Hawaii is ground zero: banning, not labeling GMOs
by Jon Rappoport
December 5, 2014
Let me put it this way. It would mean a lot more than winning a few GMO-labeling initiatives.
“The right to choose what’s in your food” does not stop the ongoing gene drift, from GMO crops to non-GMO, across America. This drift is well on its way to making organic crops into genetically modified food, whether we like it or not.
And the blown-on-wind spread of tons and tons of Roundup, the poisonous Monsanto herbicide so “vital” to GMO farming…well, that’s straight-out chemical warfare.
As it continues, what organic farmer will be able to guarantee his crops are pristine?
In Hawaii, we have a far different situation. Voters on the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, against all odds, have managed to pass measures that would block Monsanto (and other biotech giants) from continuing their GMO/pesticide operations.
In other words, ban, not label.
However, on the Big Island and Kauai, the corrupt court system has (so far) rendered the voters’ decisions null and void. On Maui, the same tactic is in progress.
Hawaii isn’t just a small biotech center. Huge numbers of GMO seeds are produced and shipped out around the world.
Monsanto, Dow, Pioneer, and BASF are doing intensive R&D to develop new GMO seeds and new poisonous pesticides (which they are spraying on the people of Hawaii).
Cutting off their work in Hawaii would be a major victory.
However, if you did an overall survey of news sites, including independent centers of reporting, you’d find GMO labeling has been garnering far more coverage than the bans enacted in several US counties or the struggle in Hawaii.
Why is that?
One reason: the anti-Monsanto movement in America has been shaped and funded to be about product-labeling.
Because it’s about shopping and choosing and buying and consuming, it seems to have more “broad appeal.”
But how well is that soft approach going to work in the face of the biotech fait accompli—gene drift plus pesticide drift, blanketing the whole country, penetrating all food crops?
According to “received wisdom,” banning GMOs and their attendant pesticides is a much harder sell.
In past articles, I’ve outlined an attack strategy against the biotech giants that could have worked at the outset of the anti-GMO movement—and could still work. I won’t run it all down here. Suffice to say, it is predicated on the understanding that we are in a late-game situation, and the clock is ticking.
The biotech crime bosses are running the show—our show—into the ground. The sane response is to go all-out on the offensive. This is miles beyond avoiding a potato in the market labeled “GMO.”
And by the way, who would be in charge of putting those GMO labels on foods? The state governments where the labeling initiatives pass? Really? You would trust that process to be both honest and competent?
The leaders of the labeling movement apparently welcome the prospect of Monsanto and their allies suing states in which labeling initiatives or laws pass. This is a chance to expose the shady tactics of the biotech giants.
I would point out, though, that such court battles would ultimately impact only the labeling issue, nothing more.
Yes, it would represent another small step in educating the public about these monster corporations—but small steps that come too late are not useful.
In Hawaii, however, there is an authentic spark. The fight centers around the possibility of a partial ban on GMOs and dangerous pesticides—in the heart of the enemy’s camp.
The outcome would be helped considerably, if enough people shifted their focus to the Islands, where the real action is. Now.
In Hawaii, the reality-egg has cracked. The Monsanto facade of GMO/pesticide safety and humane intentions has been blatantly rejected, on the record, by voters.
This has set off a parade of biotech/political/judicial/land-baron counter-attacks. The players are, as usual, arrogant, self-entitled, devious, slimy, fake Jesuses who want to save the world and lift up the less fortunate and less informed.
“We’ll help you. Just let us run things.”
Hawaii could be a candle that is quickly snuffed out, or it could become a sun that illuminates the truth.
The point is, the struggle there is about the right thing. Stopping the poisoners. Not labeling them.
Jon Rappoport
The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at www.nomorefakenews.com
Absolutely! — “labeling GMOs” has always been about a false feel-good measure designed to placate the masses into thinking they have control… in reality quite useless and deceptive — when the REAL solution is to get these Monsanto poisons BANNED period before they 100% take over!
I agree a 100% with you on the complete ban of GMO.
But I have a question for you Jon or to anyone here who knows about it:
Let’s say the people of Hawaii wins the complete ban of GMO. Will their lands be contaminated for years to come because of all the abuse of chemical and modified seeds that they have already dumped there? A bit like when a land is contaminated and irradiated with nuclear waste, it can take thousands of years to go away.
Can the lands be decontaminated?
I sure would like to know the answer to that question.
The Economic Argument Against GMOs: a Top Ten List
http://inspiredeconomist.com/2013/02/26/economic-argument-against-gmos/
I read on this site that::
“In addition, when Monsanto or another GMO agribusiness leaves an area after farming for many years, this topsoil erosion is so bad it may take 20 years to regenerate even in ideal conditions, until which time the land is more or less economically unproductive”
Maybe biochar. I chopped down all my papaya trees that were possibly contaminated and planted clean seeds then hand pollinated, Within a year, I have what I see as clean papayas.
We have to start somewhere and the sooner these poisons are outlawed the sooner these lands can return to decontaminated.
just to add, ref: decontamination:
i heard that growing hemp on “radioactive soil” can help to decontaminate said soil. Could the same hemp be used to decontaminate chemically-poisoned soil?
Hemp and the Decontamination of Radioactive Soil
http://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/hemp-decontamination-radioactive-soil/
Very interesting article that you have linked. Thank you Theodore.
After reading your article, I have search: Hemp and Decontamination of GMO soil and i found this article and if I understandd it correctly, it should removes pesticides also.
Hawaii Makes Use of Hemp as BioFuel, Other States to Follow?
http://naturalsociety.com/hawaii-makes-use-hemp-biofuel-states-follow/
Excerpts:
“Since Hawaii and other states, along the Pacific Coast, are arguably being hit harder by radiation fall-out from the Fukushima incident, we should recognize hemp’s promise in repairing soils. The plant has an unusual quality of being able to pull toxins of all kinds, including metal, pesticides, solvents, explosives, and crude oil, and even radiation out of the soil in order to heal it. Hemp plants do this by absorbing the toxins through their roots, leaves, stems, and shoots. It can remove toxins without removing any topsoil, too. The plant is then harvested and safely disposed of.
The final version of S.B. 2175 signed into law by Hawaii legislators offers hope that hemp cultivation can help restore the islands to their previously known pristine state. Scientists at University of Hawaii are looking into the possibility of using hemp for phytoremediation and other uses, including biofuel feedstock as well”.
I live here, in the MAIN seed crop area. Knew money would buy someone.
I’ve been leaving comments here about this insanity. I agree, hit Hawaii where it hurts, their tourism!
https://www.facebook.com/Hawaii
12-06-2014
Dear Jon Rappoport:
When you mentioned: …..Hawaii isn’t just a small biotech center. Huge numbers of GMO seeds are produced and shipped out around the world…….. It got me thinking: All genetically engineered food is made from GE seeds, which are specially genetically mutilated seeds. If GE seeds are cut off, all around the World, G.E. crop planting suddenly comes to a grinding halt. That would be great!
Also, I got some of that “received wisdom” when I called Organic Consumers Assn., years ago, and the person who answered said ” There just isn’t enough support for a total ban on GE food. ” But he never gave me a reason. Barbara Peterson of Farm Wars has the answer. OCA takes money from Merck drug company; so it looks like the labeling campaign is a kind of ” controlled opposition ” to create an illusion to the Public that some people are fighting Biotechnology when, in reality, labeling the food is a lost cause, so nobody is fighting GE food effectively.
I do believe that if, in the first 2 years of marketing of GE corn and soy, (1996 and 1997), people got a labeling law passed, it could have driven GE food off the market. However it was precisely during those 2 years that Bill Clinton signed the “Telecommunications Act of 1996 ” which was actually the “mainstream media consolidation law” that in 2 years consolidated 50 media companies into only 6, in the USA, and with that came massive censorship and blacking out of the Real News. In those same 2 years, Monsanto conducted a secret Reign of Terror; threatening any reporter or mainstream media company who dared to investigate and criticize GE food. The most notorious case was the Steve Wilson case. Steve Wilson’s investigative report on rBGH injection of dairy cows was all done and ready to go on Fox TV News Florida. A Monsanto lawyer threatened the TV station and got Wilson and his wife fired. (see http://www.foxbghsuit.com/). Could you imagine the effect if his story had aired, 17 years ago and the story went nationwide?
For this criminal act alone, of threatening the entire national media, the entire Monsanto management should have been sent to the worst Federal Penitentiary there is. Then the first 7 years after 9-11-01 made our anti-GE food movement dead in the water. It finally got going again and now we’re in this current mess. The market is so saturated with GE food, even if you labeled it tomorrow, what are we going to eat?
And finally, that was a fabulous job on your earlier article about the Hawaiian Tourists (https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/once-in-a-lifetime-hawaii-vacation-amidst-the-pesticides/). I’m 6000 miles away and Hawaii is one of the biggest Tourist destinations in the World. If only the Tourists knew. How long would they tolerate Monsanto?
yours truly,
Roger Fuller
Jon, the penny has dropped!
I was wondering why you keep hacking at this dead tree and now I realise this goes beyond GMO; way beyond.
This is about REPRESENTATION (faux representation is the labelling metaphor). GMO, a valid and potentially desperate cause, is the pretext for a much bigger issue. Is the government and all its agents at WAR with the people they are SWORN to serve? (Your metaphor of a corrupt “corporate” law court is superb)
I can find no instances of government championing the people (unless there is a rogue motive) in modern times. Living with “refugee” Iranians, they are beginning to realise that our governments are more corrupt than theirs. Out of the frying pan and into the fire……..
Exactly…the only logically path for this to take is years of fighting on a state level’ island by island, only to have it bumped up to the Supreme Court were ‘Clinton’s apology bill’ can be overturned with the defense that the people of Hawai’i are standing in the way of or altruistic Monsanto feeding a desperately hungry world.
Good point Oz!
Movie ( “Rampage” Capitol Punishment”) saw this the other night. Wow! All these criminal so called “leaders” and their minions need to be delt with
New Law Blocks Anti-GMO Scientists from Advising EPA
Yet Another Layer of Bureaucracy to Protect Big Biotech
http://www.infowars.com/new-law-blocks-anti-gmo-scientists-from-advising-epa/
Excerpts:
“This means that the EPA can no longer be advised on their own research regarding GMOs or pharmaceutical drugs like antibiotics or vaccines. Can you say circular reasoning, or insular logic? This ‘reform’ means industry-appointed experts will determine what is ‘safe’ and what is not safe for the public, and that the scientists with the most knowledge about the risks pertaining to GMOs and pharmaceuticals will be gagged.”
“This also means that while Monsanto hides the toxicity results on RoundUp Ready GMO crops and experts call GMO testing woefully inadequate, we now have yet another layer of bureaucracy to protect Big Biotech. With all the anti-science claims made by biotech toward individuals and non-profits who claim GMOs are not safe, this is the exact pot calling the kettle black. “
[…] Hawaii is ground zero: banning, not labeling GMOs […]
At the above link (i.e. http://deepgreenresistancehawaii.org/2014/12/09/investigative-journalist-hawaiis-gmo-war/) is written the following,…
“Jon Rappoport, a free-lance investigative journalist, has written numerous posts recently about GMOs, labeling vs banning, and the recent passing and subsequent overturning of laws in Hawai’i to ban GMOs and their attendant poisons. He provides some good insights into the corruption in the political and judicial systems, and even with big NGOs supposedly looking out for the health of humans and our landbases. The main angle he’s missing is CELDF style laws (http://celdf.org/), which not only block unwanted industry or pollution from a locale, but explicitly state that the local protections supersede the rights of corporations or the State or Federal laws written by those corporate interests.”
Jon, thanks for your coverage of the GMO war here in Hawai’i.
I recommend looking at the work CELDF is doing with ordinances and bills. They help communities write laws not only blocking unwanted industry or pollution from a locale, but explicitly stating that the local protections supersede the rights of corporations or the State or Federal laws written by those corporate interests.
Such bills are harder to overturn in court, and provide more of a radicalizing focus as it forces the system to explicitly state that it will override whatever protections local communities try to put in place. This helps accelerate people’s understanding of how the system is *designed* to protect moneyed interests over people’s well being, hopefully leading them to more effective strategies and tactics.
Some good links on their approach:
http://prn.fm/resistance-radio-thomas-linzey-091414/
http://prn.fm/resistance-radio-thomas-linzey-102013/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIu0IC7TvHM