• Officer reponse at ‘Taste’ • Take it in stride • Trading places • Religious tests for office? • On barking dogs Officer reponse at ‘Taste’ This comment is in response to an article written by Amanda Gregg (“Brawl leaves
• Officer reponse at ‘Taste’
• Take it in stride
• Trading places
• Religious tests for office?
• On barking dogs
Officer reponse at ‘Taste’
This comment is in response to an article written by Amanda Gregg (“Brawl leaves bad ‘Taste’ for officers,” A1, June 6) to the infamous events that took place at the Taste of Hawaii.
I am very disheartened by the article because it seemed to be a very skewed version of the events that took place on that day. As a witness to this incident, I was very dissapointed in the actions of the Kaua‘i police officers who responded to the scene because I felt the situation was handled poorly. The lack of professionalism and integrity of the police in handling the situation escalated what could have been a contained incident. From my experience of attending past events, I felt the actions of the police and the occurance of the events created a very hostile situation.
I am not trying to validate the response of the accused, but I have a higher expectation and respect for the police department to handle themselves in a more professional manner. What concerns me more is that this article tarnishes the reputation of a wonderful event that contributes to many Kaua‘i individuals. The event is so successful because it has been refined to what it is today and changes in consumption would not harness a bad situation from occuring. Although alcohol does escalate situations it doesn’t hinder them.
Let’s all be responsible.
Kanoe Baird
Kapa‘a
Take it in stride
In response to the June 6 letter “Five months for a roundabout?”
I drive to Po‘ipu every day for work and don’t care if it’s a five-month project. As with all other road related projects here on our beautiful island — they take forever to complete. Once it is done, the intersection will be much improved and finally will have its much needed paving. And about that detour, a whole whopping extra 2 1/2 minutes, oh boy. Shut up with the complaints. With all the development going on down in Po‘ipu if this detour bothers you, you might not want to be around for the next 10 years when the real inconvenient, problematic, tiresome projects begin.
Tyson Moises
Lawa‘i
Trading places
It seems the Immigration Bill has been killed in the Senate and many are heartbroken. We have 12-million illegal immigrants in the United States that we know about who have risked their lives to get here, and some projections are as high as 16 million. If, as the bill allowed, they were able to bring their families into the country with them the numbers explode to over 40 million new Americans. This number is mainly from Mexico and Central America alone. I wonder how many people in the entire world would like to become Americans? Certainly more people than call themselves citizens of this great country today. Let’s be honest. In a democracy of the people, intelligent well-meaning dissent and communication are vital and welcomed. All points of view with positive solutions must be heard. There is, however, no room for hate, second guessing from the easy chair, or for needlessly degrading our country or President.
Hey, here’s an idea.
Why don’t all of those who enjoy the wonderful benefits of living in this country, but can’t help but bring down or second-guess our President, soldiers, large businesses, government and environmental record every time they open their ungrateful mouths, just trade places with an illegal immigrant who wants to be here. That would certainly solve some of the problem. You can go live in their country and they can take your place here. Perhaps our esteemed representative Mr. Daniel Akaka can finally accomplish something after all these years and sponsor a bill to let you trade places with someone who wants in. Everyone would vote for that. Then you can wake up every morning with a smile knowing you left the horrible United States behind and can pledge allegiance to a better country and your new superior Commander-in-Chief.
Hello?
Where did you go?
Oh, there you are. Now come out from under that bed, you silly.
Gordon Oswald
Kapa’ a
Religious tests for office?
Questions and answers in the recent political debates had me rereading Article 6 of the Constitution and looking up the Theological Declaration of Barmen.
About a year after the Nazis took over Germany, Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other theologians published a one-page creed saying that Adolph Hitler is not the head of the Christian Church in Germany, Jesus Christ is.
At the time, Hitler’s self-anointment was the religious test for public office in the Nazi government. You could be shot for agreeing with the Theological Declaration of Barmen. Indeed, Bonhoeffer was hanged on Hitler’s orders a few days before he himself committed suicide.
If Americans must have a religious test as a qualification to office or public trust under our Constitution, a catechism based on the Barmen declaration strikes me as good as any. But I’d rather leave Article 6 the way it’s been since 1787.
Bob Ray
Po‘ipu
On barking dogs
In response to Jason Blake’s discussion of barking dogs (“Libraries and barking dogs,” Letters, June 5), I commiserate.
I had a problem very similar to yours when I moved to ‘Ele‘ele. The people across the street from me had a dog that was tied to a post in the front yard. It was never taken for walks, and the owners hardly ever interacted with it. They would occasionally let the dog off its leash to run around the neighborhood (which is against the law). The dog would bark constantly and loudly at everything and nothing. I spent probably $1,000 on gadgets to try to get the dog to shut up, to not much avail. It got to the point where I couldn’t even use my living room anymore because of the noise.
At the same time, the people next door to me allowed one of their dogs to run around off leash all of the time. Anytime someone walked by their house, this dog would bark its head off and follow the person. This often had the dog standing in front of my house barking. Finally, a third house down the street also had a dog it let run around off leash, and this dog would come up into the backyard of my next door neighbor at 2, 3, and 4 in the morning and bark at their dogs in the house. My bedroom faces their backyard, so it made sleeping impossible.
The “off leash” problem was fixed by multiple angry complaints to the Humane Society and County Council about the failure to enforce the leash law. The Humane Society also sent someone out to speak to the neighbors across the street and got them to put their dog in the back yard. Its barking continued, but it was at least more tolerable. I would note that none of the dogs I described were pig hunting dogs. They were all household pets.
I wasn’t here in 2002 when this Barking Dog Ordinance was being debated, but the argument about it being natural for dogs to bark is clearly overly simplistic. Healthy dogs don’t bark constantly and persistently, and seemingly at absolutely nothing. Also, dogs can be trained, and such training need not stop pig hunters from engaging in the hunting they love to do. In addition, people are always trying to paint such issues as “rich Mainlanders coming here to try to change local ways.” If you want to hunt pigs, hunt pigs. Allow your neighbors to sleep and have some peace in their homes. Though I don’t see why that is such a horribly selfish thing to ask. The issue here is whether or not pet owners in general, and dog owners in particular, can be expected to be responsible for the animals in their care. If they won’t be responsible on their own, then laws need to be enacted to protect the rights of everyone else. I would support efforts to get such a law enacted.
Michael Mann
‘Ele’ele
