• The moral obligation • Prayer • Make eating healthy more affordable The moral obligation I applaud the efforts of our former Council members Tokioka and Kouchi on their efforts at the state level to put a stop to a
• The moral obligation • Prayer
• Make eating healthy more affordable
The moral obligation
I applaud the efforts of our former Council members Tokioka and Kouchi on their efforts at the state level to put a stop to a long train of injury and death that has been occurring at some of our more dangerous out of the way places. Namely Queen’s Bath, Kipu Falls and Larsen’s Beach.
From the start of my personal experience of having to deal with some of the situations at these areas we all couldn’t understand how these tourists could even find these spots. As a matter of routine we all started to ask “how did you find this place?” in all but a few cases it was always “a guidebook.”
In several of the more horrific incidents a guidebook was on the dash of their car or on the front seat as I was notifying a wife, or a son, or husband that there loved one was gone forever. All so senseless and sad. The emergency response community, emergency room workers, Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau, etc. have been trying for years to put a stop to this madness.
If the writers and publishers of these guidebooks feel that it is their First Amendment right of free speech then it is a matter of interpretation of that right that bothers me greatly. Under the provisions of that right it states that from the action of said freedom that no violence or physical harm may occur. I would strongly argue that violence and physical harm has arisen from such freedom to write and publish detailed instructions to these areas.
Also besides the legal loophole that this amendment provides where is the moral obligation? For me personally it is akin to being a parent of a young child. You tell your child that the street fronting your house can at times be dangerous, you warn them not to play in the street, so what that is good enough? They go out in the street and get hit our killed and it’s not your responsibility? A good number of these tourists were literally and figuratively nothing more than children. They knew nothing of swell or surf or slippery rocks. Without the information that these books provided they would have never known the place existed.
When you have legislators, councilmen, policemen, lifeguards, emergency room workers, paramedics, and the Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau telling you to stop publishing information on places where people have been injured and killed it is for a good reason. To continue to do so is just plain old wrong and bad.
Sam Lee Jr., Kilauea
Prayer
Mr. Mark Beeksma wrote in a Feb. 2 letter that at each session of the state senate should begin with prayer because of our societal shortcomings. This is not to criticize his thoughts but to add a few of mine from my atheist/agnostic point of view.
I am an atheist because I don’t believe in miracles and an agnostic because I don’t have any idea of what life is and why it even exists in the universe. But I believe in God if I can define God as: “The source of all natural phenomena.” (I got this definition of God from Andrew J. Galambos).
Furthermore, I believe that all natural laws have components in each of the three natural divisions of science — physical, biological and social. And that our most important goal is to explicitly define them in each of the three disciplines.
As examples: The Law of Least Action in physics tells us that: “An object will take the path of least resistance.” In a societal sense, “A person will choose the least painful route to achieve a goal.”
The First Law of Thermodynamics in physics tells us: “Energy can’t be created nor destroyed” and in a social sense, “One can’t get something for nothing.”
A Law of Motion, tells us that “For ever action their will be an equal and opposite reaction.” In a social sense it tells that: “There will be adverse reactions for all coercive actions.”
This knowledge, if considered, would avoid many of the ridiculous and destructive legislation being imposed on us by our representatives in government. Therefore, a lecture should begin each session reminding these men, whose charter is to steer the ship of state in an orderly direction, of these natural laws rather than a prayer.
But realistically, I don’t think it would help since politicians in general pursue their own happiness rather than for the good of the people (First Postulate of Volitional Science — all men live to pursue happiness).
Ralph Tamm, Lihu‘e
Make eating healthy more affordable
Diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity is a major problem here in Hawai‘i. We can all benefit by exercise and by eating more healthier foods such as more fruits and vegetables, lean meats and fish.
However, with the cost of these items (mentioned above) it makes it less affordable to stay healthy. Drop prices on healthy foods.
So, we can all work on eating healthy and fight diabetes, etc. On another subject, most of our food services (restaurants and fast food), stores and service stations have surveillance cameras in place. Why not identify people before a robbery and or, a crime can be committed? By having the people remove their sunglasses, hats, and sweater hoods be pulled off their head before entering the place of business. And it (the items mentioned above) should remain off until they exit. Also with the power of solar, we should place more cameras on our towns streets/highways.
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
