Letters for Monday, June 4, 2007

• Talking trash

• Expensive shopping

• Animal cruelty bill passes

• Live aloha

• Sovereignty and

self-determination

Talking trash

This letter is to all you litterbugs out there. I apologize to all the responsible and caring people of this island who also have to read this, but I must speak out.

I am an active member of Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i Chapter. We pick a beach to clean up every month. We find a lot of debris on the beach that has been washed in from the ocean but we also find truckloads of trash above the high-tide line that were obviously intentionally left behind by people. It is truly shocking. We find beer bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic containers of all types, dirty diapers, pieces of cars, car batteries, propane tanks, fishing line, hundreds of cigarette butts and even some “ice pipes.” The list goes on. The last beach cleanup we did was May 19 in Kekaha. We found just about all the items I listed above. As I worked my way down the beach picking up trash from everyone’s Friday night partying, I saw a group of campers packing up to leave. When I came back by, they were gone but not their trash. They left behind plastic bottles, cups, an old sleeping bag and pillow. What a joke. For those of you who leave all of this trash behind for the rest of us to enjoy, I just want to give you a lesson on how long it takes some of these things to decompose:

• Cigarette filters, 1.5 years

• Plastic bags, 10-20 years

• Plastic bottles, 400 years

• Fishing line, 600 years

• Glass bottles, 1 million years

All of these items kill marine life and dirty the island. So all you litterbugs out there, have some respect for yourself, others and the island.

Pack your trash. If you can bring it, you can take it home. Mahalo to all the residents and visitors who volunteer at the beach cleanups. We really appreciate your help.

Dave Fletcher

Kalaheo

Expensive shopping

Regarding Richard Swift’s thought (“Need some real representation,” Letters, June 2) of using the Superferry to do most of his shopping in Oahu:

Wow, that would be an expensive shopping trip. You would need at least two nights at a hotel if you want to get some quality shopping time.

And you would finish realizing that we have almost everything here without the huge big box.

Between Wal-Mart, Costco, Home Depot and Ace. I imagine you would not think of bringing produce wilting in your car. We have quality farmers markets in every neighborhood on our island.

Of course, if you want the quality boutiques in Ala Moana, for that you can simply go cheap by air and bring a couple suitcases with your new wardrobe without needing a hotel room.

The rest you will find here.

And you won’t need to suffer going through the horrendous channel between Kaua‘i and O‘ahu during the dark of the night.

Lilian de Mello

Kapa‘a

Animal cruelty bill passes

Mahalo to Kaua‘i Humane Society’s Dr. Becky Rhoades for all you’ve done in helping Hawai‘i become the 43rd state to make animal cruelty a felony.

Congratulations to all who pitched in to help get this bill finally passed by providing testimony and boatloads of letters to political leaders that heard and understood our united plea to protect creatures that otherwise could not speak out to protect themselves.

Vince Cosner

Lihu‘e

Live aloha

Aloha, don’t leave home without it

I think it’s interesting how we are considered the “Aloha State” but not very many people live by it. I am not writing this to tell people how to live, but I just think it’s funny that we are called the “Aloha State” and don’t exactly live up to our name.

For example: Recently when I was driving home from school, there was a pregnant lady on the side of the road hitchhiking and tons of cars drove by, including me.

Is that aloha?

I didn’t think so. According to dictionary.com “aloha” is defined as: Friendly, hospitable; welcoming. If we lived up to our name don’t you think our society would be a little better? Another example could be: If you’re white and aren’t Hawaiian you’re “haole.” Or even something as simple as saying that people from the Mainland should go home as some of you may know it as the saying, “You flew here I grew here.” If it weren’t for the tourists we would have no economy. In my mind, we should almost be thanking them for coming because without them we are almost nothing.

Again, I am not trying to tell people how to live their lives but just suggesting to everyone, including myself, to put a little more aloha into our lives. So remember, “Aloha: Don’t leave home without it.”

Cassie Wilson

Eighth-grader, Island School

Sovereignty and self-determination

Excerpts from The Garden Island Letters to the Editor:

• “I also hope that everyone appreciates that it was the United States who came to Hawai‘i and not Japan or the Mongols or someone like that.”

• “Yes, by all means let’s bring back the rule of Kamehameha. Maybe we could also go back to living without modern medicine, indoor plumbing, electricity, food that doesn’t require backbreaking labor, travel, education, and innumerable other expendable conveniences that have changed the island for the worse. Somehow I doubt, however, that the ancestor of the King wants to go back that far, he only wants what there is now and doesn’t have to do anything for it all except interject his bloodline into the argument. Good luck.”

• “I would propose a family solution for Kaua‘i. Let’s celebrate our diversity but let go of things that separate us or create an ‘us and them’ mindset. Let’s get over whose ancestors have a sad story to tell or trying to get special entitlements based on our color, blood quantum or lineage or who got here first and work on being a family who share our lives together on this beautiful island.”

• “As for the efforts to return Hawai‘i to a monarchy, remember that it was the ali‘i who owned Hawai‘i, not the people. Today, haoles own most of Hawaiian land, but haoles did not steal it — the ali‘i sold it to them. If the monarchy is put back in charge of Hawai‘i, they’ll do it again.”

There are still a few ignorant, uneducated, disrespectful people who live here. They don’t respect the culture, heiaus, the land and the continued desecration of native Hawaiian ancestral bones.

To all of the non-Hawaiians, in the past and in the future, who have ideas concerning Hawaiians and their sovereignty … here’s an idea:

Why not let the Hawaiians decide.

If you disagree, you might want to ask yourself, why? Who are you to decide what is best? Is it for selfish reasons? Are you willing to let go of the island? What are you willing to do for the sake of the islands, the Hawaiians and their culture?

Nohea Pono

Koloa