• GMO creates monocultures • Gun control creates unarmed victims • Why is more money the only answer? GMO creates monocultures A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. “This experimental
• GMO creates monocultures • Gun control creates unarmed victims • Why is more money the only answer?
GMO creates monocultures
A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
“This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding,” as described by Kathy Kotch, an expert in plant biotechnology. Because of this risky genetic manipulation, GMOs only benefit the corporations patenting them. They are a health hazard for the consumer and a financial risk for farmers who decide to grow them.
Farmers, who were once able to sustain their entire family with a diverse farm of different kinds of crops and cattle, are now stuck in this vicious monoculture. Once they decide to concede into this monoculture of GMOS, they begin to fall into debt due to the high prices of the seeds. Vandana Shiva, an environmental campaigner, made this point in an interview with BBC program Hard Talk. She spoke of the current situation in India where an increase of growth of GMO crops has caused thousands of farmers to commit suicide. This has also lead to an increase in prices of GMO seeds.
Scientists warn that gene-splicing introduces a unique set of risks. Genetic engineering is crude and imprecise, and the results are unpredictable. Because foreign genes enter the host DNA in an abrupt manner, it can alter cellular function and lead to unexpected toxic or allergenic effects. To make things worse, companies refuse be transparent on labeling their food products.
Therefore, with the information presented, it is our responsibility to fight against this growing risk to the health, economy, and well being of our planet.
Andrea Unzueta, student, UH at Manoa
Gun control creates unarmed victims
The writer accuses the NRA of “lying” about the dangers of firearm prohibition and those who take the threat seriously of being “stupid.”
Guns are essentially banned in places like Chicago, where the murder rate is sky-high. In England home invasions are far higher than the US, because criminals know they won’t be looking down the barrel of a deadly weapon. The government has banned most guns and if one is used in self-defense the homeowner is treated as the criminal.
In well-armed states like Texas, break-ins are far less common. While most criminals won’t be seen leaving any Mensa meetings, they’re not crazy.
It’s estimated that as many as 300 million guns are in circulation. Simply banning guns, which Obama’s ultimate goal, won’t get them away from crooks.
What is “stupid” is the insane gun-running to Mexican drug lords perpetrated by Obama and his messenger boy, Attorney General Eric Holder. This was clearly done to undermine the second amendment but resulted in the murders of a US Border Patrol agent and numerous Mexican citizens.
For that monstrous criminal act those two geniuses should both be breaking rocks at Leavenworth.
John Burns, Princeville
Why is more money the only answer?
After watching several of the County Council budget sessions on TV it appeared the our Kauai County government thinks the solution is more money. However, there appeared to be one missing questions to all managers.
What have you done to improve efficiency and effectiveness of your department and what metrics have you used to measure that improvement?
Everyone is frightened by change, but it is only when we change some of our inefficient processes that we are able to provide an improved service to our customers, the county residents.
If department heads were to look at their department from a new perspective that the department was their business and increased costs for the same service was less profit, ie. less annual pay for the department head and mayor’s staff perhaps we could get real change.
As I listened and viewed the total number of personnel sitting in the room the question I asked was how much is the budget process costing tax payers and how much is it improving the budget?
I would like to propose a few trial projects such as giving the golf course five years to be self sufficient or rent the facility to a private corporation and make money for the county.
Another project is to change the planning department fee structure so that applications cover the full cost of the planning department labor associated with those reviews and approvals.
I offer one more and that is to have the Kauai County Bus be self-sufficient where riders will actual pay their share of the costs. Perhaps that might require the Kauai County Bus to examine its practices and become more efficient and effective. Taking more money from the residents should be the last resort after all else has failed.
Bruce Newport, Kekaha
