• Prohibition doesn’t work • Leave Omega Man alone! • Gary Hooser, champion of the people • Reciprocal rights — for the birds Prohibition doesn’t work The answer to Zeenice Roja’s question about why a drug as dangerous as alcohol
• Prohibition doesn’t work
• Leave Omega Man alone!
• Gary Hooser, champion of the people
• Reciprocal rights — for the birds
Prohibition doesn’t work
The answer to Zeenice Roja’s question about why a drug as dangerous as alcohol is legal is very simple. (“Alcohol vs. marijuana,” Letters, May 26)
We tried alcohol prohibition and it was a disaster. People like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano took over alcohol distribution and caused a 13-year crime wave filled with bombings and gun battles. Prohibition caused far more trouble than the alcohol did.
The same situation to a lesser degree holds true for marijuana, but without the effects of alcoholism.
The lesson we need to learn is that prohibition never works. It always turns the market over to career criminals who use violence as a business method.
Ralph Givens, Daly City, Calif.
Leave Omega Man alone!
Please, I would beg that whoever has the “Omega Man,” “Recycle Warrior” or “Electronic Consumer God” in their custody not to harm him in any way.
Whoever the creator of this work is a true artist in every sense of the word. I agree that it should be seen by as many people as possible and perhaps the best place for it to reside for a month would be in the center court of Kukui Grove Shopping Mall.
Later it could be moved to one of the South Shore malls and remain on view for a few weeks but please don’t destroy it. The artist has a great imagination and a rare talent for making something so outstanding from a bunch of discarded appliances and wire that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill.
After everyone has seen it, it could be a sculpture placed at the entrance to the landfill giving all the passersby a good laugh. My hat’s off to whoever the creator is. I wonder if he or she has ever thought about teaching classes in “Junk Art”? I’d sign up, how about you?
Gini Stoddard, Wailua
Gary Hooser, champion of the people
Lenny Klompus falsely accused Sen. Gary Hooser of being “a man who shows he is constantly full of hot air.” (“Empty Platform,” Letters, May 23)
From the time Gary was on our County Council to his tenure as our senator, he has always voted his conscious, coming down on the side of the people he represents.
When he was a councilmember, he was never afraid to be in the minority by being a 1-to-6 vote even if he knew he couldn’t win. But he always felt that he was voting the way his constituents wanted him to vote and not trying to just be “politically correct.”
Remember, Mr. Klompus, that “your” governor not only backed a private company to have the Superferry operate, she called a special session of the Legislature to change the law — a law that the State Supreme Court had ruled on — that an EIS had to be done before the Superferry could run.
Gary Hooser stood by his constituents on Kaua‘i and strongly opposed this ferry coming to Kaua‘i and obviously, since the boat is now history, the “hot air” champion of the people has prevailed while “your” governor only showed whose interest she was really trying to represent.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Reciprocal rights — for the birds
Dwight De Armas, I have a question for you. (“Reciprocal rights for all!” Letters, May 26)
If you are in high school or remember when you were, would you be willing to give your B’s and C’s to another student who only had D’s and F’s? That would be one way you could reciprocate.
If not , then why would you expect someone who had worked hard and was not lazy nor incompetent to give or trade their situation to someone who had done none of those things?
If one lives in the United States and wants to be wealthy, all one needs to do is not be lazy nor incompetent. For example, is Nancy Pelosi lazy or incompetent, is John Kerry lazy or incompetent, are the Kennedys lazy or incompetent, is John Edwards lazy or incompetent, are Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton lazy or incompetent?
I think not , but they are all wealthy and I don’t hear any of them wanting to reciprocate with their money and position. However, they will certainly use other people’s money to help the lazy, incompetent and those didn’t work hard at even an easy job.
No, thanks, whatever wealth I have accumulated was done through all three of the aforementioned traits and if I could find some modicum of financial success, then anyone can if they stop being lazy, become competent and then work hard at what they have accomplished via the two previous methods.
Some people are not interested in becoming wealthy, as long as they are happy, just going to work every day, doing what or more than is expected of them, they will be just fine, but not wealthy.
G. Gordon Smith, Kapa‘a
