• Dock security • Remembering Coco Palms • Chicago bike paths • Questions about Akaka Bill Dock security Regarding an editorial on port security in Sunday’s The Garden Island, here’s a question state Democrats should be asking themselves: In recent
• Dock security
• Remembering Coco Palms
• Chicago bike paths
• Questions about Akaka Bill
Dock security
Regarding an editorial on port security in Sunday’s The Garden Island, here’s a question state Democrats should be asking themselves: In recent years, what has been the biggest threat to Hawaiian ports? Terrorism? Y2K? Try labor.
Specifically, dock workers’ unions who carelessly endangered our economy and food supply simply to put a few more bucks in their pockets. Of course, terrorism in Hawai‘i is a concern that needs to be addressed.
But dock workers have staged their own “9/11” twice here in the past few years, even ignoring a federal judge’s order to resume work.
We’ll fight a bloody war against terrorists, but we’ll surrender again and again to dock workers who can just as easily cripple local industries and close our harbor for weeks.
State Democrats are right: our harbors need protection. But from whom?
- Christopher Becker
Waimea
Remembering Coco Palms
My husband and I spent two visits at Coco Palms…we loved the fact that we felt like a family…visiting the zoo… “talking” to the gibbons…my husband getting so embarrassed at me that he’d walk away without me realizing it.
Reading the plaques at the various palm trees…
One year the actor, William Conrad, and his wife were staying there at the same time we were…I believe it was because his privacy was respected.
We’d make a point of going into the little liquor store and have wonderful conversations with the lovely lady that was in there…she’d always have fresh flowers from her garden that she’d present to you.
We learned more about Kaua‘i from her than we did the guide books…she told us her husband had never been off the island… and had no desire to visit anywhere else!
On our visit after ‘Iniki had hit we went back and were standing tearfully at the driveway…with the “no trespassing” sign…thinking of what had been.
We were on Kaua‘i shortly after ‘Iniki and had to drive around debris on our way to the road to the Princeville area…which was just being put up at that time.
I hope that all plans go forward to rebuild the Coco Palms area.…that some of the “old” things are left.
- Gladys and Claude Krasse
New Jersey
Keeping focus
Let’s keep the focus on Karl Rove’s treason and not George Bush’s attempt at distracting us by nominating Rove for a seat on the Supreme Court.
Is this how we punish someone for hurting our national security? How is it that George Bush can nominate a person for a position that demands the upmost in focus, protocol and integrity when, in actuality, he has already promised to fire him for his ineptitude in exactly those areas. As if it’s not bad enough he still works in the White House, now Mr. Bush would like to promote him.
Selling out a CIA operative to defend against critics of the Bush/Iraq policy is not only grossly negligent, but down-right moronic. The phrase “cutting off your nose to spite your face” comes to mind. Why would the president nominate such a man as a Supreme Court Justice? Does he suffer the same defects as his friend, Karl Rove? It would appear so.
Let’s put a stop to these diversionary tactics and bring the focus of the Media, as well as the American people, back to where it should be: On the firing of Karl Rove and the investigation of the CIA, and the White House, on how this information got leaked.
Thank you for reading this. This is my first time writing to a newspaper, I just couldn’t let this one go. I am incredibly disgusted by his nomination and disappointed in the media for allowing the focus to switch.
Chicago bike paths
I read The Garden Island faithfully from Chicago ever since my first visit to this island paradise. I will be moving there in two years and, if I may, I would like to add my vote for the bike path.
Chicago is a beautiful and magnificent city, but it is not Kaua‘i. One of the fantastic things about Chicago is the bike path which outlines our lake front. It is most definitely multifunctional. It is used for walking, racing, walk-a-thons, roller skating, and romantic strolling (among many many other activities).
I have to say… with the traffic difficulties on Kaua‘i, where else can you do all that safely, while showing off your fabulous shores.
- Janet Miller
Soon to be a Kapa‘a tax payer
Questions about Akaka Bill
I admit I am not knowledgeable about the Hawaiian Akaka bill. It seems however that a lot of questions come to mind.
Does the bill actually create a separate independent nation within the State of Hawai‘i? What happens to all of the Hawaiian home lands, are they transferred to management and ownership directly to the Hawaiian people? Does the bill mean they can put in gambling casinos. What about the lands owned by people of other races? Does it revert to the Hawaiian people? What about current U.S. or State Government programs that benefit the Hawaiian people? Are they discontinued? As citizens of an independent nation it appears they would no longer be eligible for any of these programs, student loans, housing subsidies, law enforcement, health care, welfare, home loans, credit cards, etc.
It appears there are a lot of unanswered questions that should be clear to all the races that live in Hawai‘i before any bill is passed.
From my viewpoint it seems Sen Akaka has done a very poor job of explaining the bill to races other than Hawaiian.
