Letters for Friday, February 16, 2007

• Ashamed

• Clarity lacking

• The authority is there

• Responsibility is the idea

• No getting out of this alive

Ashamed

Kauai Planning Commission rules against small businessman bottling water (“Native Hawaiian dispute puts cap on Koloa bottling company,” The Garden Island, A1, Feb. 14)?

Having lived on Kaua‘i over 15 years and always respecting the plight of native Hawaiians I have to rethink my support. After the shameful attack by a vocal minority, supported by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and a totally irrational decision by the Kauai Planning Commission to deny a permit to bottle water, I have to think the “inmates have taken over the asylum.”

I wonder who the “unnamed water company” was that the “kanaka maoli” became the agents for?

Is “kanaka maoli” and OHA ready to say bottling water anywhere in Hawai‘i is not right or just this poor guy in Koloa? If you want respect you must at least make some sense. I will lose all respect for the system and the Hawaiian cause if this “nut case” action prevails.

I say that the Kauai Planning Commission members who voted against the use permit, for an operation in business for many years, are guilty of cowering to a very vocal minority and ignoring common sense and the law. OHA is also afraid to do anything to offend the “vocal minority.” Let’s put it to a vote, or are they afraid to listen to the voice of democracy?

Kalaheo

Clarity lacking

I was shocked, surprised and very sad when I read in the Feb. 14 The Garden Island that I will be losing my supply of quality drinking water. It appears that our Planning Commission decided not to grant Kauai Springs the permit necessary to continue in business. What gives them the right to arbitrarily shut down a 3-year-old business that has approvals from the federal and state governments and who has always provided excellent service to their customers?

Will this result in yet another lawsuit against the county which we taxpayers will then have to defend?

This is one more example of a small, independent business in the Koloa area being forced to close because of a lack of support from our county government.

Where’s the aloha?

Koloa

The authority is there

Tom Iannucci (“Every dog gets its day,” Letters, Feb. 15) asks the question, “Does the Humane Society have law enforcement abilities and arresting powers?”

Arresting powers, maybe not, but they definitely have enforcement abilities in certain situations.

For proof of this, one need only read the county’s leash law. It is section 22-2, and is actually called “Stray Dogs.” That law states, “Seizure and impounding of stray animals is the authority of ‘animal wardens’ appointed by the Kauai Humane Society.”

This is authorization granted to them by the county. So, the Humane Society does have enforcement capabilities, and I would bet this extends to issues of animal abuse as well, though I don’t know the specific code. I’m sure if you look, though, you will find it.

Point is, people are starting to catch on that you can’t allow people to just do whatever they want. Clearly, county laws haven’t been enforced in the past over a wide range of issues, but people are starting to wake up to the fact that this cannot continue. The Humane Society has the authority to enforce laws pertaining to animals on the island, so it is time to just accept it and start being responsible with regard to animals on the island.

‘Ele‘ele

Responsibility is the idea

I have to take exception to Mr. Tom Iannucci’s comment that when it comes to animals and children there is no comparison (“Every dog gets its day,” Letters, Feb. 15).

The concept I feel he is missing, is the concept of compassion for those we take responsibility for. If he is religious, I would hope that he has pondered the meaning of the word. I take it by his comment that animals are inferior to people, thus they are below us. I guess a person who has a smart child has more of a right to have his child saved than a stupid child, a rich child over a poor child, a Republican child over a Democratic child. The point is compassion should be for all creatures, but mankind seems to think we are the best and the only worthy ones. Consider this … a porpoise off of Bangladesh found a human baby out at sea after a flood had devastated the area. People far south of the flooding saw this porpoise push a baby onto the shore from the ocean, saving the baby’s life. Someone should have told the porpoise it was inferior to mankind.

Lihu‘e

No getting out of this alive

All of this discussion about the mistreatment of dogs with ad hominem attacks while 1.3 million babies are murdered every year in abortion clinics without a comment causes me to tell you the following story:

There were two men on an airplane. The first man was given a parachute and told to put it on because the parachute would make his flight more comfortable. The second man was also given a parachute but was told to put it on because the plane was having difficulties and he would have to jump from the plane in 5 minutes. The first man noticed that the parachute made his flight uncomfortable and people around him were making fun of him and calling him names. The first man took off his parachute and was now angry at the person who had given him the parachute, whom he felt had lied to him. The second man also noticed that the parachute made his flight uncomfortable and that people were also making fun of him and calling him names. The second man however clung to his parachute knowing that the parachute would soon save his life.

So it is for you and I.

One day soon we will all have to jump out of that plane as we will all die one day and need our parachute, the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and if we are not wearing our parachute, the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not just die, but die eternally in a lake of fire. Jesus has already paid the price, you just need to put on the parachute. Please, go to Jesus just the way you are, put on the parachute, the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, for you will soon have to jump from this plane called Earth.

Lihu‘e