Mahalo for GMO ban
How many stars can you name? How many phases of the moon? Is the tide rising or falling? Name the birds, insects and plants that live near your home and the food crops that would grow there.
What have we lost? Where are our connections to the land, water, and sky that show us how to breed plants adapted to local conditions, rotate crops, reduce pests and disease by planting a variety of crops, use plants that repel pests, compost?
We’ve lost our connections partly because of genetically modified organisms. GMOs promise quick fixes and big profits, but slowly destroy connections and the foundations of life.
Troubling studies show GMOs impact the health of humans, animals and even vital organisms in the soil. GMO pollen drift can contaminate neighbors’ crops and shut down organic, sustainable farming. GMOs can spread until they are unstoppable — like albizias, mongooses and coqui frogs. Seed-sharing builds connections — but if you share GMO seeds, you can be sued by multimillion dollar corporations.
If banning GMOs is a mistake, it’s easy to undo. But if allowing GMOs is a mistake, that may be impossible to undo.
Many mahalos to Mayor Billy Kenoi and our County Council for making the difficult but wise decision to ban further GMOs on Hawaii Island.
Cory Harden
Hilo
Allowing Navy to use sonar threatens us all
I was shocked to read that the federal government has given the Navy permission to use sonar in our Hawaiian waters. They have already calculated how many thousands would be affected when they detonate these sonar devices. Even a single digit number is enough to prove that the use of sonar should be banned, but they estimate the injuries to be in the thousands.
Why is the government so determined to kill off all our sea creatures as insignificant and justifiable? It’s bad enough that all governments on our planet still allow fossil fuel to be burned.
We humans are on a course to destroy life on land and the sea for no good purpose. It’s no wonder that nature has wrought natural disasters upon us as a big hint that we are on the wrong path.
Colleen Miyose-Wallis
Kona
Diesels just as noisy as motorcycles
With all the letters concerning noisy motorcycles, I’d like to point out that diesel pickup trucks are just as obnoxious. They literally drown out conversation and TV. Can something be done about how loud they are?
C.F. Steffen
Kona