SPECIAL GIGANTIC ELECTION HALLOWEEN EDITION WITH THE OFFICIAL WITCH OF KAUAI< JOAN CONROW AND FREINDS BRINGS IT HOME!

Ok, people we here, at kauai Snarklectic know we have been delinquent, but since half of our staff are, actually delinquents, its kinda fitting that we just waited long enough until the head on Joan Conrow began to spin like Regan in The Exorcist. Did you REALLY think we would do a Halloween edition without a something for the kiddies? MUWAHAHAHAHA!

Now how can we say such a blasphemous and awful thing? Cuz we ain't journalists, we are asshole bloggers that don't give a craps ass what any of you high n mighty tight assed Republican narcissistic, racist hate mongering, fear mongering, god fearing nice people think.

By the way, we have a new editor. Trust me, you do not want to bug this guy. Even his pitbulls bow in his presence. We had to fire our old one because he was way to nice. Of course now, when we go out into the field we all gotta share one laptop, which totally sucks, because us new guys never get the new stuff. I will now turn this blog over to our new editor in chief,

Stan Puinsai Yoot Linimikionakala

Here are some stats on Stan:

Born and raised on kaho'olawe
Arrived on Kauai via the back of one bad ass tiger shark, whom he punched in the nose, and then roped like one steer, and then rode across all the damn channels to get here.
First arrived at Nualolo kai, where he killed a black female pig, and then went to find his Japanese ancestors, after looking for his Filipino roots.

He found all of the roots, dug them up, and started a farm somewhere in an undisclosed location on Kauai so the Chem Companies can't burn his fields.

He then purchased a tricked out black hog, got his riding gear, and began to cruise the island.

We don't ask him how he makes his money. He says he is a trust fund baby. From the Royal Ali'i trust fund. We don't argue with him.

He attended Princeton university, on the mainland, after attending Eaton. We don't ask how that happened we just nod our head and agree.

He has a giganormous huge Ohana, but no one will speak his name. He prefers to remain a hermit.

He has no known records. And he intends to keep it that way.

here is a pic of our new editor:

And here is a pic of him, in a more casual mode:

Anyway we decided to go through a historical overview of just how this whole redshirt blushirt shit started. Cuz we are really good at digging up shit, here is the scoop. It all started somewhere around the time of the Black Plaque in Europe.

But we digress, first lets watch Joan Cornrow implode, on her blog, start to spill her guts.....wait for it...wait for it...gratuitous Exorcist moving GIF coming up...

God we love Halloween here at Kauai Snarklectic.

Did you know, that Kauai Snarklectic has voted Joan the Official Witch of Kauai? Which of course is an insult to Witches everywhere, and Wiccan Religion of course, but then we like insulting everyone equally! Sorry, Witches, and Wiccans, our humble apologies! In case you ignoramus don't know, Salem has an official witch, and so do we! Now how did we come to that conclusion?

Read on, my pretty little fistee demons from the underworld! Read on:

First, Joan begins to spill her guts *see above animation*, about herself, and her personal life, and vendettas, and things that Gary and of course poor Jimmy Trujillo who doesn't even hold a public office, and is a mild mannered bee keeper have done to her. First of all, they didn't listen to her. Yap, that it. She spills her guts about this, telling how Gary said something about "Dealing with a bill that was on the table", and it was from then on she apparently "hated" him, and sought to ruin him, which she happily and freely admits. See? Now THAT is full on Witchy worthy!. Don't you think? Well, we don't give a rats ass what you think. And every Witch needs its familiar. We have selected, for Joan as her little familiar, Joni Kamiya Rose, of the Hawaii Farmers Daughter blog! These two are a perfectly devilish pair, don't you think?

Do you really think we have a ghost of a chance of getting off that easy? After Joans confessional, she then goes on to try and dig up dirt on Dustin, and then in her last blogpost, is forced to admit to the sins (although to be fair to poor Arthur) reformed, (as Dustin is), and that she really admires him for his mistakes, and hates Dustin for his. The two issues are like night and day, but who cares, this is Joans little foggy bloggy world and its Halloween

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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Musings: Who is Arthur Brun?

People have been asking me about Council candidate Arthur Brun – who he is and what he's all about, beyond his campaign signs, which one friend described as “tasteful.”

Until recently, my only encounter with Arthur was at the July 21, 2010, Council hearing on the bill to allow vacation rentals on ag land. Though nearly everyone in attendance was a well-heeled North Shore resident trying to justify their illegal use of farm land, Arthur was a voice from the westside, and one of the few (along with Mel Rapozo) who spoke in opposition, testifying:

This bill is wrong. What about the local families that had farm land for generations and followed the law? You’re making our families that followed the law suffer. I don’t think you should be punishing the people who followed the law.

But that's exactly what the Council did when it passed Tim Bynum's bill and rewarded the scofflaws by opening up the permitting process only to those who had been operating illegally. In the process, they screwed everyone who had never started a TVR because they were against the law, forever denying them that source of lucrative revenue.

I later learned Arthur had been speaking strictly on principle, since he comes from the branch of the Brun family that owns no land, and that impressed me.

Then I got an anonymous comment from someone who said Arthur had been convicted of theft in 2002 and family abuse in 2004. Public court records confirmed the report, so I contacted Arthur to ask what it was all about.

“I got nothing to hide,” he said. “I did what I did. I made some bad choices in life, but I shaped up and moved on.”

Arthur, like so many young men on this island, had a serious run-in with crystal meth — the epidemic that is destroying countless human beings on this island, and which I consider a far more serious, real and far-reaching threat than pesticide applications.

“I went down to ground zero,” he said. And then he pulled himself back up.

Arthur spent 10 days in jail, paid full restitution of $14,000 and healed the relationship with his girlfriend, who is now his wife. “I've been clean for like 10 years now,” he said.

I recently wrote a little about my own encounters with family abuse, which I experienced first in my childhood home, where my father was an alcoholic, and later with a husband, and then a boyfriend. Both of them were local boys who got deep into ice. I saw first hand how it ravaged lives, the toll it was taking on generations of mostly local men, many of whom lost their jobs, their families, their homes, their freedom and sometimes, their minds and lives.

Ice is the most insidious, addictive, destructive drug I've ever seen. Only a very few of the users I knew ever got out of the spin, the downward spiral. Sadly, my two exes never did.

So I have to hand it to Arthur for having the strength and courage to get off the shit, pull his life together, accept responsibility for choices, make amends to those he'd wronged, get a job and take care of his family.

But it didn't just stop there. Arthur has gone into the schools to give anti-drug talks, and when Anahola had a spate of youth suicides a few years back, he and Mel went out and talked to the kids. He also coaches youth sports.

“I'm not proud of what I did, but if I can help other people, that's what I want to do,” he said.

Arthur is a strong advocate for opening adult drug and alcohol rehab centers on island. In fact, that's the number one platform of his campaign. “We have to deal with the adults,” he said, “because they're the ones who are bringing the dope onto the island.”

In his job as third-party coordinator for Syngenta, where he hires and manages the seasonal field workers, Arthur also has employed KCCC inmates in the work-release program, helping them get ready for life when they're released from jail.

So to me, Arthur's past is not a strike against him. He took responsibility for his misdeeds, instead of making excuses, and he's trying to help others. If he can be a positive role model for local guys, and help this island get a handle on the ice epidemic, well, that would be one helluva contribution.

But what about his job with Syngenta? I asked Arthur whether he was in a position to influence its activities, in terms of buffer zones and pesticide use. He's not. I then asked if his employer would be in a position to influence him, if he's elected to Council.

“No,” he said. “I don't think they could influence me. I just gotta do what is right for the people of Kauai. If we do things that are illegal, I want to know, because I want to live here for the rest of my life. I'm not blinded by them.”

In fact, his children were attending Waimea Canyon School a few years back when the reports came in of students getting sick. Though some continue to blame pesticides, the state fingered stink weed, and Arthur agrees.

“We didn't spray,” Arthur said. “I'd had my crew out there pulling stink weed, and we laid it on the ground and the smell came out a couple of days later.”

His children still attend school near the seed fields in Kekaha.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Musings: So Special

Though Kauai likes to think of itself as “special,” its dramas are so often a microcosm of what's playing out in a larger arena.

That reality came to mind when I read the recent article about how a group of southsiders are threatening a lawsuit to stop Hawaii Dairy Farms, a pilot project funded by billionaire Pierre Omidyar.

The article was published right after a friend who disagrees with me on Bill 2491 emailed to say:

Why not grow food without chemicals? That’s a great “experiment” which could employ people healthfully. Could employ people in healthy environments. Have the government subsidize this experiment and employ people.  The experiments can be funded by grants…….

So here we have an uber-rich guy, ready to fund a test project to see if milk can be produced cost-effectively in Hawaii using a rotational pasture method as an alternative to feedlots, employing people in a healthy environment, creating a stable new market for locally-grown feed, which is otherwise entirely imported, and what happens? It gets rejected before one cow even sets hoof on the island.

Surfrider and Friends of Mahaulepu, yet another new group formed in opposition to something, claim the dairy is already polluting the area, though it hasn't yet started operations. Friends member Bridget Hammerquist is quoted as saying:

They’re going to create a health hazard. It’s going to go into the streams. It already is.

Though it's not clear exactly what “it” is, since no dairy cows are on site, Surfrider's Carl Berg maintains the dairy has “already polluted the stream while doing its grading and grubbing on the land.” When I asked what he based that on, he replied: “Water sampling for bacteria, turbidity, total suspended solids, and nutrients at mouth of stream and just downstream of HDF property.”

In other words, it's not just the dairy that's bothering the groups, it's any agricultural activity at all. Because no matter what is grown or raised on that land, some grubbing and grading will be required. And that's a crucial point, since the dairy is proposed for acreage designated as Important Ag Land. The Mahaulepu site is an area where community members and elected officials agreed, after extensive public deliberation and discussion, that agriculture should be preserved for perpetuity.

But now we have people who chose to buy homes near an active agricultural area, saying no, we don't want any ag near us. Their sentiments are expressed by Jay Kechloian, who is quoted as saying:

Friends of Mahaulepu is pro agriculture and pro sustainable dairy on Kauai as long as it does not harm our environment — rivers, streams and oceans — and endanger our drinking water.

But even though their rhetoric is pro-ag/pro-dairy, their actions are anti-ag/anti-dairy — to the point of eying a lawsuit against HDF even though the dairy has not yet been approved by the state Department of Health, much less begun operations. They are launching a pre-emptive attack based on fear and speculation — the same tactics that proved so effective in the Bill 2491 GMO/pesticide debate.

It's clear that Surfrider and Friends of Mahaulepu alone want to dictate what sort of agriculture is acceptable and sustainable. And garans, no agricultural operation will ever be clean or sustainable enough to suit them.

Meanwhile, there's this weird dichotomy with the tourism industry that has inserted itself into ag and coastal lands throughout the island, especially on the southside. For some reason, tourism is getting a free pass from Surfrider, Friends and GMO Free Kauai. 

This giant disconnect is blithely expressed by Linda Bothe — a Kalaheo resident and Dustin Barca supporter — in a letter to the editor today:

We are also dealing with some elected officials’ “brilliant idea” to put a polluting, smelly dairy on sacred grounds that lead right to the ocean. Also, right next door to one of our beautiful hotels that brings in tourism and with that income and jobs. Who is going to benefit from this huge mistake? Some elected leader is putting a lot of moo-la in their pocket, is my guess.

First, the dairy is not the “brilliant idea” of any elected official, but Omidyar's Ulu Pono Initiative — the same organization that has given money to greenie groups like Waipa [correction, Waipa has not been funded by Ulu Pono] and Malama Kauai. Since Omidyar doesn't even care if the dairy makes a profit, the ones who are intended to benefit are Hawaii residents who could buy fresh milk, instead of stuff imported thousands of miles from the mainland.

And why is it that Linda and others are bothered by the idea of a dairy “on sacred grounds that lead right to the ocean” but not a 600-room luxury hotel that is much closer to the ocean, with a sewage treatment plant in the flood zone, extensively manicured grounds, a golf course and numerous pools? If she believes the dairy will pollute the water, how is that she thinks the pesticides, sewage, chlorinated water and fertilizers associated with the Hyatt are not?

So if Linda, Surfrider, Friends of Mahaulepu and Malama Mahaulepu — whose board of directors includes GMO Free Kauai/Hawaii Seed President Jeri DiPietro — are successful in destroying HDF, and preventing Grove Farm from using even its IAL acreage for agriculture, what will come next?

You got it: more hotels and luxury homes, with their concurrent sewage, pesticide treatment, fertilized landscaping, etc. What's more, with the shoreline setback bill now under review, these uses wouldn't even need to go through a shoreline certification, since they'd be built on a rocky cliff. So they could be hanging right on the edge of those lovely limestone cliffs, with their sewage and chemicals seeping down into the water.

Is this a good trade-off? Are the dairy opponents aware of this? Or is this yet another example of how the anti-GMO folks are actually actively working to destroy agriculture in order to facilitate development?

Returning to the threatened lawsuit, and what's playing out in a larger arena, I recently read a piece about how 21 residents of a small New Mexico town have brought a nuisance lawsuit against “dairy row” — a string of feedlot dairies in the southern part of the state.

They are unhappy with the odor and flies they attribute to the dairy, but their legal action was prompted by a Georgia attorney, Richard Middleton, who specializes in agricultural nuisance lawsuits. Middletown — a new kind of ambulance chaser — came to the town, soliciting plaintiffs, after hearing one resident complain on NPR about flies.

Curiously, though all the dairies ostensibly produce flies and odors, only seven of the dozen or so that operate there are being sued. Perhaps because they've been identified as deep pockets? At any rate, a mediation session is set for Dec. 11.

“If successful, it could avoid a trial,” says Middleton, the residents’ attorney, “But we can walk away if there’s not sufficient money offered.” He declined to offer a figure that he was looking for, but added, “I’ve learned over the years that you have to hit [dairies] in the pocketbook.” Middleton’s been doing this kind of work since 1999 and says he’s seen some dairies clean up their operations while others have folded or moved.

Some of the plaintiffs want the dairies to leave, believing their town of about 1,000 people in one of the nation's poorest states will attract new industry. Others don't care because they're retired. And some, it seems, will tolerate smell and flies if they have money in their pocket, their friends, family and neighbors be damned.

But what really struck me about all this were the options: clean up, fold or move. If they fold, that's one less producer of the local food that everyone is clamoring for. If they move, it's someone else's problem. If they clean up, then maybe everyone benefits — except lawyers engaged in this ag extortion racket.

So instead of trying to destroy HDF (or the seed companies), or send them somewhere that's out of sight, out of mind, why not work with the agricultural entities to address real and legitimate concerns? Why not come at it from a place of, let's see what's possible? Instead of no, it's absolutely impossible —  at least, in my backyard?

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Musings: Dustin's Dirty Deeds

Gosh, The Garden Island actually did some investigating and came up with a scoop: mayoral candidate Dustin Barca declared bankruptcy to avoid a $2 million judgment for cutting a guy's face in a bar brawl.

Unfortunately, Dustin confirms his immaturity and low morals by refusing to take any responsibility for the attack. He's chock full of excuses: he was never charged, it was an “unfortunate incident,” people are trying to make him “look bad,” everybody wants to focus on his thuggish past “when there is so much to work for in our future.”

And then he tells a giant, crybaby whopper: his bankruptcy was due to “a 22-year-old kid with $70,000 in hospital bills for appendicitis and dehydration” — not a judgment won by Patrick Gray, the guy who required 40 sutures after Dustin beaned him with a cocktail glass. 

Mmmm, then how come Dustin's bankruptcy papers claim $2,023,034 in liabilities, including just $23,000 for medical bills and $2 million in an unsecured claim to Gray?

For a guy who claims to be on a mission from God, he sure talks a lot of shit.

Which brings us to this statement, which proves just how ignorant Dustin is:

Economic sustainability is tourism.

Huh? What, exactly, is sustainable about tourism, either environmentally or economically?

You have 8 million people flying, via carbon-producing airlines, to the Islands each year. Then they cruise around in rental cars and tour buses, producing more emissions. They all must eat, requiring the state to import tons of food, and they're meanwhile consuming fresh water for their showers and toilets. They're using electricity generated primarily by imported fossil fuels, producing sewage the Islands are ill-equipped to treat and generating mountains of rubbish for over-taxed landfills. They're staying in hotels that consume lots of natural resources or vacation rentals that impact neighborhoods. Their accommodations and golf courses are heavily treated with pesticides to keep them bug-free and beautiful.

Virtually everything they require — aside from the waning “aloha spirit” — is imported. In return, they produce nothing of value, though they do spend money. However, a lot of that cash leaves the state and goes to corporations based elsewhere. So how is that any more sustainable than the seed companies Dustin rails against? Why isn't he demanding an EIS on tourism and its impacts?

I loved this:

“People will do anything to smear your name,” Barca said.

You mean like all those nasty, unfounded social media attacks you and your “red-shirt” pals engaged in against Mayor Carvalho and biotech employees, Dustin? The ones that are still being leveled against folks on Maui, where your anti-GMO campaign is now focused?

Yeah, that's how Dustin and the “red-shirts” and the “fistees” roll. And he and Councilman Gary Hooser can't claim they're not complicit. Shoots,they're participating in today's rally on behalf of the SHAKA movement, which has engaged in hate speech, death threats, criminal property damage and vandalism throughout Maui and Molokai.

I keep waiting for all the good people in the movement, the decent folk who still support Gary and Dustin, to say something —anything — against the ugliness. How can you support candidates who condone such actions? Doesn't it bother you guys enough to speak up? 

But so far, just crickets…. 

Meanwhile, that master manipulator of social media, Center for Food Safety, is ironically participating in a “teach-in” on “Techno-Utopianism and the Fate of the Earth”in New York City this weekend. Andrew Kimbrell, the same guy who joined Vandana Shiva in rallying Kauai folks to kick out the seed companies, is giving two talks: The End of Market Capitalism? and Genetic Redesign of Human Beings.

Koohan Paik — remember her from the Kauai Superferry days? — is in charge of “technology” for the event. Ironically, her hubby, Jerry Mander, will be speaking on Questions We Should Have Asked About Technology.

You mean like why it's OK for you guys to use it for propaganda and deception, but everyone else is suspect?

Good old Vandana is on the program, too, collecting her big speaking fee:

So let's see, if Hawaii Seed/GMO-Free Kauai brought Vandana here twice, via business class, with hotels and entourage, that's like a cool $100,000 they plunked down just for that particular piece of propaganda. And you thought this was a poor little David vs Goliath grassroots movement!

Sucka!

Or to quote old Dustin hisself:

WAKE UP HAWAII !! WE ARE BEING PLAYED FOR FOOLS AT ALL LEVELS!!

Would somebody please give the guy a mirror?

Friday, October 24, 2014

Musings: Final Stretch

It's coming down to the final stretch of the campaign season — thankfully — and candidates are keen to get their names and messages out there.

But sometimes they're too cryptic, like this postcard, mailed first class from St. Paul, Minn. Who sent it? Who is it for? KipuKai and Arryl? An overall pitch to get out the vote for Council? Poor Eddie, the way his name is used without his consent. And in this case, exactly where would Eddie go?

Plus what's up with the chicken, and the “sistah” reference? Bizarre.

Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, meanwhile, chose to propose a tax increase to fund the Kauai Bus. As a friend noted in an email:

Is Joann trying NOT to get reelected? Don’t they teach you on the first day of class at Politician School that you shouldn’t be talking about raising taxes – certainly not the SALES tax – 2 weeks before an election? And especially not for something as lame as the Kauai Bus which is really … lame … speaking as someone who has actually ridden it. Bad enough their tinkering with the property tax formula — not just in an election year but in the DAYS before an election – but now JY jumps into the act with more ideas on taking money away?

Ya gotta wonder....

Speaking of public transportation, I see Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. has launched the North Shore shuttle, something that's been talked about for how long now? It's just his way of telling NS voters, hey, I still care about you guys, even though you did call me the birth defects mayor for vetoing that illegal Bill 2491, and then compounded the insult by backing that kook who's running against me.

Which leads us to Dustin Barca. If you're still undecided about the guy, just check out his Facebook pages. I mean, I can understand if you don't want Bernard. But to actually support Dustin? Yikes. Here's a spooky sample of where that guy's head is at, in all his CAP LOCK screaming glory:

THE GMO FIGHT IN HAWAII-KAUA'I,OAHU,MOLOKA'I, MAUI AND THE BIG ISLAND IS ABOUT POISON NOT FOOD!! IT'S A HUMAN HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ISSUE!!! THIS IS ABOUT OUR KEIKI AND AINA!! WE are the Root of a Worldwide Problem. WE are THIS IS TERRORISM! Blocking US the Tax Paying People By Suing Every County For Protecting OURselves From 6 Times More Poison Per Acre than Anywhere in America!

Yes, Dustin, you and your fellow “fistees” are indeed the root of a worldwide problem. It's called ignorance.

SORRY TO ALL THE DUSTIN BARCA SURF FANS FOR NOT POSTING SURF STUFF! but IM ON A MISSION FROM GOD TO UNITE KAUA'I and SAVE OUR HOME FROM THE LARGEST CHEMICAL corporations IN THE WORLD!!!!!!

Ya know, Dustin, ya might just want to stick to surf stuff, cause your unification (and punctuation) skills really suck.

TO ALL YOU CALIFORNIANS!!

In Kaua'i, Our Aquifers are contaminated by Large Ag. Restricted use Pesticides like Atrazine and TCP

Mmmm, really, Dustin? Like which ones, exactly? And are you talking to the wealthy Californians who are funding your campaign, or just Californians in general?

After the Ebola plane landed on Kauai for a Navy mission, Dustin linked to an article that claims Monsanto created the Ebola virus so it could make money on an Ebola vaccine it developed with the Department of Defense. The article ended, aptly, with this sentence: “There’s just something wrong with this whole picture.”

Ya think? But Dustin swallowed it hook, line and sinker, posting:

WHY ARE WE THE EXPERIMENTAL ISLAND?

TOO MUCH CRAZY CRAP GOES ON HERE!!!!

Airport is NOT shut down? Department of health didn't even know about this when we called this morning? WTH IS GOING ON?!?!!

Mahana Mari, one of his conspiracy theorist followers, had the answer:

quite the "coincidence" that the top Monsanto executives and the Ebola plane are on Kaua'i at the same time...

Oh, yes, quite. This was my favorite, though:

WAKE UP HAWAII !! WE ARE BEING PLAYED FOR FOOLS AT ALL LEVELS!!

Well, he's certainly right about that one....

Which leads me past Dustin and on to Councilman Gary Hooser. Remember EPHIS, the Environment and Public Health Impact Study that Nadine Nakamura and JoAnn actually authored? The one that was supposed to figure out just how poisoned all the westsiders actually are? The one that was supposed to give them answers, and then some relief?

Well, the resolution that authorized that study was approved separately from Bill 2491, which meant it could have stood on its own. But Gary, in his infinite wisdom, absolutely insisted that it be wrapped into Bill 2491. And it was.

So when Bill 2491 was struck down, EPHIS was, too. That's right, folks. If it weren't for Gary, the EPHIS would already be under way, shepherded by the Council. Instead, it's dead, and the Administration and Department of Health are pursuing a much narrower study.

Way to go, Gary! Kind of makes you wonder, yet again, who he's really working for.

But it seems no matter how badly Gary blows it, he just can't shake the faith of his “red shirt” followers, as evidenced by the GMO-Free Kauai “voters guide.” Seems they're back at it after a hard-earned “activist vacation.” Cause it's just so exhausting to be in a constant state of agitated alarm, not to mention the stress of flitting between islands and posting bullshit on Facebook round the clock. Here's their slate:

Mayor: Dustin Barca. County Council: Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum, Mason Chock, Felicia Cowden, Tiana Laranio.

A friend likened the current polarization over GMOs to the conflict in the Middle East, and it seems a reasonable comparison. Personally, I blame the "red-shirts" and "fistees" — I know some folks have complained about those labels, but truly, you brought them upon yourselves — for launching a war before they even tried diplomacy.

Still, it's possible that one day Kauai, and the rest of Hawaii, may be able to heal the wounds, bridge the divide. I'm not at all confident, though, in part because people like Gary — the original fistee fomenter — and Dustin — a fighter by trade — are just itching to keep the conflict alive:

Perhaps the place to start is by replacing — and rejecting — politicians who are an impediment to peace.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Musings: On My Critics, Round 2

Yesterday's post, where I asked why good people in the anti-GMO movement hadn't stood up against the jackboot behavior of their cohorts, prompted this comment from Ed Coll:

You say you have no soft soft spot for the chem/seed companies yet the bulk of your criticism is aimed at the anti-movement. Where is the balance? You decry “the promulgation of misinformation” by the anti-movement and do a great job pointing such misinformation out but fail to point out the misinformation of the chem/seed companies. Likewise you analyze funding sources and amounts the anti-movement spends but not the spending and lobbying of the chem/seed companies. No mention of the historical relationship between HICA and UH-CTAHR, the projects and research members of HICA fund at CTAHR or how such funding might influence what is researched, or how much HICA pays Becker Communications to churn out propaganda, or how much Jon Entine and Karl Haro von Mogel were paid and by whom. You also stress “voluntary disclosure” as if the fox guarding the hen house has ever been good for the chickens. No mention of how the FDA has been a captive agency since 1977 and has failed to regulate the use of antibiotics on feed animals perhaps resulting in antibiotic resistance in humans.

While it is valid to criticize the uncivil, stumbling, bumbling mis-steps of local "activists" and their "leaders" how about looking into the misdeeds of corporate and government actors as well. You seem to be always aiming at David and giving Goliath a free pass.

I want to respond to that comment in a post, because it's a criticism that others with ideological blinders and short memories have levied, too. And it's pure bullshit.

For nearly a decade I wrote frequently about the seed/chem companies in Hawaii, primarily for the Honolulu Weekly. I was the first journalist to cover the issue in any depth in Hawaii, and the first to write about it for a mainstream Hawaii publication — Honolulu Magazine. I wrote about biopharmaceuticals cultivated in Hawaii, minimal state oversight, federal dominance, the appointment of industry officials to federal agencies, the state's efforts to attract biotech, the industry's support for UH research.

My reporting earned me the ire of the chem companies, most notably Pioneer's Cindy Goldstein, who tried to publicly discredit me, rallying some UH biotech researchers to her cause. My work, which I thought was important for the public's right to know, cost me assignments with Hawaii publications that didn't want to risk alienating advertisers because I was too hot to handle. The general public, meanwhile, didn't seem much interested.

During the seven years of writing this blog, I've continued my research, writing extensively about pesticides and genetic engineering, the cozy relationship between regulators and all industry, the problems associated with using antibiotics on livestock, stressors on pollinators, etc., etc. I've covered countless local and international environmental issues, as well as the misdeeds of numerous “government actors,” most notably former Prosecutor Shaylene Iseri.

As recently as a year ago I was still castigating the seed/chem companies, though by that time I had begun to realize that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Or to paraphrase, I had come to understand that the anti-GMO movement in Hawaii — and pretty much all the environmental movements, too — was not a David fighting Goliath, not an underdog, not in any way pono.

My disenchantment began in early 2013, when the Vandana Shiva circus came to town, and I realized somebody was pumping a whole bunch of money into what had been a tepid, powerless movement. Simultaneously, but not coincidentally, Councilman Gary Hooser began drafting Bill 2491, ignoring those of us who cautioned against overreach and including GMOs.

Meanwhile, I was investigating and writing the Abuse Chronicles series, in which I catalogued the systemic failure of a Kauai County regulatory process involving vacation rentals. I saw clearly, as did the entire County Council and Administration, the problems that can arise when government is unwilling or unable to enforce the law.

So when I asked Gary about enforcement of his pesticide/GMO bill, and he replied that enforcement didn't matter, all that mattered was getting the bill passed, I knew that he and outside influences were using Kauai to wage a bigger battle, and that our community was going to suffer.

I began digging around with the help of an akamai friend. We soon saw how much of the environmental movement is funded by the same corporations they claim to be fighting. We saw the ugly totalitarian tactics embraced by people we thought were progressives. We saw reasonable folks embrace a wild disinformation campaign. We saw activists intentionally stir up fear with absolutely no basis in fact. We saw the movement swell with people who were either new to the island, or paid instigators, like Nomi Carmona and Jennifer Ruggles.

I saw the intense pain they were causing by the attacks they were leveling on longtime farmers and local people trying to work in ag, and how they were undermining all agriculture with their short-sighted stance. Sadly, I saw folks who I thought were good people either stand by and say nothing about the ugliness, or join in the fray.

After watching the mob action that resulted in the passage of a badly flawed bill, and the deceptive Council shenanigans that led to Mason Chock's appointment to override the mayor's veto, I realized I was covering what my journalism professors had termed a “man bites dog” story.

In other words, what began to interest me was not the usual bad deeds of corporations, but the bad deeds of the so-called “good guys” — the folks whose rhetoric speaks to love, peace, aloha and progressive tolerance, but whose actions reveal them to be rabid fanatics who will stop at nothing to promote their cause.

What's more, they were so deluded, or stupid, they didn't even know they were being funded by the heirs of big oil and manufacturing,  that they were engaged in seed gathering activities exactly of the sort that had resulted in the collection of the Seed Savers Exchange being sent to the vaults at Svalbard — a seed bank funded by Dow, Syngenta, Bill Gates and the Rockefeller Foundation, with treaties that allow that genetic material to be patented — that they were pushing a bill that gave the industry exactly what it wanted: a clear court ruling that solidified the state's pre-emption.

They didn't even see they were being played as fools by Gary and all the other political ideologues who don't give a shit about what's right, but are driven instead by ego, power and their allegiance to forces other than their constituents.

As my friend wrote in comments yesterday: "When the anti side achieves what the chem corp wants, we need to question."

I began to question all the premises I'd previously held, all the slack I'd previously cut activists because I believed them to be on the side of good. Because when the “good guys” are using the same tactics as the “bad guys,” they can no longer claim moral superiority. With the sympathetic blinders off, I began to see that many of the activists I'd been covering for years are narcissists who love conflict and drama, and have no desire to solve problems or reach resolutions. I came to realize that lawyers I'd previously admired, like Paul Achitoff of Earthjustice, lie and deceive just like their opponents, and have a financial incentive to keep the litigation going.

Along the way, I also began to change my views about biotech. It isn't all evil, all bad. Decent people with lofty aims are devoting their lives to this research, believing it can do good. It shouldn't be shut down because of the false beliefs of ignorant fanatics. I've come to suspect that GMO labeling initiatives aren't driven by the "right to know," but an attempt to instill fear in order to build market share for organic producers. And I've learned that organic farming isn't environmentally benign, and it has its corporate backers, too.

It's all very complicated, and it's all intertwined. What's more, we're all complicit. It's mad foolishness to be blaming the corporations for our woes when we're all buying their products, helping their bottom line. And there isn't one activist, one true believer, who can honestly claim he or she is pure. I'm sick and tired of watching phonies claim the moral high ground.

So don't be dinging me for not bashing the “bad guys” enough. Been there, done that. There's a reason why I'm now banging on the “good guys." I'm hoping that some of you in that camp will open your eyes and see. But given the response to yesterday's post, denial and self-righteous is still rampant.

This is where I'm at these days, with a nod to Dave Mason: There ain't no good guys, there ain't no bad guys; there ain't no us, there ain't no them. There are only different belief systems, some rigid, some fluid. Some people cling doggedly to their beliefs, while others — including several in the Kauai political arena — exploit them for nefarious purposes.

But that doesn't change this one absolute truth: We're all in this together. And the sooner we realize that, and step away from our respective camps, the sooner we'll start working to create a better world. Until then it's just war driven by the false belief of separation.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Musings: On the Dark Side

I understand why good people have gotten involved in the anti-GMO/pesticide movement in Hawaii — they're genuinely (though perhaps misguidedly) concerned about human and environmental health.

What I don't understand is why those good people haven't said anything about the ugly dark side of their movement: the ongoing death threats against folks who express a different opinion, the intimidation, the lies, the dissemination of distasteful social media memes like this:

In the case of Alicia Maluafiti — former executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association — even her worthy volunteer work on behalf of stray dogs and cats was viciously targeted by anti-GMO extremists like Nomi “Babes” Carmona.

I've not seen even one public statement censuring these abhorrent tactics, not one instance of anyone distancing themselves from the nasties.

So one can only assume those out-front either condone such behavior, or they don't have the strength and/or courage to stand up against it. Either way, it doesn't speak well for the moral fiber, the character of the movement. Which is why I personally find it so repellant.

Now, thanks to the Center for Food Safety video “we are the movement,” we can attach names and faces to the “red shirts” — identify those in our community who overtly or tacitly approve of bullying, the stifling of dissent by any means, the promulgation of misinformation.

Sadly, some of these people identify themselves as educators, parents, health practitioners, politicians — folks one would expect to set a good example in their community.

In the video, I hear people who should know better repeating the same lies: we have very little information about what our families are exposed to; we don't know what they're spraying or when; the seed companies are unwilling to observe even modest buffers — none of which is true on Kauai.

And though the CFS website tells of how “residents organized to pass Ordinance 960,” it fails to mention the ordinance was struck down by the courts. Instead, it falsely claims: "The chemical companies responded by suing the county rather than telling the community what they are doing." In fact, all the companies are disclosing restricted use pesticides on the state website, and some are doing direct disclosure to those living near their fields.

Take a look at the video and see who you recognize — aside from Councilman Tim Bynum, Malia Chun (Councilman Mason Chock's sister) and Elif Beall, who is married to Matt Beall  of the sleazy Hawaii Life Real Estate company.

Which brings us to the subject of financial backing. I haven't seen any of those involved in the movement publicly express concerns about their funders: Hawaii-based upscale Realtors and mainland-based oil and manufacturing heirs.

Besides the inherent hypocrisy, they don't seem to realize that the fundamental law of ecology also applies to funding sources: there is no free lunch. As with the money that backs politicians, at some point these funders will exact their due from the movement.

We know what the Realtors want: more land to develop, more sales. But with Center for Food Safety, a mainland-based group that has inserted itself quite forcefully into Hawaii elections, do we really know what their true agenda might be? Other than political power?

CFS has launched a political action fund that describes itself as “a non-partisan, not-for-profit, non-candidate committee.” But one look at the flyer for the Oct 25 “Rock Da Vote” event on Kauai makes it quite clear that they are indeed backing specific candidates.

First, there's Councilman Tim Bynum, who actually appeared on the CFS video. Then there's Councilman Gary Hooser, whose Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is co-sponsoring the event. The HAPA board also includes many of those appearing in the video. So even while they're claiming "tens of thousands" have joined the movement, they're recycling all the same people.

Yes, Tim and Gary are closely aligned with CFS, whose very own website states: "Join our more than 500,000 members across the country saying no to industrial agriculture." And they wonder why they're pegged as anti-ag….

Another sponsor is Ohana O Kauai, the group led by mayoral candidate Dustin Barca. And one of the bands includes the son of Council Candidate Felicia Cowden.

So I think we know who CFS wants to "rock da vote" for: da "red shirt" candidates. 

The CFS video states:

Our demands are simple. We want to maintain our biodiversity. We want to have good jobs that are healthy and safe. We want to know what these chemical companies are growing and spraying near our homes, schools, and hospitals. We want a food system that feeds local people.

The demands may be simple, but their implementation and delivery is not, especially when you have some of these very same folks opposing local milk production by Hawaii Dairy Farms and both Tim and Gary pushing to remove 24,000 acres from the agricultural dedication.

It serves no one to minimize the challenges inherent in these demands, or to pretend they  will be automatically achieved with the demise of the seed companies.

I have no soft spot for the chem/seed companies, who brought much of this uproar upon themselves by walling themselves off and refusing to respond to questions about their industry and 10-year-old concerns about dust.

But neither do I have a soft spot for the anti-movement, which has seriously polarized communities across the state, offered no viable solutions for achieving its own demands and engaged in despicable tactics that undermine every tenant of aloha.

To regain some semblance of civility, address concerns with the seed/chem companies and find meaningful solutions to the many problems that face the Islands, voters need to start by rejecting politicians who have aligned themselves with the totalitarian “red shirt” movement. We aren't going to get anywhere with those extremists at the helm.

And then people need to stand up to the “red shirts” — just as they would a schoolyard bully — and say “hey, that shit don't fly.” Because if we don't nip it in the bud now, those jackboot strategies will continue to dominate the political arena in Hawaii, making civic engagement unpalatable and untenable for all but the die-hard ideologues.

It's election season, people. Use your power wisely.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Musings: Haunting Hale 2

Since some have expressed doubt about assertions I made in my previous post, here is evidence of debris left on Joe Brescia's property by the high wash of the waves.  Not a storm, just normal winter surf, as happens every year. I have seen it with my own eyes many times.  At the bottom are two pictures of the ocean on the November day that these photos were taken.

As you can see, the debris was deposited quite a ways onto his landscaping, sometimes broaching a naupaka hedge. Everything makai of that debris line is public beach that has been stolen from public use.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Musings: Haunting Hale

Michael Schmidt of Coldwell Banker Bali Hai Realty has lowered himself a little further with a distinctive offering: the house that Joe Brescia built atop burials at Naue.

Yes, for a cool $5.5 million cash – or a mortgage of $25,100 per month — you, too, can have the pleasure of living in a cemetery, of resting your head upon a pillow, knowing that iwi kupuna lie beneath the pillars that support the house, of eating, drinking, pissing and shitting in a place where kanaka of long ago laid their loved ones to rest.

Until Los Angeles developer/speculator Joe Brescia desecrated them so he could build — and now flip — yet another house along that once stellar shoreline. And the county and state went along, because nobody wanted to risk a “takings” lawsuit by telling Joe, “No, you can't build such a big ass house on a lot with at least 31 burials.”

Neither  the real estate ad nor the promotional video make any mention of the iwi kupuna beneath its foundation and under its lawn, nor of the angst that accompanied every step of its 2010 construction — the protests, the lawsuits, the arrests, the vigils, the pain, the tears, the anger, the anguish.

Only that, "Years of planning went into building this newer, well-maintained home." Mmm hmm.

Nothing is said about the dreadful precedent this house set of undercutting the authority of the Kauai-Niihau Island Burial Council when the state interpreted its decision to “preserve in place” as meaning it's OK to build right on top of iwi kupuna.

As I previously reported in the Honolulu Weekly, Brescia's house marked the first time the State Historic Preservation Division overrode a Burial Council and permitted construction on a previously identified burial site. As Alan Murakami, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. attorney who litigated the case, noted:

They just absolutely caved in response to development pressure. What is the point of having a Burial Council if they can only determine how high or how wide the buffers [around burials] can be? That’s a huge constriction on the power the Burial Councils previously had.

The ad does say “over 150' of white sand beach frontage wraps around the property which is widened by a legendary reef tombolo while also creating amazing privacy.”

But it doesn't disclose that Brescia stole much of that sand from the public with the blessing of Chris Conger — the same guy now advising the county on revisions to the shoreline setback law — and his “no history” approach to setting shorelines. Though that approach has since been thrown out by the Hawaii Supreme Court, Brescia has incorporated a large swath of public beach into his lot and landscaping, and we'll never get it back.

No, in the realm of advertising, it seems that Brescia's house also has no history. There's only the now of selling “this pristine home” for a hefty profit with the disingenuous promise: “Years of enjoyment can be yours today at Kaonohi Point.”

Really? What joy can ever be found in the heartbreak of others?

On a much happier note, let me close by saying the outpouring of support expressed in the comment section of my last post filled me with gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful readers who spend part of their day with Kauai Eclectic.

Mahalo to all of you!

[Note: This post was corrected to show that Coldwell Banker, not Hawaii Life, is the listing agent.]

Friday, October 17, 2014

Musings: On My Critics

It's been amusing to witness the efforts aimed at trying to make me stop dinging Councilmen Gary Hooser and Tim Bynum.

Like this Anonymous comment:

Joan. As a friend you should know people are talking. There are two stories going around. Sometimes they are intertwined and sometimes separate. Your fixation on Gary is attributed to either a jilted lover situation and/or your involvement with Jerry O. In any case, it is obvious to all that you [sic] entirely too obsessed with bringing Hooser down and it has to be personal. tc

Love affair with Gary? Gack. And while Jerry is one of my favorite people on the planet, we're not “involved" and I drew my conclusions about Gary without any influence from him.

Of course, I knew it was a fake because my real friends don't talk to me via anonymous comments. And anyway, they're pretty much all cheering me on to bring Hooser down. They know I've gone after Gary for legitimate reasons: he's a bullying liar who has seriously damaged Kauai County in his egomaniacal bid for political acclaim and national attention.

Still, it's odd that folks who consider themselves “progressives” resort to tired old stereotypical scenarios in trying to explain away a reality they refuse to see. Kind of like the commenter who attributed my disdain for Council candidate Felicia Cowden to us having “competed for the same guy.” WTF? It's like they can't imagine that a woman could possibly have the brains and discernment to identify disingenuous and dangerous politicians; it must be a bad romance.

But then, that's been my problem with many of the Bill 2491/Hooser/Bynum/Barca supporters. They fancy themselves progressives, but they've behaved so regressively that they've set progressive politics in Hawaii way, way back. And they don't even see it.

Which brings me to an email sent by a reader who urged me to stop “flogging” Gary and Tim:

Seems to me that the facts indicate these guys are sober and serious long-time public servants, with extensive histories of hard work and constructive legislation for the betterment of our island. With an election looming, it's also important to remember that both are progressive candidates: look at their whole track records, not just the issue on which you disagree with them.

Mmm, what's progressive about using lies and fears to spark a mob action, divide the island and pass legislation that is overturned while setting a legal precedent for state pre-emption?

As for track records, Tim's includes gutting the TVR bill to remove inspections and allowing TVRs on ag land, while Gary's includes dumping his Kauai Senate seat and powerful role as majority leader to make a doomed-from-the-start run for lieutenant governor, and then dumping his post at OEQC (after making all sorts of promises he couldn't deliver and leaving the staff there to clean up the mess) to get back on the Kauai County Council and issue his call for a “million little fists.”

Throw in Tim's lawsuit against the county, quavery victim voice and petty tantrums, Gary's penchant for deception and smug smarminess, and their current effort to remove 24,000 acres from ag dedication and it's a no brainer: those two faux progressives have got to go.

Then there was this Facebook message from a woman I know from yoga:

It's like you have a personal crusade going against Gary and Tim. Why not work it out with them and resolve it. Communicate with them personally.

To which I replied:

There is no way to "work it out" with Tim and Gary. I have communicated with them personally. They won't even acknowledge the wrongs they've done and the harm they've caused. One can't "work it out" with people who are in denial and who continue to do the same bad things, like lie. My interest now is in ensuring that as many people as possible know what they're really all about.

Which brings me to mayoral candidate Dustin Barca. It's apparent from this new “Fightland” video, which was also posted on the Surfer magazine site, that his candidacy isn't about serving Kauai, but getting exposure for himself and his anti-GMO message.

The video is filled with Dustin's bullshit — “Waimea Middle School, 50 kids falling down having seizures and bloody noses from pesticide exposure”; “We have the sickness, the cancers, the birth defects, but we can't prove the link because we don't know what they're spraying” — but fails to mention Bill 2491 was overturned by a federal judge. Instead, it claims “local politics have left it at a standstill.”

Most telling, however, was the revelation that as a “grom,” Dustin was taken in by the Northshore Oahu Wolfpack, a “notorious group that enforces the line up at Pipeline and other surf spots, sometimes through violence and intimidation.” Yeah, despite all of Dustin's rhetoric about love and respect, he just can't escape his thuggish roots. Dustin's the fist behind the “fistees,” folks.

The video, which curiously focuses on North Shore Kauai landscapes rather than the westside, features footage from the Haleiwa evict Monsanto march, where pro-surfer Kelly Slater weighs in with the comment, “Humans are kind of messing with science.”

It closes with a tagline that shows the wrong date for the general election, and then a shot of Dustin, front tooth missing, sitting on his board, wiping his nose. Classic.

Returning to my critics, there was also this Anonymous comment:

You really need to lighten up Joan and get back on track. Perhaps a long vacation is in order. People are talking and say you have gone way, way over the top and are "no longer the Joan we used to know and love". Truth - but am sure that is one thing you do not recognize any more. Sad.

Gosh. Abandoned by people who never knew me, and never loved me, but only liked me so long as I was writing what they wanted to hear. I can only take that as confirmation that I'm on the right track.

P.S. A real friend just emailed: "You forgot to mention that it's your head injury that led you to abandon the cause." Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten the theory advanced by dear Felicia, that I must have suffered a traumatic brain injury? Must've been the "GMO implants/GMO virus" that caused it to slip my mind. 

So, as you can see our merry wicked witch of Kauai is busy, giving herself the credit for naue, (and taking it away from the Hawaiians, not even mentioning Edens huff once,

She writes about her abusive father, that her husband, and a later boyfriend was an ice head and that they were both local.

She states that Jimmy dissed her once at a meeting and that's why she hates him.

She states that Gary dissed her, because she didn't like his answer, and suddenly she became a steaming vat of hatefilled magma. This  iswhy she is our favorite witchy witch!.

Also, one of her posters asked why she wasn't making her stupid flowery little entrances on her blog and she says she quit doing that because she was getting heat from the mean greenies!

Wow, we are powerful I guess. Or Joan is disturbed. So now, we got her to rage and reveal, which is the job of any good snarkist, and there ya go kids. Go check out her blog for yourself, and read the garbage in there. She continually lauds herself for starting this and that, and I was the only one who....insert something awesome here. I did Naue, if it wasn't for me, blah blah.

Yeap. A steaming pile of chocolaty goodness!

And now for your Halloween Pleasure, a little history lesson kiddies. Enjoy!

Oh, and by the way some of her faithful bloggie puppies were thinking and asking if Joan was hot, after she revealed that there was rumours going around that she had been dissed by Gary Hooser after making advances towards him. I beg you all to check out the pics of Joan we have so conveniently posted. I guess if you like Sarah Palin, but whiter paler and plainer looking not to mention older, go for it, peeps. We aren't one to rag on bodies here, after all look at me, i wear a Darth Vader helmet for fucks sake!

Anyway on with the history lesson in PART 2 coming up after Halloween have a spooky great time, and we are back...don't forget to congratulate Joan Conrow as the official witch of Kauai tomorrow!

and, as always, our disclaimers...um we are too lazy to put them up. Just go read our other postings.

Nothing said here is supposed to be facts unless you yourself know them to be true, except for what we have written here that we are sure of which is about 99.9999 percent of it. So rest assured its all true...to us. If it's true to you, then thats on you, pal, don't blame us for believing us, even though we are absolutely correct.  If you understood that, you get us. If you didn't you prolly shouldn't be reading this at all. back away slowly, because................................................

there is a ghost behind you.....BOO!!