• No justice for surfer’s family • Councilwoman: Call before making accusations • County-manager question should be on ballot • What’s all the fuss about? • Consider non-mainstream voices No justice for surfer’s family I am absolutely appalled at our
• No justice for surfer’s family
• Councilwoman: Call before making accusations
• County-manager question should be on ballot
• What’s all the fuss about?
• Consider non-mainstream voices
No justice for surfer’s family
I am absolutely appalled at our justice system. How is it that a young surfer’s life was savagely and brutally taken away by five mongrels, and four of them get off with a plea bargain?
It is an absolute disgrace and a slap in the face to the family of the talented young surfer, Emery Kauanui. How is justice served to the Kauanui family and to Emery when four of these fools get a guaranteed sentence of five years and six months max? What about the Kauanui family? They will never get their beloved son back.
Who do those hoodlums think they are? Yesterday’s article “4 plead guilty in death of Kaua‘i surfer” says that other citizens of the Kauanui’s La Jolla community came forward after the vicious crime and revealed that these same villains are suspect to many other previous crimes of assaults! It is an outrage. Where are the parents at of these mindless, heartless morons?
On the news I saw a clip of these criminals speaking publicly about their senseless and atrocious crime. I didn’t see one inkling of remorse, sorrow or repentance. Shame on them. One day they will learn their lesson, hopefully, and God willing.
Teresa Cuervo
Kapa‘a
Councilwoman: Call before making accusations
Please do not try to sway public opinion with misinformation that suggests that I did not hear the testimonies by Dr. Rhoades and others (Letters, “Dog debate disappointing,” Thursday).
You are aware that my office and several other offices in the building where council meetings are held have live video capture of all meetings. Thus, I saw the entire presentation of all the testimonies of the public hearing from my office at the SAME time that it was given. I was also attending to other council matters that were confidential and time-sensitive from the purview of my office.
I did not want to miss the public hearing and instead chose to do such business by conference call instead of flying off-island. Please do not continue to make statements of negative implication that a simple phone call, by you, could have easily cleared up.
Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho
Kaua‘i County Councilwoman
County-manager question should be on ballot
A big mahalo to TGI and to reporter Rachel Gehrlein for covering the Charter Review Commission meeting (“County manager debate deferred,” yesterday).
The past Charter Review Commission diligently went after a budget that included having Ho‘ike TV all the meetings so the public was privy to all the dialogue that went on. With no cameras present, we only have TGI to keep the public informed, as well as, of course, the minutes of the meeting kept by the very competent Barbara Davis.
The public’s goal then, as it is now, was to get a charter amendment on the ballot to change our system of government to be like 60 percent of the municipalities across the U.S. with a manager-council type as opposed to the strong mayor-council form that we have now.
Except for Commissioner Walter Briant, who is single-handedly pushing to get this manager-council type on the ballot for the people to vote up or down, no member of this commission wants to discuss it. Even battling health problems, Mr. Briant is tirelessly pursuing the needs of the people and all of us salute and commend him for his efforts.
Chair of the commission, Jonathan Chun, repeatedly asks why he should put this amendment on the ballot when no one can tell him what is wrong with the system and why it needs changing.
On numerous occasions the public has listed unsolved problems that go back years and are only worse today than they were three administrations ago.
Of the voluminous problems that we have had and still have on Kaua‘i, nothing can be more glaring than solid waste. Huge amounts of money have been spent on consultants to site a new landfill and, yet, all we have accomplished in 20 years is to increase the size of “Mt. Garbagemore” in Kekaha — to the frustration of those citizens who live there and to the anger of those citizens who expected action and solutions rather than lip service and money wasted!
Is a manager type of government the panacea or the silver bullet to cure all of our ills — probably not. But doesn’t the age-old saying that to continue pursuing a broken plan and expecting a different result is insanity fit the problems we face? By following a successful template that has been in place in another city certainly can’t be worse than repeating a failed system!
The task of this Charter Review Commission in not to tell the people what is good or bad for them. It is to put a measure on the ballot that they can vote for or against.
And remember, the majority of people who know about this amendment want it on the ballot.
Glenn Mickens
Kapa‘a
What’s all the fuss about?
I don’t get what all the fuss is about, building on dead people. They are dead. What part of that don’t you get? The soul is in God’s hands, and that is what matters. From dust to dust.
If you are going to get upset about their remains, then you should go all the way to being peeved at the maggots who eat their flesh. The Bible says the body is temporary, like a vehicle for the soul, so to speak. When you’re done with a car you junk it or sell it, but no one clamors about building on a scrap yard … what’s the difference? Do you really think souls are looking down from heaven worrying about their bones? Help people who are still here, because once they are gone it’s too late.
Joseph Lavery
Kapa‘a
Consider non-mainstream voices
I am a voracious reader of TGI and want you to know of my disappointment at the disappearance of Juan Wilson’s column.
This is a one-newspaper town and the task of promoting the diversity of opinions and interests takes on a greater responsibility for those who have the power and/or capability to do so.
The last controversial “discussion” between Wilson and Police Commissioner Iannucci certainly revealed gaping holes and needs in the community and the insight or lack thereof (tunnel vision?) of leaders who are supposed to serve the entire community.
Some of us residents do read many other publications, listen to mainstream and off-the-beaten-path commentaries before forming an opinion. I would like to believe that Mr. Iannucci does not speak for the entire police force, nor do I agree with everything that Juan Wilson said.
Please reconsider your decision and open your publishing arms to those of us who may not share the majority opinion and may wish to pursue more discourse before making an opinion, but nevertheless believe we can also contribute to the community and care for Kaua‘i with as much passion.
Elli Ward
Lihu‘e
