For those heavily involved in the war over the growing of genetically engineered seeds in Maui County, we seem to suddenly find ourselves in a quiet time. The ballot initiative that would place a moratorium on the cultivation of GMO seeds until the completion of health and safety studies passed narrowly in the recent election, but won’t become law when the state Election’s Office finally certifies the results.
That’s because federal Judge Barry Kurren granted a temporary injunction against the Initiative until March or so, to give him time to sort out the law. In August, Kurren ruled that a new Kauai law regulating the growth of genetically engineered crops is invalid.
The injunction came about as the result of a lawsuit filed by Monsanto and more than a half dozen other entities against the County of Maui who seek to get the law overturned. Of course, five Initiative proponents and the SHAKA Movement also filed suit against the County of Maui in hopes of securing a say in the eventual enactment and legal defense of the Initiative.
That leaves the fight over genetically modified organisms back in the hands of the activists, and they’re back to doing what they do best.
“The new Monsanto TV commercials paint them as a family company providing you a holiday meal,” states a Nov. 17 press release from GMO Free Maui. “We all know this is PR spun lies! Monsanto is SUING our county to avoid public health and environmental impact studies. They are hijacking the democratic process and must be called out on this in public.”
So tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 19), GMO Free Maui activists will be protesting and waving signs near the fields at the intersection of Mokulele Highway and Pi’ilani Highway in North Kihei from 3-6pm.
Click here to visit a Facebook page on the protest.
Photo from 2013 San Francisco GMO protest: Donna Cleveland/Wikimedia Commons
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