Ewa, Kona, Kahului, Lihue: Local Communities Organize Against Gay Marriage
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Republicans Pass Compromise Funding Bill, Pay for Troops: Now Democrats Threaten Government Shutdown
Follow The Money: 'Natural' Supplement Industry Pays for Anti-GMO Activists
SA: The Ceres Trust, a Northfield, Minn.-based private foundation led by Kent Whealy, a seed preservation activist, and Judith Kern, a philanthropist, donated $145,490 to Hawai‘i SEED in 2011, federal tax filings show. The trust also gave $550,000 in 2011 and $650,000 in 2010 to the Center for Food Safety, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has fought the GMO industry.
Tax records for 2012 and 2013 are not yet public — and Whealy and Hawai‘i SEED did not respond to interview requests about philanthropy — but the Ceres Trust was listed as a sponsor for a speaking tour in Hawaii in January that featured Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist from India; Andrew Kimbrell, an environmental attorney and the executive director of the Center for Food Safety; and Ritte. The speaking tour, emceed by Nancy Redfeather, an organic farmer and educator, coincided with a march and rally against GMOs at the state Capitol on the opening day of the Legislature.
The Sacharuna Foundation, a Virginia-based private foundation started by Lavinia Currier, an heiress, filmmaker and philanthropist who lives in The Plains, Va., and has ranch property on Molokai, donated $68,750 to Hawai‘i SEED from 2005 to 2011. The foundation, tax filings show, also donated $257,400 to the Center for Food Safety from 2005 to 2010. Currier could not be reached for comment.
Ritte said the grant money has helped activists travel between the islands and with organizing. Hooser, who proposed a bill to regulate GMOs and pesticide use on Kauai, said he consulted with the Center for Food Safety on his legislation, along with local attorneys for Earthjustice and the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.
The Ceres Trust and the Sacharuna Foundation have also made sizable grants in Hawaii to promote seed preservation and food sustainability.
In 2011, tax filings show, the Ceres Trust gave $340,307 to E Kupaku ka ‘Aina — Hawai‘i Land Restoration Institute, a Wailuku-based effort to restore native ecosystems. Penny Levin, the institute's executive director who has spoken out against genetically modified taro, has been a leader in research to protect taro from pests and to preserve taro varieties.
The Sacharuna Foundation donated $53,000 from 2005 to 2011 to Ka Ohana o na Pua, Redfeather's Kealakekua-based nonprofit that does agricultural education and promotes school gardens. The Ceres Trust donated $40,000 in 2011 to The Kohala Center in Waimea for seed preservation. Redfeather, known for her organic Kawanui Farm, works with The Kohala Center....
Anti-GMO activists, including many who have no background in science or agriculture, are making increasingly alarming and unverified claims about the health and environmental threats from GMO crops and pesticide use. Some who share the movement's goals worry privately that such rhetoric could undermine the movement's ability to reach the broader public, where issues like greater disclosure about GMO and pesticide use have appeal.
Ritte and other organizers, however, say the movement has already broken through and will keep building momentum if government and biotech companies resist greater disclosure.
"And the more they resist, the bigger the wave is going to get," he predicted. "I'm an organizer, you know. I'm thinking to myself, ‘Well, these guys are just playing right into our hands.' This thing is going to get bigger and bigger."
A DRIFT to the left in Democratic Party politics over the past several years has given anti-GMO activists an opening. Few Democrats, especially those with leadership aspirations, are willing to alienate the party's environmental and progressive wings by publicly dismissing or minimizing concerns about GMOs....
the coalition named Rep. Jessica Wooley (D, Kahaluu-Ahuimanu-Kaneohe), a progressive who favors GMO labeling, as chairwoman of the House Agriculture Committee....
Best Comment: "Wealthy mainland philanthropists who underwrite environmental causes have donated significant amounts of money over the past several years to help Hawaii activists and educators raise awareness about GMOs, seed preservation and food sustainability."
"Philanthropists"? More like cultural imperialists who seek only to enlighten us ignorant island folks and convert us to their environmental theocratic movement.
Next Best Comment: "far from being the ignorant low information grassroots fanatics the anti-gmo cult portray themselves to be, they are paid agitators of the multi-billion dollar food supplement, dietary and vitamin industries. their goal is to use gmo as the strawman to divert the fda and science from exposing fraudulent health benefit claims by their industries using "natural" as code for untested and unsafe."
PR: Residency
Related: Illegal Mainland Campaign Contributions Flow to anti-GMO activist Ritte
Borreca: GMO bill spotlights Kauai's unique brand of politics
read ... Ritte etal Paid Off as Usual
Kauai Anti-GMO Pesticide measure passes council committee
HNN: The council's Committee on Economic Development, Agriculture and Sustainability approved Bill 2491 in a 4-1 vote late Friday night. Council member Mel Rapozo cast the lone dissenting vote.
Some provisions of the measure were strengthened. For example, the original bill required industrial farms to submit an annual report on the chemicals they use.
"The new amendment requires weekly reports, requires a lot more detail in terms of locations and quantities, which way the wind's blowing, so people know whether those chemicals are likely to go into their neighborhoods," said Hooser. (Fodder for phony lawsuits.)
But supporters didn't get everything they wanted, either.
"There was an important provision requiring a moratorium on the future growth of the industry. That was taken out. There was a prohibition on open-air testing. That was taken out," said Hooser.
One of the companies that would be affected by the bill, DuPont Pioneer, issued a statement expressing its disappointment.
"We believe that the revised ordinance has significant legal deficiencies and serious implications for our operations on Kauai," the statement read. " For example, it targets a few westside companies while overlooking a vast number of other businesses across the island that use the same products for pest management every day."
The statement continued: "We believe it to be bad policy -- and the kind of regulation that should remain at the state and federal level, where policy makers and agencies are already empowered with oversight of our industry."
read ... Anti-GMO Nuts Winning
HCIA: Amendments Were Sorely Needed
SA: Alicia Maluafiti, executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, which represents biotech companies Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences and BASF, said, "The amendments were sorely needed but it's still far from perfect."
The proposed bill still perpetuates fear-mongering and misinformation of seed farming, she said Saturday. A recent report prepared by the Hawaii Tumor Registry showed no higher occurrence of cancer cases on Kauai compared with the rest of the state.
"The council needs to take a timeout," Maluafiti said.
read ... Time Out for Children
Rapozo Only Councilmember Willing to Make the Tough Vote
KGI: Committee Chair Hooser, JoAnn Yukimura and Nadine Nakamura also voted in support. The lone “no” vote — a likely preview of his stance in full council — came from Councilman Mel Rapozo.
“I put on my big boy panties today when I came, and I’ll wear them all night long because I know the abuse will follow,” he said.
Addressing the audience, Rapozo said the simple and “politically easy” thing would be to vote in favor, but that he personally does not believe in it. Instead, he said the community should give the state a chance to step up where it has failed, as Gov. Neil Abercrombie promised it would last week.
“There’s a path that we need to take through the state, that I believe we can get there quicker than with 2491,” Rapozo said. “I may be wrong. But if I’m so wrong, that the majority of this community thinks I’ve outlived my time on the council, so be it. I’ll move on and someone else can do it.”
At the end of the day, Rapozo said the “right decision” would be made by the full seven-member council, not him or any other individual member.
Who They Are: Sen. Gary Hooser campaign website linked to Holocaust deniers
Reality: Report: Anti-GMO Activists Cause Cancer on Kauai
read ... Four take the Easy path, fail to defend science against ignorance
Occupy Sues to Help Homelessness Stay Homeless
SA: Two members of the protest group (de)Occupy Honolulu are suing to overturn the city's sidewalk nuisance ordinance, claiming it violates their civil rights.
The ordinance, approved by the City Council in the spring, allows the city to clear sidewalks of any tents, furniture, sleeping bags or items without any more than a few minutes' notice to those who own the items.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court on Sep. 19, says that (de)Occupy Honolulu and members Cathy "Sugar" Russell and Terry Anderson have been subjected to "a continuing assault" on their property, due process rights and First Amendment rights. A hearing on (de)Occupy Honolulu's request for a temporary restraining order could be held in late October.
read ... Homelessness Industry
Grants-in-Aid: Council, Mayor Fight for Control of Slush Fund
SA: Earlier this year, the City Council approved $8 million in nonprofit funding as part of its fiscal year 2014 budget. But Caldwell refused to sign the budget, citing concerns that the earmarks weren't properly vetted and were too costly.
Pamela Witty-Oakland, director of the city Department of Community Services, informed Council grant recipients in late May not to count on the money and instead encouraged them to apply for funding from the GIA fund.
"The members put in money for what was needed in their districts and that money won't be released; yet, the (Mayor's Office of Culture and Arts and the Office of Economic Development) gives money," said Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi. "It doesn't seem fair that the city administration will release money (for these programs), but not for things like Weed and Seed, Hawaii Theatre and Adult Friends for Youth."
The power struggle between Caldwell and councilmembers already had left funding in limbo for the agencies Kobayashi cited, as well as others that were part of the city's fiscal year 2014 budget, including the Hauula Community Association, Honolulu Community Police Foundation, Hawaii Meals on Wheels, Honolulu Family Justice Center, and Farrington, Campbell, Kapolei and Leilehua high schools.
Now, Martin said he's likely to propose adding more groups to the GIA pot and giving less money to some on the commission's list. Kobayashi, who with Councilmen Ron Menor and Ikaika Anderson was critical of the commission's picks, said she would support Martin's move.
read ... Buying Votes
Kapaia Bridge: How Kauai County Makes a $25K job cost $1.2M
KGI: Councilman Mel Rapozo said that in February 2007, the bridge’s restoration was priced at $190,000, and the council then set aside $200,000.
In August 2011, a Kapaia resident who asked to remain anonymous took the bridge’s original blue print to a local retailer, and priced all the wood at $9,000 and the steel cables at $3,000. He also said he talked to local contractors, who told him the bridge’s repair would cost about $25,000.
On Wednesday, Dill said that for the bridge’s steel cables alone, Kai Hawaii estimated a price tag of $160,000.
Over the years, the administration has paid at least $126,000 to the consultant, according to Dill’s presentation to the council.
“I say we fire that consulting company and hire another one because that $1.2 million is just absurd,” Rapozo said.
When Kai Hawaii first came up with a $2 million estimate for the bridge’s restoration about four years ago, part of the high cost was due to modifying the bridge’s design to comply with the ADA.
read ... How Government Does It
Voices of all Hawaiians need to be heard on the upcoming special legislative session
KGI: Ofelia Serrano ... waved and held a sign as she stood along Kaumualii Highway Friday afternoon.
Her voice, and the voices of all Hawaiians, need to be heard on the upcoming special legislative session on marriage ... she said.
“When you talk loud, they hear you more, so here we are, speaking loud, saying what we believe,” Serrano said. “It’s important for our kids, our youth, to put a face on our faith and what we believe in. This is for the next generation. This is for their sake.”
About 20 people — including pastors, citizens and kids from various Kauai churches - rallied for two hours, holding signs and occasionally waving to passersby.
Their signs carried messages such as “Marriage Does Not Need Redefining,” “Yes to Traditional Marriage,” and “Hawaii Already Voted in 1998.”
Some drivers honked and waved back.
read ... Hawaiian Voices
Building Industry Association ends Parade of Homes after 56 years due to Lack of New Homes
SA: A long tradition in Hawaii's home-building industry has come to an end.
The Parade of Homes, an annual presentation of new home models statewide, won't be held this year because organizers said homebuilders don't have enough new models to make the event worthwhile.
The showcase organized by the Building Industry Association of Hawaii had run for 56 years and encouraged consumers to visit models of new homes available for sale.
Karen Nakamura, chief executive officer of the association, said there was only one new product recently put on the market and available for the public to tour, a new phase at Hoakalei Resort in Ewa Beach called Kipuka.
"You can't have a parade with only one contestant," she said.
read ... Parade of Homes
UH Professors Claim they are Productive
ILind: Back in March, the UH Board of Regents were presented a report on faculty “productivity,” presented in the context of looking for ways to cut costs. The report and its findings were then featured by the Star-Advertiser (“UH officials look into productivity, Student-to-faculty ratios and class sizes are among factors studied in a new report“)....
...Linda Johnsrud, UH executive vice president for academic affairs. sent the report directly to the Board of Regents. It was only when the Manoa Faculty Senate was finally able to examine the underlying data (that they were able to push back by pretending to spot 'errors')....
In May 2013, the Faculty Senate adopted a resolution “in response to the flawed report” citing specific errors.
read ... UH administration forced to retract incorrect finding on small classes
Private company is on track to acquire affordable housing
SA: The city will close the sale of its 12 affordable housing complexes to a private entity for $142 million by a scheduled March 31 deadline, Community Services Director Pam Witty-Oakland told the City Council Budget Committee on Wednesday.
Honolulu Affordable Housing Partners LLC received an OK for its financing plan from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. earlier this month, paving the way for the company to obtain tax-exempt bonds and low-income tax credits from the state agency.
The group is now working with its commercial lenders and hopes to approach the city with a final package by the end of the year, Witty-Oakland said. The March closing date is what's listed in the Honolulu Affordable Housing Preservation Initiative original purchase agreement, she said.
The agreement, negotiated under former Mayor Peter Carlisle, gives the city $142 million that will be used largely to pay off the loans used to buy the properties. Additionally, the housing group is promising to make approximately $40 million in improvements.
read ... Affordable
Shapiro: How to Get Sludge Returned in 1 Easy Lesson
Shapiro: And the quote of the month … from Robert Clark of the Hawaii Kai Marina Community Association, on Waianae residents' complaints about his sludge dumping in their valley: "They're saying that out of total ignorance, of course. If they were aware of what that material was, they would say, ‘Please let me have it.'" Oh, they let him have it, all right.
read... Shapiro
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