Letters for Monday, January 22, 2007

• Point finger at mayor

• Kaua‘i at GMO crossroads

• Why the woe over bike path?

• Guidebook authors encourage activities

Point finger at mayor

Mr. William Ivison’s reaction (“On Mel Rapozo’s finger-pointing to the people,” Letters, Jan.11) to Councilman Mel Rapozo is entirely misinformed. The principles of government place the management and supervision of county departments in the hands of the mayor. The council is the legislative arm of government while the administration arm runs the government by appointing the department heads, developing the budget and overseeing operations. This places enormous power in the hands of the mayor who can allocate how the budgeted funds can be spent.

It is only in the case of illegal activities or non-performance that the council is required to act. After the fact permitting is simply another way of endorsing the continuation on this island of unlawful disregard for county and state ordinances. This is a low level of morality that breeds contempt for law and leads to cronyism.

Finally, where was Ivison’s concern for how taxpayer’s money was being spent when this project first began. Did he, and the “local residents” he presumes to speak for, object that these funds were not being used for “solving housing and traffic issues or perhaps providing additional police or fire protection”? He blames the council for being political, which is in fact what they are and elected to be. Ivison’s position sounds more political in wanting to disregard wrongdoing, a political pastime in our age.

Kapa‘a

Kaua‘i at GMO crossroads

While most Americans have no awareness of GMO issues, people on Kaua‘i have it literally, right under their noses. We have more experimental crops per acre than any other place on Earth. The state of Hawai‘i is “Ground Zero” for open air field tests.

These experiments cross one species, like a plant, animal or even a human, with another unrelated species, in this case a food crop like corn, soy, or sugar cane.

Interspecies sex is prevented in ecosystems by natural barriers. Labs can force it, but clones are weaker than the parent, sterile and tend to die young.

Most of our export markets refuse GMO food crops. Educated consumers overwhelmingly reject this food. Farmers who could be growing commodity crop like corn, coffee, or soy, cannot coexist with GMO pollution or the tainted perception of the crop. This is going in the wrong direction

For centuries farmers have saved the best seed from their crops and the intelligence of the seed naturally modified itself to be better and stronger. Try wait eh? People have been paying a higher price for organic food because there is always a shortage. We need to grow local and we need to grow green. If nothing else, it will make Kaua‘i unique and desirable, with good food security.

Doctors recognize that the viral promoter used to force the insertion of genes from one species into the corn host, may be activating genes that should remain silent, as in disease genes. This has been a documented flaw in human gene therapy.

Kaua‘i is at the crossroads. Many, many people are speaking out for a vision of Kaua‘i, as a world leader in sustaining systems.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”

Koloa

Why the woe over bike path?

Oh my, what a litany of woes were listed by the letter writer who penned “Bike path questions need answers,” in the Letters section Jan. 17.

Anyone reading his diatribe of disapproval without knowing any further facts would surely be put off the business of bike paths on the Garden Island without giving it further thought, which would be a great pity, since Kaua‘i will benefit greatly from an infrastructure of bike paths, just as other places around the world have when the citizenry and a dedicated group determined to put their vision in place on behalf of their cities have had the foresight to do. Numerous examples of this instant “upgrading” of daily life and community spirit exist everywhere, notably in Colorado, California, Atlanta and Holland. If the letter writer could look past the $50 million (which I agree sounds formidably expensive when taken at face value) and look at the realities of bike path communities, he would know this. He would also realize that encouraging kids to bike to school instead of relying on their parents to drive them there would cut down on traffic and school rush hour gridlock, plus contribute to their health and help turn back the rising tide of obesity in children now spending their recreation time playing video games and/or doing illegal drugs instead of engaging in physical activities. In the case of Kaua‘i, there is the additional reality of over 1 million visitors vacationing here every year, many of whom would rent bikes and leave the rental car in the parking lot if they had anywhere besides Lydgate Park to ride them. In other words, if they could combine practical use, sunshine and exercise with their recreational time by biking to the stores and restaurants. Or just walk — you know, be a pedestrian, putting one foot in front of the other, just like on the beach — which by the way explains in great part why Europeans aren’t suffering from an epidemic of obesity like we are in the USA. At present, anyone bicycling anywhere on the island (besides Lydgate Park) is taking their life in their hands as drivers whizz past us while we try to cycle on the tiny and often non-existent margins of the road inside the white lines; not long ago, a cyclist was killed and the driver of the car didn’t even notice — the body and bike were found the next day. There are many sound economic and environmental reasons for building an infrastructure of bike paths which I won’t get into here but greatly encourage the letter writer and others of his persuasion to check into by going to www.kauaipath.org or e-mailing edwin@pathfoundation.org for full information. Once in possession of the full facts, we might all feel this is one $50 million bucks that will be well spent.

Waipouli Beach

Guidebook authors encourage activities

I can’t help but wonder if the authors of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook feel any sort of responsibility when two young people walk off a cliff at Opaekaa Falls or when elderly tourists get swept away at Queens Bath. We all know that most visitors learn of these places using this particular book series. Sure, the book has warnings about various dangers, but in looking specifically at the entries for Queens Bath and Opaekaa Falls, the warnings are pretty mild. It says about the falls, “If things don’t work out well, blame the pigs, not the state.” Well, how about assigning a little blame to the people who helped you find this “trail” in the first place? As for Queens Bath, where someone has drowned each year for the past four years, the authors congratulate themselves for making this place known to visitors. Their warning is “low tide is best, but don’t use this place if you think the ocean is too strong.” Low tide? Do most visitors know the daily tides? How many have experience in ocean conditions like we see here on the North Shore during the winter? If they’ve never seen our ocean before, how do they know what is “strong”? Folks walk down to Queens Bath between sets and then get swept away by the first big wave that rolls in. Clearly the warnings posted in these books aren’t working — last week I saw a tourist bringing an inflatable turtle to Hanakapiai. Guess what book they had in their hand?

Kapa‘a