• Trust women • Murf’s ‘peeps’ • Treasure in debris Trust women Republicans seem to be trying to save women from the “burden” of making their own decisions on matters relating to their heath care. The U.S. House seems focused
• Trust women • Murf’s ‘peeps’ • Treasure in debris
Trust women
Republicans seem to be trying to save women from the “burden” of making their own decisions on matters relating to their heath care. The U.S. House seems focused on denying funding for Planned Parenthood, the organization that provides low-cost preventive health care services for women.
Republican-dominated state legislatures seem focused on denying a woman’s right to choose what to do with their own bodies, even to the point of requiring medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasounds without their, or their doctors’ consent. This is the party of small government that intrudes so violently into the privacy of a woman’s personal medical decisions?
Now they are subjected to congressional panels on access to contraceptive services that have only males on them, and deny women a voice. Now Republican presidential candidates are calling for denial of insurance coverage for prenatal testing and contraceptive services. What’s next — demands for cuts to coverage for neonatal care and well baby care?
Why isn’t women’s health care a priority?
When ant-abortion rhetoric blends into efforts to deny women access to contraceptive services, then it becomes clear that the real issue is not the sanctity of life, but of male control over women.
I trust women. I respect women. I stand in support of women’s right to make their own decisions on their personal health care, and on mandating health insurance coverage for female preventative health care that includes contraceptive services.
Why this attack on women’s health care?
David Thorp, Koloa
Murf’s ‘peeps’
Many of you around the North Shore were accustomed to seeing an iconic dog smiling and hanging out the back window of a white Honda Ridgeline (aka the Murf-mobile). He was a big, slightly goofy, very druelly, jowl-flopping Harlequin Great Dane with a bigger heart and smarter brain then most humans will ever experience.
He used to bring gargantuan smiles to everyone’s face who would see him. He had a larger fan club than his humans were even aware of. It was not unusual to drive through the Foodland parking lot or Hanalei Town with people we did not know calling out to Murf.
It was impossible to take Murf to the beach and relax. He was the ambassador of goodwill to all people and dogs alike.
He gobbled up the attention even for those who asked the same questions over and over and over again. Is he Dalmation? (Hello — Do you know the difference between spots and splotches and about 90 pounds?) Can you ride him with a saddle? (Why would you want to?) How much does he eat? (As much as he wants to.) Best of those ever was a toddler who looked at him, pointed and declared him a “cow.” Why not. That pretty much said it all.
Murf turned 9 years old just before he passed away in January, a big dog with an even bigger heart who was also an enormous chicken.
He didn’t like to go into the waves. He preferred the calm water of the river mouth or ‘Anini Beach, usually not going beyond his knees.
He hated thunder or the UPS truck driving by his home too quickly and bottoming out, which sounded just like thunder to him (and our long time UPS driver was willing to work with this). He loved his rides in the truck but would only hang his head out the window if we were driving 40 mph or below.
He loved going to the motorcycle track in Wailua when his human bros were young, and going through McDonalds for a burger was usually part of the trip.
For those of you who he made smile, remember him fondly. You made a difference in his life and in the life of his “peeps.”
And maybe think about driving 40 mph or below on our North Shore — if Murf liked it, maybe it’s good for all of us?
And most of all, think about sharing those smiles you saved for him for some unsuspecting soul out on the road — with dog or not — and just see what happens.
There is a saying: If I could just be as good a person as my dog thinks I am.
A hui hou, Murf. See you on the other side
Petrina and Doug Blakely
Jake and Moana Britt
Jesse and Buffy Britt
Murf’s peeps, Princeville
Treasure in debris
My friend moved from Sapporo to Sendai on Christmas 2011 so he could take care of his elderly mother.
On that day he and his wife had gone to work early. When he came home, his mother, her home and all the family heirlooms were gone — along with the rest of the neighborhood.
Family and family history are paramount in the Japanese culture. Everything from his life and his family history was gone. If he could get back any tiny thing from his past, he would be so grateful.
The tsunami trash is coming, but mixed in the trash are the heirlooms of many Japanese families.
In many cases, it is all they have left of their past.
We need to understand that the things we find in the tsunami trash are family treasures and need to be returned.
If you keep these things for yourself you are not a beachcomber, you are a grave robber. We need a website where people can post their finds and people from our sister Japan can look for their family keepsakes.
Annette LaBonte, Waikoloa
