• Don’t judge others • Homosexuals are not animals • Support for Tokioka • Here are the facts Don’t judge others I am surprised the paper printed the letter from Alfred Laureta regarding same-se marriage including excessive quotation marks and all.
• Don’t judge others • Homosexuals are not animals • Support for Tokioka • Here are the facts
Don’t judge others
I am surprised the paper printed the letter from Alfred Laureta regarding same-se marriage including excessive quotation marks and all.
The self righteousness expressed is overwhelming.
In my life, I have had close ties to people of all walks of life. They have been people of quality, each and everyone.
What happens in one house doesn’t have influence on the next. I’d rather have a loving same-sex couple next door than a loveless fighting couple. Surely there are larger issues to address that do need attention. Consider the drug use that is rampant, largely on the Westside but that is a problem that does have repercussions on everyone.
Two people who love each other is not a threat to me, my wife (yes, not a gay bone in my body) or my kids.
Long ago, I made a deal with myself after a time dealing with severe decisions about life and death. The result was I concluded I did not have the power, or right, to judge anyone other than myself.
After that I have tried to live aloha and everyone is welcome under my roof unless the chip on their shoulder does not get through the door. Sorry Alfred … you’re out.
Learn the real meaning of aloha and then live it in the way everyone should. Remember the quote “Judge not less you be judged.”
Mark J. McKibben
Kapaa
Homosexuals are not animals
In response to Joan Roughgardens editorial (TGI, Oct. 25), I think it’s quite rude to compare gay people to animals. I’m sure some found it quite offensive.
Surely you can find a better way to defend your position. You left out the fact that animals who engage in same-sex behavior do so for a variety of reasons such as a sign of dominance or simply because it’s mating season and they engage the first thing they see regardless of its sex because animals are instinctive and have to breed during breeding season.
Besides, animals also kill their young, eat feces and partake in a multitude of strange behaviors that humans consider unacceptable. Are you saying such behavior is acceptable because animals do it?
Humans are clearly more intelligent than animals and animals tend not to think but react instinctively.
It’s kind of strange to hear someone defend homosexual behavior by comparing homosexuals to animals.
Maybe it’s just me, but your argument is one of the strangest I’ve ever heard. The fact you are so adamant that you’re right makes it comical. You might want to come up with a better analogy. Just a thought.
Dan O’Flaherty
Kalaheo
Support for Tokioka
After reading a letter signed by David Schwartz and Chris Spinosa of Wailua, we felt an urgency to write a letter of support for Rep. James Tokioka.
Jimmy, we want you to know that our family is very proud of your stand in “marriage equality” and your public support against this bill. We represent the 70 percent of the people in your district that stand with you.
Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Spinosa, we want to apologize publicly if our comments offend you in any way because it is not our intent to be disrespectful. We truly believe that you love each other and we respect your right to choose to be together. We do not believe that the people on Kauai mean to appear to be offensive to you in any way, but we, along with a large portion of the residents on this island, disagree tremendously with this bill.
We believe that on this earth are God’s laws and man’s laws. We have chosen to try and live what we believe are God’s law. As human beings we do not have the right to alter God’s laws. This same-sex marriage attempt is a law created by man. We do not believe that God supports the union of same-sex couples. This union is totally against his creation process. Man can create all kinds of laws but it does not mean these creations are correct.
The word marriage is identified in Webster’s Dictionary as being a relationship between a husband and a wife. When reviewing the dictionary further, the definition of a husband is a male and the definition of a wife is a woman. No where does the definition say it’s two men or two women. We personally cannot support a bill that has no respect for our creator. The true issue here is are we being obedient to God’s law and for many of us who worship a higher being we believe we can never support this type of law created by man that is disrespectful to our creator.
Erna A. Kamibayashi
Koloa
Here are the facts
I would like to clarify the comments that were attributed to me in the article (TGI, Oct. 21) covering the stakeholders meeting with the PEW Charitable Trust Group.
I raised concerns about our children having to be transported off-island to be detained or placed in a residential substance abuse facility. I further expressed a concern for a lack of process regarding children with mental health issues. There is a section in Chapter 704 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that provides for a process in dealing with adults with mental health issues, however, there is no process for children. Furthermore, there is no facility on Kauai to house children with serious mental health issues.
Your article seems to indicate that we have no process for juveniles with substance abuse issues, which is not what I meant. Kauai does have service providers as well as a Juvenile Drug Court that focuses exclusively on children with substance abuse issues.
We are looking forward to PEW’s final report and recommendations for Hawaii’s juvenile justice system which we hope will be the subject of another article in The Garden Island.
Edmund Acoba
Judge, Family Court of the Fifth Circuit
