advice. She can even tell what groups are shills and will tell her constituents also. She’s also part conspiracy theorist too and believe in the Monsanto Protection Act.

20) Consumers need a label because it is all about transparency and obeying the law and doing what is right. These leader stands up for what is pono, including death threats to the mayor.

21) Jessica Mitchell doesn’t need a science class to know anything which is why she demands a label of her food. She might not be able to know what all the ingredients are but she has to have that label! Please don’t tell her that organic foods do indeed use pesticides!

22) Sol Kahn has been telling many residents that if you live by a seed farm, you’re living by poison. Home values are going down and he can’t figure out his relationship to why it’s happening. Label it, disclose it, whatever.

23) Celeste Harvel demands that GE food be labeled and she wants farmer’s crops to be chopped down too. She also nicely articulates her point of what’s wrong with it and shows her expertise in her comments.

24) Lori Wilson Patch believes that this issue should be one where we must sit down and pray for people because her religion has told her so. You can be sure that god is asking her to pray for this evil called GMO.

25) Carolyn Fay Spector thinks that she needs to put a wanted poster for Dr. Brewbaker since he donated a million dollars to help CTAHR. You can bet she will be front and center asking for a label.

26) Merci Ritte doesn’t realize that we are made up of chemicals but believes that there are indeed chemicals being grown. She has a right to know these chemicals!

27) Sherrie Moore demands a right to know and will openly boycott local farmers who speak out for biotech. She deserves to to have her food labeled but truly wants her food GMO free.

28) Karen Chun knows that GMO papayas didn’t save the industry because she doesn’t grow it or even own a farm. She has no clue that her talking bad about papayas is the real reason why people don’t accept biotech food. She right there front and center demanding her right to know what she’s eating!

29) Dustin Barca feels that anyone who speaks against Ohana O Kauai must be committing a crime against humanity. That’s why he has to have his food labeled.

30) Nomi Carmona of the Babes Against Biotech can’t imagine that anyone would speak up against activists and will encourage others to block such attempts. You can be sure that she’ll be visiting legislators and demand that she needs her food labeled.

32) Sky Wittenbach does know his genetics and how to sort fantasy from fiction. When he talks, you should listen to his expertise.

31 and beyond) Some of the best reasons to create a law to label GE foods is because these constituents that are asking you for it REALLY LOVE THEIR FARMERS. Just read below for what they have told farmers…

So politicians of Hawaii, are you going to listen to these people demanding a label and more regulations on farmers? Your loud constituents are really helping all farmers and doing our islands a huge favor. Thank you for listening to them and not listening to the farmers.

Rep. Jessica Wooley stated that she would like GE food labeled and would support an education campaign. How do you plan on educating these folks Rep. Wooley, when you yourself make up stuff by stating there is no regulations around it and bungle up the GMO is the same as pesticide issue?

We appreciate all the support we get from the leaders of our islands as we work on our farms. The future generations are very secure in knowing that you’re supporting them. Or are they really?

***All comments listed have been publicly posted on the social media. You said it and you should be held accountable for what you say.***

December 15, 2013 by hawaiifarmersdaughter

Where’s the Giving Spirit of Gary Hooser and Club?

It’s the holidays and to me that is a time for giving. It is a time to get together with friends and family, catch up on old times but also a time to give back to others who aren’t as fortunate. Every single time I go the to market or to the store, I always have some cash handy to let my kids drop into the Salvation Army donation can. I also make sure that I gave my yearly donation to the Washinton University scholarship fund and to any other new cause that might need some help. This year I did give a donation to the Golden Rice campaign to help promote efforts to get to the people who need it the most. There are many people who could use that extra support at this time of year and if I have anything to give, I’ll freely give it if I can afford it. To me, that’s the right thing to do at this time of year and really, throughout the entire year.

Following what’s going on in the social media, I was surprised to see that the Gary Hooser is once again riling up his anti-GMO club. Tomorrow, December 15, all of his club members from the Babes Against Biotech to Hawaii SEED and more are going to do yet another march. All this human energy and resources are going to be used just a few days before the holidays to once again protest and get together. People are flying in from lots of outer islands to gather in Haleiwa essentially for an anti-GMO party. Gary Hooser, the head Kauai County Council member riling up these folks even blogged about this march to promote and advertise it to others. If you read it, he’s perpetuating his myths and conspiracy theories to get people “to rise up against this” and even thinks that people are “more educated” about the issues. I find it rather sad that Gary feels that during the holidays, he’d rather see people march against something and use all of these resources to do such rather than help others in the communities.

It is really sad that Gary Hooser has really lost sight of what the holidays mean and about teaching others to give. Consider what he really could have done that would have made someone’s holiday just that much better. If every person who flew into this march opted not to go and donated that some $200 to a charitable organization, wouldn’t that be such a good thing? Instead of using Honolulu City and County resources to cover the expenses of the march, these public funds could have been used in a different program to help the homeless or do something for a kupuna through one of the programs offered in the county. How about using all this human energy to visit lonely people in nursing homes or help organize a holiday food drive? These same people could have spent the day going into the native forests and cleaning out invasive species too. Instead of going to the march and potlucking it, go to the IHS in town and feed the hungry that day. These folks could even bring along their kids also to teach them what the holidays really mean.

Hawaii SEED even got a nice $10K check from Surfer Magazine to continue their misinformation campaign against farmers. It’s all about how to pit farmers against farmers and not about healing the farming community with Ritte and his group. I’ve never seen any Hawaii SEED give the needy food drive or help others event. They obviously have some money but aren’t about to give any of it to people who may benefit from it. You don’t see Hawaii SEED on the donation list for The Good Neighbor Campaign on the Star Advertiser. It’s not about sharing with others unfortunately, no matter what time of year it is.

The more you see what these people do, the more you see that it isn’t about giving for them. It’s all about taking away. The anti-GMO club even had a float in the Pearl City Parade also where they passed out flyers and GMO free candy. Instead of self promoting themselves and their issues, why didn’t these folks use that time and energy to actually give something back? What if they didn’t spend that extra money for GMO free candy and donated that proceeds to the Hawaii Food Bank for someone who really needs nourishment? They could take their kids with them and a nice sack of food to give to people who need it. It is so disappointing to see that they continue to promote the fear mongering that make the most vulnerable of people afraid and guilty of what they are eating, while many of them partake in GE foods and admit that it is safe.

A leader should embody and speak for the values that others should live by so that we can make our society a better place. We all should be working together to solve the problems of the world, not seeking to continually divide it. It’s the holidays where we should be working on making life better for others. The leader should be the example to others to follow by. Hooser talks about malama the aina and doing what is pono but what about malama the people too? It is pretty obvious that Gary Hooser is not one of those leaders.

By the way, if you should decide that you want to give to others at this time of year, here’s some great organizations that I think are worthwhile causes to support.

American Red Cross

The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii

The Aloha United Way

The Institute for Human Services

The Hawaii Food Bank

Remember that this is the spirit of giving and paying it forward. I did it and I hope you do too!

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HawaiiFarmersDaughter

Adventures of a farmer's daughter in Hawaii

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