•Thanks for the memories
•Stop racial profiling
• DOE in peril
Thanks for the memories
I would like to extend my gratitude to the people of Kaua‘i. We just finished a little over two weeks on your wonderful island and enjoyed our time very much. We stayed on the north end in Ha‘ena.
Yes we met a few locals who were a little surly towards us, but all in all everyone was kind and helpful. We did our best to respect the reef, water, land and the culture.
I would like to extend a big thank you to the people of Kaua‘i and hope you all will welcome us back again. We liked this island best of all the ones we have visited. Let’s hope it stays quiet, laid back and peaceful as it is now.
Steven Aksamit, Puyallup, Wash.
Stop racial profiling
Paul Curtis’ front page story of Kipu Falls is disturbing. (“Visitors bemoan police response to 2 theft cases,” The Garden Island, Oct. 21)
A photo of a kid, possibly innocent, published with an outright accusation. No face shot, no eye witness to a crime. Supposition.
The Dettoris’ story is questionable; admittedly, negligently they go to a place with knowledge of potential car break-ins and leave valuables in the car! They accuse a brown-skinned man of “canvassing” the falls; which is also called visiting a favorite watering hole (not unusual since education is no longer a state priority) and also called racial profiling and branding.
Then they accuse KPD in the crimes. Stating KPD acted “complacently” and committed “malfeasance.” KPD responded as officers of the law, not private security guards and not hired henchmen.
Mahalo to Officer Perez who provided the correct legal response, refusing to bend under their delusional sense of entitlement. It appears, from the way it was written, the Dettoris expected to snap their fingers and direct KPD in a witchhunt for a brown-skinned person and that any brown-skinned person would suffice their vindication.
The Dettoris, touting their laughable “high-powered guest list,” unfortunately may be able to pull that off on the Mainland and Third World countries. Not here.
Break-ins happen all over the world. As to the reason, the Dettoris’ publicized hunger to climb the wannabe ladder of corporate usurpers wasn’t smart; they dragged in the names of Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney and Deutsche Bank. There’s been an awful lot of “other” kind of theft in these islands and worldwide, placing aboriginal and indigenous peoples as the real victims.
It’s similar to the Westside fire, reported by a PMRF soldier as several “dark-skinned youth, wearing black shirts, black shorts and black head coverings” running away. The soldier later confessed to starting the fire.
I urge local families and schools solicited by Dettori for finger-pointing not to engage in this pompous, racist appeal. Perhaps the Dettoris have opened themselves up to some charges.
It‘s OK that you don’t visit here again. Did you ask permission before you snapped that picture?
Elaine Dunbar, Lihu‘e
DOE in peril
As a public school counselor, I appreciate the recent opinion letters from Monroe Richman (“Where’s the uproar?” Oct. 1) and the Hoglen clan (“Angering all the people all at once,” Oct 4). I only wish for more public outcry against our state’s furlough disaster.
First, allow me to point out an obvious fact. Hawai‘i public schools rank among the lowest in the nation in terms of students being prepared for college. Recent data, published by the College Board, paints a glum picture of Hawai‘i’s 2009 college-bound graduates.
Looking at average SAT scores (the most common test used to help determine college admittance), the state of Hawai‘i ranked 49th on both reading scores and writing scores. Only the state of Maine scored lower in these areas. It is a sad fact that Hawai‘i public schools are not preparing students to survive the rigors of college coursework.
As a DOE employee, it’s frustrating to be a member of a “losing team” for so many years. As a parent of a public school student, it is even worse. Hawai‘i’s children deserve a far better education than we are providing.
Our politicians need only to consider doing what is fair and what is right for the masses. Raise the general excise tax by a penny and eliminate all furlough days. After all, the majority of us can’t afford to send our kids to Punahou or Iolani!
Parents, please speak up and demand a challenging, quality education be provided for your children. Call or write our politicians and demand an end to DOE furloughs. And if furlough days are here to stay, call your school and demand that they eliminate waiver days and other events that take away valuable learning time.
Charles Fulks, Kaua‘i High School, Lihu‘e
