Very well done. I am very impressed at the amount of time and research you have invested in this very important issue. You said you were going to do your homework and get back to us and you did.

I guess the next question is – Why Kauai? Why have these companies chosen to do business here on Kauai? Do they want to boost our economy? Is it the cheap land? Is it that Kauai offers an affordable housing for their scientist and engineers? Cheap Labor? Is it because they locked in great shipping rates for their products to be shipped back to the mainland? They have the resources to set up shop anywhere in the world. Why not Haiti or Central America? It’s sunny there.

Last year I remember helping you with your campaign to fend off the expansion of the Wal-Mart Superstore. You advocated that “Big Box” Superstores might not be the best thing for our community over the long haul. That while lower prices sound good at first blush, they may lead to the demise of many of our “local” businesses. I remember you saying that once the competition is gone, the low prices could follow.

In short, you were very suspicious of the Big Box Corporate strategy and it’s decision to enter our small Kauai market. You asked the hard questions. Why Kauai? How will this affect our community over the long haul? What will happen when the competition is gone? What are their real motives?

I ask you to use that same critical thinking and vision with regard to the GMO issue. Yes, they offer a seemingly good product at a lower price, but so does a Superstore. They employ many good people in our community, as does a Superstore. They should have the right, like anyone else, to do business here in Kauai, just like a Superstore. But lets ask the hard questions, Why Kauai? Why so much secrecy? Why are our children getting sick at Waimea School? Why are they so aggressive with their patients? What is going to happen when the competition is gone? What if something goes wrong? Who will make it right again?

As you pointed out, the World Health Organization and others have stated that GMO’s are “not likely” to pose a health risk to humans. That may or may not be true. What we do know is this technology has the potential to be abused. And just like you questioned the motives of the “Big Box” Superstores, you should be questioning the GMO players here on Kauai.

I think your recommendation to create “GMO Free Zones” is good, but I disagree with you about disclosing the locations of experimental activity. If there is an agricultural accident, we (the people) need to know how and where it originated from. Corporations are famous for not accepting responsibility for their actions, especially this particular sector of companies. If they are concerned about vandalism or theft they should employ the services of an experienced security team.

I would take your recommendation for GMO Free Zones and go a couple of steps further by suggesting the following:

1) Require that they post a bond or purchase an insurance policy to cover loses to our local farmers in the case of an “accident”.
2) Negotiate a long-term contract that would give the county right to use their seeds and technology at a guaranteed price.
3) Give our citizens the choice to purchase non-GMO products by labeling the GMO products that are grown here.
4) Make sure that our local government is fully informed as to any and all testing requirements and test results required by law. Full disclosure

As a County Council Member I would be advocating for these requirements. I hope you feel the same way.

Sorry I didn’t make it to your fundraiser today. Been so busy.

Yours truly,

Scott Mijares

I am the Ex. Director for the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association (since Jan. 1, 08). I wanted you to know – personally and professionally – how much I appreciated your due diligence in researching genetically engineered crops. I was at a Japanese Chamber of Commerce meeting yesterday with Mazie HIrono and I brought the issue up – especially because there are local, state, federal and even global implications to what is happening here in Hawaii. I found her response very compelling and meaningful….she said that although she has concerns, she will make her decisions based on science and fact – not on emotion. She said legislative decisions based on emotion often result in more unintended consequences. Therefore, her position on GE Crops was very similar to yours.

I can’t really take a position on your recommendation of GMO Free Zones because I haven’t really researched the impact on the industry. If something like that were to through, I would hope that it would at least grandfather in the current lands used by the industry. Buffer zones are tactics that even the industry uses. I would also not want to see designated zones that go unused – ie: does a landowner then lose the ability to lease to one of our companies? I think that very narrowly could be considered a “regulatory taking?” But I think the ideas that you put forth are considerate of thoughtful, analytic and critical thinking – something very important in a lawmaker.

I am a native Hawaiian and I sit on 3 different Hawaiian boards: Hawaii Maoli, Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club, and Hoakalei Cultural Foundation. When I took this job, I knew about the controversy with the taro moratorium. So I did my homework. It ultimately came down to a discussion I had with a cultural expert and close friend. And he said, “Alicia – if my child is sick, I will do everything possible to ensure that my child gets healthy.” I think as Hawaiians, many of us have experienced the problems with finding poi – and even being able to afford it. GE – I believe – is a tool. It’s on the shelf right now. We’re not advocating its’ use. But IF something ever were to happen – like the decimation of taro in Samoa (I’m married to a Samoan) where they lost 98% of their taro crop – then we may need to look for solutions that require GE.

Good luck with your race. Please let me know if you need anything from the industry. If you have a chance, I could arrange a tour of the facilities and you could at least meet the workers. Aloha.

Unfortunately, I can only vote in Iowa!