Why is no one fighting the good fight?
Why is no one fighting the good fight?
I am writing to emphatically endorse the sentiments of the eloquent Mr. Gary Hooser in his recent op-ed pieces regarding pesticide use on Kauai.
I moved to Waimea three and a half years ago. After visiting Kauai in 1999 I was confident this was the island paradise where I wanted to retire. What I have found instead is an island whose leaders seem unconcerned about the poisons in the air and the land making our people ill.
What a tragedy to find that the supposed Garden Island is in fact controlled by Dow and Syngenta and the ocean around us is controlled by the military. Where is the outrage, where is the leadership to demand that chemical companies stop poisoning the land where we grow our crops and the air we all breathe? Why do we allow the military to conduct underwater tests and use equipment that destroys the underwater environment for our sea creatures and coral?
Are politicians here afraid of confronting these industry giants? Is it about the jobs? We could lose all the jobs that Dow and Syngenta provide and let all those folks work for the ever-increasing tourism trade on Kauai.
We could increase the staff levels of our crumbling parks so we’re not embarrassed by their sorry state. In addition, how about a state bill to ban Roundup, still being used by all my neighbors who remain ignorant of its effects.
Many countries around the world have already banned this terrible poison.
Kudos to Mr. Hooser, who often seems like a lone voice of reason on this island, whose politicians seem intent on keeping their heads buried in the sand.
Jane Kinzer, Waimea
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Gosh, Jane, I would have thought you would have done this research BEFORE you moved here. You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. Then you would have known that we are all beholden to and being held against our wills by the military and chemical companies. Island paradise? Boy, were you fooled.
Here’s the way I see it: you could either move to a place where the military isn’t controlling the oceans and where chemicals have been banned (Mars?), OR you could go back to where you came from and do your complaining somewhere else. If neither of these options appeals to you, you might just try sucking it up, like the rest of us poor saps who are being forced to live here..
Steven, thanks for the warm words. I’m completely disabled so I can’t really leave. But you’re either part of the solution or part of the problem. I raise my voice for justice. You only condemn, not solve. I feel sorry for your heart filled with hate.
Jane..I join you in my frustration with the political malfeasance surrounding the use of poisons on Kauai.
I noted a brief article in this week’s TGI regarding the beached whales and conjecture that maybe the poison drop for rats on Lehua might be a factor. I commented and the next day, no further mention of the article in the TGI. Interesting.
We were under the impression Mr. Hooser is part of an organization to bring forward candidates for political office who might bring changes favorable to the people. So far he has contributed some good articles in the GI paper, so we are looking forward to those new faces. In hopes some are young and environmentally conscious.
What part of POISON do too many not understand?
All we can say is, it ain’t
POI, Son…!
I stand behind Mr. Hooser!
We don’t need to know where you are standing. Gross
i live on kauai
“Why is no one fighting the good fight?”
Because it’s an ongoing argument with idiots between science & truth on one side and lies & political pandering on the other. The latter being driven and followed by emo-driven naïve sheep who can’t admit that all the evidence proves they’re wrong.
Yes Jane, most of the politicians here ARE afraid to confront these industries (and the military). And yes, it is to some extent about jobs. There are others here who are willing to “fight the good fight” so Gary Hooser is not quite a lone wolf, but he is remarkable in that he sticks to his guns and works for the overall good of the island whether as an elected official, which he has been, or as a private citizen, which he is now. If you read the comments to his articles and letter in this publication, you will see a common thread of negativity and hostility without reasonable discourse backed up by actual evidence. I believe that’s called trolling, and it’s often the recourse of folks who aren’t actually working towards any discernible goal (as Mr. Hooser is) but seem to have plenty of time to criticize others who are actually out there doing it.
Everyone here knows pesticides are actually really safe and you can basically drink them. You must not of known because you are a snowbird transplant!!!!
Thank you, Jane. You are absolutely correct here. We need more women to run for office. With Gary and JoAnn to prompt, help with their wisdom, their support, they may not run with intent to win but to inform, ’em heck , annoy, expose their true intent and make utter fools of themselves. I’ll be happy to help wherever and whenever I can. Keep up the letters. Peace and love Bettejo
Thanks Betty Jo, I have admired your letters over the years. You’re not afraid to speak the truth and I very much admire you! Jane Kinzer
Apparently, you were still busy unpacking while the tail end of Gary’s antiGMO campaign was winding down. It all really started in January 2013 when Hawaii Seed, who had mustered only 6 people with signs at the airport, used some of their million dollars from a Minnesota antiGMO trust fund to fly in Vandana Shiva; one of the world’s foremost frauds and liars. She is good at it. Next, people are marching down Lihue streets! Gary saw a chance to get off the bottom end of the Council voting. A campaign of lies and propaganda began and was joined by several carpetbaggers from Mainland activist groups that live on fundraising efforts like this turned out to be. They had a big head start; but, gradually people with critical thinking skills started to make progress against all the emotion words like “poison” evoke. Some had actually took free tours on the Westside farms that Gary never placed a foot on, You can do that too! You can meet some of the scientists and fieldworkers who live on the same streets as you do and have families breathing the same air!
It became clear in the election results that the support for the “movement” was almost completely on the far removed Northshore of Kauai. The “movement” was eventually crushed politically. Some of the Mainland carpetbaggers filed lawsuits because they are very good fundraisers. You’ve seen Gary trying to rise from the ashes because he’s a fundraiser for a group he started which I won’t name for him.
Keep in mind that in Europe, the Organic Grower Associations are the big guys with political clout and money. They give Greenpeace $257 million annually to conduct propaganda campaigns. Greenpeace has become corrupted by this and is no longer led by a single scientist.
Please put your “it’s poison” emotions aside and investigate the best efforts of modern science. When someone wants to ban the current best seller that is nontoxic to humans and resists runoff due to years of research, ask what it will be replaced with and how toxic that is. If they say “little bottles of vinegar” like for home gardeners, just walk away!
Jane, this commentors page and all the otheres of TGI are hugely biased. Your continued due diligence investigation of the reality tha
t has gone missing in U.S. americans lies. Truth integrity and no occupy that which was stolen long ago
NOW WE are occupying taking out all those yellow gates on stolen lands keeping lineal descendants from their god given rights, not government or corporate america stealing everything they dont need, but just to spite and place whole communities at risk! NK mr. UN
lots of glitches in being able to tgi respond, typical of the mess that has surrounded a once lovely mokuaina
Can’t believe I have to say this but absolutely do not drink pesticides people. There is plenty of independent research which was NOT funded by the pesticide companies showing significant harm to human health and the environment from pesticides. Absolutely, Bill – do not drink pesticides. That is actually a method of SUICIDE for many people around the world and hundreds of thousands of people have DIED from drinking ROUNDUP as a method of SUICIDE. SuiCIDE, homiCIDE, pestiCIDE get it? Designed to kill. Don’t drink it. Bad idea. This is why nobody is fighting the good fight perhaps, because we still have people out there defending toxic chemical companies poisoning their own communities and believing one should and can safely drink pesticides.