Friday, November 09, 2007
Monsanto digs in on Molokai
The Molokai Dispatch began a series of articles on Monsanto's expanded GMO corn operation. The first article, Getting to Know Your Neighbor, begins:
You may have noticed a lot of red dirt and activity lately in the old pineapple fields of central Molokai. While a few lonely rows of corn here and there hint at what’s going on, there is a lot more happening below the surface of Monsanto’s expanded seed growing operation on Molokai.
The second article is to come, and they also published a discussion today, Genetically Engineered Organisms, Are They Safe?.
Seed crops are big business in Hawaii, which may surprise those who associate only pineapples, sugar cane, coffee, or mac nuts with the islands. This article, from a website pushing GMO technology, outlines the extent of recent growth. [The article originally appeared in the print edition of Pacific Business News, but countering other trends on the web, they won't let you have it unless you pay (or find it reprinted elsewhere, as I've done).]
The Dispatch seems to side with the GMO industry. In March it simply published a press release about the new 99-year lease signed for the land, owned by Molokai Properties. The concurrent Star-Bulletin article is more balanced, presenting the concerns that the Dispatch may be ignoring.
Related: The Myspace page for Stop Monsanto is here. Use Google to find positive articles on Monsanto GMO corn—they have been scattered all over the Internet.
Where is the water on Molokai? Does the Hawaiian homestead act pipeline irrigate the GMO Crops? As I understand it, some of the wells on Molokai are bringing up brine. So what is left should be piped to La'au Point for 200 oceanfront luxury homesites and to grow GMO. Here we go with water rights again and the Hawaiians get screwed? The Dept of AG is ruling on the Hawaiian Homestead act water with 10 Lingle appointed members and she is for the "ranch" development now owned by a Singapore investment/hospitality firm. Another agency goes to the dark side?
Next topic: The suite brought by David Brown against State Awana, Chinen, and the rest had some interesting tidbits. The alleged fast tracking of developments from Awana office and the mess at DLRN/ Artifacts office with the Higa report to back up how bad it is.
The Kawaihae meeting minutes (called by Cindy Evans) put a light on the Superferry momentum in 05. Is that bit about the Army wanting 23,000 acres of Parker Ranch old news? Just what are they planning? Lots of cash flowing toward that harbor from the legislature? So how did HSF get the Government funding without the EIS? This is so fishy. And now without a valid investigation form the legislature I guess we'll never know. Thanks for the Doc. from ilent.net. The Governor seems to have all her ducks lined up in the agencies we've been reading about. A page out of the Cheney Manual. (New York Times)
: November 9, 2007 at 11:36:00 PM HST << Home
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