Letters for Thursday, April 24, 2008

• Must have cold and arrogant heart

• Salvage field trip

• Dangerous North Shore intersection

• Keep butts to yourselves

Must have cold and arrogant heart

Is it heartless, cruel, inhumane, insensitive, mean or just plain stupid (“Animal lovers rescue Kilauea kittens from cat coffin,” A3, April 23)?

I couldn’t decide which description best matches the person or persons who discarded two young kittens in a box, recently. It just boggles my mind that anyone could just throw away two young animals and have them die a slow, agonizing death and just not give a damn.

Thankfully, Linda Pasadava and her neighbor had the heart to care enough to rescue and make an effort to find suitable homes for these young furballs.

My wife and I treasure our five cats and two dogs. The love they return is priceless when all they ask for is a warm place to sleep, food in their tummies and shelter from the elements.

Whoever did this despicable act should hang their head in shame. I mean it, really, really shame on you.

But on the other hand, you probably don’t really care what I or anyone else thinks about you, since it takes a cold and arrogant heart to do something like this in the first place.

Stephen Shioi

Kapa‘a

Salvage field trip

Some 42 children from King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School in Hanama‘ulu have worked hard much of the year to raise funds for an extraordinary field trip to Kilauea Volcano to see island-building and Madame Pele’s work firsthand.

This is a trip they will always remember. They will also visit the Native history museum in Hilo, which will teach them much of their unique heritage.

They have raised approximately $7,000 with only $1,000 to go. But they are at the funding deadline for accommodations and airline deposits. According to friends of this project, the PTA will not help make up the shortfall and the principal and class teacher are saying the trip might get canceled.

The chaperones and families who have already booked flights will pay stiff cancellation penalties.

This is your opportunity to give big from your hearts and as much as you can from your pockets. Every bit will help.

Please send your donations right away to King Kaumuali‘i Elementary School, 4380 Hanamaulu Road, Lihu‘e, 96766. Mark your check “Volcano Field Trip.”

Call the principal’s office at 241-3150 to tell how much you’re sending.

The children and families thank you in advance for your generosity in supporting this amazing educational opportunity.

Wendy Winegar

Kilauea

Dangerous North Shore intersection

Apparently there are those who believe I had something to do with the amazing flashing yellow light at the intersection of Kilauea and Kuhio Highway which, so far, seems to possibly be surprising people enough into maybe slowing down a little bit.

So I am writing to you once again about the Kapaka Road and Kuhio Highway intersection.

There was a three-car collision there a few mornings ago and in case the powers that be don’t realize it, this is a very treacherous intersection that desperately needs a turn lane onto Kapaka Road from the south where daily drivers risk their lives trying to make left turns while various traffic is attempting to exit from the makai side of the road where The Church of the Pacific and the Princeville Ranch tours are housed. Undoubtedly a turn lane is planned for when the scenic overlook is moved at some point, but perhaps attention sooner than later might be a better idea.

Of course, we can wait until there are a few more accidents, some of them which may be fatal, or we can be proactive and do something now — there’s a progressive concept. This is a stretch of highway that incurred a major accident within the first weeks of opening due to a police car flipping over with the extreme angle of the curve by the dump and the speed limit — but, then again, maybe that’s just in my memory.

Or maybe not?

Petrina Satori-Britt

Princeville

Keep butts to yourselves

I am writing hoping that the police chief and his officers will be reading this or hearing about it.

I am writing about the careless people who throw their cigarette butts out of their car windows, push them into the sand at the beach, flick them whereever they think it’s convenient.

There once was a time when police would enforce the $200 litter violation. I know for a fact that there are thousands-upon-thousands of cigarette butts all over Kaua‘i and maybe a handful in the trash cans. If they can’t enforce the law, then raise the price of cigarettes to $50 or $100 a pack.

Melody Stine

Kekaha