Trash the filibuster rule
I’ve stated before how much I enjoy the comics, and especially the political ones.
And so, this Sunday’s 3/21 Doonesbury nailed it on voter suppression and what the Republicans are all about.
Jimmy Crow squawks that the voters got it wrong and so the Republicans have to make sure that “those people” can’t vote. Of course, this is all under the guise of voter integrity, but is really about racism and anti-democracy.
A lot has been said this isn’t the American way, but our history makes it very clear that it is. And so you Democrats in leadership positions, if this nation is going to move forward, then the filibuster must be put in the trash can and strongly sealed.
Mark Perry, Lihu‘e
Biological males invade women’s sports
The 1972 Title IX legislation has allowed women to flourish in a male-dominated world.
Opportunities were created by mandate in areas that were limited or did not exist prior to its inception, and an uncountable number of girls and women have been able to participate in sports programs that were previously unavailable to them.
The benefits began early in schools, progressing through high school, college, the Olympic Games and on to professional sports. Examples would be eight Olympic gold medals for our basketball women, four championships in soccer in the World Cup, plus four in the Olympics. These are unmatched performances.
But all this has been accomplished by cis (antonym of transgender) women competing against their biological peers. But now biological gender has no legal rights. The rights for imagined or assumed gender are superior to the rights of natural biological gender because the full weight of the federal government is now behind the enforcement of this supremacy.
The Supreme Court in Bostock vs Clayton County has ruled that sex is any gender crated in the mind, and Congress, in the “Equality” Act, mandates that cis males can freely crossover into women’s sports and private facilities, and now President Biden’s executive order has provided punishment for those who oppose this total dismantling of cis women’s rights under Title IX. Biological gender now has no legal standing and is replaced by any gender imaginable under the LGBTQ++ banner.
All this disregards the transparently-obvious, competitive natural advantage of men over women, particularly at the elite level, and denies them their privacy.
George Brunstad, Kapa‘a
Kaua‘i ‘social contract’ alive and well
Fifty months after I moved my family to Kaua‘i, Hurricane ‘Iniki struck. The damage was severe, but the community pulled together and neighbors helped each other out. The walls blown apart by the storm opened our lives into a community of neighbors and friends.
Almost 30 years later, and one month ago, a couple of mistakes almost blew a hole in my heart. My beloved standard poodle, Louie, disappeared from a house he was visiting in a neighborhood he did not know.
As my family and friends scoured the surrounding area, I was repeatedly amazed at how people who I had never met before that Sunday afternoon took my problem seriously and offered heartfelt condolences, encouragement and ideas that might help.
I am not on Facebook, but I heard that several people posted there about Louie’s predicament. One fellow even drove his ATV around the neighborhood, following trails that Louie might have taken. There are a lot of dog-lovers in Kalaheo!
Animal lover Ally Kirk (who I know from Natural Pet) told me to call Tracy Capman, one of Kaua‘i Humane Society’s dedicated volunteers. Tracy said to leave some clothes with my scent on them nearby where Louie had disappeared. I did, and parked my truck over them to keep them dry and give Louie a dry place if he did return. It was going to be a rainy night.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Tracy’s advice was excellent, and Louie was there near my truck the next morning!
Several people to whom I had given my number but neglected to get theirs called me back the next day to see if Louie had been found. I so appreciated their caring follow-up, and I got to reward them with “YES!” and thank them for their help.
I am writing this letter in part to thank again all those who were part of Louie’s big “adventure.” But, I also feel compelled to acknowledge that the social contract is still alive here. Those who have lived here long enough know that this is as special as the incredible natural beauty that nurtures and supports us. Let us never forget.
Thank you, Kaua‘i, island and her people.
Ned Dana, Lawa‘i
