Beloved pet will be missed
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, our beloved chocolate Lab died in my husband’s arms before we could even get him to our vet. Every morning our two dogs got to run and play before “going to work.”
Tuesday was Bucky’s last day. His autopsy showed a massive amount of rat poison in his stomach that he had to have ingested on his run that morning, being out of line of sight for a few minutes.
Yes, it was our fault to let them run off leash for awhile in this big open field in Poipu.
Yes, we knew that Bucky was fond of eating everything in sight, including sticks.
In the end, we just wanted to share with everybody that rat poison kills dogs, too. Please put it in an approved container so it does not kill an innocent pet. Please do not scatter it indiscriminately.
Bucky was a gentle soul and did not deserve this. A lot of friends and our grandchildren are missing his presence.
Heike Fujita, Kauai
Science should matter more than propaganda
I strongly disagree with some of the ideas expressed in the Feb. 25 TGI Forum article by Allan Parachini. As far as pesticide harmful effects go, I request people to read the article “Pesticides and birth defects: Who did you believe?” (TGI, Nov. 29, 2017). It refers to several doctors, from Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, who believe there may be 10 times the national rate of certain rare heart defects in newborns on the Westside of Kauai.
I also disagree with the author’s idea that the island needs more large-scale commercial agriculture. I buy my fresh produce from local small farmers or get it from my neighbor’s gardens. I myself do not use pesticides around my home, due to adverse reactions such as headache and vertigo.
As far as letting the federal government taking responsibility: is this guy kidding? EPA Chief Scott Pruitt does not have the qualifications to hold the office he is in. He has no formal scientific or mathematical education. He has a BA in Political Science and Communications, 1990 Georgetown College Kentucky and 1993 law degree from University of Tulsa Oklahoma. Mr. Pruitt, as indicated in his Wikipedia biography, “rejects scientific consensus that human activities are a primary contributor to climate change and that carbon dioxide is the primary contributor.” Mr. Pruitt received major contributions from the fossil fuel industry for his campaign as Oklahoma’s Attorney General. As the Attorney General he sued the EPA at least 14 times for their actions between 2010 to 2014.
Mr. Parachini’s education and life experience is in journalism and public relations, again no formal scientific of mathematical education at the college level. Accordingly, his opinions on the matters he is speaking of should be taken with a grain of salt.
“Propaganda and Public Relations, Government-Dictionary definition: Propaganda is a deliberate attempt to persuade people to think and behave in a manner desired by the source; public relations, a branch of propaganda, is a related process intended to enhance the relationship between an organization and the public.”
Chester Mazurowski, Kapaa
