• Get us out of Afghanistan • Get used to it • View From Kapa’a • Get a grip Get us out of Afghanistan I applaud Gene Lyons’ strong opposition to Obama’s plan to spend $50 billion per year in
• Get us out of Afghanistan
• Get used to it
• View From Kapa’a
• Get a grip
Get us out of Afghanistan
I applaud Gene Lyons’ strong opposition to Obama’s plan to spend $50 billion per year in Afghanistan (“Do you buy the war industry’s political theater?” Forum, Nov. 21).
As a conservative, I don’t appreciate most of Mr. Lyons’ views from the far left. However, I believe this is an issue where those on the left and conservatives can agree.
Prior to WW2, conservatives had a tradition of avoiding “foreign entanglements” as George Washington warned. Teddy Roosevelt had excellent advice, “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Conservatives were very reluctant for America to get involved with WW1 and WW2.
However, after WW2, conservative presidents like Kennedy and Reagan became more hawkish in their fight against Communism. Kennedy was pro-life and fought to reduce tax rates — a conservative by today’s standards. He launched us into the Vietnam War. Reagan was also very hawkish, but managed to win the cold war by merely making and carrying a big stick; unlike Kennedy, who started swinging the stick. The two Bush presidents were also big stick swingers, but neither one was much of a conservative, in my opinion.
While I admire Kennedy and Reagan, I think it is time for conservatives to return to our earlier approach of avoiding foreign entanglements, whenever possible. The current threat, radical Islam, is a long-term threat to freedom, but it spreads much more slowly than communism did. I don’t think our troops can uproot radical Islam, certainly not the way we currently do things.
Islam spread mostly by conquering nations and making all non-Muslims into second class citizens (Dhimmi), with higher taxes and fewer rights. Eventually, the populations would convert to Islam. In contrast, Christianity and Buddhism spread mostly by missionaries and monks, such as St. Patrick, who introduced the Irish people to Christianity.
If we tried to fight them the Islamic way, by conquering them and making all Muslims into second-class citizens, we might have some chance of success (it worked on them before). But this approach is unacceptable to me and almost all Americans.
On the other hand, I think our current approach of sending in troops with no clear goal has almost no chance of success. It would be nice if the conservatives and those on the left could unite on this issue and convince President Obama to get us out of Afghanistan.
Mark Beeksma, Koloa
Get used to it
Banning plastic bags will not do anything to stop the plastic packaging piling up in our rubbish dumps.
Grocery stores and retailers in general should take a close look at Cost-U-Less and Costco. Those guys not only sell you merchandise but they get you to take most of their shipping cartons home to your house for you to dispose of. This is a common practice for retailers and groceries on the continent too. Take your own bags and leave the boxes with the merchant. They can properly dispose of it.
If plastic in the dump is of concern to you too then tell the merchants to stop bringing in merchandise individually wrapped in plastic bags and put on plastic hangers. If Sears, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s and KMart each brought in 1 million pieces of clothing in one year there would be 4 million hangers, 4 million individually wrapped bags needing to tossed into the dump.
Banning plastic grocery/retail shopping bags isn’t going to solve this plastic waste issue but it will be an easy place to start. Most folks once they get used to this kind of change have no problems.
Sharon Pomroy, Anahola
View From Kapa’a
I was working from the Small Town Coffee company cafe,
Having a cappuccino and typing away,
People were coming and people were going,
People were staying and saying hello,
Stories were told, stories were listened,
Hi I am from Alaska and just flew in,
Coming from there and never been here,
Yeah me too from Seattle and now this is home,
Then all of a sudden a woman pipes up,
I am moving “off island” for I find the love of my life,
I look out the door and what do I see,
Wonderful birds and great open sea,
Kapa‘a is warm as the sun that shines here,
The people are friendly and open and kind,
They came here for freedom and love of the island,
Barefoot and smiling, walking the beach,
Palm trees and coconuts just here for the reach,
Aloha and mahalo for all in Kaua‘i,
Come to our island and enjoy the view,
Come to our island and you will never leave too!
Aloha Lee (Falco), Kapa‘a
Get a grip
What is happening that tourists are traveling into our personal neighborhoods with video taping our privacy, taking photos and just plain invading what Kaua‘i folks try to get away from?
I am grateful for tourism, I am happy they are having their vacations, but please let’s keep them in Po‘ipu, Lihu‘e and Princeville resort corridors.
Vacation rentals are abusing this and we are seeing all of our neighbors renting their homes out on vrbo.com. It needs to stop … besides, the hotels are losing money and the jobs are down because of it.
Let’s get a grip on this problem. The only people making money anymore are those rich folks who can afford to buy a second home here in Kaua‘i and rent it out and in the process violate everyone else’s right to privacy.
Brenda Yamasaka, Kalaheo
