Letters for Thursday — August 26, 2004

• Waipouli development

• Regarding Jon Derby and William Pedoty letters

• Kerry backer

• Which is ‘moneyparty’?

• Hanapepe plan

Waipouli development

The developers of the 196-unit Waipouli Beach Resort condominium project loudly and proudly announce that nearly all of this project’s units have been sold n mostly to Kaua‘i residents.

It makes me wonder n which Kaua‘i residents are they speaking of? Is Mr. Keith Singleton, identified in the article as the project developer, referring to the many, many families that I see spending their nights parked in vehicles all along the east shore’s beaches, due to the fact that they have been displaced by a “healthy” economy, that values vacation rentals for comparatively much better off visitors ,(AKA prospective land/ house/ condo buyers), over long-term homes for full-time, long-time residents born and bred here?

Or is he referring to a group of people that have arrived here only within the last few years, riding a great wave of economic fortune, buying up property, building “mega” houses and “mini” estates, selling and reselling them again and again to each other for insane mountains of profit.

These are the same people bringing their “politically correct” values and “No beach access” signs here and telling us what we can and cant say, and where we can and can’t go. These are the same people that don’t want us to see the ocean, (notice the mounds of dirt and hedges along Kuhio Hwy. by Kealia Kai), and won’t let us walk the trails our father’s walked to enjoy the beaches, (Peter Gruber). And if the flow of a thousand-year-old stream doesn’t quite suit them, these are the same people that will think nothing of bulldozing it into a , (for them), more eye-pleasing shape – all things great and small that live below that stream be damned, (Pflueger).

Stan Koga

Kapa‘a

Regarding Jon Derby and William Pedoty letters

After reading the letters mentioned above, maybe this will clear the air:

My mother is Filipino, and my father, who she met while he was serving in the US Navy, is a “Haole”. After they were married, they moved to California, where I, along with my siblings was born.

I spent part of my youth there, until they divorced, and we were relocated to Hawai‘i.

My mother remarried a nice Hawaiian named Robert Gabriel, who raised me and my siblings along with my “hanai” family the Naka‘ahiki’s.

I spent most of my life here, besides being away while in the military, or visiting my family in California.

My family and friends know that I consider myself a “haole”, because I wasn’t born here.

I do not consider “haole” as offensive, and the word has been here before I arrived, and will be here after I die.

Richard W. Rosa n Haole

Lihu‘e

Kerry backer

In response to the August 24 letter from Gordon Smith about John Kerry, perhaps the reason “half of Americans do not know what John Kerry’s positions are” is that Americans are being bombarded with lies and distortions from the “unofficial” Bush campaign that is doing the dirty work for President Bush and not allowing us to concentrate on the real issues. How can Americans learn the truth about John Kerry when they are repeatedly hit with attacks on his military service and his Senatorial activities?

John Kerry volunteered to go to Vietnam when the military draft was in effect and when most young men his age were frantically using every means possible to avoid the draft. Some fled to Canada, some claimed false reasons for exemption, and some fled to the National Guard. We must remember that, at that time, the National Guard was just that n a force designed to be used only in domestic situations, such as domestic riots or natural disasters. Men in the Guard were never sent into combat overseas. They trained on a couple of weekends each month, while they kept their civilian jobs or attended college; and before the Vietnam War, they usually signed up primarily for the supplemental paycheck each month. It was not until George Bush began his unjustified war in Iraq that suddenly the National Guard was called up and sent into combat.

While George Bush escaped to the Alabama National Guard, John Kerry served honorably, literally putting his life on the line for his country and, in the process, saving the lives of other men.

At some point, Kerry began to realize that the Vietnam War was unjustified. He had every right to believe that, as did millions of other Americans who had already seen the light and had begun public protests against that unjust war.

Barbara Elmore

Lihu‘e

Which is ‘moneyparty’?

The Election 2004 page (A7) had an interesting Associated Press column regarding funds raised and spent by the top fund raising candidates of the U.S. Senate and House as of June 30. Combining the individual funds raised by the two chambers, It is noted that the Democrats received $65.1 million while the Republicans received $15.1 million. Also, as of the June 30 date, the Democrats had $39.7 million in the bank while the Republicans total was $28.9 million.

Question. Which party is the “money- party?

Joe Stoddard

Kapa‘a

Hanapepe plan

The idea of developing a regional sports center in the “badlands” south of Burns Field (Port Allen Airport) is one of the worst ideas to come from Mayor Baptiste. The area in question runs the full length of the airport’s south fenced border and reaches to the ocean a Puolo Point. For the sake of this article let’s call the area the Puolo Plain. As any visitor to the area can see, the Puolo Plain is one of the few large publicly accessed areas untouched and undeveloped along the shores of Kaua‘i.

Now it is true that there is some trash left in the area by visitors. It is also true that occasionally people camp along the shore for extended periods without permits. It is an area that is not heavily trafficked and is left pretty much to nature. My thought is why spend a lot of money to wreck a place that is just doing fine by itself.

Sure, there would be a oodles of money involved in spreading a lot of blacktop and building a bunch of bleachers and surrounding it all with a wire fence. There would be lots of maintenance, electricity and water required to keep it all going. But what is the point.

I live in Hanapepe and use this area frequently. I pass the town’s sports facilities quite often. We have many acres of football fields, tennis courts and baseball fields. Most of the time they sit empty.

If the mayor is really hell-bent on spending some money, why doesn’t he have the county clean up the litter and put out a few trash cans for visitors. For a panoramic image of the Puolo Plain visit www.islandbreath.org

Juan Wilson, Architect

Hanapepe