• Kauai needs to know about dairy’s dung beetle plan • Don’t forget who bombed Pearl Harbor Kauai needs to know about dairy’s dung beetle plan Kudos to TGI for its coverage of the recent New York Times article, front
• Kauai needs to know about dairy’s dung beetle plan • Don’t forget who bombed Pearl Harbor
Kauai needs to know about dairy’s dung beetle plan
Kudos to TGI for its coverage of the recent New York Times article, front page of their Business Section, that featured Pierre Omidyar’s proposed industrial dairy for Mahaulepu Kauai and the community’s opposition (Aug. 22).
While water contamination, drinking water and ocean, from massive amounts of manure, is definitely a major concern, the Ulupono statement to the Times is almost as concerning: “The company also plans to introduce dung beetles to the property” to help manage the massive amount of manure.
By all indications, it takes 4,848 dung beetles to bury one pound of dung in two hours. One dairy cow produces 90 pounds of manure daily. Ninety pounds of manure times 699 cows (initial herd) equals 62,910 pounds of manure daily. Every two hours 5,242 pounds of manure is deposited (4,848 beetles per pound per two hours times 5,242 pounds of manure per two hours) requiring a mere 25.4 million dung beetles to manage the herd’s daily manure.
Dung beetles spread fecal pathogens (E. coli and salmonella) capable of transmission to urban communities, wildlife and companion animals. What effect would eating contaminated beetles have on free-range chickens, pigs or other native birds?
Dung beetles are not benign. Most dung beetles are strong fliers. Kauai may end up experiencing additional problems besides polluted water, soiled streams, poor ocean quality and acidic air from Omidyar’s plan to spray bovine urine and feces over pastures.
Bridget Hammerquist, Koloa
Don’t forget who bombed Pearl Harbor
I have to take issue with JoAnn Yukimura’s letter (TGI, Aug. 26), when she mentions how the Japanese in the U.S. had to “fightagainst bigotry and white supremacy.”
Are you forgetting who bombed Pearl Harbor? Are you trying to blame somebody else for starting that war? What do you thinkwould have been a proper response to a surprise attack that killed so many people? There was a lot of hatred, ignorance andracism, but it was war!
What do you think would have been the response by Japan if the U.S. had bombed them first? Come on! You can listen to thekupuna and hear their side of what they went through, but the reaction by the U.S. after such a devastating attack couldn’treally have been much different.
Do you remember how frightened everyone was after 9/11? Look, what happened after Pearl Harbor was horrible, but if youwant to say how people had to suffer from “bigotry and white supremacy,” try getting sympathy from all those killed in thesurprise attack.
I’m not for white supremacy in any of its forms, but who dropped the bombs first? Interestingly, there is so little animosityfrom the Japanese in Japan against Americans, even after they suffered the A-bomb, yet hatred is still so strong here inHawaii.
When my wife, Maiko, and I visit her family in Japan, everyone is so friendly and gracious to me. Yet, here in America, peoplecan’t seem to let it go.
Jack Custer, Kalaheo
