Travelers, test upon your return
With COVID cases on the uptick again after fall-break travel it amazes me that our community is not aware of the simple steps that they should be taking to help avoid this.
Whether or not you are vaccinated, when you travel you should automatically plan to quarantine three to five days after you arrive home, and test before you go back to work or school. If you care about your ‘ohana and your community that is not a huge sacrifice to make.
Visitors should test as well, but let’s face it, sometimes they only visit here for a couple of days and then it is simply not realistic for them to do so.
Let’s be smart about this Kaua‘i, especially with the holidays coming, and take care of our island.
Patricia Blakley, Kapa‘a
Hypersonic missiles can evade our defenses
Now that the world is more aware of hypersonic missiles with the recent launch from China, we are shown that they are faster, more maneuverable and able to fly higher or much lower than the older ICBMs.
This is and has been one of the reasons for denying Hirono and Kahele’s push for the HDR-H on Kaua‘i. Hypersonic missiles can evade tracking and can evade our missile-defense system.
We also know that all it takes is to send more than one incoming missile to confuse our defense radar. Or add some decoys. Why are we wasting our billions on this technology for a feel-good-but-false sense of security?
Author and journalist Fred Kaplan has this to say about the United States’ vast missile defense system: The missile-defense system is an expensive white elephant that failed three of its last six tests despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on it to date.
Perhaps that is why the Pentagon hasn’t tested the system since March 2019. Even if the system had perfect aim, it could still be rendered useless with small, asymmetrical measures, such as simply firing two missiles at the same time.
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
A couple of traffic questions
I’ve ridden a small engine moped (50cc) before along the side of the highway on the shoulder. Since the state of Hawai‘i now requires any small-engine vehicles and bikes (I don’t know if it includes electric golf carts) to be registered and operators to have a driver’s license and insurance, I’ve complied with the state law and ride a 750cc motorcycle (registered and insured and had my driver license updated to operate a motorcycle).
My concern is when traveling around the island I see a lot of small-engine-vehicle drivers and both gas and electric carts along the highways and county roads without a license plate.
I understand that if they’re on their own private property it’s allowable, especially if they are small engines used for agriculture purposes.
There are many active people who use the highway and road shoulder to exercise and ride bicycles. What would happen if this small-engine vehicle had to swerve onto the highway/road to avoid running into a person and drive into an oncoming vehicle? This kind of practice (mentioned above) needs to stop.
Also, on another thought, does anyone have the right to put a driveway to enter the highway, especially if they already have a driveway allowed to enter their lot/property from the county street/road given?
I’ve seen a near miss on Kaumuali‘i Highway approximately 100 yards east from Route 552, where the old Kekaha Swimming Pool used to be. The driver did not expect to see a vehicle pull onto the highway at that point. There shouldn’t be any reason for that driveway when that property owner already has access through the county street/road.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
