• A frightening thought
• Something’s wrong with the world today
• The benefit of Iraqi democracy
A frightening thought
A month ago I engaged in a disturbing discussion with a neighbor who worked at Wilcox Hospital as a nurse. I casually asked her, “How are things going at Wilcox these days?” I was disturbed to hear her remarks. After our discussion I read in The Garden Island that the nurses at Wilcox were in the stages of contract discussions. Recently I heard that there may be talk of a nurse’s strike at Wilcox and I now wonder if my neighbor’s remarks were related to a possible strike action. Unfortunately, I can’t ask her as she moved to the Mainland to work as a nurse.
Having lived on Kaua‘i 40 years, I know how our elected officials interpret leadership: “Wait for a problem to occur before giving it any thought or action.” This is not leadership, it is poor governance. Issues need to be anticipated and avoided, as best they can be, to the best of our capabilities of so doing. If there are rumors of a strike, where are some preventative measures, suggestions, assistance that must be forthcoming from our elected officials in order to continue measures for public welfare and safety? Have you heard one word from the mayor expressing concern? Where is our county council? They intervened in getting rid of our police chief acting against charter law. Do they not consider these events at Wilcox as a meaningful hazard to our community with a potential for disaster?
Where is the leadership of stepping forward and aggressively attempting to persuade both parties to negotiate and avoid a strike? Where is the “leadership” to at least make an effort to head off a nurse’s strike, which has the potential of resulting in catastrophic consequences? If only one patient is denied the proper medical care and assistance they desperately need, will one sound come forth from the mayor or our county council? Kaua‘i and God knows Wilcox cannot afford a strike, a shut down. Wilcox is too important to the well-being of our community to be allowed to shut down any portion of its services.
If I were mayor, I would offer supportive assistance and third party observations to both sides of this issue to encourage a settlement of this dispute. But then, our present mayor appears to prefer avoiding contract negotiations as demonstrated by his past actions. As stated in The Garden Island (“HGEA: Baptiste must live with pay-raise decision,” April 15, 2004):
“It was Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste’s failure to negotiate that forced leaders of the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association into binding arbitration regarding pay raises for County of Kaua‘i HGEA employees.”
“The mayor refused to negotiate,” said HGEA’s division chief.
True leadership looks beyond the immediate horizon to a vision of implementing preventative measures before the arrival of an oncoming catastrophe. Some life-threatening events are unforeseeable, but when there is an awareness of potential danger but a few blocks away and exhaustive measures are not taken to mitigate those threats, that is negligent leadership.
Kaua‘i needs quality leadership, help bring it here. Register and VOTE!
Mahalo and Aloha.
Something’s wrong with the world today
Once was, you greeted the visitor with so much aloha, so many smiles, so much sharing and caring that the beauty of our island was secondary. This showed a proper positive upbringing by our parents, and the community was good.
Just the other day I observed three haole keiki, no more than 12 years of age, filled with hatred for some kayakers who drifted into a surf break. It was a mini war zone of words and daggers and hatred. I was surprised it ended peacefully.
Was the common cause part of todays upbringing, or is there no respect for elders? Is it the frustration discussed round the dinner table? Is it our fault one-on-one? Is it part of the road rage? Is it an industry upon industry overrunning itself in so many ways for the sake of the Yankee dollar? Is it all the above?
Or was it that the waves were so good, and yet so crowded that these 12-year-old kids were already so frustrated. Life is too short to be so upset on Kamehameha Day.
I have no answer.
Yet it’s up to us to find a solution, one-on-one and through leadership, while far and away, yet right above us, the kahuna’s shaking with shame.
Shame on us all from sea to shining sea.
The benefit of Iraqi democracy
Even if I despise the author’s hypocritical and self-serving views on our “democracy-carrying-mission” in Iraq I have to praise The Garden Island for presenting opposing views by publishing Diana West’s rambling over false democracy. This will help us understand why our nation became divided.
The current division of America is due to lack of open debates on the war in Iraq, whereas even the notion of these open debates is suppressed by the fear planted into us by our glorious, war-mongering government.
So, we are in Iraq to bring them democracy? How noble a thought, and how scandalous a lie! I lived under democracy for 28 years in the Soviet-occupied Hungary. Oh, you are saying that it was not democracy? You may say so, and I agree, but the Russians said otherwise and they were the “liberators,” just like our soldiers are the “liberators,” and they claimed they brought us democracy. Their media broadcasted the lie 24/7 while those subjected to “democracy” paid their dues. Do you see any difference? If Diana West’s children and wheelchair-bound grandpa were shot at close range by the “liberators” and the “ambassadors of democracy” would she still want their democracy? Is it therefore unusual that the relatives of those children, women and defenseless adults who were murdered in cold blood want to take revenge on the perpetrators even if they will be branded as insurgents or terrorists? That’s why we have so many of them.
Ask any Iraqi about the benefits of democracy, but don’t be surprised if they remain silent. But you know what? Don’t go to Iraq, just ask middle-class Joe here on Kaua’i: “Hey, Joe, what’s YOUR benefit of the democracy in Iraq?” and he’ll tell you in a few words that will shy off the printers ink. And one day Joe will be fed up and will turn the table on those who have taken him for a fool.
