•Aloha spirit alive and well
•Rainy day relief
•A part of you
• Keep path off beach
Aloha spirit alive and well
I would like to extend a big mahalo to the Westin and the St. Regis in Princeville. The Westin will be providing Thanksgiving dinner for our police officers and firefighters and the St. Regis will be providing Christmas dinner for them.
During these difficult economic times, it is nice to see the aloha spirit is still alive and well. I wish for all of my fellow citizens of Kaua‘i, a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas.
Alice Monaghan, Princeville
Rainy day relief
Many thanks for The Garden Island’s Sunday editorial “Back to the table.” At last the real reason — “Students are being punished…” — has been reported.
It’s the “government’s poor financial planning and the teachers union’s unwillingness to take a temporary pay cut.” It’s not the sole responsibility of Gov. Lingle. Also, two other parties need mentioning: the Department of Education and its boss the Board of Education.
Lingle’s willingness to raid the rainy day fund requires lawmakers to appropriate the money and the union to agree to contract changes and verifies a reality that over-spending lawmakers “no longer have any reasonable excuse to delay action.” Public outcries have demonstrated the power of the people’s will, words and actions. Getting involved, demanding common sense measures, and voting must be carried into election year 2010.
Cleaning out the rainy day fund of $60 million may be a necessity but the funds can be repaid, plus more, if other government agencies, such as our Department of Health, just did the job they were hired to do. But, that is for another “rainy day.”
John Hoff, Lawa‘i
A part of you
My visitor perspective: All too often, we Mainlanders try to tell locals that you all are a part of us. Quite the contrary — we are a part of you, especially when stepping onto your sacred ground.
Our respect should be as one due royalty. Your spirit of aloha is as vital as the air we breathe. It reigns supreme in the very nature and history of your people.
Upon arrival, there is a solemn presence extending its welcoming roots to all comers. Though Mainland attitudes appear as weeds in a fog-laden pasture, they too are overwhelmed by this true spirit much alive, well and prospering. Once overwhelmed, a mental return to Mainland pride is as long and distant as the flight over.
Know this — no matter how far my home is from your land, I will always be a part of you.
Kevin Millender, Baton Rouge, La.
Keep path off beach
Bike paths may be fine on the Mainland and in Europe, but on small islands, such as Kaua‘i, they are not fine.
Kaua‘i is a small island with limited space which needs to be preserved in its remaining natural state and as a place where the Hawaiian culture can thrive, dominated so long by the western influence of its occupiers who have failed to give proper respect to the Hawaiian way of life, the heart and soul of Kaua‘i.
Most recently, plans are moving forward to build bike paths in the Wailua area, a vicinity which is the base of Hawaiian culture with its important history, burial sites, the home of royalty and traditions passed down from ancestors to their living descendants. A bike path winding through these areas is the ultimate sign of disrespect.
Viewed as especially profane are plans to place a plastic, collapsible bike path on the “sacred sands of Wailua,” which our mayor has just recommended, a very serious mistake.
Further, since the gigantic recent storm, the Wailua Beach area is a total mess with large trees and branches strewn over the entire area, especially at the mouth of the river. Common sense tells anyone that these projectiles swept into a plastic bike path, will cause it to snap apart, slamming into endangered monk seals and turtles. According to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, “The Wailua beach area along with its sacred designation truly warrants the preservation of the open space there, now unencumbered by manmade structures, no matter how seemingly ephemeral.” Strangely, in the rush to build bike paths, an archeological inventory of sacred sites requiring protection has been precluded.
Historical records show that Wailua Beach and neighboring areas contain a multitude of ancient graves and other sacred archeological places. If these revered areas are swallowed up by bike path construction, Kaua‘i will have lost forever its rich base of cultural and religious practices amounting to another genocidal dagger in the heart of Hawaiian culture.
There is hope that this unjust situation can be turned around. The bike path has been designated a corridor for alternative transportation. It is, however, exclusively used for exercise and recreation. Federal funds have been designated for use of the bike path as a means for alternative transportation. Therefore, the use of such funds would be fraudulent because no legitimate alternative transportation is happening on the bike bath. Further, federal law mandates that any indigenous cultural practices negatively impacted by federally funded projects is illegal.
With the many millions of dollars earmarked for the bike path, an expanded bus system could be funded to operate seven days per week with frequent bus stops and passenger pick-up throughout the island and increased hours of operation from morning into the night. With drastic fare reductions or even initial free fares, this is an offer that cannot be refused as a truly legitimate form of alternative transportation. In these challenging economic times, this would mean a huge savings on fuel and auto maintenance as well as effectively improving traffic congestion.
Janet Ashkenazy, Kilauea
