Large political banners not necessary
I was disappointed to see political banners start to spring up in February. I understand the point of bringing awareness to a particular candidate, and certainly smaller yard signs are fine as a show of support.
I know the campaigns are in full swing, but please realize that the large banners along our roadways are really not necessary. Mahalo for your consideration.
Tyler Chihara, Lihue
Rule-of-law should prevail
Mr. Somit’s letter (TGI, March 10) is making two erroneous assumptions about “minor” children brought in by their “parents”: are they really minors and are the adults who brought them in really their parents?
In Germany, for example, the government is starting to do medical testing to determine if those claiming to be minors are really under 18 years of age. H.R. 4760 (Goodlatte House bill) includes DNA testing to verify parental claims.
Illegal entry does not end there but often includes other illegal activities such as human smuggling, fake SSNs and identity theft and fraudulent tax and other documents. We are a nation of immigrants but also a nation where the rule-of-law (should!) prevail.
The rule-of-law is why the U.S. is a better place to live than Mexico, Honduras, China, etc., but is being trampled by the Democrat Party’s open-borders position.
John Rogers, Bozeman, Montana
Science must drive agriculture
We live in interesting times. Modern agriculture has given us the most plentiful, safest food supply in the history of food. Unfortunately, marketers of alternative foods have convinced many that this is not true. The letter from Linda Bothe (TGI, March 10) is a good example.
She begins with the myth that organic agriculture is not big business. The global organic food industry is valued at nearly $100 billion annually and is projected to double in coming years.
Nature produces some of the most toxic compounds known to humans. Many folks have come to believe that anything naturally derived is harmless. Ask your self this: if it is harmless then what good will it do to apply it to crops? Either it is toxic to pests or it is not.
Most of the organic food grown in the U.S. comes from California. When you look at the California state agriculture data it becomes clear that more than 50 percent of all pesticides applied to crops in the state are applied to organic crops.
All conventional agricultural pesticides are exhaustively tested to ensure safety. This is not the case for all naturally derived organic pesticides. We do not need policy decisions based on marketing. We need policy based on sound science. In the future we will need the best of every agriculture system.
Robert Wager, Vancouver Island University
