• Way we feel • Political pandering • Is the sky falling? Way we feel I happened to be listening to the radio a while back and heard some pretty amazing opinions on the Superferry. A caller from O‘ahu was
• Way we feel
• Political pandering
• Is the sky falling?
Way we feel
I happened to be listening to the radio a while back and heard some pretty amazing opinions on the Superferry. A caller from O‘ahu was saying how “we allow the people from Kaua‘i to come over here, take up all our parking spaces and use our shopping centers, why can’t we go over and use their island?” … What? I guess I didn’t realize Kaua‘i was here for his use. Then another one says “change is inevitable, accept it without question or move to Kaho‘olawe!” Then the host says, “The tiny group of fringe thug nutcase criminal protesters should go protest the airlines, the barges, the cruise ships, and disavow any contact with the outside world whatsoever!” Someone even suggested that “goods headed to Kaua‘i be left on the docks and at the airport in Honolulu, and not be distributed.”
Such anger is troubling.
All we are asking is for our government to pay some attention to our concerns, and not bulldoze us with the will of big business and a few of the million people on an island so overcrowded that they would be behind any means of escape.
Don’t try to tell us that…
• A drug manufacturer isn’t going to take the opportunity to plunk down his $5 and come over here. What did it take, the first trip to Maui, for thieves to begin shipping that island home 900 rocks at a time? One look at the 6 p.m. news tells you there should be concern about crime.
• The H-4 is going to bring cars that replace rental cars, no … they are in addition to the rental cars that are already here.
• Just because there was 10 percent of the population of this entire island on the anti-ferry petition that the governor turned her back on, doesn’t mean 90 percent is in favor. Let’s put it to a statewide vote by the people of Hawai‘i. The councils of the Outer Islands have already spoken about an EIS.
• We don’t care about friends and families being able to visit … wrong. Kama‘aina rates on airlines and at car rentals should be available.
We’ve had the Superferry beat us over the head with their claim of “overwhelming support.” Let’s put it to a vote and find out if that’s really true.
Let cooler heads prevail and be smart about this. Protest, but do it right.
Marsh Henderson
Kapa‘a
Political pandering
In her Guest Viewpoint piece (“Stand up and be counted,” Forum, Sept. 19), professional politician JoAnn Yukimura paints a dreary picture of what could happen to Kaua‘i should the Hawaii Superferry be permitted to provide once-a-day ferry service between O‘ahu and Kaua‘i. She points out, correctly, that for those of us who live here and “a big part of our happiness is living with the natural environment — the oceans, mountains, and outdoors — and being surrounded by stunning natural beauty on a daily basis.” She fires numerous rhetorical cannons, citing such diverse authorities as that hoary World War I novel “All Quiet On The Western Front” and the supposed result of the 1960s ban on DDT to support her impassioned support for an EIS. She insists that “Kauaians of all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds want an EIS first. This is because we love Kaua‘i and don’t want to see it harmed.” Quite a tour de force. If only this former mayor, present councilperson and one reported to have her eye on the next election for mayor, had spoken out about the harm to our “stunning natural beauty” and traditional Kaua‘i lifestyle implicit in the “rape of Kaloa/Po‘ipu” and other runaway development. Does she not mind, or is she not aware of, those traditional Kaua‘i homes that have been torn down and replaced by mega California style houses (affordable only to non-Kauaians) that totally obliterate any view of the ocean? Has she never been to Kihei or had friends/relatives describe the disappearance of neighborhoods on O‘ahu — things that might cause her to consider what unrestrained development portends for Kaua‘i? Or is it simply that she is safely pandering for votes among those who oppose the Superferry? After all, no Kaua‘i politician, faced with the real prospect of an impending economic, political and social upheaval brought on by ill-advised overdevelopment, has dared to speak out and incur the wrath of the developers/visitor industry/real estate cabal.
Myles Fladager
Koloa
Is the sky falling?
I was quite dismayed after reading the Guest viewpoint by JoAnn Yukimura regarding the Superferry. In fact, I was tempted to check and see if the sky was falling. Yes, O‘ahu residents can come over to Kaua‘i, but Kaua‘i residents can just as easily go to O‘ahu. Maybe the homeless, the thieves and the druggies from Kaua‘i would leave here for better opportunities on O‘ahu. She’s worried about tour buses coming over with passengers. Has she not noticed all the tour buses that are transporting cruise ship passengers? She’s concerned about young people zooming over to Honolulu and the problems it would create. What problems is she alluding to? Young people don’t need to go to O‘ahu to get into trouble. They are quite capable of doing that right here on Kaua‘i. Have you read the police blotter lately? Of course, Ms.Yukimura also made mention about those not very bright men loading their trucks with rocks from Maui. It makes me wonder what was transported in all those ice chests and coolers that were flown between the islands as baggage for years.
I’ll stand up and be counted as a supporter for the Superferry. Wouldn’t it be great to take the ferry and go tailgate at a Warriors football game? Why not use the Superferry to transport school buses full of keiki to visit Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum, or the Arizona Memorial to name just a few of the historic sites on O‘ahu.
I just wish our political leaders would use as much energy trying to solve the problems Kaua‘i does have (overdevelopment in Po‘ipu, traffic in Kapa‘a, homelessness, drugs, etc.) as they are using to fight the Superferry.
Joye Irwin
Kalaheo
