Letters for Sunday, January 21, 2007

• The punishment should fit the crime

• What are we waiting for?

• Fence not doing the job

• The definition of insanity

• The finishing touch

• Mahalo to Rhoades, humane society

The punishment should fit the crime

Those who chose to beat, stab, torture and kill innocent animals this week deserve to have the same done to them (“Three sheep beaten and stabbed in ‘senseless’ crime,” A1, Jan. 19). I am sickened and disgusted at the despicable acts of these cruel, horrible people.

What a sad state these pathetic people are in. How this behavior is acceptable in any individual’s mind is beyond my comprehension.

Lihu‘e

What are we waiting for?

Forty-two states have felony laws against animal cruelty.

Hawai‘i is not one of them.

We were the first to have a universal health care system, so we showed the rest of America that we care about each other.

Let’s join the rest of America and show the world that our aloha extends to vulnerable animals as well.

A felony anti-cruelty law should:

1) Apply to all animals;

2) Apply to first-time offenders;

3) Have large fines and lengthy prison time as penalties;

4) Have no exemptions;

5) Allow or require convicted abusers to get counseling at their own expense;

6) Prohibit abusers from possessing animals or living where animals are present.

We are seeing more and more horrible cases of animal cruelty here in Hawai‘i all the time.

What does the rest of the world think about it when they read our paper online, and read and see things like:

• The teacher on O‘ahu who starved and neglected 55 animals, at which point the shelter on Kaua‘i nursed them back to health, only to have Gov. Lingle’s first appointee, Judge Rhonda Nishimura, hand them back over to this vile person without making this person pay for their recovery, so that this man could profit from their sales;

• The guy in Anahola who starved his dogs to the point of death at the end of a chain, and is still awaiting sentence — hopefully he will get jail time and fines;

• A person or persons who beats to death pregnant sheep, to where their bones were broken, and stabbed them repeatedly, and who may be practicing to be a serial killer here on Kaua‘i.

It has been proven that people who abuse animals have very serious emotional problems, and most serial killers have started out by torturing and harming animals.

What kind of aloha is Hawai‘i showing when people learn that in Hawai‘i you can get away with these kinds of things?

What message does it send to the world about the level of empathy that the people of Hawai‘i have?

It is time for Hawai‘i to join the majority of America and put into effect strict felony laws concerning animal cruelty, and prove that aloha is not just a word that we like to repeat.

Kapa‘a

Fence not doing the job

Hikers still ignore the warning signs and the fence (“Barring strong public opinion, Opaeka‘a Falls to remain off-limits,” A1, Jan. 20). I live in the area and I still see hikers hopping the fence, backpacks and all. I (have) seen a young family with little children and all.

Wow! Unbelievable.

As you can tell by looking at the photo, the fence is beginning to sag from hikers going over the top.

Wailua Homesteads

The definition of insanity

Perhaps I’m a pessimist but it seems we are well on our way to overpopulating our small island and turning in into something other than what tourists come to see.

Uncrowded parks, clean, undisturbed beaches without trash and hordes of people. None of us like waiting in lines of cars going anywhere.

If our county government is concerned about the employment rate, most every business on the island has help wanted signs in their windows. If you want a contractor to build a home, most will tell you maybe I could start in 2009, so unemployment is not a problem. Our economy is booming.

I see letter after letter in the letters section of The Garden Island bemoaning the fact Kaua‘i is on its way to become one big city from end to end, and they want to retain some of its rural culture. When the County Council tells you they want controlled development, that means they will approve everything the Planning Commission recommends.

What puzzles me about this is that the population here keeps re-electing the same people to the County Council so we keep getting more approval of big developments.

Perhaps the following statement pertains to me or perhaps many people on Kaua‘i: I read somewhere the definition of insanity is when you keep doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

If island people keep re-electing the same people over and over, perhaps this applies to some of them. Big development will continue as long as we have the same people on the council.

That’s my opinion; what’s yours?

Kalaheo

The finishing touch

The last mile of road in Koke‘e State Park has (finally) been beautifully repaved — for several months now. And still it sits unused, closed to car traffic. The Kalalau Lookout is as far as you can go.

The lookout at the end of the road — Pu‘u O Kila — is both a spectacular viewing place for the Na Pali Coast, and the start of the Pihea Trail heading out to the Alikai Swamp. Right now people have to walk an extra two miles on pavement to enjoy these experiences.

There doesn’t appear to be any good reason not to open this road. I’ve been told it’s because they need to put a stripe down the center first.

Seriously. This road has already been closed for years now.

Please, let’s cut the red tape and get it opened immediately.

Mahalo.

Waimea

Mahalo to Rhoades, humane society

As a former resident of Kaua‘i, I too was surprised at the cost of quarantine. However, as Dr. Rhoades states (“Alternatives available for pet quarantine,” Letters, Jan. 20), there are ways to avoid the 120-day quarantine. My husband and I chose to have our dog complete the 120-day quarantine so he would be on island with us.

We would like to commend and thank Dr. Rhoades and her staff for the excellent care of our dog. The Kaua‘i Humane Society treated our dog as if he was a member of their own family. In our opinion, the Kaua‘i Humane Society is one of the best in the nation.

DeRidder, La.