Letters for Sunday, May 18, 2008

• Hoopla, revisited

• Blinking light of chaos

• Get the pits back

Hoopla, revisited

I guess I’ll have to say it again for those that missed it the first time. All the hoopla about the Superferry bringing drugs, plants, people, etc., to the island is just plain silly.

For who knows how many years now, it’s already been happening. You can load your car onto a Young Bros. barge and transport it from any island to any other island and they only check for dents and scratches, so they will only be liable for those that happen in transit. You can pack a G-Van that is 5 1/2 feet by 5 1/2 feet by 6 feet and they don’t check anything. You can bring anything you want, drugs, bugs, plants, animals (that are hiding in your stuff). And it’s very cheap to do so.

Now, I do agree that it was underhanded the way Gov. Linda Lingle put the Superferry through the government process so quickly and they shouldn’t be allowed to operate without an Environmental Impact Statement. But let’s face it, they deserve to operate like any other business, if they play by the rules. If they flop, like so many other ferries have, then so be it.

Worrying about homeless people coming over is silly too. It’s cheaper and easier for them to fly if they want to come here. Most of them don’t own cars. To want to prevent everybody else from coming here is just plain selfish. You want the right to travel to any other island don’t you? Well, it should be a two-way street.

Now that Aloha Airlines is gone I don’t need to talk about that, you already know how that will likely affect transportation and cause prices to change.

Oh, and the “surplus” $2 million in tax revenue isn’t really extra money, it’s just more than they expected to collect, unless somebody is really lousy at math and couldn’t figure out how much to expect to come in. It sounds more like everybody just paid their taxes. The county government never has enough money for all the different ways they would like to spend it, they just cross some items off the list so they can accomplish the other ones.

How come I still never hear about one of the most important projects that should be done as soon as possible: a road that bypasses Lihu‘e to get from the North Shore to the South Shore?

If you are worried that it will affect businesses in Lihu‘e, it will, but in a positive way, like it did for Haleiwa. Only those who want to go to Lihu‘e will be in town, so less traffic and moving more slowly, so you can take the time to look around (almost). And there will be less headache for travelers just passing through.

Jack Custer

Niumalu

Blinking light of chaos

Thus far the “signal” by Kilauea town has only seemed to serve as a conduit for yet more stupid driving. A blinking yellow light means that you slow down and proceed with caution — it does not mean that you slam on your brakes, stop, see if someone rear-ends you and allow cross traffic onto the street which then causes anyone coming in the opposite direction to slam on their brakes, hope no one rear ends them, etc., etc.

Anyone driving past Kilauea in the past week or so has likely witnessed some jaw-dropping questionable driving choices.

And, also, just so everyone is clear: the white plastic poles installed by the turn lanes are not agility cones. All we need is a little common sense here. Maybe more information on the solar grid would be a good idea? Perhaps it is premature to have it say that there is a signal ahead but rather to slow and proceed with caution when there is a blinking yellow light?

Petrina Satori-Britt

Princeville

Get the pits back

One day about 30 years ago I was sitting on the grass at Black Pot Beach Park with my son waiting for my husband to come in from fishing. A wonderful man walked up to me and asked if I would like to wait underneath the shelter that was put up near the river. Little did I know that day, that when I walked over to the shelter I would become part of a wonderful family. I learned so much about the history of Black Pot and how it got its name. Years have gone by now and so many kupunas have passed on. The kupuna who are still with us keep the legends alive along with all the kama‘ainas who want the legends to live on.

The people who gather on the corner of the park daily are hard workers. For years we have welcomed young and old to join us. I mean, isn’t that what Black Pot Beach Park is all about?

Our Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners down at the beach have fed the homeless and visitors that have just happened to be down at the beach that day. We have never asked for anything in return. Just enjoy yourself.

We have had fundraisers for the American Cancer Society and numerous other fundraisers for friends that have fallen ill.

Ten years ago the Hanalei Horseshoe Pitchers Club became an official sanctioned club. We have had statewide tournaments down at the park. Horseshoe pitchers from all over the United States have participated in the tournaments. The mayor has even presented trophies at one tournament in Anahola.

I don’t know how many times we’ve helped people in need — from helping them get their boats out of the river, cars stuck in the sand, calling 911 in emergencies from swimming or surfing accidents, and protecting property when the river floods. We have always taken care of this little section of the park. We recycle our trash and always keep our area clean. We have always respected our area and have never taken advantage of this wonderful spot. We have been very fortunate for many years and feel blessed that Mike Sheehan allowed us to gather.

What we have been able to do for many years is what Black Pot is all about. Sharing, gathering and welcoming anyone that happens upon this wonderful park. This is what aloha is all about.

Just getting our horseshoe pits back would be a blessing. We have pitchers that will be participating in a state tournament soon and we would like to make Kaua‘i proud of having our pitchers place with top honors.

I hope by writing this everyone can see what our ‘ohana at Black Pot Beach Park is all about.

Barbara Poor

Hanalei