• Pain doesn’t go away • More on elitist • Missing virus protest • Sing along with us Pain doesn’t go away I’m responding to the article “Child molester gets one year,” in The Garden Island, Nov. 12. I am
• Pain doesn’t go away
• More on elitist
• Missing virus protest
• Sing along with us
Pain doesn’t go away
I’m responding to the article “Child molester gets one year,” in The Garden Island, Nov. 12. I am saddened that this guy gets a slap on the wrist for ruining this child’s innocence. I was also molested at the age of 9 and the one who molested me walked free.
I feel for any child that has to go through this kind of pain.
Some 15 years later and I see him in the stores I shop at when I’m with my children. I still carry the pain and fear even knowing I am stronger than I was before.
The pain doesn’t go away.
Something has to be done that puts these monsters away for good.
Jennifer Dias
Kapa‘a
More on elitist
While I respect the intelligent and well written letters by Gordon “Doc” Smith it seems there are times he is firmly planted on the wrong side of an issue (“Weir not an elitist,” Letters, Nov. 13).
Trying to support a person who is obviously pro Kaua‘i development and totally devoid of understanding the call for slow growth is disturbing.
As a developer who has participated in developing thousands of apartment units on the Mainland and a resort in Costa Rica, I have some understanding of hard work and making money. Any thoughtful developer, however, would draw the line with the island of Kaua‘i.
I refuse to participate in any development here that is outside of a current and already existing metropolitan area. I would also refuse to participate in any development of tourist oriented condos, timeshares, hotels or other tourist beckoning resorts that would substantially increase the amount of visitors and infrastructure stress on this very fragile piece of real estate. There should be no further developments of any kind on our agricultural lands that do not directly support farming. Affordable housing for our local population in or adjacent to already existing metropolitan areas should be the primary focus of development on Kaua‘i.
Many say it is inevitable that Kaua‘i will be filled with a plethora of additional infrastructure, people, cars, buildings and other “man” serviced encroachments.
I disagree. Our County Council and Planning Commission could stop the nonsensical development happening now if they wanted to. It’s my hope they will soon realize their legacy is more important than money, and they will act accordingly. If “Doc” Smith and R.S. Wier (“Stale Island Breath,” Letters, Nov. 8) want so badly to develop for food and riches I would suggest you go find an area where development is needed to establish a middle class, or where it will not upset the entire ecosystem of a finite and fragile island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
“Doc” is right. Elitist may be the wrong word to describe such individuals. Stupid with a self-serving lack of perspective is more appropriate.
Gordon Oswald
Kapa‘a
Missing virus protest
As reported by The Garden Island, Nov. 13: Norwalk virus confirmed on “Pride of Hawaii”; 220 sick, and the protesters were where?
It would make more sense to me, to be protesting a cruise ship carrying a few thousand people which included sick passengers from docking at Nawiliwili Harbor, than a ferry that may bring in a couple hundred cars and possibly some noisy frogs.
I wasn’t around back in the day, but from what I was taught and read in my Hawaiian history classes, it was diseases and illnesses brought to the islands by the missionaries that was largely responsible for reducing the Hawaiian population. Are we in for a repeat of history?
The traffic the ferry may or may not bring will come and go; will the illnesses and diseases? What types of screening and accountability guidelines are the cruise ships being made to follow, if any?
The coqui frogs are already here, as reported by TGI on Nov. 11. Drugs and crime; well, we already have our share of that also.
Although, people seem to be under the impression that the drug dealers and criminals are more likely to come to our islands via an expensive, three-hour ferry ride, as opposed to a $19, 20 minute plane fare.
Nice to see that our senators, County Council members, and the protesters who are looking out for our best interests have their priorities straight; or maybe they were afraid to go down to Kalapaki for fear of getting ill.
Francine M. Grace
Kalaheo
Sing along with us
We’re back. Did you miss us?
We’ve been listening intently to all your talk about the Superferry and since it impacts us directly we thought we’d respond as well.
What? … I’m not a local so I don’t have a say?
Listen humans. We’ve been coming back to the warm waters of these islands for millenia to have our babies. We were here peacefully coexisting with nature and understanding the true meaning of life long before you could chuck a spear, or a harpoon for that matter. Our ancestors have been trying to communicate with you from the beginning. But we guess your brains are still too small to comprehend the grandness of it all. We are happy to see that small pockets of you are listening to our messages, but we’re not sure that you get it yet because other humans blast us with sonar and regularly speed boats through the sacred sanctuary where we perpetuate life.
To those of you who have heard our message on some level, we will continue to sing the song of the universe and hope and pray that one day the majority of you humans will decide to sing along.
Humpback whales
Pacific Ocean
