• Car break-in • Leash law • More on Kerry • Blogging bloggers • Shoreline rebuttal Car break-in We would like to say thank you to everyone in Kauai who helped us out after our car was broken into at
• Car break-in
• Leash law
• More on Kerry
• Blogging bloggers
• Shoreline rebuttal
Car break-in
We would like to say thank you to everyone in Kauai who helped us out after our car was broken into at Polihale Beach. A special thanks to the folks at the Waimea police substation. It seems that most everyone on Kaua‘i shared a heartfelt sympathy for us and made great effort to pick us up when the chips were down. I would also like to make a plea to anyone in West Kaua‘i who may hear of a Rolex for sale along with a Blackberry computer, cell phones, and a black purse among other things; please contact this paper or the KPD. The watch has deep sentimental value to us. A reward is offered for its return.
Chris and Margaret Romero
Woodside, CA
Leash law
I am a resident who enjoys spending time at Hanalei Bay (“one of the most beautiful beaches in the world”) as do other residents, and many visitors. Does our “leash law” not apply there? Today I counted six “unleashed” dogs (no owners in sight) who, by the way, defecated on this beautiful beach! This is not an unusual occurrence for this beach, as well as others on the island.
Is there some way of enforcing our leash law on our beaches?
I am a responsible dog owner, and would appreciate all dog owners putting forth more of an effort to walk their dogs on a leash and pick up after them. It would certainly keep our beaches free of piles of dog excrement.
Let’s keep our beaches clean!
Christine Toth
Princeville
More on Kerry
I never cease to be amazed at how individuals think they can conveniently spin the facts to try to make a point in the face of logic. A letter published August 9 has opened my eyes to the fact that some people will see things their way in the face of reason. Wasn’t that the lesson we learned from the OJ jurors?
Kerry has released a portion of his war records, but refuses to sign the simple government form, that President Bush signed, giving the public access to his full records. He is hiding something. This is a fact and not arguable!
I don’t like the politics of questioning Mr. Kerry’s wartime record either, but when you have over 200 of the men serving with him that say he is a liar, it should at least raise an eyebrow and prompt a simple investigation. Mr. Kerry refuses to cooperate.
Mr. Kerry’s anti-war comments were dishonorable! Not one of the men he served with said they saw any of the atrocities he described. He even said he contributed to the atrocities by burning down the homes of Vietnamese families himself, which was against the Geneva Accords and punishable by court marshall, dishonorable discharge, and jail time. He said it on national television! If he was telling the truth he should go to jail for his confessed crime.
Kerry has been absent 40% of the time during his entire 19 year career! During his campaigning he’s been absent nearly 100% of the time. There are no hanging chads here! On the Intelligence committee where he served for eight years they met a total of 49 times. Mr. Kerry was absent 38 of those times. That’s nearly 80% absent! Not arguable – absolute and measurable fact.
Gordon Oswald
Kapa‘a
Blogging bloggers
Re your editorial “Political Bloggers: journalists or fools?” Sun, 8/8/04; the primary reason for the explosion of bloggers and altnerative Internet news outlets (commondreams.org; truthout.org; etc) is the abject failure of the main-stream media. Rather report the opinions of its owners (Fox-Murdoch) or regurgitate disinformation from politicians/lobbyists for the benefit of its advertisers and business (ABC, NBC, CBS), bloggers and alternative Internet news outlets reported:
- The documented lack of WMD in Iraq before the invasion;
- No connection between the secular Saddam and Osama Bin-Laden;
- The wide lens photo of the toppling of the Saddam statute by M-1 tanks with the few strategic placed Iraqi’s shown in the ubiquitous cropped photo;
- The expected aftermath of chaotic anarchy caused by the invasion;
- Photos and International Red Cross reports of abuse of Iraqi and Afghani prisoners months before 60 Minutes;
- Massive deficits from the Bush tax cuts together with the increased costs under the new Medicare prescription coverage;
- Flaws in the Patriot Act along with the corresponding losses under the Bill of Rights;
- Unreliability and corruption of touch-screen voting machines.
Bloggers and alternative internet news have succeeded because people will seek the reliable information and intelligent discussion, not hyperbolic propaganda.
Karen Klock
Kalaheo
Shoreline rebuttal
Kaua‘i’s extraordinary beaches are some of the island’s biggest draw to visitors and residents alike. This stupendous resource belongs to us all. The Coastal Zone Management Act mandates protection of this resource and guarantees our access to it. All lands 40 feet mauka of the shoreline are in the SMA and are managed by the county. Any development in this area requires a permit and no scenic views may be blocked.
The crude plywood obstruction that blocks access and views of the ocean was thrown up in a day in Ha‘ena n the subject of a front page story and photo in TGI n is illegal. No permits were applied for nor issued for this hindrance, and it’s higher than county law allows.
In the 1980s the county commissioned a beach access inventory. The Na Ala Hele Beach Access Inventory database lists this spot as a beach access that ends at the shoreline and cites a 1947 Circuit Court decree as documentation. The inventory report also notes that the access aids “easement to the state trig station…,” a triangulation site belonging to the state including state access to it. The Burmeister plywood obstruction blocks the state’s ability to access its own property as well as the traditional beach access used by the public for decades.
The people of Kaua‘i are losing precious shoreline and access to coastal areas at an alarming rate. If there is to be a beach experience for future generations anything like that which we have enjoyed, it’s time to turn the tide in favor of coastal preservation and protection of access to the shoreline guaranteed in Hawai‘i’s state constitution. The Burmeister wall is illegal and must come down!
Caren Diamond
Ha‘ena
