You Can Never Know What Plantation Days Meant From Google
by Joni Kamiya, Hawaii Farmer's Daughter, June 26, 2015
I received some really lovely comments again from my last blog about not finding malasadas at Whole Foods. Once again, the activists tend to prove my points time and time again that these people do not understand local culture in Hawaii.
The first comment calls my post a “bigoted rant.” Of course someone blogging to “changeamerica2012″ surely knows the history of Hawaii and why we have such a unique and diverse culture. I bet he’s eaten all of those foods I posted on it too to learn about this “ethnic pride.” Granted, I posted food from many cultures that he can’t quite figure out exactly what ethnicity I’m referring to.
The second comment is long but pretty funny in that I’m a liar and work for Monsanto but then I’m right on point. Heck, if I worked for any of the seed companies I would have to abide by their social media policies and probably can’t be calling this stuff out. The long rant goes on and ends with we should work together. First, I’m a liar and deceitful. Then my grandparents were suffering plantation slaves, and now I’m right about culture and we should work together. Huh?!
Of course this person admits that he or she only knows plantation life from what they researched. They never lived it and appears to have never talked to anyone who did either. And who is not wanting to work together when these people are seeking bans of everything that created this beloved local culture?
I’ve known it for sometime about the true origins of the anti-GMO folks are not from here. The activists themselves denied it but the facts are slowly emerging about these groups after the moratorium on GMO growing on Maui was voted in.
One of the first places SHAKA showed up at was a website called the Galactic Connection. It touts aliens, ascension, and other conspiracy theory type stuff. The site of course sells stuff too! For just $144, you can have your Matrix Implant removed. There’s even a essential oil pack for $99 to prevent unwanted implantation. What a bargain!
Not only is the SHAKA Movement found on that website, but they are also on Thrive Movement site too. This is yet another conspiracy based group that believes in conspiracies and chemtrails. Too bad the voters who supported this initiative did not take some time too really focus on what they supported. (Note: Maui county even paid to get it studied thanks to Dr. Lorrin Pang. He was also one of the authors of the moratorium.)
It’s not surprising that when new people with their own ideas come to town, they don’t care about fitting it. They want everyone else to change to fit them. That’s clearly what we are seeing with the latest attacks against the Hawaii Cane and Sugar Company on Maui. Some Hawaii folks love our cane sugar, which is non-GMO, but then want to shutter it. It must mean they want sugar from GMO sugar beets or some high fructose GMO corn syrup.
The same kind of fear mongering is happening right on cue. People are claiming that the cane burning is carcinogenic, toxic, and killing people. I’ve even seen comments claiming clusters of illnesses around Maui. Oddly enough, Pacific Business News reported that Maui county, followed by Honolulu, then Kauai, were the healthiest places in the state. How did the County’s health drastically change?
The anti-GMO turned anti-sugar cane burning club don’t care for facts or provide any alternative should their wish come true. They love to use disinformation tactics and say things to divide communities and not create any opportunities for collaboration. That is what I really despise about this type of activism.
It’s sad that even some local folks are joining in on all of this divisiveness. This was a comment made when it was announced that Pioneer was closing one of its Kauai locations.
The things that these activist don’t realize is that people have to start somewhere. Many times, it’s in agriculture. They work and provide for their families who get educated. In turn, these are our doctors, nurses, caregivers, teachers, and other skilled professionals. Many of the ag workers further their skills and grow much of the fresh produce we find at farmers’ markets. These people really are some of the most productive and hardest working people I know and have been totally disrespected by the anti-everything know-it-all-but-really-only-talk club.
When you start with nothing and is presented with an opportunity, you value it. One learns to rise up through hard work, it’s a valuable lesson that leaves a lasting legacy for all generations. Those lessons are usually passed on in every subsequent generation.
When you have everything you need and never really had to earn it, it’s hard to fully appreciate it. It’s too easily taken for granted. Our freedom from farming is due to all the immigrants now and in the past who built up our state with dedication, perseverance, and a vision for the future. We should never forget that many of us are here because of those who came before us. Know and appreciate our roots so we know where we are heading in the future.
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