• Lesson learned • Mary Lardizabal is an inspiration(br) • Whichever god it be • State ballast rules to be trumped by fed Lesson learned Like many people, I have experienced mixed feelings about the homeless. I feel sorry for
• Lesson learned
• Mary Lardizabal is an inspiration(br) • Whichever god it be
• State ballast rules to be trumped by fed
Lesson learned
Like many people, I have experienced mixed feelings about the homeless. I feel sorry for their plight, of course, but often feel uncomfortable when I am encountered one-on-one.
This ambivalence recently came out while I was traveling out of state on business and was approached at a bus stop by a homeless gentleman named Jack. It was about 8 p.m. and my initial instinct was to walk away, but instead I listened to his helpful advice about which bus to take to my destination as well as his instructions on how to read the bus schedule.
I thanked him and continued to peruse the schedule. I then noticed him coming back to talk to me, and a feeling of “gosh, now what” overcame my calm demeanor. Jack asked if I was OK and then reached into his pocket. I literally stepped back and immediately tensed up.
What happened next forever changed my preconceived feelings about real people like Jack. He drew from his back pocket a “day bus pass” which he offered me, saying he wasn’t going to need it anymore that day.
Sure, I was hesitant, but he assured me it was valid. I then offered to buy the $2 pass. He said, “No.” I asked again, and after thinking about it, he added that if I could walk with him to the fast food store across the street and buy him a $1 cheeseburger he would be very grateful. I took the “deal” and we both felt good about the arrangement.
After getting on the bus and sliding the valid bus pass through the appropriate “pay here” slot, I sat down and contemplated the valuable lesson I learned from Jack that evening in a strange town on the Mainland.
It is the same message Gov. Linda Lingle continues to articulate every day. She reminds us that the homeless on our streets and beaches are real people — just like us. They are real people who are going through very difficult times. Many simply cannot afford the current rental market, may be seriously ill and cannot pay their medical bills or perhaps lost their job because the company they worked for closed.
The bottom line is many of our fellow residents are one paycheck or one injury away from being in the same situation as Jack.
As we count our blessings this holiday season, I for one am grateful for the lesson Jack taught me. I also realize that if my life takes an unexpected turn, I could be the one who was bargaining for that cheeseburger.
Today, think about the “Jack” you have met. Don’t pass them by or blow them off without thinking about what they are experiencing. Think about how one act of kindness could make a difference for them.
Being homeless does not mean you are any less of a person. What it does mean is that by lending a helping hand, along with some compassion and understanding, you can change lives.
Lenny Klompus, Gov. Linda Lingle’s communications director, Honolulu
Mary Lardizabal is an inspiration
Last week the Kapa‘a Middle School Chorus and ‘Ukulele band gave their first Holiday Concert.
The young people sang so well it gave me chicken skin. What a wonderful job they did. But they did have an angel there helping them: Mary Lardizabal.
Year after year, Mrs. Lardizabal gives so much of herself to our keiki, the school, and our community. It is an inspiration to see her single-handedly direct over 200 middle schoolers in a complex musical program, while playing all the music herself on the piano!
And she does it with so much Aloha for the kids, their families and her colleagues, it uplifts everyone.
Kaua‘i is blessed to have many wonderful people who enrich us with their music and inspire us with their loving examples.
Mary Lardizabal is certainly one of those people.
Lucas’ Dad (Dave Moore), Kilauea
Whichever god it be
Religion is a system of faith and worship of a god or gods.
Every religion believes there’s to be the one that is right and spiritually closest to god, whoever their god may be.
Christians have many denominations including non denominations, and every demonization from Methodist, Seven-day Adventist, Mormon, Baptist, Lutheran, Assembly of Gods and the Evangelistic all believe their Christian beliefs are better and the only way.
The Jewish faith has reform conservative, re-constructive, orthodox messianic and Chassidic; all of them believe they are more correct than the other.
Muslims have their beliefs and obviously they believe they are the one and only.
One does not need a building with four walls to go and worship. Money can buy a house of worship but not a relationship with the “divine” one.
Come judgment day I believe all of us are going to be in for a rude awakening when we approach our god and say, “Oh that’s what you meant Lord.”
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and have a wonderful New Year.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapa‘a
State ballast rules to be trumped by fed
We congratulate the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources for adopting new rules on ballast water discharges from ships in order to stop the invasion of aquatic alien species into Hawaiian waters (“Ships must monitor ballast water,” A1, Dec. 9). Unfortunately, under pending federal legislation in the U.S. Congress, the rules would be invalidated or preempted if they are stricter than future federal rules.
The current draft of a 2007 Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 2830) in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would prevent states from having ballast provisions stronger than federal regulations. The federal government should not be preventing any state from protecting itself against aquatic invaders while our environment awaits federal action, especially since the bill includes a loophole that may delay full implementation of federal standards indefinitely. The bill also would exempt ballast water discharges from the Clean Water Act, incorrectly stating that aquatic organisms do not qualify as pollutants.
Our precious coral reefs have already suffered too much from lax ballast water policies. Thankfully, the DLNR has acted to better protect our home waters, and we urge island citizens to join the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i in asking our leaders in the Congress not to allow any U.S. Commerce Department agency to prevent states from caring for our waters.
Steven Montgomery, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, Honolulu
