• No aloha spirit • Signage in Hanalei • Restore factual news No aloha spirit As we arrived with United Airlines a week ago on Kaua‘i, our three bags got stuck in Los Angeles. The UA rep at Lihu‘e Airport
• No aloha spirit • Signage in Hanalei • Restore factual news
No aloha spirit
As we arrived with United Airlines a week ago on Kaua‘i, our three bags got stuck in Los Angeles. The UA rep at Lihu‘e Airport was helpful, promised to take care of an earliest delivery, since we had no sandals, shorts or sunscreen in our hand luggage. Our nine-month-old baby was without anything else to wear, no cream etc.
Next day, I checked online our bags were on the island. Headed to airport, put delivery hold online. But, the UA rep knew nothing about the hold status, whereabouts of our bags, the location, cell phone or anything else of Speedi’s driver, which seems to be a contractor in bag delivery with UA.
It took the lady almost half an hour to get hold of the supervisor at Speedi and nothing — really nothing — was left of the aloha spirit we got to know the last times we’ve been here on Kaua‘i.
She didn’t care about our baby girl, no money down for pampers eg, clothing, baby cream. Speedi, which have to deliver in three hours time, finally found their driver; he was on the Westside, picking up a passenger. Our condo would have been five minutes from the airport. Since us showing up at the airport, three hours had passed.
Still waiting for the driver, no information whatsoever, and stuck with a baby, no clothes, nothing to change. Damn…
A “really friendly” driver finally delivered the bags after five hours.
Summary: No courtesy exists with United Airlines or Speedi, nobody cares about the personal needs of customers, only money is important, transporting a passenger was more important than simply holding our bags at the airport or bringing them the five minutes up to our condo, nobody expressed a cent of the former “aloha spirit,” answer from Speedi was an excuse, “Things happen.”
Where did all the spirit go?
René Wildenauer
Kitzingen, Germany
Signage in Hanalei
I live in the Hanalei Valley. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. One has only to read the increasing number of travel books, magazines, airline advertisements to confirm that others agree with this view.
I have lived on Kaua‘i all my life and in Hanalei all of my adult life. I have experienced ever escalating development and change on Kaua‘i, particularly in Hanalei. I agree with the redundant statement, “Let us not destroy that which people come to see.” The mountains, taro patches, colorful one street town, and Hanalei Bay are magnificent.
Recently well-meaning, well-intended members of the community are creating signs and pounding them along the roadside, on fenceposts, and on telephone poles. The words are opinionated, distracting to drivers and certainly schlocky in contrast to the natural beauty of the island. These signs should be eliminated. Except during election time, signs should comply with sign ordinances, including commercial business signs.
Whether one is for or against an issue, let us transcend signage. One can use The Garden Island opinion pages, personal discussion, or county meetings, for example, to express one’s personal views.
Finally, let us all, residents and visitors, experience the beauty we have before us without despoiling it.
Pam Dohrman
Hanalei
Restore factual news
The main problem is not Republicans destroying our country again even without Bush making war on tiny Iraq using lies, borrowed billions, and our 4000-plus dead, and it’s not Boehner’s Congress causing devastating military cuts and recession forcing sequestration.
Democracy fails filled with misinformation. Fox News was awarded the right to lie to the world and call it “news” by a Florida court as “free speech.” But it’s the tip of the iceberg, the Internet was viewed as an information highway that would save us all by educating everyone, but it’s filled with garbage and propaganda.
On any given day, people quote Internet garbage that is typically outdated failed theories, and even nonsense generated by racists just hating on Obama. Internet ‘super sewage pipe’ more like it. The problem is Americans are fooled by propaganda.
Know that we must reform the “free speech” lies Fox News managed to legalize removing all accountability. We must limit the 1st Amendment rights to individuals only, which is to say businesses need to be accountable for what they present as facts.
How are we as voting Americans going to make intelligent informed decisions about candidates when there’s nobody we can rely on? Before Fox News made Obama bashing a daily habit, you could rely on a news network giving news a fair and unbiased view, not “The vice president made me so mad I wanted to punch him in the face” and ridiculous predictions like Fox’s 2012 election coverage.
Return honesty to news.
Barney Blankenship
Kapa‘a
