Founding Fathers would demand: ‘Right the wrong’
Independence Day: July 4th. Wave the flag. Set off fireworks. Celebrate.
I’m blowing the whistle
In an analogy most suitable I am blowing my whistle. What does the whistle mean? Listen. Being involved in water safety and recreation my whole life gave me pause to use this most fitting analogy. Good lifeguards do not make rescues, they prevent accidents from happening. We blow the whistle when someone is running on the pool deck or attempts to dive into shallow water.
No Democratic Party priorities accomplished this season
“So are you saying that 90% of the state House incumbents basically suck?” This question was received in response to a recent blog post at garyhooser.blog.
TM could help relieve stress
My friend Father Thomas Keating, Abbot of St. Joeseph’s Abbey, Spencer, MA, who practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM), and lived to be 95, believed in what Lord Christ said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you,” and, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all else shall be added unto thee.”
Vacation rentals can, should safely reopen
The coronavirus pandemic has upended life as we know it, canceling large gatherings and laying off workers across a variety of industries.
Switching gears away from fear
I am heartsick to see so many of our loving and caring citizens so deathly worried about the pandemic, and at the same time we are all watching as our island economy suffers from the effects of the shutdown.
Prepare now for arrival of the new normal
I’ve been in extended isolation before.
Reopening concerns and a call to action
COVID 19 has illustrated that to survive economically we must diversify. Visitor dollars are what we depend on but we need to develop more products and services than room nights and activities and it will take time.
We’re officially in a recession, so now what?
It’s official, the National Bureau of Economic Research recently announced we are now in a recession. What will the economic recovery look like? The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) has already been working on projects that will help rebuild the economy, as long as our funding isn’t raided.
Civic duty – avoiding the lines
Imagine for a second or a minute, or perhaps for a day or a month - that you were in control. Instead of watching helplessly as your life and the world flew by, imagine if you could actually make a difference in the outcomes. Now imagine how silly, how dumb and how regretful you will feel when you realize, possibly too late that it is true.
Let’s not repeat folly of drug-treatment center
A little less than two years ago, I was writing a story on how Kaua‘i, which had managed to lag behind the opioid crisis that has so decimated mainland communities, was finally experiencing inevitable incursions of drugs like Fentanyl and Oxycontin.
Voters could decide to elect councilmembers by districts
After watching the recent online council forum, it is clear that electing Kaua‘i councilmembers by district is a change that is long overdue.
Lockdown measures jeopardize student health
I have a child of public-school age on Kaua‘i. I will not let her attend this coming year if the unnecessary lockdown measures jeopardize her health.
State lawmakers should release federal aid now
Why is $1.3 billion sitting in the (state) rainy day fund when people are suffering?
Time to re-think Hawai‘i’s health-care system
It’s no secret that Hawai‘i’s health-care system was struggling even before the coronavirus outbreak, as it battled one of the worst physician shortages in a generation.
HOOSER: Important Online Council Forum TONIGHT!
I strongly encourage all to tune into the online Kauai Council Candidate Forum TONIGHT, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 from 6pm to 8:30pm.
The Hanapepe Massacre and the lessons it teaches
I write because of the suggestion that Hawaiians were “the bad guys” in Catherine Lo’s article on the 1924 Massacre. She states: “some…sharpshooters mostly Hawaiian who were deputized by the County of Kauai as special police…who fired the first shot, the preponderance of accounts points to the special police.”
Hanapepe massacre book to be published in 2021
The plan was to release the book (“Shrouded in Mystery: The Unveiling of the Hanapepe Massacre”) at the 18th biennial conference of FANHS (Filipino American National Historical Society) on July 15-18, 2020, at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Honolulu, under the sponsorship of the society’s state chapter as conference host.
Plan needed now to take care of isle’s flora and fauna
Since March (COVID-19 outbreak) and the lack of visitors in the Po‘ipu area, I have been enjoying a long walk along the South Shore.
June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month
• Editor’s note: 2020 would have been the third MG Walk Paula McGinnis has hosted on Kaua‘i, but response to COVID-19 has caused McGinnis to move most of the activities online for 2020.