A poem about a changed world
For Everyone Who’s Suffering
Our world has changed
And our lives have changed
Like never before and families suffering
Every day and I feel your pain and our
Happiness has gone away and it’s only pain today
Hiding our tears as they fall in the rain
Saying I’m fine when I’m anything but fine
And when will this heartache ever go away?
And indeed my skin is on fire
My skin is burning within me and
No more hugs or kisses today it’s
Just sadness for the world today
Coronavirus coronavirus is here
And it’s taken so many loved ones away
And loneliness really hurts you
It kills you deep inside and
I’m lost without you in my life and
The world has changed so much
Coronavirus not going away
And darkness surrounds the world
And it’s so cold and painful
And our warm hugs
Have all faded away
Just like our love every day
And nobody to hold more and I watch
As a lonely tear rolls down my face
But I promise you all I’ll love
And pray for everyone
Who’s suffering from coronavirus
Every day.
David P. Carroll, Lihu‘e
2 covid travel tests permit safe influx of tourists
How to combine return of tourists and stop the spread of COVID-19?
Mayor Kawakami has the most-brilliant solution: A pre-travel covid test which is negative combined with a second, post-travel COVID test which is negative. This will permit a large influx of tourists much more safely than using only one COVID test. Why?
The current HB 1286 is unsafe because it has no second, post-travel COVID test. The bill needs to be recreated to include a short quarantine of at least three days, then a second COVID test, followed by a 24-hour wait for negative or positive result.
Mayor Kawakami is clear-thinking and ethical, while House Bill 1286 is promoting medical negligence.
Mayor Kawakami reported in The Garden Island Feb. 18, some 104 COVID cases that are travel related. Most had a negative pre-test but tested positive later. (These people probably picked up COVID at the airport or on the plane.) Some 31 had positive COVID results but did not receive the results until after arriving on the island.
Mayor Kawakami explains a safe strategy for Kaua‘i, which counterbalances Senate Bill 1286’s medical negligence. “Many mainland travelers are making Kaua‘i their second travel designation after spending at least three days on another island, then taking a pre-travel test before arriving on Kaua‘i. This ensures they’ve had two COVID tests — one prior to flying into the state and another test prior to flying to Kaua‘i.”
Dr. Lee Evslin explains this second COVID test reduces COVID spread by 30 to 40%. Thus, it is clear House Bill 1286 lacks ethics and clear thinking by imposing a bill which is mislabeled “Safe Travels,” which is medical negligence.
I went to Dartmouth College, which has a medical school, so please forgive me for stating the obvious in support of the brilliant Mayor Kawakami. I believe there could be subsequent lawsuits for medical negligence on the part of House Bill 1286.
Why not be smart and simply do less and accomplish more: Create a real safe-travel program that is not a medical lie by cost-effectively incorporating at least two COVID tests, thereby permitting a much-safer influx of tourists to boost Hawai‘i’s economy?
Will Davis, Lihu‘e
Be careful of the rule of a strongman
On Nov. 3, 2020, Donald Trump lost his bid to be reelected president, although he claimed that he had won “in a landslide.” In the following weeks he lost case after case in the courts in his attempts to legally change the results. He was unable to provide any evidence of the voter fraud that he claimed was responsible for his defeat.
Having exhausted legal means to overturn the election, on Jan. 2, 2021, President Trump used the power of his office to pressure the Georgia secretary of state to “find” 11,780 votes so he could win that state’s electoral votes, a blatant violation of our election laws.
On the 6th of January he orchestrated an attack on the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of electoral votes. We all know the results. The Capitol was breached, U.S. congressmen were terrorized, several people were killed and great damage was done to America’s standing in the world. It is difficult to think of a worse crime that a U.S. president could commit than the use of violence to maintain his power!
Yesterday, only seven Republicans were willing to convict Trump of incitement of insurrection, a sad commentary on the present state of the Republican Party. Recently, I have read a number of statements in support of Trump, saying that we should not forget all the good things that he has done as president. Although I may not agree with his policies, I can appreciate such perspectives.
What I cannot accept is his followers continuing support for Trump as a candidate for president. It is important to separate the man from his policies. As a historian I remember that Germans loved Adolph Hitler because he provided them jobs; Italians supported Mussolini because of his efficiency: ”he made the trains run on time.” As a result they ended up under vicious dictatorial rule.
I am not claiming that Trump is just like Hitler or Mussolini, but we need to be careful that we don’t end up under the rule of a strongman who has no respect for our laws, who is willing to use illegal, even violent, actions to hold on to power.
Andy Bushnell, Kapa‘a
I agree. Kaua’i will not last just only on local spending their own money. This will lead to a recession. Less spending. More unemployed. Something should be done. The only logical way is to find some way to bring the tourist from Japan or where ever they were from, and to fill those rooms again that was once used for luau shows. And bring back the parks and recreation workers to clean those beaches. Make it open to everyone. Lastly, open up all the stores so that people can just buy things. With all these good points, fill in the blanks and make sure tourist come in from anywhere and spend our local money. This will give us more business. More spending on our local business will increase the revenue and expand it also. Money wise.
It appears Trump has enough support that he could win a presidential primary if it were held today, given his choke-hold on a cowed Republican party. The concern is that even though he would likely lose the election he would again try to claim it was stolen, and this time his minions would be better prepared, and his coup attempt might be better organized. He has 4 years to prepare, and a narcissistic personality that likely misses the adulation and attention only available at such a rarified perch. We can only hope that after the display of spinelessness shown by his own party of invertebrates since Jan. 6, that the Dems will take steps to strengthen the institutional safeguards that very nearly broke down from the stresses of the last four years, applied by this dangerous man.
1. A horribly depressing poem, Mr. Carroll. Did you know the ONE older gentleman with pre-existing conditions who succumbed to the virus here on Kauai? I am grieving for than many small business owners who are going broke and whose employees have lost their jobs. Covid/Flu numbers are no greater than prior year Flu numbers. Lighten up and OPEN UP.
2.The ‘brilliant” Mayor has not figured out to get our economy rolling again, Mr. Davis. His “solution” is not working. The “Bubble resort” idea is ill-conceived and benefits only off-island corporations. Most Kauai-bound travelers are cancelling their reservations, and small business owners and their employees are dying on the vine. If you Chicken Little “the sky is falling” types could figure out how to provide a PAID second immediate-result covid test inside or just outside the airport (the Welcome to Kauai” corner would be appropriate), maybe we could save those small businesses which have not already gone belly-up. Otherwise we must support HB1286.
3. You are right, Mr. Bushnell. Trump is a New Yawk shyster cancer. We must continue to work to expunge our body politic of the scourge named Trump, and educate his blind followers to the danger he poses to our democracy,
“Travel related”. We hear it a lot. But what exactly does it mean? When you think about it, aren’t all cases here in the State travel related? Would we have had even one case if someone with the virus hadn’t travelled here either by boat or airplane? Community spread is really just another way of saying, “yes, at some point a traveler brought over the virus but since there were so many contacts and so much time has passed, we can’t pinpoint the traveler who infected those who then passed it on to others in the community. So, travel is the sole cause of infection here in the state. We must always keep this in mind when making decisions about how rigorously we want to insure travelers are not carrying the virus when we let them into the state.
It’s amazing to compare Andy Bushnell’s letter, which is clearly written, draws upon the author’s extensive background in history, and articulates a positive message which demonstrates empathy for those with whom he disagrees – compare this letter with any written by Trump supporter “Kimo” Rosen. Rosen’s letters are full of lies, meandering and confusing, and generally containing nothing but bitter contempt for those with whom he disagrees.
Thank you, Professor Bushnell, for giving us an example of how to communicate in an effective and empathetic manner.
Delusional.
Your comment about the brilliant idea of the mayor is an old one. First of all it does not take into consideration that some of us are fully vaccinated and are just trying to get back to our home. You do admit that you hv no medical background which is more important than graduating from Dartmouth. I think it is time to say that only up to date practicing physicians should be making medical announcements and recommendations. Having nonphysicians including politicians repeating medical information only adds to confusion and ill formed plans. Cbagley, RN, PhD
The Mayor has a whole committee of advisors advising him on Covid policy, including some of the best medical minds on the island. He is not making these decisions without consulting his advisors.
That’s not sayin much bud. He should look to places actually doing something and at the cutting edge or frontline that have gotten through covid. Consulting a bunch of either retired evslin s and “community health experts” is not the most effective way. Clearly if they still want to just extent the 2 weeks to slow the spread and 2 months making it right around 14 months to destroy Kauai’s small businesses and middle working class residents.
You are right Andy, Trump would have overthrown our government if he had gotten the military on his side. Very, very scary.
Trump should start his own political party. The Loser Party.
Say no more. I’m in!
Quit whining, Andy; enough with the phony “he would have become a dictator” nonsense. Now we’re to endure a bumbling incompetent in the office with a sinister VP in the wings…sounds like a great exchange.
You’re just another sore winner who can’t let go the hatred of one individual.
RG DeSoto
Isn’t it funny how the economy dives and rights are erased during the Democratic terms and wages go up while crime goes down in the Republican ones?
Oh… wait…
David P. Carrol (weep, sob): “I don’t know what to do in this world of misery.”
Godfather: “YOU CAN START BY BEING A MAN!”
(CRACK!)