• We must do more • Which side do you trust more? • Poor roads nobody’s fault alone We must do more The Department of Health has found low levels of pesticides throughout the whole state. Isn’t it interesting how rare you hear
• We must do more • Which side do you trust more? • Poor roads nobody’s fault alone
We must do more
The Department of Health has found low levels of pesticides throughout the whole state. Isn’t it interesting how rare you hear about high exposure levels? They seem to be always within state guidelines. You don’t think the biotech companies have lobbyists that make sure our government agencies’ reports show low levels of pesticides, do you? Naw! They did say that exposure for aquatic life was too high. OK, so what are they going to do about it? In other words, the pesticide companies are killing our reefs and aquatic life. So government people, do something!
I just received my annual newsletter from a nonprofit I used to work for called Jacobs’s Heart Children Cancer Support Services. At present, they have 161 children in three counties in California that have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s up from 10 years ago when we had around 100 children. About two-thirds of these families are migrant farm workers that live next to the fields they work in. These fields are sprayed regularly with pesticides. Just like what the biotech companies want to do to us. You don’t even have to be a scientist to see what’s going on. Can the people who think these biotech companies are our friend see why we are concerned? Don’t let their money buy your common sense. How would you feel if your child, grandchild, or a friend’s child was diagnosed with cancer?
Here is a statistic that should chill you to your core, it did me. According to the American Cancer Society, the estimated number of new cancer cases for Hawaii is 6,640 for the year 2014. That’s 6,640 fellow human beings who will be diagnosed with cancer this year just in Hawaii. If you don’t believe me, you can go to cancer.org and see for yourself. This is totally unacceptable. We need to open our eyes, minds and hearts and put a stop to this immediately. There really is no safe place to spray poison because we all live in the same fish bowl, so to speak. So you people who think we are just some anti-GMO crazies, do your homework.
Our government isn’t doing enough to protect the citizens. They like their padded pockets too much. We have to keep moving forward and stop these companies from poisoning our land, air, water and people.
Linda Bothe
Kalaheo
Which side do you trust more?
On one side of the GMO issue: Babes, surfers, models, cage fighters, celebrities, conspiracy theorists, paid activists and politicians, using Facebook memes, parades and concerts to spread their beliefs.
On the other side: Independent scientists, full-time farmers, and every major scientific organization on the planet, using peer-reviewed studies and data to defend their conclusions.
Will you look to professional activists, or will you look to experts for your information about GMOs?
Chuck Lasker
Kalaheo
Poor roads nobody’s fault alone
Mr. Zwiebel misinterpreted my guest commentary rebuttal of April 14 to JoAnn Yukimura’s guest commentary by accusing me of saying that the reason for Kauai’s roads not being widened is her fault. She is not at fault for the condition of our roads and streets. But her support for the multimodal land transportation plan, which is just another feel-good program without practical application for usage on Kauai, interferes with the necessary steps being taken to improve them.
Yes, I well understand that paving our roads properly and getting alternate routes will be costly, I have said this many times over the years.
The only people I will be doing a “great disservice” to by what I said in my article by stating the facts and telling the truth are citizens like you who want to live in this dream world with JoAnn.
I quoted a recent Garden Island article in my story and since you have gone off on a tangent and didn’t read it or didn’t want to, I will quote it again because wiser people than I have similar ideas about our roads.
“The multimodal land transportation plan won’t ease our traffic problems significantly or in the future. Sorry but this is a society that likes to drive, no matter what the cost of gas. We love our cars (as does JoAnn and all council members who advocate bikes, buses and walking!) and changing that lifestyle is generations down the road.”
And if you have listened to my testimonies over the years, you will know that I have suggested ways to fund alternate roads such as taking the millions of dollars being spent on this bike path (whether it’s our 20 percent or the feds 80 percent, it is all our money) and putting it into our road system.
Enhancement of our roads and streets is a critical problem. It needs to be taken seriously.
Glenn Mickens
Kapaa
