• More planes • And the brown-skinned people? More planes Hey there, all you EIS supporters; Delta Airlines has announced that next year they will have a direct flight into Kaua‘i from the Mainland. You better get organized to protest
• More planes
• And the brown-skinned people?
More planes
Hey there, all you EIS supporters; Delta Airlines has announced that next year they will have a direct flight into Kaua‘i from the Mainland. You better get organized to protest as they possibly bring in “evasive/potentially dangerous” organisms on their planes.
By the way, was there any noise made when United/American and/or the other charter plane announced their coming direct to Kaua‘i from where-evers?
Sam Shirai
Lihu‘e
And the brown-skinned people?
I was born in Waimea, and my birth certificate is stamped “Territory of Hawaii.” Except for four years on the Mainland in college, and a few more working in Honolulu, I’ve been a Kaua‘i resident. In all this time, the Hawaii Superferry has been the most controversial and divisive issue. There are the issues that its opponents bring up, and then there’s the real reason. Let’s first examine what it’s not about.
It’s not about marine mammal protection. In 1954, the United States Navy created the perfect whale-killing machine, the nuclear submarine. American attack submarines can stay submerged for months, racing along at 30 to 40 knots. The 16 based at Pearl Harbor are legendary for their stealth, and are the most silent ships in the ocean, despite being 360 feet long, and displacing 7,100 tons. At the rear of the boat is a nuclear reactor, driving a multi-bladed screw propeller. (Have you noticed how many whales have slashes across their back, which might be caused by a propeller?) At the front of the sub is a 33-foot-wide sonar array. In over a half-century of operating out of Pearl Harbor, I’ve never seen a protest against nuclear subs, even when they visit Kaua‘i’s ports. So the well-being of whales doesn’t really matter to the protesters. And by the way, were you aware that every warship based at Pearl Harbor is also equipped with sonar?
The protests have nothing to do with traffic. Six out of seven days a week, at least one cruise ship is docked at Nawiliwili. On average, these ships bring at least 1,000 crew members, and at least 2,200 passengers. While docked, most of the passengers will go sightseeing, as will many of the crew. Sometimes, there is a second cruise ship, parked next to the first. In the past few weeks, I’ve seen the “Diamond Princess” and the “Norwegian Sun.” Perhaps 7,000 people renting cars, taxis, tour buses, etc. And no protesters. Surprising that anyone could be so intentionally blind. The smallest of our Hawaii-based cruise ships, the “Pride of Aloha,” is 13 stories high and displaces 77,104 tons. That’s 44 times the size of the Hawaii Superferry.
Traffic will get worse on O‘ahu, should the Superferry begin sailing again. O‘ahu has 320,000 cars, on roads designed for 320,000 cars. Kaua‘i has 81,000 cars, on roads designed for 20,000 cars. Most Kaua‘i residents will seize the opportunity to go shopping several times a year. On the other hand, most O‘ahu residents with no friends or family on Kaua‘i will not come here. They’re city folks and have little urge to visit rural areas like Kaua‘i. The only O‘ahu visitors we’ll probably see are those with friends or family here, especially those with ties to the rural Westside.
Like other O‘ahu residents, criminals also have little motivation to take the Superferry here. Criminals are opportunists, and opportunities are better on O‘ahu. If you come to Kaua‘i to steal anything, you’ll probably have to spend several days here before stealing enough to make the trip worth it for your crew. Using the Superferry to transport your ill-gotten gains back to Honolulu is not cost-effective.
It’s not about the drugs. If you’re local, born and raised here, you know at least one drug addict, either active or in recovery. Or dead. Quite possibly a member of your own family. Alcoholism has been a problem for centuries. Other illegal drugs began arriving in the 1960s. Since we graduated 30 years ago, our high school class has lost at least six directly due to drugs or alcohol. Two or three have passed more recently because of youthful experimentation. And at least three are permanently disabled, because of drug use. Demand continues. At least two classmates who never used drugs have children in recovery. The supply continues too. The Bihm family allegedly supplies marijuana. The Smith brothers allegedly supply cocaine. And a 12-member ring supplies the ice. All the need has been cheerfully fulfilled by suppliers on airlines. We have the demand, we have the supply, but we don’t have any residential drug treatment.
It’s not about the homeless. O‘ahu has homeless shelters. Kaua‘i doesn’t. O‘ahu has many social agencies, governmental- and non-governmental to deal with its homeless population. Kaua‘i has very few. Given the choice between staying on O‘ahu, where food, shelter and jobs are available to the homeless, or moving to Kaua‘i, where you’re pretty much on your own, where would you go?
It’s not about invasive species. We have coqui frogs, miconia, etc. The mongoose? Does Young Bros. make any special effort to prevent them from travelling inter-island? No.
Having discredited these objections to the Superferry, what is the real reason for the protests? Have you noticed that almost all of the thousands of passengers arriving on the cruise ships are white? Have you noticed that most of the hundreds of passengers arriving on the Superferry are locals? You know… brown people; like me. Most interviewed by the news media came here because they had family or friends on Kaua‘i. Several were born and raised here.
What’s wrong with brown people? Especially the ones who were born and raised right here on Kaua‘i? Same as in places on the Mainland. Brown people lower the property values of multi-million-dollar homes. The Southwest, from Texas to California, was once inhabited by Mexicans and Indians. Eventually, the Indians were confined to desolate reservations, and the Mexicans were pushed southward into Mexico itself. Property values went up.
Had the protesters also opposed the cruise ships, and the airlines as well, their arguments might have had merit. By singling out the one means of transportation that supports local brown people, their motives have become clear. I urge them, “Stop assaulting brown people trying to return to Kaua‘i.” I have friends now living in Hawaii Kai, Kalihi, Kapolei and Waianae, who have been looking forward to returning to visit their aging parents, and fulfilling their familial obligations. They will stabilize our community. It would be tragic if their homecoming were blocked.
Emmette Honjiyo
Kapa‘a
