•World maps are not carved in stone •The best way to decide? •To Palmyra Atoll and back again •Harvest at Lydgate World maps are not carved in stone I was surprised at The Garden Island’s decision to publish a letter
•World maps are not carved in stone
•The best way to decide?
•To Palmyra Atoll and back again
•Harvest at Lydgate
World maps are not carved in stone
I was surprised at The Garden Island’s decision to publish a letter containing insulting language (“Stand up for Sovereignty,” Letters, March 21) towards the Reinstated Government of Hawai‘i. It is one thing to disagree with someone, but using insults will not lead to better understanding. When you insult others and at the same time harangue that you are proud to be American, it makes us wonder if your pride is based on the teachings of Martin Luther King or the field manual used at the Guantanamo Detention Camp.
At the same time, my greatest thanks to the Kaua‘i County Council for giving time to the presentation of Prime Minister Henry Noa from the Reinstated Government. The council listened carefully and treated the presenter and those who provided testimony with respect and decorum. It is the proper way to conduct business even if you don’t agree with what’s being said.
I wonder if the writer has looked at the world map of the last 25 years, because interestingly enough his rhetoric falls in line with that of the old-timer Communist leaders before the Soviet Union fell apart. They, too, mocked idealists from the former Soviet republics who sought independence. And it did not take long until their independence became reality. And now, just barely 20 years later, they are doing fine even economically, without a bailout.
Why do you have to insult someone who has a dream about an independent Hawai‘i? Remember every fire starts with a spark, and the fire will make damage only if you don’t know how to control it! Trust the Hawaiians, they know how to do it. And fires sometimes change the landscape, and their effect may change the world map too, which is not carved in stone.
János (Keoni) Samu, Kalaheo
The best way to decide?
Sometimes, it is best to make decisions on what the majority rules. In other situations, we rely on the judgment of the wise to render a decision. At times, it becomes necessary to take it to the courts for a judge and/or jury to decide.
And then there is the legislative process where the painstaking procedures of research, interpretation and analysis, and lobbying persuasiveness compete for the legislator’s vote.
Finally, the bottom line “truth” is sought after, but when one surveys the realms of possibilities about the ways in which outcomes are realized, it’s not such a cut-and-dried process, is it?
Liberty and Justice for all? Looks like it depends on who’s in charge, who yells the loudest, the feelings of the day, the sanctity of the legislative process, or the hidden agendas that come with political intrigues.
Disappointed, but not defeated, I remain a staunch supporter of civil rights for all.
Jose Bulatao Jr., Kekaha
To Palmyra Atoll and back again
I would like to personally thank the people of Kaua‘i for their support and words of encouragement during our voyage to Palmyra Atoll.
Each day, I truly looked foward to all of your e-mails. What makes Kaua‘i so special will forever be its people. I thank you dearly for keeping me, Hokule‘a and its crew in your daily thoughts and prayers.
It is people like you, that gives us the courage to believe in ourselves and always dare to dream beyond the horizon with the belief that we will always be able to pull an Island from the sea.
Mahalo Nui Kaua‘i.
Keala Kai
The Hokule‘a crew, Kapa‘a
Harvest at Lydgate
After 16 years of wrestling with piles of driftwood in the Morgan Ponds at Lydgate Park, a wise Kapa‘a Rotarian made a brilliant suggestion: “Why not ask the County Parks and Recreation Maintenance Division to supply a dumpster?”
Voila! The rains came, the river overflowed in milk-chocolate hues. The trade winds pushed driftwood over the walls, choked the ponds, and our regular Saturday morning clean-up crew struggled mightily but failed to fill our noble 8-by-20 container.
A phone interview, followed by a front page photo and story by Dennis Fujimoto (“Lydgate cleanup set for Saturday,” The Garden Island, March 18) changed everything!
More than 70 or so volunteers answered the call and in two and a half hours the beach was clear of litter and debris. Thomas Noyes, our “Green Path” co-ordinator and “Friends of Kamalani” chairperson orchestrated a magnificent effort. Who said “the harvest is great but the laborers were few?”
Come out again next Saturday, 8:30 till 10:30 a.m., and pitch in to help fine tune the effort. And yes, Ron Helweg of Starbucks at Borders will supply the coffee! Mahalo and be there!
John Lydgate, Wailua Homesteads
