• An important choice for mayor • One for Lani when voting for council • Mahalo as you vote • The economics of opinion • Tough stance welcomed on fighting game birds An important choice for mayor I read with
• An important choice for mayor
• One for Lani when voting for council
• Mahalo as you vote
• The economics of opinion
• Tough stance welcomed on fighting game birds
An important choice for mayor
I read with great interest JoAnn Yukimura’s letter to the people of the Westside, offering an explanation and extending her apologies for mistakes made during the Hurricane ‘Iniki recovery and for opposing the STARS Program at Pacific Missile Range Facility.
I am a returning resident of West Kaua‘i. I was not here during this time period. If I were, I might have felt the same resentment and anger expressed by many on the Westside. But we need to look ahead. We need to make an important choice for a mayor who could best lead us through this economic crisis and deal with many problems facing Kaua‘i.
Clearly, JoAnn is the most qualified to do this.
• Evelyn Masaki , ‘Ele‘ele
One for Lani when voting for council
Lani Kawahara is a candidate for the Kaua‘i County Council.
I was privileged to work with Lani in Sen. Gary Hooser’s office during the 2005 legislative session. She was an enthusiastic, energetic staffer and a first-rate researcher. Equally important in such a fast-paced, occasionally stressful work environment, Lani consistently remained gracious, positive and focused on constructive goals — getting the job done well and effectively.
Smart, dedicated and filled with aloha, Lani will be an excellent County Council member, an asset to Kaua‘i.
One of my votes will be for Lani Kawahara. Please use one of your votes to help elect Lani as well.
• Pat Griffin, Lihu‘e
Mahalo as you vote
Tuesday, Nov. 4, we will head to our polling places to vote. Polling places are staffed by “volunteers” who receive a small stipend for their very long hours. Many of our good community members step forward to help our neighborhoods vote. We are lucky to have these conscientious workers to aid us, especially our elderly and uninformed voters. We can appreciate them with our thanks.
As to our County Clerks Office that manages our local elections for the state of Hawai‘i, I have been intimately involved in Kaua‘i’s election process for almost 20 years, and after seeing and being able to ask detailed questions on all aspects of our current election process, I can say with out resevation our Kauai County Clerks Office does an outstanding job and everything possible to run an open, honest and secure election process for all of us voters.
So as you vote, please take a second to thank every worker at our polling places who do a great job during a very long day to serve our communities. We depend on these volunteers to help and protect our right to vote.
As to the county of Kaua‘i’s clerk’s office staff and their families, a big mahalo for the long days, nights, weeks and months of labor they do for our neighborhoods, island, state and country. Words cannot thank them enough for all they do. If you see one of the county clerk’s staff take a second to say mahalo, you can bet they have been working hard. They are staffing early voting in Lihu‘e, next to the Historic County Building. They are open now thru Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you’re in Lihu‘e, try to vote early. Your local polling place will probably be very busy on election day Nov. 4, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Best times to vote are middle-morning and middle-afternoon. Please, we close at 6 p.m. sharp. And remember to give a big mahalo to our our great community members who staff our polling places.
• Bill Troutman, Kilauea
The economics of opinion
In a time where information sources are everywhere, we limit them to suit our comfort level.
Is it right or wrong, or just Right and Left? How would we know? Whether we read the Bible or Rolling Stone magazine. Whether we watch Bill Maher or Bill O’Rielly, how poorly informed are we if we don’t allow for broad input?
Politics generate a surplus of hypocritical behavior. Ethics are in negative territory. There is an oversupply of misunderstanding and intolerance. An oversupply that lowers the net worth of a conversation. Curiosity and open-mindedness are rare commodities of great value.
Understanding is a long-term investment. It requires disciplined purchases from all information sectors. Beware your extremism.
• Tom Pickett, Kilauea
Tough stance welcomed on fighting game birds
Our family is very grateful to know Police Chief Darryl Perry’s position on cockfighting as expressed in his Oct. 19 column in The Garden Island.
It is wonderful to have our top law enforcer take a stance on this issue and discuss how this awful practice relates to organized crime and drug trafficking. We have “neighbors” on two sides of our property who keep fighting cocks. The saddest aspect that we have observed is that very young children are involved in these operations.
Numerous social and psychological studies have shown that people who are exposed to and participate in animal cruelty become desensitized to all types of violence. This can lead to acts of violence against people.
An innocent cultural practice? We don’t think so.
Our own experience is that these people are definitely desensitized to the suffering that their neighbors endure due to the incessant noise of these miserable creatures.
Kudos, Chief Perry. You have our 100 percent support in bringing these crooks and thugs to justice.
• Louisa Wooton, Kilauea
