• In response to Mr. Hayes’s letter • Too many red flags • Kuhio Highway is not a freeway In response to Mr. Hayes’s letter It’s amazing how people can say strong statements without knowing anything about the situation or
• In response to Mr. Hayes’s letter
• Too many red flags
• Kuhio Highway is not a freeway
In response to Mr. Hayes’s letter
It’s amazing how people can say strong statements without knowing anything about the situation or knowing the Smith family. Mr. Hayes’ letter is the perfect example of that statement. Knowing the Smith family for most of my life, I personally cannot think of another person with more integrity than Mr. Smith. Ask anybody who knows him, they will tell you the same. What happened was a tragic accident that both parties were remorseful for. But to convey that Mr. Smith was irresponsible and that having hunting dogs is to blame for the situation is absurd.
Mr. Hayes and others who wrote letters that often say that it could have been a child that got bit- Ask yourself this question — was it a child that got bit??? NO!! I’ve never seen his dogs one bit aggressive with people, especially kids. In fact his grandkids and other neighborhood kids often play with those dogs. Being around the Smith’s house, I’ve never seen a person have more care for his animals. Ask anybody who knows him. Also I believe that hunting dogs in general have also gotten negative press. Dogs are territorial, they will often act aggressively to protect their yard whether they are hunters or not.
Although I’m sad for the owners, I’m at a loss when people like Mr. Hayes writes letters not knowing the Smith family and comparing some of our cultural practices like hunting to virgin sacrificing. If our cultural practices bother you, then leave. Simple as that.
- Kaeo Kinoshita
West Kaua’i
Too many red flags
The Planning Commission originally made the southern bypass a part of the A&B Development. Later, the Council took it out, and Mayor Yukimura approved the deletion. When A&B came in with a revision, another Council and another Mayor once again, did nothing.
The southern bypass would have alleviated any congestion, now and for quite a few years into the future. Not just in and around the town of Koloa, but also from Kalaheo to ‘Oma’o, as it would have provided an alternative route to Lihu’e and the south shore for much of the traffic.
Following ‘Iniki, government officials told the hotel operators they couldn’t rebuild precipitating our economic collapse. Laws against time-share were changed. Developments were approved without corresponding infrastructure. The county was under-insured so the county had to rely on FEMA funds. FEMA funds were lost after the Government Accountability Office audits the County office and a lot of money can’t be accounted for. Who caused these problems?
The fact that the Poipu Beach Hotel is in litigation because of representations our government made, identical to the representations made at the Sheraton Kauai causing it to go into litigation that was resolved in 1995 after government officials including Planning Director Dee Crowell were deposed and their misrepresentations were exposed shows people with poor judgment. In March of 1999, shortly before the Poipu Beach Hotel letter came in, public-servant-to-the-end Jimmy Tehada reviewed some of the information regarding the hotel closures including a letter that he was unaware of, and wrote there appears to be a problem.
If what they did at the hotels was fraudulent, then everything else they did, especially during this time, should be called into question.
Rather than a moratorium that will only provoke more lawsuits, we should have an independent investigation into what happened after ‘Iniki. There are just too many red flags waving in regards to our government officials’ actions following ‘Iniki.
As a concerned citizen on this island, I feel it’s just a little bit too much of a coincidence that these highly controversial approvals, and law changes were made, when these red flags were flying.
Kuhio Highway is not a freeway
Recent accidents on Kuhio Highway should alert everyone to the fact that this is not a freeway. We should remember this is a rural highway inadequate for the traffic that uses it and we are all at risk of severe injuries and even death if we do not slow down and take our time to get to our destinations. Leave the house five minutes sooner and leave the cell phones alone for the short drive to work.
Please drive more carefully and show more aloha for all!
