10-31-2008, 05:48 PM
canh Le
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Kim slaps down GMO ban
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11-14-2008, 04:40 AM
That's right, the Council over rode the Mayor's veto.
At yesterday's special Council meeting to consider the over ride, there were throngs of people from the community -- young, old, all kine and colors from all over the island -- to testify supporting the ban and requesting the Council over ride the veto. Coffee farmers, organic proponents, theologians with concern regarding ethics, taro growers, kanaka maoli with cultural objections, and professional agriculturalists (myself among them) with concerns for local control of food production, and more. Opposing the ban were: a few UH Manoa researchers with vested interest in protecting their own research agendas, the Hilo Chamber of Commerce, the state level Farm Bureau, and a couple of other folks. An 'advisory group' is in the offing to look at the issue of GMO on the island. This is to be watched with an eye to ensuring openness and to avoid a sham front to push any single perspective. My take on the UH Manoa researchers, state Farm Bureau, and Chamber was that they came across very arrogant and condescending, with the paternalistic attitude: "farmers and the community are too ignorant to know what is best for them ... " Which I find appalling!!! James Weatherford, Ph.D. 15-1888 Hialoa Hawaiian Paradise Park
11-14-2008, 04:50 AM
Going to be funny when the bugs they import to kill the strawberry guava, jump to Coffee and Taro... and the only fix will be GMO... but its illegal.
Transplanted Texan "I am here to chew bubble gum and kick some *** ... and I'm all out of bubble gum"
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else... America "IS" everybody else. The Wilder Side Of Hawaii
11-14-2008, 05:06 AM
is there anyone in county gov with the knowledge to enforce this?. and this cant regulate anything happening on state land
11-14-2008, 05:24 AM
"Opposing the ban were: a few UH Manoa researchers with vested interest in protecting their own research agendas, the Hilo Chamber of Commerce, the state level Farm Bureau, and a couple of other folks."
Wednesday in the HTH there was a full-page ad supporting the veto signed by about 100 people, including orchid, flower, papaya, banana, coffee and taro growers, and about 40 PhDs. I think they'd know more about genetics than theologians and people who claim to be descended from taro. The research money will just go elsewhere.
11-14-2008, 10:58 AM
Ask yourself if you would want a genetically modified plant that would cure aids. Would it be okay then? Or what if GMO's keep an entire tribe from starving to death in Africa or your own child even.
Ask you self if you'd not want a child to eat GMO but would you have supported the child's mother to abort the said child. The things that scare me about GMO is patented food that is owned by one patent holder and losing heirloom varieties and then one day some mutant rust or disease wipes out this big Uni-crop. We have been improving the yields of crops since even before Mendel via selective pollination
11-14-2008, 11:24 AM
Ask yourself if, as a papaya farmer, you want to lose your primary market (Japan) because their buyers will not touch GMO foods with a ten foot pole. You can also ask yourself, as a coffee grower of premium coffee, if you want to lose your primary markets for the same reason. The mainstays of Big Island export agriculture are niche markets. These growers do not want to risk losing their markets based on verbal assurances (and no guarantees) from some grant funded professors who risk nothing themselves.
For the time being the ban is a direct response to the demands of the local agricultural community. Best bet to lift the ban is educate the growers. Somehow prove or convince them otherwise. So far paternalism hasn't served them too well. By paternalism I mean some Daddy figure who assures them that everything will be alright as long as they don't complain. The ban taking place has little effect here. It has an immediate effect on the buyers elsewhere who are assured their growers will have the product they want for them tomorrow.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
11-14-2008, 11:37 AM
the ban is also a good way to help keep prices and profits up.
Transplanted Texan "I am here to chew bubble gum and kick some *** ... and I'm all out of bubble gum"
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else... America "IS" everybody else. The Wilder Side Of Hawaii |
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