Friday, April 1, 2016

Musings: Dear Dateline

Is the Hawaii Center for Food Safety suffering an attack of conscience? Or is it just worried about being sued?

Yesterday, it sent out an email breathlessly — and brazenly — claiming:

Did you know that in the 1980’s autism prevalence in the US was reported as 1 in 10,000 but as of 2014 it is 1 in 45? Here in Hawaiʻi, this could be due to the heavy commercial pesticide use near schools and other sensitive areas.

Dr. Ryan Lee, a Pediatrician and Director of the Neurodevelopmental Clinic at Shriners Hospital, testified in strong support of buffer zones around schools after he read the overwhelming literature linking autism and pesticides exposure in children.

A few hours later, they sent out another email, this one supposedly “corrected by our staff scientist,” that contained none of the alarmist, inflammatory language — and no reference to Dr. Lee. Perhaps he wisely recoiled at the prospect of his good name being associated with that blatant fear-mongering.

As I noted in an email that I sent to CFS director Ashley Lukens, the issue of autism causation is not nearly so cut and dried as she is trying to pretend. But then, why let facts get in the way of good fear-fest?

Meanwhile, I'm hearing NBC's Dateline is on-island to do a story — at the behest of anti-GMO activists — about the “poisoning of paradise.” If Dateline is anything like the other media that have come here at the invitation of the antis, it will include only the perspectives of the true believers.

So I thought I'd pen this open letter.

Dear Dateline,

Please don't believe everything you hear from the red shirts. They've got a serious ax to grind, and they don't represent a majority view on Kauai.

I'm sharing two recent comments, both left by the same person, in hopes they will help your team understand the views of westsiders who typically keep their thoughts to themselves. The comments were left in response to another commenter, in reference to a conversation about the overturned anti-GMO/pesticide regulatory Bill 2491/Ordinance 960, and the resulting Joint Fact Finding Group:

The silent majority said from the start. Show the facts first before the bill. Now the JFFG wants to start the process, which is great. The JFFG also said no evidence to the claim.

The silent majority still waiting for data to back up the original 2491 claims.

We back to square 1, getting the data.

We are silent and make a difference when we voted. We silent because we live n work around ground zero.

We silent because we know pesticides not killing us. Drugs, diet, and prolonged abuse of our bodies shorten our lives. When the good Lord wants to take us he will.

For me! I'm not afraid of dying, I've been close a bunch of times. I'm ready if its my time.

We silent because when you look at the big picture of how this island functions and what we have, we know pesticides is the least of our worries.

FREAKING DRUGS IS! The zombies fucking up themselves n their families is at the tipping point. But you wouldn't know. You don't see or pay attention to that world.

Yea we silent. Drugs abuse is what we protecting ourselves from. And other things more important than pesticides.

When you were gone, we the silent majority was working our asses off to take care what was important to our communities. You not here long enough to FEEL the hurt of this freaking division.

I can only hope that Dateline doesn't come up with another hit piece — like the one done by Chris Pala — that serves only to spread lies that further the "freaking division."



Anonymous said...

The biggest lie of them all : "We silent because we know pesticides not killing us. " Just like the cigarette companies and smokers once proclaimed.

Anonymous said...

@11:47. That's a total red herring argument. You can't compare the two.

Anonymous said...

i think the profanity and gratuitous racial stereotype pigeon to the max local style aggressive sounding comment will really impress dateline. I guess when they meet the other Hawaiians and locals who are being intimidated not to speak out like the temp employees that were sprayed. we know who the real silent majority is and who the real bullies are. dateline is not easily fooled by snarky spin. both sides will see the light shone on them and no big five plantation west-side tuff bs is gonna work this time. same goes for hippies that crap on the ground at organic white slave farms. gig is up. maybe this time dateline can peel the salmon skin off the rotten tomatoes of the down-low dirty dealings of all ag on Kauai from gmo companies leasing state land to hippie communes and squalid homeless encampments on so called organic farms. Get em dateline!

Anonymous said...

Who is this "me" that writes like he/she didn't graduate from 8th grade? Does he/she ever read reports, studies and the like? My friends and neighbors are silent, some are afraid of losing their jobs, others are too timid to speak out because they may be criticized and made fun of, others want someone else to speak for them and make things happen, some don't give a damn because it doesn't affect them. Some are after the game quarterbacks with no back bone. So, people in my neighborhood come and say "thank you" for taking a stand, for speaking up for us----now we don't have as much dust/pesticides blowing into our homes and property. Yes, many are silent, and they are able to write like they graduated from high school! In other words they are bright, literate, but silent and they are concerned about the biotechs' practices having a negative impact on our little town.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Right. Truth and careful, thorough analysis and thoughtful delivery really hype the ratings for Dateline. Give me a break, 12:58. Dateline isn't Insights. Controversy is why they're here; they're not capable of chasing the facts.

Anonymous said...

@ 12:58.
The temp employees were not sprayed with anything! Do you fully read anything? Do you know what the facts are? Your whole paragraphed comment makes you sound like you are an uneducated fool.

Anonymous said...

12:58. Typical anti ag mentality.

Anonymous said...

The difference between theory and reality is that, in theory, there is no difference between theory and reality.....Mel Lowe

Anonymous said...

@1:23 It does not matter how they write. They is speaking from the heart.

Anonymous said...

I hate the fake pidgin.

Anonymous said...

They write from the heart, much like your Dustin , or others who were educated on Kauai, spelling and grammar are not the best, but bet he can do lots of other things far better than those who punctuate correctly.

Anonymous said...

9:19 Broken English is becoming a thing of the past. Enjoy the attempts while they last.
Relax. There is room for everyone.
We have spent our lives trying to keep our kids speaking proper English, so they can go one good job, li' dat.
Joan, you are amazing. Your work is great. You have allowed many many posts that are derogatory to you. This is a noble thing.
The politics this year will be wild and without you to let the people know what is going on, we would have to rely on the GI, which is Da Hoos personal media consultant.
The demographics on the island are changing and Derik's seat will be a hard fought position. The NS is crawling with nimby types and they are flexing their political muscles.
There is money up there.If Felicia spent in excess of 40,000 for a Council seat, just think of the hysteria involved with a position that actually controls Ag, density, water, roads, housing etc. T'will be fun, but I fear the outcome. Imagine Dylan Hooser as a Rep? All it takes is for the Kapaa/Lihue guys to cockaroach some room for residency requirements and Voila! There you have it.
Nadine would be good. Mel would be good. Anyone but a Fistee, who will have one agenda, kill Ag and promote the high nose new comer elitist style. "Oh these poor locals, they really need our help. We are smart and the real caretakers of the land."
Thank you for your work.

John Kauai said...

Here's an article that can be used against the dairy, and the companies on the west side, and any farmer that grows anything anywhere. It is all about Nitrogen. Speaking of Nitrogen, a great book, "The Alchemy of Air" explains the development of the Haber-Bosch process reads like a murder mystery, but it is about real life.

The Average American consumes about 61 lbs of nitrogen a year.

Anonymous said...

"Our Mission


Ahhh..."independent" doesn't mean unbiased, accurate or balanced.

Anonymous said...

We have two kids, both born at Wilcox and raised in the same house. One is autistic, the other is "neurotypical". Neither was exposed to pesticides. Both were vaccinated. We wish we knew the cause, but as far as we can gather, the age of the parents, the environment, genetics and other factors play a part. Autism predates modern industrial farming and until there is more definitive research, it should not be used as a political pawn in someone's cause.

Joan Conrow said...

Thank you, 7:36 am!

John: Thanks for interesting link. Though I've never fully trusted Truthout since it published Paul Koberstein's crackpot pieces on the Kauai GMO issue. As I've said before, they too often leave the truth out.

Biotech researchers are currently working on developing plants that require very little nitrogen, one of many efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environment through genetically engineered traits.

Anonymous said...

Is correct. I am from Kauai, from Lihue Plantation parents. While many of us sometimes speak a bit of pidgin, we do not write pidgin except for fun. We were taught standard English like everyone else.

John Kauai said...

The article is accurate in what it discusses. It may be misleading in that it seems to be suggesting that farmers are the ones responsible for the overuse of Nitrogen. It is actually home owners and golf courses that are the main cause of runoff. Nitrogen is too expensive for a farmer who wants to make a profit to apply one gram more than the exact amount needed.

The high pollution costs of eating meat are well documented. Meat is a very inefficient way of delivering nutrition.

I did not say "don't eat meat", so let us not go down that path.

Anonymous said...

Golf courses need to be separated from the seashore by a significant distance, say a couple hundred feet, and should have no running streams or storm drains. The runoff is deadly to reefs and much marine life, both the fertilizer and the pesticides.

Anonymous said...

Waiting your reaction to today's GI.

Anonymous said...

Many were caught up in the hysteria due in part to the willingness (mine included) to believe hyperbole as fact. Having seen the stats on cancer rates, etc., I now know that I was duped. That doesn't alter the fact that corporations aren't above manipulating the narrative to protect the bottom line.

Anonymous said...

TGI pushing the BUS propaganda that this lame dick council wants to waste money on. The Kauai bus gets subsidized by the students at KCC and still less than 1% ride the bus even though they pay for a bus pass for the whole semester.

Joann and her minions that gave testimony for more people to ride the bus are hypocrites. They don't even ride the bus themselves.

These fucktards are fucking idiots.

Anonymous said...

1:23 p.m. great comments, and you are correct about what your friends and neighbors tell you in support of your action(s). One more thing you can add to your comments.

In general, the same ones who thanked you, are the same ones who voted for the council members who support agriculture.

You are fully correct that Smokey Valley supports your efforts, and they also support agriculture (I need to be redundant here). Responsible agriculture.

You should also remind yourself that your fight is with Pioneer Seed Company. The missionaries just pulled you in to fight Syngenta. The other two (BASF and DOW), did not do anything wrong. But you wouldn't know, you've been blinded by the missionaries. Just remember that!

Just to let you know in reference to "silent majority," this term is used as fact! Silent Majority are referred to the voting public. In the last election, the highest vote getters were members who supported Agriculture and level headed / common sense leadership. That's including your westside member at heart. Ross.

In Joan's blog, I've been consistent with the term. It's your choice to use the two words in your own manner. That's up to you.

Have a great week.

Anonymous said...

11:47 a.m. Person died after being stabbed. physical appearance fully resembles Meth addict.

Man in prison for killing someone in a drug deal.

That's 2 that can be labeled as drug deaths.

Name your pesticide dead people.

1.6 million worth of drugs in a raid.

Hanamaulu was littered with night marchers. Anahola, Kapaa, got their own problems with night marchers. Farmer gets ripped off, night marchers!

Just to name a few.

Your neighbors, family and friends know of people who are lost with the meth infestation.

Again, give me an example of what the GI posted that can be attributed to a pesticide death.

Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

11:47 a.m. Again, people are dead because of drugs and drug use. That's all I'm saying. we don't need the reasoning or an excuse on the who, what's, where and the why's. They're dead. There's a lot more examples I can mention, but I would offend the families if I did.