• What’s up with our government? • Represent all the people • Graffiti is not always art What’s up with our government? They say government is for the people and by the people, but when we vote against something that
• What’s up with our government?
• Represent all the people
• Graffiti is not always art
What’s up with our government?
They say government is for the people and by the people, but when we vote against something that affects our way of living they tell us that our voices don’t matter; we’re “discriminating” against a minority of people who wish to demean our culture and moral values. (“Kaua‘i’s state lawmakers split on civil union bill,” The Garden Island, Feb. 26)
Look, Hawai‘i is small enough to fit all of its Islands into the state of Texas with room to spare; and the government wants to pass a law that invites every homosexual in the world to come here and be gay.
Just as overbuilding, overselling and now this. Everybody comes here to exploit and change things. Think about it you moved here. If you don’t like the way things are, move away, don’t change our way of living to accommodate you.
If they pass this law we will be bombarded by hoards of homosexuals, which will leave us, the few with morals left in the island, the minority. Who will be discriminated against then?
When our society tells us that our voices don’t matter, when we are the people, what’s our government for?
I’d bet if you did a survey of how many homosexuals causing all the fuss were flown here opposed to grown here, I’m pretty sure the mass majority were flown in. So once our livelihood is determined by a bunch of foreigners (Haoles). When will it end?
Our fate is now left in the hands of Gov. Lingle. Please educate her on how important it is that she vetos this. In Hawai‘i, the rainbow is a symbol of power, not flower. So take your flower power and go. Don’t come here and make trouble.
James Robert Langtad, Wailua
Represent all the people
How thankful we are on Kaua‘i to know that Sen. Hooser and Rep. Morita have the courage to represent all the people and not just the so-called majority. (“Kaua‘i’s state lawmakers split on civil union bill,” The Garden Island, Feb. 26)
Having lived on Kaua‘i since 1983, we are so pleased to be represented in a manner of tolerance by supporting civil unions.
Sen. Hooser and Rep. Morita understand that it is not necessarily the role of elected officials to “poll” the community or represent only the so-called “majority.” They understand that it is the responsibility of our representatives to uphold the law, and defend the rights of all citizens.
If only majority opinions were represented, then we would still be discriminating against African Americans, against women and many other under-represented groups, even perhaps native Hawaiians. (By the way, we doubt that most on Kaua‘i are against civil unions.)
There was a time even in our life, when the majority of Americans were against granting equal rights to many groups; that was “popular” then. But some brave people believed that it was better to sacrifice their popularity with the majority and do the right thing: uphold the rights of all citizens, not just some of the citizens.
Perhaps it is worth considering, especially here in Hawai‘i, what it would be like if “minority” rights were curtailed because the so-called “majority” didn’t believe they were entitled?
We on Kaua‘i appreciate Hooser and Morita taking a leadership role by educating the constituency, by letting them know that although this may seem new and unconventional that it is the right thing to do: to support the rights of all people, and not just some people, by supporting civil unions.
Frances Simons, Koloa
Graffiti is not always art
Comments on the graffiti issue have been well-meant, accurate, and true. (“Another side to the story,” Letters, Feb. 26)
However, they have missed a critical point. Little of what is termed “graffiti” is intended as art. That which is should probably be publicly supported as it is in many cities. The majority is “tagging,” which identifies a certain person or gang. Gangs — real gangs and misguided wannabes — use tags to mark their territory.
When you see a stylized name or symbol, keep in mind it likely is some gangster, or misguided wannabe, saying, “This is my gang, and we control this place.” As an example, a recent tag showed up on the stone chimney of the Boys and Girls Club in Waimea reading “MS-13.”
MS-13 is the tag for the Mara Salvatrucha, a gang that originated in Central America in the early 1980s and which has over the past 20 years become the “most violent and dangerous group in America” according to the FBI.
The Guardian Angels document any tagging they find, enter it to a database, and include the information in “After-Action Reports” that go to the Kaua‘i Police Department. The property owner of record — Public Works in the case of the County — is notified, and asked to paint over the tag ASAP.
It is a pain and will have to be repeated. Leaving it untouched, however, is perceived by the gang as submission. Thinking that “this is Kaua‘i, that doesn’t happen here” invites grief.
Elaine Albertson, Kaua‘i Guardian Angels, Waimea
