Letters for Thursday, March 17, 2011

• Chickens are part of Kaua‘i experience • Airport crews

represent aloha spirit • Helping those in need • Reciprocate

compassion • Keep it natural

Chickens are part of Kaua‘i experience

I agree with Michael Mann from Lihu‘e (“Tourists should have little say,” Letters, March 16).

As a 13-year, 3-week repeat visitor to your wonderful island, I enjoy every minute. I love those chickens, their beauty and the entertainment they provide. They make me laugh when I hear them. Is that not what a vacation is all about?

To the fellow Canadian who originally wrote in, that Los Angeles would have been more peaceful, I have only one thing to say: Most larger Canadian cities have non-stop, or direct flights to LAX. He should not hesitate to go on his next vacation there.

Bev Reid Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Airport crews represent aloha spirit

Thanks to the prompt response of Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants and emergency ground crew members at Lihu‘e Airport, a potentially dangerous health development was averted when the portable oxygen concentrator my wife used for a chronic lung disease failed.

The emergency occurred on an early evening return flight from Honolulu after a medical appointment last Monday.

We were about 15 minutes away from landing at Lihu‘e when the unit malfunctioned. At my request for assistance, flight attendants immediately provided us an emergency oxygen unit to use and informed the airport of our situation as well.  On our arrival at the Lihu‘e terminal we were met by a ground crew consisting of airport police/fire/rescue personnel who escorted us into the building and remained with us until the battery of our oxygen concentrator was recharged and a cab was secured to take us home.

Mahalo to James Brun of the airport police who coordinated the support we received at the terminal. I wish I also had the names of others involved in this affair: flight attendants and ground crew members who each performed in a professional and caring manner. They represent the essence of the aloha spirit. Mahalo to all.

David and Marlene Helela, Wailua Homesteads

Helping those in need

Thank you Chief Perry for your show of support for the adolescent drug treatment center (“Stand up and be counted,” Letters, March 16).

Young people who stumble and fall is the innate result of a successful community. Parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, etc are so busy being successful that some of our children will inevitably fall through the crack.

It is all of our responsibility to contribute in picking them up and show them the way. Especially those who are successful as a result of our community offering them the opportunity to succeed.

For those who are successful enough to own a home in their neighborhood, I say that if the only contribution you can make to help our fallen youth is welcoming a treatment center in your neighborhood, then it is a noble contribution.

Ron Agor, Lihu‘e

Reciprocate compassion

I don’t think there is anybody on island, in this country and around the world who hasn’t been deeply, emotionally impacted by the situation in Japan.

Anytime something so devastating happens to so many, like previous events in Haiti, Darfur, Katrina, the gulf oil spill, and other disasters be them man made or natural it brings out the best of what it means to be human in all of us.

But, one thing that has been bothering me for some time is the continued lack of respect for the whale and shark population by the Japanese whaling and fishing fleets.

I am no way suggesting withholding assistance to those in desperate need of food and water in the disaster area, but I hope that the leaders of Japan can at least make a promise to the rest of the world after seeing how much we all truly care about the well being of the Japanese people to end the archaic practice of whaling and killing sharks for just their fins once and for all.

Compassion for our ocean neighbors runs just as deep for many of us who feel compassion for our Japanese friends and it may be a long time before Japan will be in a position to return any kind of normalcy. So making a promise to end whaling and shark mutilation would be a more than sufficient act of appreciation to show Japan cares about the massive global effort being wage on their behalf.

Jason Nichols, Koloa

Keep it natural

Nuclear as alternative energy for KIUC? Hmmm… how interesting!

Seems like one of the KIUC Board candidates wanted this type of alternative energy for our electric power plant. If we use nuclear energy, will we be in much danger as Japan is facing today from the earthquake and tsunami damages at their nuclear power plants?

How quickly we forget the treat we faced in 1979 at Three Miles Island. Let’s just stay with natural resources such as wind, water and our sun.

Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele