• Conflicted interests • Kaua‘i, then and now • Put the kuleana where it belongs … on the human • Hold those in charge accountable • Don’t cut down what is special about Koloa Conflicted interests Should the Kauai County
• Conflicted interests
• Kaua‘i, then and now
• Put the kuleana where it belongs … on the human
• Hold those in charge accountable
• Don’t cut down what is special about Koloa
Conflicted interests
Should the Kauai County vacation rental bill be put to a vote? I certainly hope that any County Council members recognize their conflict of interest if they, or any immediate family member, are employed by any vacation lodging interest. This would include hotels, timeshares, condominiums, developers, etc., that might benefit by passage of this bill. Any council member so conflicted is duty-bound to withhold their vote upon this measure.
Steve Hansen, Kekaha
Kaua‘i, then and now
Asked recently about my boyhood on Kaua‘i during the 1940s I replied: “It was a time and place that Tom Sawyer would have loved.”
OK, so we lived through WW2 with 10,000 GIs — at the peak — swarming the island. So we had barbed wire across the top of the beaches. So the Army commandeered anything they chose — church facilities, schools, parts of Koke‘e and built encampments in cane fields and towns. For us kids, at least, it was exciting. And after VJ Day there was ice cream, apples and crack seed in stores again.
Post-war Kaua‘i returned to a quiet pace, surviving an early blip of the killer ‘46 tidal wave: no stop lights, only one inn in Lihu‘e, few tourists, Sgt. Waialeale making it tough on the boys and easy on the wahines in driving license tests. Coach Ticky Vasconcellos’ Red Raiders dominated the KIF. Sugar and pine still flourished until Koloa Plantation became the first casualty. Nobody was raiding the plum trees yet up Koke‘e and boxing fans rooted for homegrown Dado Marino. Pre-hurricane Brennecke’s was the best bodysurfing (in the state?), especially when the big ones rolled in late August. Traffic accidents and drownings were rare. Charlie Kaneyama had the favorite band and Abe Abeyalde held forth Saturdays on KTOH with “Plantation Melodies.” And who can forget the morning that rascal Mike Ashman dedicated “Only Ashes Remain” to the Koloa Fire Department for helplessly watching a house burn down because no water source nearby. Owner Charlie Fern almost fired the mischievous DJ.
Yes, it was an innocent and undiscovered Garden Isle.
But that was then and this now — a Kaua‘i in weekly turmoil. Citizens for or against the Superferry. New development at Po‘ipu threatening infrastructure. Koke‘e cabin owners suing to keep their leases. Hanalei residents angry over commercial rafting. Arsonists torching a school and tinder-dry brushland where once graceful cane tassels bloomed. Even Honolulu is sending media over to find out why prized Koloa monkeypods are scheduled for the chain saw. Auwe, is this paradise lost?
Say, are the saimin and lilikoi pie still ono at Hamura’s? Good. Save a stool eh, we’ll be over in January. Forecast for snow in Chicago.
Ray Smith, Wheaton, Ill.
Put the kuleana where it belongs … on the human
I read the Nusser letter a couple of days ago regarding the tragic experience with her dog being attacked by others.
I felt badly for Ms. Nusser, and also felt a bit of animosity toward whomever would walk away from something like that
I then read the Jimenez letter today pointing out that it’s not always pits that are the “bad dog.”
True.
I’ve raised German Shepherds for 50 years. Thirty or 40 years ago, they had an undeserved “bad rep.” That sort of migrated to Dobermans, then Rottweilers over the years … and now pit bulls.
Shana is right, of course; it’s generally not the dog, but the person, who is responsible for how the animal behaves.
I think the reason we see so many stories about pit bulls is that a certain type of individual who has a psychological need (yeah, I can use that term … I’m a behavioral scientist by profession) to express aggression through an alternate means tends to gravitate to the current “bad boy” of the dog world. They want to express how tough they are, and choose the pit for its reputation … and then proceed to treat it in a way that encourages … or at least tolerates … aggression.
No, I’m not implying that Ms. Jimenez is one of those people … clearly not. But those whose dogs attacked Ms. Nusser’s pet would appear to be.
They had to know that their dogs were aggressive.
They had to know that their dogs should have been leashed in the truck.
They had to know that leaving the scene of the incident was wrong.
That they used a stick to try to break up the attack was probably not the smartest thing … but one does not always have a bucket handy, and you go with what you have.
We need to put the kuleana where it belongs … on the human.
Elaine Albertson, Waimea
Hold those in charge accountable
Once again it seems incompetence is the standard when it comes to spending our tax dollars.
My dollars were supposed to be spent on a parking area at Kealia, not a swimming pool. When this area was being graded I remember thinking the slope looked wrong, but I figured they had drains installed, but the same old, same old seems to be the rule.
I think those in charge should be held accountable. If an appropriately severe punishment was to come down to those responsible, they’d pay a little more attention next time our dollars are on the line.
Merry Christmas, Kaua‘i.
Nicholas Moore, Kilauea
Don’t cut down what is special about Koloa
We have vacationed in the Koloa area for many years now, and we return annually to enjoy all that makes Kaua‘i such a magical place.
This year, we have been greatly disheartened by the rampant south shore development, and particularly the senseless plan to cut down the monkeypod trees in Old Koloa Town. We both have vivid memories of our first trip through the tree tunnel and into the main intersection in Koloa, where those magnificent trees offer shade and tranquility.
Don’t the developers understand that cutting down those trees is cutting down what it is special about Koloa? Can’t they see that maintaining the feel and charm of Old Koloa will only add value and character to whatever it is they wish to build?
We sure hope the developers come to their senses. If they don’t, then we won’t be spending one penny in the shops they build where those trees stand today.
Matt Singer and Jenna App, Anchorage, Alaska
