Forward Progress, the Carpenters Union PAC headed by John White, has suddenly started putting big money out on neighbor island Council races behind their oh-so-green candidates.
Month: July 2014
Hanabusa Ad: Lies About Shatz Position on Iraq
From the Schatz campaign:
Congresswoman Hanabusa yesterday took out paid advertisements falsely accusing Senator Schatz of supporting sending American troops to engage in another war in Iraq.If that sounds far-fetched, you’re right. Not only has Senator Schatz been clear that he believes there is no military solution in Iraq, the Star-Advertiser has reported that:
“Schatz and Hanabusa both strongly opposed military action in Iraq.” So why would Congresswoman Hanabusa take out paid advertisements attacking a position that Civil Beat called “strikingly similar” to her own?
Because our opponent is apparently willing to say anything at this point. The facts don’t matter to her campaign.
Help us fight back against these deliberately false attacks: rush a contribution to the campaign.
It’s disappointing that Congresswoman Hanabusa and her campaign are taking this negative turn — attacking Senator Schatz and misrepresenting his views.
Senator Schatz has stated repeatedly that there is no military solution in Iraq.
Senator Schatz has been focused every day on running a positive campaign, representing our shared values, and fighting for Hawai‘i in the Senate. But when we face attacks like this, we need to set the record straight.
Performance Art Meets Maui Mayoral Campaign?
Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa’s opponents are dropping like flies. Is there more to this?
Progressive Caucus Endorses Mark Takai for Congress (CD1)
On the heels of a solid performance in the Hawaii Congressional District 1 debate among the 7 candidates running in the Democratic Party, Mark Takai racked up another progressive coup: Endorsement by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).
Inouye's Chief of Staff Manipulating Governor's Race in Hawaii
Reprinted and expanded from DailyKos
Inouye’s hatchet (wo)man and former Chief of Staff has been using the late senator’s machine to manipulate politics in Hawai’i.
By her own admission former Inouye Chief of Staff Jennifer Sabas created the “Deathbed Letter” supposedly from Inouye, robosigned and delivered to Governor Abercrombie a half hour after Inouye’s death. In this letter, Sabas ordered Abercrombie to appoint Colleen Hanabusa to Inouye’s position.
How coincidental that Sabas is now described as a “top Hanabusa campaign official.” In fact, a source is telling us that Sabas pushed Hanabusa to abandon her House seat and challenge Democrat Senator Brian Schatz for the senate position in the 2014 election.
New Guard vs Old in State House 48?
Interesting the way the Democratic primaries are shaping up to be the old guard vs the more idealistic and environmentally conscious candidates.
We see this in Hanabusa (heavily supported by Big Pharma and the Defense Contractors) vs Senator Brian Schatz who has made climate change a priority.
This dichotomy is echoed at the state level in the vacant Kaneohe seat where we have former Sierra Club Executive Director, Robert Harris facing off with developer-supported Jerrett Keohokalole in August 9th’s Democratic Primary for House 48.
Presumably in both these races the winner of the Democratic primary will easily win the general election. (Sorry guys, don’t want to bachi you folks.)
A quick peek at the campaign contributions tells the story. Among Keohokalole‘s $41,893 in donations are some of the biggest names in development: Cameron Nekota (VP of Ho’opili). Castle & Cooke. Stanford Carr. Bill Mills Development Company. David Hulihee (Royal Contracting). Leonard Leong (VP of Royal Contracting), D.R. Horton-Schuler, Alexander & Baldwin . That’s just a few. These developers are obviously counting on Keohokalole to support upcoming Windward Oahu projects like the Envision Laie development and to be favorable to converting agricultural land to development.
This is a battle between the old guard “develop at any cost” and the modern progressive view of smart growth. It could have an interesting implications for Oahu and neighbor island development.
Do these developers still have the ability to buy politicians and elections? Or are people starting to get alarmed about the unbridled destruction of our environment by luxury condo and vacation rental builders?
Is the Dept of Health Clean Air Branch Misleading Public on HC&S Mill Emissions?
In a letter to the Clean Air Branch of the State Department of Health and the EPA, citizen investigator and attorney Christine Andrews harshly criticized what she (and others) consider misleading statements by Clean Air Branch head Nolan Harai.
I am concerned that Mr. Hirai is making factual misstatements to the media, and would like to request that he formally retract or correct his statements.
The following statement printed in an article in the Star Advertiser, and attributed to Mr. Hirai:
“Though the violations are serious, DOH said emissions did not exceed levels protecting public health based on the agency’s continuous air quality monitoring in the area.”
“There is no indication that any of the emissions resulted in any health impact,” said Nolan Hirai, manager of DOH’s Clean Air Branch.
As I have discussed with Mr. Hirai, Mr. Sims, and Mr. Drake, there is NO ambient air quality monitoring for SO2 or NOx on Maui that would detect ambient air quality impacts of excess emissions of those pollutants by the HC&S Puunene Mill.
The HC&S Puunene Mill which burns about 1/3 coal and 2/3 sugarcane bagass was recently cited for emissions violations after Andrews’ two year investigation and repeated attempts to get Dept of Health to enforce the Clean Air Act. (Notice of Violation)
Sounds like Andrews is pretty fed up with the Department of Health’s foot dragging and dissembling:
I understand that Mr. Hirai does not have the time, inclination, funding, staffing, legal and regulatory experience to learn the public health justifications for the 2010 SO2 ambient air quality standard as published in the EPA’s Regulatory Impact Analysis for the new standard, or access to modeling that documents that the HC&S Puunene Mill violates that standard and that my home is in the emissions plume.
At the very least, however, Mr. Hirai should understand, because his department completed the Notice of Violation, that there were excess SO2 and NOx emissions and that those emissions would have health impacts. He should stop cowering behind the lack of ambient air quality monitoring as a shield, and install the monitoring for SO2 and NOx that myself and others have asked for for two years. While you all are at it, please enforce the Clean Air Act and get HC&S to install the required COMS and CEMS that the community has also been asking for for more than two years.
South Maui Rep Kaniela Ing Survey results
According to Maui Weekly, State Representative Kaniela Ing surveyed his south Maui constituents and found that:
61% favor marijuana legalization
66% favor new voter registration regulations
90% favor video conferencing for Neighbor Islands
83% favor raise in minimum wage
80% favor GMO food labeling
Christine Andrews' Testimony on GMO Moratorium
As members of the Maui County Council debate whether to independently pass the proposed ordinance for a moratorium on GMO cultivation and associated pesticides, I have attached a pdf of the report, GMO Myths and Truths, 2nd edition, for your reference. It is one of the best summaries of the science on the subject available for the layperson and produced by independent scientists that I have found.
I have provided the report’s “Summary” section at the end of this email. The report is over 300 pages long, but you can download it for free to print out or read on your computer or other pdf-readable device. I was able to print a double-sided copy at Office Max for about $34.
In addition to the above report, the organization GMO Free USA has a very thorough list of scientific studies related to GMOs and associated pesticides (mainly glyphosate) on their website: http://gmofreeusa.org/gmos-are-top/gmo-science/
Please feel free to share this email with friends and family, neighbors and colleagues. Monsanto and its agribusiness friends, lobbyists, scientists, and spokespeople will continue to try to confuse Maui residents, voters, stakeholders, and policy makers by using the “tobacco strategy” to attempt to misrepresent the science and discredit responsible scientists in order to avoid meaningful regulation of their harmful products and practices. The best way we can fight back to protect residents and agricultural workers, family farmers, and our native ecosystems from industrial agribusiness and pesticide companies is to educate ourselves and fellow voters. It is ultimately up to us to stand up for the independent science that says that GMO crops and associated pesticides should be more stringently regulated and that a moratorium is the responsible course of action for a community that has been failed by its federal and state representatives and regulators.
In case you missed it, here is a link to the recent Notice of Violation issued by the Hawaii Department of Health to Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar. These violations were denied by several levels within the Department of Health for years. It took the efforts of myself and others for more than two years to independently document the violations and appeal to the EPA for intervention. Our regulators in the state of Hawaii do not have the resources to appropriately enforce regulations intended to protect public health, which is one more reason to support the moratorium by voting “Yes” to the moratorium in November.
Christine L. Andrews, J.D.
****
Summary from GMO Myths and Truths, 2nd Edition
Genetically modified (GM) crops and foods are promoted on the basis of a range of far-reaching claims from the industry and its supporters. They say that GM crops:
➜➜Are an extension of natural breeding and do not pose different risks from naturally bred crops
➜➜Are safe to eat and can be more nutritious than naturally bred crops
➜➜Are strictly regulated for safety
➜➜Increase yields
➜➜Reduce pesticide use
➜➜Benefit farmers and make their lives easier
➜➜Bring economic benefits
➜➜Benefit the environment
➜➜Can help solve problems caused by climate change
➜➜Reduce energy use
➜➜Will help feed the world.
However, a large and growing body of scientific and other authoritative evidence shows that these claims are not true. On the contrary, evidence presented in this report indicates that GM crops:
➜➜Are laboratory-made, using technology that is totally different from natural breeding methods, and pose different risks from non-GM crops
➜➜Can be toxic, allergenic or less nutritious than their natural counterparts
➜➜Are not adequately regulated to ensure safety
➜➜Do not increase yield potential
➜➜Do not reduce pesticide use but increase it
➜➜Create serious problems for farmers, including herbicide-tolerant “superweeds”, compromised soil quality, and increased disease susceptibility in crops
➜➜Have mixed economic effects and disrupt markets
➜➜Harm soil quality, disrupt ecosystems, and reduce biodiversity
➜➜Do not offer effective solutions to climate change
➜➜Are as energy-hungry as any other chemically-farmed crops
➜➜Cannot solve the problem of world hunger but distract from its real causes – poverty, lack of access to food and, increasingly, lack of access to land to grow it on.
Based on the evidence presented in this report, there is no need to take risks with GM crops when effective, readily available, and sustainable solutions to the problems that GM
technology is claimed to address already exist. Conventional plant breeding, in some cases helped by safe modern technologies like gene mapping and marker assisted selection, continues to outperform GM in producing high-yield, drought-tolerant, and pest- and disease-resistant crops that can meet our present and future food needs.
The quality and efficacy of our food production system depends only partly on crop genetics. The other part of the equation is farming methods. What is needed are not just high-yielding, climate-ready, and disease-resistant crops, but productive, climate-ready, and disease-resistant agriculture.
GMO Moratorium Debate Reaction
I am appalled that Mike Victorino listened to Dr. Pang’s testimony about Monsanto field workers (probably all shipped back to the Philippines by now) coming to him for help about the cancer they were getting working for the GMO companies.
And then he said he’d vote against the Moratorium because he didn’t want to see families hurt by losing jobs. So Mike, you’d rather see them lose family members to cancer?? JESUS CHRIST are you a complete moron?
There was plenty of testimony that Monsanto has nonGMO seeds and that they are a larger part of their business – in fact they are patenting organic seeds.
So this whole bullshit about Monsanto packing up and leaving if they aren’t allowed to grow GMOs is a shabai.
But then again, perhaps Victorino is not smart enough to put 2 and 2 together and realize this.
Yes, Victorino, help these families you say you care aboiut get cancer and birth defects. Ship them back to the Philippines when they get sick so they are out of sight and out of mind.
COMMENTS:
- Karen Chun: Dr. Pang is a world renown scientist. I give him kudos for being totally unbiased. He even did a chemtrail study for the chemtrail nuts (and showed there was ZERO correlation between what they claimed were days that had chemtrails and his air tests, thus conclusively disproving their conspiracy theory)
So the man approaches every question with an open mind. Does good science. Gets accurate results.
If he DID find the science saying that GMOs damage health (which he did), I’m inclined to trust him as being honest and objective.
- Another person: Damn, I never saw Lorrin get choked up like that… talking about all of the sick biotech farm workers who are coming to him; that really got to me. Only a loon wouldn’t realize we most likely have a silent emergency happening here between biotech & the cane company.
- Karen Chun: I know. I could see he was trying hard not to show emotion about the GMO workers who came to him for help about their cancers.
- Karen Chun: And the take-home message is that most of these field workers are imported from the Philippines so when they get sick, they can just get disappeared BACK to the Philippines.
- Another person: I hope the ‘humans’ who devised this business model end up a few floors below hell.
- Karen Chun: Even Gladys Baisa who was concerned about jobs got that the GMO companies are making people sick.
- Another person: I’m here crying over these sick workers and Victorino is cool as ice
- Karen Chun: Dr. Pang referenced the uranium workers. Saying that the workers who testified that uranium mining was safe were the ones that weren’t sick. Of course we now know that the radon in the mines was giving a significant number of them cancer.
- Another Person: I think he was stating that there weren’t any others alive…if I know my sensei and his bent but beautiful mind!
- Another Person: Nice try Wong attempting to get them to say oh sure let us wait until the end of July and then miss putting this on the ballot this year… I do not think so Mr. Wong that just isn’t the will of 19,000 people who want this moratorium!
- Karen Chun: Actually I thought Don Couch was even worse because he kept making these sly digs at Dr. Pang….calling into question his credentials (which are impressive including working for the Federal government on panels, being a Professor at a University, publishing scientific papers, etc). We are unbelievably lucky to have Dr. Pang as our Public Health Officer.
I believe Dr. Pang is the only person in history to eradicate Dengue Fever once it got a hold. We owe him a HUGE debt of gratitude for that!
- Karen Chun: Who is this dude, Wong? Corporate Council aka do NOTHING to uphold the rights of the citizens? (on any subject)
- Another person: He didn’t even recuse himself he just refused to vote… why? Don Couch worked with the Mayor for years it isn’t surprising at all as they have different thought processes. It was fascinating seeing a Intellectual of great merit attempting to get across some heady precepts of science and yet keep it friendly. I can only imagine what it was like reading his research paper, Big Words Indeed! What I find the most egregious here is the fact that Council is having a difficult time wrapping their collective brains around the fact that this is not a proven science and it is killing people! They are more concerned about getting back on the campaign trail than listening to something that keeps people alive!
- Karen Chun: I know – Couch isn’t actually that stupid – he was just ACTING.
- Another Person: whatevers it takes to get that vote afterall his homeowners fees are around $800 per month now versus the $80 they started out with ….is that called” Arrested Developers Syndrome Karma”?
- Karen Chun: Don Couch and the Mayor are both Republicans as in, don’t put ANY restrictions on corporations or developers
- Karen Chun: Which is why I am voting for John Fitzpatrick.
- Karen Chun: Except for Victorino does not have an opponent who is any better. Blackburn does not believe in regulating corporations.
- Karen Chun: Next election we need to get a good candidate for Wailuku. I’m willing to help anyone who wants to run on an environmental platform
- Another person: There are no Medical Toxicologist on Maui an only one on Oahu that works for Tripler… He cannot keep up with his work load. So I have to go to the mainland to prove this crap is killing me and my bird! I am not surprised by Victorino for his position because he is only positioning himself for his constituency… A good leader is one that cares about ALL THE PEOPLE! I wonder how much money he has taken from Chem Co’s? Have you researched the Council to see who has been bought off?
- Karen Chun: I don’t think any of our council has taken Monsanto etc donations. Who needs to donate to them? They’re sold out anyway (except Don Guzman and Elle Cochran – who are under attack by heavily financed opponents fronting for A&B/Monsanto)
- Another Person: What happened to Don’s ring finger I can understand how the middle one could get bent during all this but… just saying
- Karen Chun: Dunno…fortunately it won’t affect his partying ability – I am totally looking forward to another of his election night parties.
- Karen Chun: Ha,ha – now you candidates know the secret to my support
- Another person: oh yah, I want to go to one of em heard they are pretty wild… but I do know a friend of mine approached Don G. asking him to sign his petition for the moratorium and Don got all legal on him and wouldn’t sign it…
- Karen Chun: I wouldn’t let that weigh too heavily. Don seriously considers everything and doesn’t take action until he’s considered the subject in depth.
- Another person: I found it very heartening to see people showing feelings today at the conclusion of the meeting. Now if they would invest some time in researching this subject they would be better suited for their positions but all this did was reinforce my thoughts that we really need progressive leadership that can wrap its mind around the necessity of cleaning up the Mother Earth!
- Karen Chun: Note his question to Dr. Pang on exactly how one section of the Moratorium law would be implemented – he thinks thing through, looks at all potential pitfalls, etc.
- Another person: I am totally in support of Don Guzman as he is an intellectual and a good person who is honest and polite to everyone. His presence is crucial for the Council because he is educated and does not use double negatives thinking it is cool to sound illiterate to future generations.
- Karen Chun: “I can understand how the middle one could get bent during all this but… just saying”
- LOL! I know what you mean. When Victorino was talking I was yelling at my TV all kinds of things I wouldn’t say in public. Moron was the mildest
- Another person: LOLOLOL