• Seat belts • Paintball • Corn growing Seat belts Regarding seat belts, I would like to make a point regarding the accident that killed Princess Diana of England. There were three people killed in that car, none of whom
• Seat belts
• Paintball
• Corn growing
Seat belts
Regarding seat belts, I would like to make a point regarding the accident that killed Princess Diana of England. There were three people killed in that car, none of whom were wearing their seat belt. One person lived. He was in what we used to call the “death seat,” i.e.: the front passenger seat. He lived simply because he had his seat belt on.
So if people think they should have the option to wear or not wear a seat belt, then the insurance company should have the option to pay or not pay their medical or internment claims. If the insurance company must pay the claim, then they just increase the premiums for everyone and, perhaps, increase the premiums a bit more for the one who was injured. So the rest of us pay more because some one thought he should have the option to wear or not wear.
This also applies to motorcyclists. If they sustain head injuries because they weren’t wearing a helmet and the accident was the cyclist’s fault, there should be no pay out by the insurance company. The problem is the rest of us will end up paying the bill ’cause the ER hospital will still have to take care of that inconsiderate cyclist.
So I hope the police will actively enforce the seat-belt laws.
- Gordon “Doc” Smith
Kapa’a
Corn growing
I would like the thank The Garden Island for its recent article, “Corn by Kukui Grove genetically modified,” published on June 13, 2005. It is an important issue for Kaua’i, and the community would be well served to see more coverage on this issue in the future. Dr. Cindy Goldstein, of Pioneer Hi-Bred, is quoted in the article, “Pioneer has been producing seed on Kaua’i since 1968, with a commitment to living the ‘long look,’ our company philosophy that is the basis for long-term success.” I would observe that if they were committed to the “long look” as she claims, that they might look at the impacts of industrial farming practices on the long-term health of the earth and the communities they serve. Normal, industrial-farming practices have already had large pollution effects on the land and waterways of the earth. Now we add in genetic engineering to the mix of industrial-farming methods, which further industrializes farming, and I feel it’s a highly dangerous technology to be widely planted in public areas. There is much scientific debate about the safety or wisdom of the genetic-modification process, with many unknowns and potential dangers. To have the company put a large field of this experimental-crop technology across from the island’s largest shopping center is not acceptable.
To quote Dr. Goldstein again, “Compared to having weeds growing in an abandoned-sugarcane field, the area is productive and, at the same time, providing green space in an urban part of the Garden Isle.” Well, I would rather have wild native plants growing in those fields across from the shopping mall than GMO plants whose modifications have never been sufficiently studied for their impacts on my health and the environment I live in.
Paintball
My name is Cyrus Medeiros, and I was born and raised all over the Westside of Kaua’i. I am currently serving for the military in the United States Air Force, and stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
First off, I would just like to say that I greatly appreciate the commitment and effort you all put into our The Garden Island online Web site. It really is a morale-booster to be able to access the ongoing events back home when you are so far away, and although it is not much, it makes you appreciate the people who put effort into allowing you access to it.
So on that matter, mahalo for your support, from Okinawa.
The one other thing that I wanted to request was the advertisement on the sport of paintball. I know that paintball is a growing sport, and not many people from the island play it. However, I am a big paintball enthusiast, and want to spread the word more about the game. There are different variations of paintball, but the one I’m really concerned with is speedball. Speedball is a highpace form of paintball played on a rectangular-shaped field. Air-filled bunkers are strategically placed throughout the field, and teams start on each end of the field. The objective differs from league to league, but the basic concept is to eliminate the opposing players as fast as possible before they eliminate your team.
I guess what I am trying to get at is, I want to promote paintball in hopes to kick-start a paintball league on the island of Kaua’i and, eventually, one day, have teams from Kaua’i to participate at the top pro levels. I know that this e-mail may not mean anything to anybody, and that is fine.
I just wanted to put the word out. If it is possible, can you guys get back with me on what your inputs are?
Mahalo for your help.
Democratic Party and Furfaro
I was writing in response to Karen Clifford’s letter concerning Jay Fufaro’s recommitment to the Democratic Party. I for one heard of this move before it appeared in the newspaper, and was very glad to accept Jay. People have switched parties for many personal reasons…our own Mayor Maryanne Kusaka was a Democrat before she ran for the mayoral office. Regardless of party affiliation, I have high regards for both Jay and Maryanne, and like them personally. I choose to look at their positive attributes and personal character. I knew Jay long ago, at Princeville, and at the Radisson, before I knew he was a Republican, and even when he ran for council he was his own person. He was also in my Rotary Club of Kalepa Sunrise.
As much as I wish people might believe the good in most, I recognize that party politics run deep, and that people will criticize rather than look for the good, or come up with solutions. I would hope for our county that differences can be put aside, and that love and aloha might prevail with acceptance and concern for the island’s betterment.
I have found Jay Fufaro to be a man who has conducted himself fairly, and believe he looks at the decisions made for our good.
- Janice Bond
Kauai Democratic Party District 15 Chair
Lihu’e
