"PROFIT VS HEALTH..." 'Bettejo Dux' (Classic Wednesday)

Bettejo Dux has lived on the cosmic garden island

of Kaua'i over 30 years. She is an animal lover, people lover and lover of life.

Today Bettejo blogs the  most popular controversy on Kaua'i...Enjoy!

You can order a copy of her Novella "The Scam "below.www.bettejodux.com

PROFIT VS. HEALTH  

The discussions and opinions on Kauai are lively and passionate. The voice of the people is alive and well on Kauai. This is the good side. There’s always a good side.

I don’t think anyone on the anti-GMO/pesticide/herbicide debate are opposed to all genetic modification, but surely there is a limit. And a dire consequence if a mistake is made here.

I lived here when sugar was king. Those glorious fields of tall green grass-when the yellow tassels waved- were so incredible a sight, tourists and local folks alike would stop by the road to admire. “…they made my heart skip a beat,” to quote Gwyneth Paltro.

And that tall green grass-the best photosynthesizer on planet earth-worked hard for two years to keep our air fresh.

Sure, vast mono-crop plantations- dollar crops- are bad. Sure the ‘poison gangs’ use of really deadly substances didn’t serve the soil or the men who administered them. But, oddly, their killer wars with rats protected us. Suburbs near the fields-Kalaheo is one- are invaded by these destructive creatures. My feed man says he can’t keep supplies of rat poison and traps in stock. The stories are shocking.

Water theft was scandalous. Large landholders fought with each other. McBryde Sugar and John Allerton duked it out. It was the Martins and the Coys all over again and their feud extends to today, except stolen water is now put to use watering the golf course and a super- expensive gated community in what used to be sugar fields in Kukuiula.

This upper class subdivision concrete coats the land, contributes nothing to clean air and uses water like it was going out of style.

Mark Twain said, “Whiskey’s for drinking. Water’s for fighting about.” This has been true forever and if I could convince you of how much trouble our home planet is in because of a lack of water you’d hide under your waterbed. Perhaps I can talk you into viewing HOME, a remarkable documentary narrated by Glen Close and filmed by Award-winning aerial photographer Yann Arthus- Bertrand.

What has all this to do with the GMO/herbicide/pesticide go around?

Everything.

The three most important things we do on this planet is breath, drink water, and eat food.

And GMO cornfields messing up the land on this small island in the middle of a vast ocean is a threat to all these very necessary human needs.

The question so often asked must be addressed: does profit and political power trump health and well being?

Let’s hope not.

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