In "
The
Liar's Paradox" episode of the TV program
Star Trek
Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock use logic to kill the android by telling
it that "everything 'Harry' says is a lie" after which
"Harry" tells the android "I am lying."
Smoke begins coming out of the robot's ears as he says "You
say you are lying, but if everything you say is a lie, then you are
telling the truth, but you cannot tell the truth because everything
you say is a lie, but you lie... You tell the truth but you cannot
for you lie... illogical! Illogical! Please explain! You are human.
Only humans can explain their behavior! Please explain!"
That's sort of how most of us feel when hearing that the
international chemical companies in Hawai`i are okay with
"voluntarily disclosing" the dates, locations and types of
highly toxic "Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs)" they use in
their open-air, biotech experiments but oppose a bill under
consideration in the state legislature that would make mandatory the
disclosure of that information.
Although they also oppose establishing buffer zones and other
health and safety related measures- including allowing the counties
to effectively regulate them after the well-documented failures of
the state's Departments of Health and Agriculture to do so- let's
just focus in on disclosure.
Now what possible reason could there be for their opposition to
establishing a law requiring them to do what they claim they are
already doing out of the goodness of their black little hearts?
Well in today's local Kaua`i newspaper Paul Oshiro, spokesman
for Alexander and Baldwin condescendingly
said
that "(b)y imposing these mandatory pesticide disclosure
requirements without accompanying public education on federal and
state pesticide oversight and regulation, this may result in an
increase in the number of inquiries, complaints, and non-science
based comments and concerns.”
Education? It's been over 60 years since Rachael Carson published
the book "
Silent
Spring," which, according to Wikipedia was "an
environmental science book (that) documented the detrimental effects
on the environment—particularly on birds—of the indiscriminate
use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading
disinformation and public officials of accepting industry claims
unquestioningly."
Apparently there are still people who do actually need education.
But it's not we androids.
Let's suppose the legislature in all their wisdom decided that
"voluntarily disclosing" that you have a valid drivers'
license and registration in your possession is all you need when you
get pulled over and asked to produce them.
"Oh, s'okay," Keone
Bulai
tells the officer. "I no like hand 'em ovah. No huhu- I get 'em
already."
"Alright- be on your way. The law says that's enough for
me," says the officer. "I'm sure glad the legislature made
producing documentation voluntary because otherwise it could result
in an increase in the number of inquiries, complaints, and
non-science based comments and concerns."
So why would Keone refuse to produce his papers but be okay
volunteering the information that he has them? Well, it might be
because he knows his rights and is simply exercising them because he
can. And we don't want to cast aspersions of Mr Bulai's character but
his status as a constitutional scholar aside, the only other reason
we can think of is because HE IS LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH.
And they wonder why many think the chemical companies are shall we
say, being something less than truthful under the voluntary "Good
Neighbor" program originally designed to provide political cover
to Kaua`i Mayor Bernard Carvalho and the island's contingent of state
legislators in their opposition to passage of a local Kaua`i
ordinance that established mandatory disclosure (and buffer zones)
until it was vetoed by the mayor, overridden by the council and then
struck down by a federal judge.
The stream coming out of our ears is, like the android presented
with the Liar's Paradox, the result of being unable to process
claims like "pesticides are safe," "we always follow
the law," "no one is getting sick or injured" and, our
favorite, "it's just science you Luddite."
The truth is that it doesn't take a scientist to understand that
RUPs are chemicals that are so dangerous that they are not available
without special federal licensing and are to be used only after
reading, understanding (often by people for whom English is, at best,
a second language) and complying with a virtual book-length set of
instructions for their use. Or to understand that those directions
include a zero tolerance for the pesticides escaping the boundaries
of the property upon which they are sprayed- some bordering on
schools, hospitals, homes and waterways- in areas where high-speed,
swirling winds can pick up without warning.
It certainly doesn't take a scientist to notice the smoke coming
out of our ears or for us to know when we're being lied to.
