Pubdate: 13 Aug1998
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, Hawai'i)
Contact:  Dwight Kondo

SECRETS FOR THE NEWCOMER

Dear Editor,

Again! I met another farmer who related that his economic survival depended
on his ability to grow the sacred herb.  These regular revelations are
challenging.  How could I act surprised? Another Hawai'i farmer had to be
criminalized in order to maintain this minimal level of food production
that we depend on.  If I acted surprised I'd be helping to keep the Big
Secret secret, wouldn't I?

If you are new here you need to know: There exists a Big Secret that can't
be discussed when there is official mention of Hawaii's economic
depression.  A Big Secret that we don't dare ponder long when we wonder why
things go corrupt in officialdom.

So what's the Big Secret? Cannabis is, and has been the economic backbone
of this island.

Why isn't this on the front page every day instead of the news that another
country's money machine broke? For the Big Island economy what happends to
the cannabis crop is much more relevant than what even Alan Greenspan may
pontificate.  Here, more people are employed and dependent on Hawaii's
cannabis crop than any other single industry.  This can partly be proven by
the steady police reports of the many tens of thousands of grown and
confiscated plants.  Or discreetly admitted when we discuss the numerous
small businesses here that are, or were capitalized through this forbidden
endeavor.

Marijuana makes the wheels go round on the Big Island.  If you need a
stake? Grow Pot.  Can't get a bank loan? Get alone.  Learn to live in
paradise and survive on greens.  These are the facts; it just can't be
officially authorized or bureaucratically regulated.

Hawai'i is ground zero of the first herb war.  The island's major economy
is directly "taxed" by armed forces.  No civilian in Hawai'i oversees and
reviews these operations.  And unregulated government programs,
intercepting great wealth, operate in defiance of numerous laws.

Hawai'i County could easily suspend the cannabis eradication program and
our economy would show measurable improvement.  Everybody knows this
already.  Many even argue that the crime rate would drop, too. All so easy,
if only Hawaii County officials would abide with their charter and cease
these illegal armed forays into our communities.

Instead, these same government officials, and those few benefitting from
these policies, push things like eradication, irradiation, incarceration,
or Christian nation.  They say anything but "Independent Hawaiian Nation",
which is the other big secret here. 

Dwight Kondo
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Checked-by: Richard Lake