• Tagging Coco Palms • Democracy at work • Goodbye Lord Sugar Baron Tagging Coco Palms A few months ago, during road work on the Wailua Bridge I noticed the Department of Water trimming away bushes that hid the dilapidated
• Tagging Coco Palms • Democracy at
work • Goodbye Lord Sugar Baron
Tagging Coco Palms
A few months ago, during road work on the Wailua Bridge I noticed the Department of Water trimming away bushes that hid the dilapidated Coco Palms from Kuhio Highway which has sat that way since Hurricane Iniki hit on Sept. 11, 1992.
It was announced that an extension was granted to the current owner to allow them to delay any type of improvements to the property. Now that more of the dilapidated building is available for all to see, due to the trimming of the bushes; it appears that it is now an open canvas for ‘taggers’.
As I drove by on Sunday and noticed some graffiti on the wide open wall. My first thought was, why has this eyesore been allowed to sit in this state of deterioration for so long and what is our Planning Commission going to do about their decision regarding the extension they granted the current owners?
I know many people are still holding out for the resurrection of the former Coco Palms; but Elvis has left the building a long time ago and I believe it’s time to throw in the towel and demolish this eyesore once and for all.
Can you imagine what our visitors think when they drive by? More so now that the walls are soon to be covered by graffiti. Let’s see ghetto or slums come to mind. Also Kuhio Highway is such a busy street, how could someone spraying graffiti complete their ‘work of art’ undetected?
Francine Grace, Lihu‘e
Democracy at work
The Media Voices columnist Donna Brazile in the Oct. 25 Garden Island paper was, to me, in error. She alluded to the fact that the younger generation is responsible for our present predicament.
Being in WW II would qualify me as a member of the “greatest” generation; however, I sincerely believe our system was doomed to fail when the founding fathers chose a democracy and didn’t consider explicit postulates of human nature.
They made a valiant effort to minimize the power of government but didn’t understand the significance of the postulate: All men live to pursue happiness and avoid pain.
This postulate dates back to Aristotle and is contained in most philosophical work since then; however, its full meaning is just starting to be recognized.
It tells us that an individual (citizen or politician) when voting will seldom consider the long term ramifications of his choice. The majority is seldom right. It also tells us that a business will frequently bribe a state official or political party to gain a preferred status.
And the politician’s pursuit of happiness requires him to maintain his position of power thus giving large pressure groups what they want giving scant consideration to the victims of this largess and the economy. On the positive side, all businesses pursue profit to stay in business. They must satisfy customers.
I rest my case!
Ralph Tamm, Lihu‘e
Goodbye Lord Sugar Baron
Aloha sugar plantations. “With no respect for the property of others or the ‘aina of Kaua‘i, this person needs to be caught, and held to the letter of the law,” states an Oct. 7 Garden Island letter by Mr. E. Valenciana.
I hope Mr. Valenciana, and the rest of the public, feels the same about graffiti as they do about industries, corporations, and the individuals paid to make financial corporate profits “tagging” Kaua‘i with their toxic opala and then skipping town.
Why is spray paint so much worse than asbestos, mercury, lead, arsenic, 2-4-5-D, paraquat, and the rest of the poisons King Sugar used to tag the ‘aina? The lethal qualities of asbestos, and arsenic, mercury, lead, et al., has been reflected in lawsuits affecting insurance industry premiums and benefits since the early 1800s when asbestos and other toxic material use became widespread in steam powered industrialization.
King Sugar Daddy knew he increased his profits by poisoning his chattel, the 99 percent. We are the 99 percent.
We do not bless the opala of those who want our lives controlled and poisoned for maximum profit margins by non-human corporations and their financiers who view us as chattel.
We do not bless the poisoned memorials of those who abused us, poisoned our lands and now turn our children’s future into one of debt and servitude to the wealthy.
We are the commoners, the lower and middle class, we are the mahi‘ai and all the world’s people who hate the political corruption that steals our children’s future by corrupting the law and the very meaning of justice.
I’ll believe corporations should be considered ‘ohana and people if Texas Gov. Perry executes one.
Today, idle ag lands abandoned by the King Sugar Barons fill with weeds and burn our homes. Do we really have to let King Sugar’s grandchildren develop Genteel Estates next door so their crops of weeds won’t burn the 99 percent’s homes down?
Would not KFD county fire prevention services be better served selling off a useless half-million-dollar fire truck and using the fire crew and proceeds to mow the idle lands of the wealthy for free? Coconut wireless political corruption and uncontrollable real estate speculation is the true legacy of King Sugar.
The future is now in the voters’ hands. Will we follow the “red dirt to valuable t-shirt” model and develop a new middle-class economy ourselves?
Or do you believe that we are incapable of taking care of ourselves and that we require Wall Street and plantation sugar daddy barons to provide us with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Goodbye to the King Sugar Barons, and shame on you for leaving toxic opala, rampant real estate speculation, and a toxic economy as your true legacy.
Lonnie Sykos, Kapa‘a
