Letters for Saturday, May 5, 2007

• What intrusion?

• Personal invasion

• Hopes wake-up call is heard

• It’s all about the attitude, not the ethnicity

• It’s the size that will be limited

What intrusion?

I am writing in response to “Pathway spur not wanted” on The Garden Island’s front page May 3.

I would like to know why councilmembers Mel Rapozo and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, and the people who now oppose the pathway spur were not involved in past meetings about the pathway.

Councilmember Iseri-Carvalho said that those people were busy working two and three jobs so they couldn’t attend. First, if they are too busy to attend the meetings, they could have written letters or called to voice their concerns way before now.

Everyone is busy, that is no excuse. It seems to be common practice here to ignore problems until they affect you personally, or to complain about all the problems and expect everyone else to take care of them.

I would also like to know how the people who are “too busy” with two and three jobs to attend the public meetings could be “intruded” upon — if you’re at work that much, when would you be home to witness the “intrusion?” Last time I checked, you can’t be in two places at the same time.

How can people walking, pushing strollers, riding bicycles, or in wheelchairs even be an “intrusion?” They’re trying to build a path … not a high-rise, not a mall, not a drag strip. If you don’t want to use it, fine, you don’t have to. But how can you, in good conscience, be opposed to something that will help get people healthy, out of their cars, and give our kids a safe way to travel? It’s like being opposed to windmills, but that’s a letter for another day …

Lihu‘e

Personal invasion

So sorry to hear about the theft of a bag from the black pearl lady’s car. This happened to my wife several years ago. Someone broke out a rear window of her car and stole the purse that she had placed there while on a run.

The good thing for us was we learned to never ever leave anything visible inside your car, locked or not, not even for a minute.

It’s a sorry, sad lesson and maybe anyone who read about it or reads this will learn it and not have to go through that hurtful feeling of personal invasion.

Long Beach, Calif.

Hopes wake-up call is heard

Thank you, Dennis Chun, for a very well-written letter of April 22, questioning both the process by which the Superferry project came about and the likely negative impacts (which, for Kaua‘i, may be very significant and will probably far outweigh the positive impacts).

Thanks for the “wake-up call.” I hope that this letter reaches more than just The Garden Island news readers — hint, hint to Gov. Lingle.

Princeville

It’s all about the attitude, not the ethnicity

Mahalo to Dennis Chun for his article against the Superferry in the Forum, April 22.

I would like to take this time to address the concerns that some have on Mr. Chun’s use of the terminology “Ha’ole way.”

I was born and raised on Kaua‘i and have been here for 65 years. Being of Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese descent, I grew up at a time when being Hawaiian was something to be ashamed of. My parents had chosen to steer our upbringing toward the “Western ways,” and our Hawaiian culture and values were slowly being lost.

It wasn’t until I was in my-mid forties that I was able to start learning about my Hawaiian history and culture. Part of this rediscovery was also our language which we were forbidden to speak (although my father spoke fluent Hawaiian). When I was growing up in a sugar plantation camp, the term “ha‘ole” meant anyone white. And the only white people around were usually plantation bosses, or professionals, and our parents held them in high respect.

As time went by and more people started to come and visit Hawai‘i, the meaning of the word “ha‘ole” started to change. As more outsiders came, we began to see a broader spectrum of white people coming here, not just educated and professional ones, but others who brought their own selfish values and ways here, and were not very respectful of our ways and values. In Mary Kawena Pukui’s Hawaiian dictionary, “ha‘ole” is defined as “white person, formerly any foreigner, foreign, introduced of foreign origin.” Within the definition is also the word ho‘ohaole, “to act like a white person, to ape the white people or assume airs of superiority” and ho‘ohaole‘ia, “Europeanized, Americanized; to have become like a white man, to have adopted the ways of the white man.”

In our culture the traditional way of greeting is to “honi” each other. We touch nose to nose as our ancestors did, but at the same time there is a subtle exchange of our breath. which is call our “Ha” or our essence or spirit. This simple but beautiful act of greeting confirms our belief that we are all one, and a part of each other.

The story goes that when Capt. Cook saw this display of greeting he imitated the touching of the noses, but did not exchange his breath. Thus the term “Ha‘ole” which means without the breath or spirit.

This story being true or not is not important. What is important is that the term Haole in today’s times has taken on the meaning of ho‘ohaole. If you are a newcomer to our islands, we call you malihini, if you are of foreign descent but born here you are a kama‘aina. If you present yourself to us with a superior attitude and think you know what’s best for us and don’t accept or respect our ways or our culture and try to force your ways upon us, then you and your ways are called ha‘ole — without the spirit. One can be brown, black, green or blue and still be called a HA‘OLE.

It is all about one’s attitude, not ethnicity. Mahalo Ke Akua

Kalaheo

It’s the size that will be limited

In reference to Stan Godes letter “Anti-Competition on Kaua‘i” :

Would someone please tell Mr. Godes that the “Big Box Bill” limits the SIZE of the Big Box store to 75,000 sq. ft.

This is almost two acres of store, not including the parking lots. The bill does not stop Big Box from coming to Kaua‘i!!!

Kapa‘a