On another battle front involving Monsanto, MMA fighter, Dustin Barca is turning his skills against big agricultural corporations which dominate his home island of Kauai, by running for Mayor.
Kauai, a tropical paradise, is set within the Hawaiian Islands. What most don’t know about this fertile land is that it houses some of the elite in the world of chemical and agricultural companies; Monsanto being the ringleader.
Appalled by the effects of pesticide in Kauai, Barca decided to take the fight to the GMO corporations he considers responsible. “As soon as the bugs eat the plant, they die because of the poison in the genes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that can’t be good for people,” he says in one interview as Kauai’s latest politician.
Chemicals banned in Europe and most parts of the world are being freely tested in Hawaii. Lasting effects are noted, specifically on children, including birth defects and seizures. Contaminated water sources in this lush tropical island are also a concern, along with rising cancer statistics. [1]
Kauai isn’t the only island fighting Monsanto and other large agricultural companies. On November 4, a vote was conducted in Maui, to pass an “initiative seeking to ban GMO crops in Maui Country.” Monsanto responded to the initiate in this statement: “Like many other local residents, we’re deeply concerned about the serious consequences of this initiative for our community and for farming in Hawaii. With more than 1,000 local employees living and working in Maui, Molokai and Oahu, we also understand the negative impact this initiative will have on our employees, the community and on agriculture in Hawaii and beyond.
Monsanto remains firm in our commitment to ongoing dialogue with our neighbors, and we will continue to listen to and talk with the members of our community as we determine if this initiative is legal and will be enforced.”[2]
Monsanto has a strong hold on one of the world’s most precious group of islands. In an article written in 2012, the effects of GMO were already being witnessed as the island became an “open-air laboratory” for pesticide testing. “People at work and play outdoors will watch in horror as chemical trucks show up and workers in full hazmat protective gear begin spraying heavy quantities of toxic chemicals in the immediate vicinity of local schools and communities”[3]
One win that Barca can be proud of in recent times is getting a bill passed which will provide information to Hawaiian citizens (as their legal right to know), when and what the ‘Big Agricultural’ corporations are spraying. As the saying goes, baby steps towards our better tomorrow.
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[1] Sophie McAdam (6 November 2014) “Hawaiian Fighter Takes on Monsanto.” http://www.trueactivist.com/hawaiian-fighter-takes-on-monsanto/ (Retrieved 13 November 2014)
[2] “Monsanto Hawaii.” http://www.monsanto.com/hawaii/pages/default.aspx Monsanto Site. (Retrieved 13 November 2014)
[3] (4 July 2012) “Monsanto in Paradise: How to Stop Big-Ag from Destroying Hawaii” http://www.wakingtimes.com/2012/07/04/monsanto-paradise-how-stop-big-ag-from-destroying-hawaii/ (Retrieved 13 November 2014)
GMOs and pesticides are completely different things. While there is an abundance of research to back the claims that pesticides are hazardous to people and the environment there is almost no to limited research on the hazardous effects of genetically modified organisms.
Nathan is right! It’s rampant capitalism, profit before people and pesticides that are the problem here. GMOs are safe, as safe as crops which have been selectively bred. We need to make sure we are fighting the right enemy
“As soon as the bugs eat the plant, they die because of the poison in the genes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that can’t be good for people,”
He’s right. It does not take a rocket scientist because rocket scientists are not agricultural scientists, biologists nor chemists. Pesticides exert their lethality to bugs in a broad, non-specific way. Genes on the other hand are VERY specific and exert their lethality with a very narrow focus on the bug/insect. It is actually quite amazing!
Also, would you post the reference the “cancer statistics” mentioned above? I am skeptical as the actual cause of cancer is very difficult (often impossible) to pinpoint. Thank you.
is this the monsanto shill comment garden? it looks like it, sounds like it.