• Heaven on Earth • Temper passion with reason • ‘Island Breath’ stench • Water diversion hurts • Need to know about bees • Feds can help Heaven on Earth I visited your island in the year 2004 and I
• Heaven on Earth
• Temper passion with reason
• ‘Island Breath’ stench
• Water diversion hurts
• Need to know about bees
• Feds can help
Heaven on Earth
I visited your island in the year 2004 and I can not tell you how much it affected me.
Truly a heaven on Earth and the people were extraordinary. Always smiling, laughing and helpful, even at city hall in Lihu‘e. Please do not change a thing. Limit growth, control building, don’t sell your souls for a buck. Remember even New York City has a Central Park.
Work to preserve the whole island as a national park.
All people living in heaven must be ready to tell a few to go to hell. Peace be with you all. Mahalo.
Ed Gaffny
Salem, N.H.
Temper passion with reason
I found the remarks of Dominic Acain (“Why no showing of support?”, Letters, Oct. 24) interesting.
First off, I think “fear” is a perfectly legitimate reason for not showing up at a Neighbor Island Superferry meeting. Heck, fear is the driving force behind much of the “Super Fiasco.” Fear of what the ferry will bring. Fear of what it will take away. Fear may even drive some to federal prison for violating a security zone.
But it was nice to see Dominic demonstrate reason and acknowledge he didn’t yet have the information or expertise to draw conclusions on the potential environmental or cultural impacts. I will point out the four weeks of expert testimony before Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza are public record. A good place to start. Or, if you care to wait for the information in a report format, the draft EIS will be out in about a year’s time. There will be a 45-day public comment period, and later a 60-day legal challenge period after the final EIS is accepted.
I know this because I’ve read the law HRS 343 as well as the administrative rules and guidebook published by the Department of Health, along with the Supreme Court’s 104-page opinion on the case. Dominic must have as well because he refers to the “injustice committed,” a conclusion I’m sure he would refuse to draw without having carefully reviewed all relevant materials. The injustice, I must assume, refers to the initial granting of an exemption by Department of Transportation along with Judge Cardoza’s 2005 dismissal of the lawsuit which ruled the “DOT’s actions complied with HRS chapter 343.”
Interestingly, Dominic and I came to different conclusions. I believe an impartial reading of the law supports DOT’s interpretation far more easily than the Supreme Court’s. But then, the Supreme Court’s opinion isn’t based solely on the letter of the law. It draws from case law (aka precedent) and heavily on the “intent” of the law. I feel the letter of the law does an extremely poor job of supporting the intent, at least with respect to exemption determinations. It seems to me DOT acted in good faith, and a reading of the guidebook supports their claim. They didn’t even give the Superferry special treatment.
Jason Young
Honolulu
‘Island Breath’ stench
Juan Wilson’s column “Island Breath” has become a foul stench of untruths and outright distortions. Bettah flush his column down the drain.
Richard Irwin
Kalaheo
Water diversion hurts
Why did the Board of Land and Natural Resources turn off the water on Kaua‘i’s North Shore?
The Board of Land and Natural Resources, under Laura Thielen (interim director, DLNR), recently voted to turn off the natural water supply to a large portion of Kaua‘i’s North Shore. A special legislative session is underway. One agenda item is confirming her nomination. The board’s decision to dry up our streams adds insult to grievous injury: seven deaths, destruction of property and phenomenal damage to the Kilauea River watershed in March 2006.
The flow of water in streams throughout the area has totally ceased, not due to drought, but by deliberate action of DLNR. Water from state land is being diverted under the guise of “liability concerns” from streams not affected by the Kaloko Dam breach. The water now flows out to sea, bypassing traditional waterways. Wildlife habitat and nesting sites have been destroyed.
This action is widely impacting the ‘aina. Farmers’ livelihoods and residents’ quality of life are affected. During droughts, brush fires are a threat. Surface water plays an important role in fire fighting, but the ponds are gone. Thus homes and lives are jeopardized.
Water flowing from state land belongs to the people. This issue must be resolved before irreparable damage is done to North Shore watersheds, residents and agriculture.
Diane Ragone and Jim Wiseman
Kilauea
Need to know about bees
We’ve been on this island since 1992. I am absolutely appalled that someone might have gone onto someone’s land and poisoned a young man’s bee hives. I have cried when people cut down the mango and big trees that need to be here. But this is criminal. I hope that they have the nerve to step up and say they did this horrible thing before we all think there is some blight on our bees. We need our bees and our local honey. I happen to know this young man Sage Lane, and have since he was about 5 years old. He’s our neighbor and this is so sad and such a horrible thing.
Please whomever could do this, or has heard of someone doing such a thing, step up. Don’t make the whole island worry we’ve something killing off our bees and in a few days. This is not right. So anyone knowing anything about this … step up and say that you did.
Tina Bartlett
Princeville
Feds can help
Why not get the feds and state to defer the Superferry loan payments until a lawful EA/EIS is complete? Let the Superferry be a tourist boat around O‘ahu, or an O‘ahu commuter boat if warranted. Or stay at dock without its loan payments coming due. That takes the pressure off everyone, and we can certainly wait two years to be safe for generations to come. The only rush being placed here is still by Superferry wanting to force its way through. Enough force.
A special session of the Legislature for a Hawai‘i bailout is unethical, and subversive to protecting our stewarded land and the ecosystem of which we all rely.
Ask the feds for help. I’m sure there is a way.
John Cragg
Anahola
