• Anyone speak for the child? • Polihale neglect • Punish helmet hit • ‘Alakai’ maneuverings • Weir not an elitist Anyone speak for the child? “Child molester gets one year,” in The Garden Island, Nov. 12 … “Oh, puleeze.”
• Anyone speak for the child?
• Polihale neglect
• Punish helmet hit
• ‘Alakai’ maneuverings
• Weir not an elitist
Anyone speak for the child?
“Child molester gets one year,” in The Garden Island, Nov. 12 … “Oh, puleeze.”
Mental health professionals know that the vast majority of child molesters do not recover; even with therapy. So he will be out of action for that amount of time (one year).
Plus, this was not an “incident” or a “wrong.” This was a grown man having sex with a child — a 5-year-old child.
Didn’t anybody listen to Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Winn? And I don’t buy the old “bump on the head trick.”
How many people who have had serious brain injury run out and molest?
As for the $150 victim compensation, that is ridiculous.
Where does the $10,000 fine go? It should go to the victim and her family, to compensate them for the months/years of therapy they may need to come to grips with this unspeakable “incident.” This type of crime is pandemic. Who is to speak for the children?
Anne Welsh
Kilauea
Polihale neglect
This weekend, I took a well-deserved trip to Polihale State Park for a short camping trip. What a surprise to find that all facilities, including bathrooms, showers and large pavilions, were closed. The only “facilities” were three port-a-potties all the way at the end of the road (which is worse than ever).
I found out that the water pump had burst on Sept. 8 — over two months ago — and after one repair didn’t work, nothing is being done.
People, the entire camping area smells like you-know-what and there are toilet paper and flies everywhere.
What is going on?
I also found out that after the earthquake on the Big Island, one of the large pavilions was condemned. Then suddenly all the other large pavilions were condemned and all the tables moved up to Koke‘e. Again, nothing is being done to repair the situation. I ask again, what is going on?
People camping on a remote beach at a state park need water and bathrooms. That is just common sense.
Anela Lauren
Lawa‘i
Punish helmet hit
I watched the Warriors/Fresno State game on TV and was surprised and dismayed that the linebacker who hit Colt Brennan helmet to helmet was not punished in any way.
The announcers stated that, in the NFL, the player would have received a stiff fine. Not only did the referees not impose a penalty, but your newspaper did not mention this in the article.
I would hope that someone would review what happened and that Fresno State would receive an appropriate monetary penalty, or have the player, Marcus Riley, relieved from the team for a number of games.
Peter Sterne
Koloa
‘Alakai’ maneuverings
November 5, on a popular Web site blog “Surfer’s Path,” Jim Albertini and Lanny Sinkin have authored a plea to Hawaii Superferry protesters to effectively “prepare themselves accordingly.”
While they have carefully written their statement so as to not actually tell protesters to head down to the harbor and get in the water, anyone who reads this piece will conclude, that’s precisely what they hope to see.
I’m a harbor pilot and as a professional whose job it is to safely navigate large ships into Nawiliwili and Kahului harbors, I don’t think Albertini or Sinkin have considered all the consequences of their statements. I testified at the Capitol recently during the special session. Within my remarks on Nov. 5, I gave a warning to all the people of Kaua‘i and Maui. Your protests in the water that might impede the safe transit of the “Alakai” could have dire consequences to everyone on your islands.
If for whatever reason the Alakai cannot safely maneuver through the breakwater entrance and stops to await swimmers, surfers and paddlers to clear, she could potentially get caught in the wind and get blown onto the jetty or breakwater. At that stage, it could only get worse. Salvage crews and tugs on O‘ahu would take another day to arrive on scene. Eventually, diesel fuel may leak out, if she continues to be pounded by the waves while straddling the reef. Ultimately, the “safety zone” that the Coast Guard would establish around the ship during salvage operations would stop all other marine traffic into and out of the harbor, until the situation is stabilized.
Your friends and families would quickly realize they now have no means of food and fuel being delivered to your island. Tugs and barges would not (could not) transit the breakwater entrance while salvage operations were being conducted. The grounding of the “Cape Flattery” last year off Kalaeloa took O‘ahu-based salvage crews eight days to resolve. How much fuel and food do you think retailers have on hand on Maui and Kaua‘i?
This isn’t about whether you support the HSF or not. This is about doing something that will not only endanger the lives of the passengers and crew of the Alakai, but a much greater long-term impact on the economy of your island. Is that what Albertini and Sinkin want?
Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.
Ed Enos
Kailua, Maui
Weir not an elitist
One needs to understand that “Elitist” is a moniker for those people who think the rest of humanity needs help and cannot think or provide for themselves. It does not refer to people who have been successful doing what is legal. That is the current meaning of the word. There are many people in public office that need “victims” so that they can “take care” of them and subsequently get their vote to remain in power.
A Japanese-American wrote a book regarding how to obtain wealth. In his book he says that if one lives in the U. S. of A. and is not wealthy, “that person is either lazy or incompetent.” If one thinks about it for a few minutes with an open mind one will realize that that author is exactly correct. Anyone who thinks this is an incorrect statement would rather be a “victim” of someone else’s “mean, greedy, selfishness.” But certainly not their own fault.
Thus R.S. Weir is doing exactly what he should be doing. Running a successful, legal business. He is not an elitist.
Gordon Doc Smith
Kapa‘a
