• Defending Mixed Martial Arts • Chuckle for the day • Mahalo, Kaua‘i • Doing something positive • Democracy in action? Defending Mixed Martial Arts As a martial arts instructor (27 years), former bouncer (six years) and MMA promoter and
• Defending Mixed Martial Arts
• Chuckle for the day
• Mahalo, Kaua‘i
• Doing something positive
• Democracy in action?
Defending Mixed Martial Arts
As a martial arts instructor (27 years), former bouncer (six years) and MMA promoter and parent, I have to say that some of the opinions against MMA are very entertaining purely because it is off of emotion rather than fact.
One of the letters blaming MMA and UFC for the brawl in the nightclub was actually a fight between a girl and two guys she was seeing who happened to be at the club the same night. This had nothing to do with the UFC or MMA. Maybe we should ban soap operas that are on TV?
Now here are a few facts about MMA. There have been zero deaths attributed to MMA, as opposed to football, basketball, and boxing. The sport is regulated to ensure the safety of the fighters, they have less head injuries than boxing neitherr do they get hit for 12 rounds in the head like boxing.
To Mr. Tolbe’s letter saying that this is “bullying.” A bully picks on defenseless individuals. In the ring you have two martial artists who have trained and honed their skills to face one another, then after it is all done, they shake hands, hug and show respect to one another. This is where the martial arts comes shining through, showing the respect, honor and humility. Your so-called brawlers or bullies would not last 10 seconds against these highly-trained individuals.
I also emphasize to the schools, martial artists, and people watching that we do not condone any fighting outside of a martial arts school or the ring, period.
Stop blaming. Instead, educate your kids about what is right and wrong, and take responsibility for your kids’ actions instead of blaming what is on TV. It all starts at the home. I am not here to convince everyone, you have your opinion and personal beliefs, which is fine, but that is the beauty of it. If you don’t like what is on TV, change the channel or turn it off, if you don’t like the MMA shows, don’t go. No one is being forced to do anything they don’t want to.
And for the 3000 or more people that continues to come out to the show, thank you for your continued support.
Vance Pascua
Hanapepe
Chuckle for the day
I like reading the opinion page. It is the most interesting part of The Garden Island. That having been said, I can’t help but notice that just about every letter is complaining about something, so I figured I would try to interject a little humor into the forum.
I drove a taxi on Maui for a while and found tourists to be quite entertaining. They were always inquisitive and had lots of questions. And even though they sound funny, they were completely serious in wanting to know the answer. You know, questions like, “Can I drive to Hawai‘i?” and, “Are all the islands connected?” How do you answer a question like that?
Some other top contenders were “What time do they turn off the waterfalls?,” like this is Disneyland or something. “Do you live here?” was a common one, as was, “Where do the local people live?” But the best ones had to be on the snorkel boat at Molokini (the crater sticking up out of the water off the coast of Maui), “How far above sea level are we?” came from a little old lady at the back of the boat. Not to be outdone, another tourist asked, “Does this thing just float around out here all day?” (referring to the crater). Captain’s response: “Yes, and sometimes we have to drive this boat around all day just to find it.”
Hope you have a chuckle and a good day.
Roger Olsen
Lawa‘i
Mahalo, Kaua‘i
I would like to send my warmest mahalo to the Island of Kaua‘i and to the community. I was amazed by how many people showed up for this year’s King Kamehameha Floral Parade and Ho‘olaule‘a. I would like to thank all of the participants in this year’s parade for if it wasn’t for you who participate we would not have a parade.
To all of the winners for this year — congratulations and a job well done. To Uncle Eddie Taniguchi, Jr.and ‘ohana, Uncle Nathan Kalama and our Queen Aunty Irene Lyons and ‘ohana, you all looked wonderful and represented Kaua‘i well. To King Kawika Kutcher and the Royal Court, mahalo for representing King Kamehameha and Court to the fullest.
A big mahalo also goes out to the county of Kaua‘i for having faith in us.
Last but not least, to all of my committee members a big mahalo to all of you and for all that you have done this year for if it wasn’t for your hard work this cultural event would not live on. Mahalo nui loa.
W. Kahanu Smith
King Kamehameha Celebration
Kaua‘i — Commissioner
Doing something positive
Here we are, in a time and place where everything is noticeably expanding, like the warmth of the sun, preventable deaths on both sides of the war on Iraq and the cost to the state of Hawai‘i, and I have to mention traffic congestion and our waistlines.
A breath of fresh air, good health, democracy, magnificent native flowers, majestic whales and our migrating seabirds are just of a few of the many things slipping through our fingers and gone forever. Honestly, I feel quite helpless to stop any of it.
If you do a little research, most of what we eat and drink has pesticides and products made from genetically modified crops. The Navy once again plans to use sonar in November when the humpbacks return. In some places, the ocean floor is six parts plastic to one part zooplankton and 90 percent of the world’s large fish are gone.
All this information hurts my heart and is upsetting, especially to young parents. The good news is that hundreds of people are educating themselves and their families and friends. They are teaching each other how to cope with these present dangers.
The human spirit is alive, humane, flourishing, humming, roaring, and thriving. Doing something positive creates a healing environment. Join them. Self responsibility resulting from being active in something that encourages positive change is a way of caring for each other and our wild planet.
Sharing this joy is an internal state of being, one that emerges from a profound shared belief in the sacredness of everything living. Working together must be our number one priority, or we may fail.
Diana LaBedz
Kekaha
Democracy in action?
I couldn’t believe my eyes yesterday but there he was. Peter Young, ex-Director of the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, was discussing DLNR issues on tv. His new title is Deputy Director of DLNR. Seriously. Despite a record five-day confirmation hearing in the state Legislature, at the end of which he was not reappointed, he now has the No. 2 job in the exact same department. How does that happen? Democracy in action — What a farce…
Erik Coopersmith
Waimea
