• End the ‘revolving door’ • Pay attention to ag land • Kaua‘i pianists simply the best • Be careful what you wish End the ‘revolving door’ There is no community, no school, no family on this island that is
• End the ‘revolving door’ • Pay
attention to ag land • Kaua‘i pianists simply the
best • Be careful what you wish
End the ‘revolving door’
There is no community, no school, no family on this island that is not affected by alcohol or drug use in some way.
Addiction has no boundaries, and we are all touched by the consequences of its existence directly or indirectly. Increase in homelessness, domestic violence, other crimes, and more of our tax dollars being spent on welfare benefits, and the cost of incarceration.
Having a recovery program for youth and adults to receive a continuum of care on island benefits not only those who need treatment but our entire island as well. It will provide those seeking treatment with access to family support which is critical to their recovery.
Families will also receive support and the tools they need to support their loved ones’ success. A recovery program here on Kaua‘i will increase the chances of those afflicted with alcohol and drug addiction to become contributing members of our community, to strengthen family relationships, and promote a drug-free lifestyle for their keiki.
If we do not have available recovery programs on our island, they will continue to see the inside of a jail cell again and again, and the “revolving door” will continue to spin.
Ronnie Lynn Lemn, Kaua‘i Intake Service Center
Pay attention to ag land
For the past several months the Stake Holders/Technical Advisors Committee for the Important Ag Lands study has been meeting to establish criteria for identifying properties to be recommended for designation as Important Ag Land.
The STAC has been meeting under the guidance of the Planning Department and an advisory team from the University of Hawai‘i. The public is allowed to attend the STAC meetings, but so far they have not.
This week the STAC will hold three public meetings to present their rating criteria and preliminary maps for IAL. Every owner of ag zoned land on Kaua‘i should try to attend one of these three meetings: Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihu‘e; Nov. 20, 9 a.m., Kilauea Neighborhood Center; Nov. 20, 3 p.m., Waimea Neighbor Center.
For the past year or so owners of ag land have had the option to voluntarily designate their land for IAL, but very few have chosen to do so. The STAC meetings and the IAL study are the start of the “involuntary” designation of properties as IAL.
The STAC has developed a 0 to 40 numeric scale for grading the agricultural importance of Kaua‘i’s ag zoned land. If a property scores higher than the threshold eventually set by the STAC it could be stripped of many uses allowed under current Ag zoning.
As the facilitator said at the October STAC meeting, “This is very heavy stuff.” Ag land owners should be paying attention.
Mike Dyer, Kilauea
Kaua‘i pianists simply the best
Today I attended Pianomania 2010 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu.
This was a series of performances of young piano players, on 10 pianos, two players each for the majority of the pieces. There were several conductors.
It was an amazing performance on the part of all of the students, but Kaua‘i was absolutely the best.
They were the only group that played “by heart,” meaning they had memorized their pieces. They played to perfection, as they knew the music and were truly able to follow the conductor.
There were two young men who really caught my attention, as they obviously loved every note they were playing and felt the music in their bones.
Congratulations to the teacher(s) and the students from Kaua‘i. I know this was a sacrifice on the part of parents and teachers to get the musicians here for this event, but they really were great. Thank you.
Shirley Hasenyager, Kailua, Hawai‘i
Be careful what you wish
This is in response to Mr. Loyd Clayton’s letter about civil unions. I do not support HB444, and one of the reasons I don’t is as Loyd had stated in his letter (“Make all bonds civil unions,” Letters, Nov. 15).
After some people get a civil union I feel they will then notice. “Hey, wait a minute, why are we being separated from others?” Just as Loyd mentions and gives a good example of civil rights in earlier years.
I do not however agree with Loyd when he states to let the churches decide who gets to wed. That would work in a perfect world. But here is why it won’t now.
Anyone can get a license to be a minister now. Thanks to civil rights and far-left Democrats. So we now have churches such as “The Church of the flying spaghetti” and “Satan’s Society.”
We would soon have grown men married to sheep and children. Be careful what you wish for people. We all want our family and friends to be happy and be with who they want to be with. How about just getting a power of attorney with your partner? Would it almost not serve the same purpose?
Ken Herman, Kapa‘a
