Category Archives: Uncategorized

While perhaps a bit trite and formulaic, am thinking a year-end review and a preview of the year ahead is in order. There is, of course, good news and bad news. The bad news is that 2017 in a political … Continue reading →

Too often we are tasked on election day to choose between the lesser of two evils.  I believe early on, before we get to that point, we should strive to find and elect those people that actually meet our highest … Continue reading →

Below is a comment pulled from The Garden Island comment section, that was attached to the “Pesticides and Birth Defects – Who do you believe?” story published on 11/29/2017 (and republished on this blog, below this blog piece). This is … Continue reading →

Should pregnant women who live and/or work around high levels of pesticide use, particularly on Kauai’s west side, be concerned about birth defects? A Honolulu law firm has recently been running radio advertisements on Kauai and Maui, stating: “If you … Continue reading →

A few days ago, I received an email from a friend whom I rarely see, but who occasionally shares with me her thoughts and ideas.  The email, (a portion of which I share at the end of this column) contains … Continue reading →

And this morning, my friend Mary is at the top of that list.   From an email I received a few days ago:   “Well, Gary, please know you always have my (usually unseen) support.   You WILL win eventually … Continue reading →

In my career as a former state Senate leader, County Council member, and community advocate, I have shaken the hands of countless adversaries after a skirmish – political, legislative, and even legal. It’s not always an easy interaction though it … Continue reading →

For those wondering what happened in court yesterday below are my thoughts and observations. Judge Randal Valenciano seemed very familiar with the section of law being argued, HRS343 – the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act (HEPA).  He also seemed to have … Continue reading →

The Hawaii State Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) is proposing to exempt Syngenta operations on public conservation and coastal lands from environmental review – WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE. Syngenta is an agrochemical company conducting research … Continue reading →

*Excerpts from a recent email conversation with a freshman legislator on why he/she should support increased pesticide regulation.  This person has been requesting additional data/research on this topic that might resolve the opposing arguments presented by industry (which I have … Continue reading →