• ‘Bobo’ was special • Many reasons for world’s woes • It takes a community to raise a child ‘Bobo’ was special I will very much miss my “braddah-cuz” Dadly “Bobo” Ham Young. He was a part of my life
• ‘Bobo’ was special • Many reasons for world’s woes • It takes a community to raise a child
‘Bobo’ was special
I will very much miss my “braddah-cuz” Dadly “Bobo” Ham Young. He was a part of my life and growing up in my teens, 20s and 30s here, and of course always a part of the Ohana I call mine, in Halalea.
We were all a very close-knit group of people. Everyone’s moms were our mom, and dads, and aunties and uncles. We were never alone. We all lived at each others’ family homes at some point. I had my stint living with the Ham Youngs, as many did, and working for Aunty kaleihua.
So, I knew Bobo as an older brother cousin type of calabash ohana.
He, like all the people I remember spending a good majority of my life with, wore his heart on his sleeve, it was always all or nothing. Everything was felt passionately and deeply. His skills, in the water, on land, and later, as a strong activist, were learned naturally and as a matter of just living that way.
He exemplified what it meant, and still does mean to be a part of something we still can’t really explain to others who didn’t live in that section of Kauai for any significant amount of time.
There really aren’t any words to describe it. Bobo was the kind of guy who would just sit down beside you, and start talking wisdom.
He used short, clipped sentences, and he could always make you feel better and had a laugh that would always end in a giggly pitch. He was one of the funniest people I knew.
But then, everyone in Halelea had a special kind of wry, dry humor we all used with each other that sounded kinda odd to others listening in. Bobo was a master at it.
He mastered so many other things as well. Chicken Hekka for one. Throw net, growing things, hunting, fishing and surfing. But it was his gift of speaking at meetings and his voice full of heart and soul that touched people.
He was so great with the kids, and loved his entire extended Ohana. He was the spitting image of his mamma. I will miss him deeply.
A hui hou, braddah Bobo. Much love to the ohana. From, “Wala’au.”
Anne Punohu
Kapaa
Many reasons for world’s woes
To read this commentary (Rick Bundschuh, TGI, Nov. 27) one might get the idea that all that is wrong in the world is due to the moral bankruptcy of “Progressives.” I am writing to suggest that there are Conservative transgressions that may be a lot more responsible for the state of affairs of those less fortunate than we are.
Preacher Bundschuh’s religious moralizing, in the second half of the second column is finally boiled down to “dollars and cents.” It’s a variant on the old “Welfare Queen” pejorative first put forth by Ronald Reagan.
To paraphrase: “Those damn progressive/liberal women are having massive sex and popping out babies so that they can get on welfare and live happily ever after on the government dole.” Really Ronny?! Really Rick?! Could there be any other reasons why the “number of hands out for assistance is growing rapidly?”
Could the soldiers coming home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with missing limbs, brain injuries and PTSD contribute to the growing need for assistance from our government? If you remember, that Iraqi War is the one that our last conservative/religious president lied us into!
Could the two “off the books,” deficit financed Iraqi and Afghanistan Wars have anything to do with our country’s massive deficit?
Could NAFTA and other world trade agreements have anything to do with American jobs going overseas and putting American workers on the street? Could NAFTA have anything to do with people from south of our borders coming to this country?
Could the fact that there are always plenty of tax dollars for our military and prisons, but never enough for our schools, have anything to do with how things are these days?
Could the wholesale fraud by our financial corporations that are putting millions of our citizens/families out of their homes have anything to do with “the number of hands out for assistance”?
Could the low minimum wage and the growing disparity in income/wealth between the middle class/poor and super wealthy have any effect on “the number of hands out”?
It is a lot more likely that the degradation that you see and imagine around you is mostly a product of wealthy conservatives.
In a capitalist country such as ours the poor have no power.
The saying goes: We do not live under the rule of law. We live under the rule of capital. As our recent history shows, unregulated capitalism is the devil’s right hand.
Paul Forgues
Kalaheo
It takes a community to raise a child
Hats off to the Kilauea School PTSA, the PCNC and the wonderful community of Kilauea, whose efforts were rewarded by the success of the fundraiser they promoted at the Church of the Pacific last Saturday.
A live auction of fabulous artwork created by the students of Kilauea School was hosted by Malama auctions, who did a first class job. A special mahalo goes out to the generous community and business members who donated silent auction items and prepared food to raise funds for Kilauea’s schools’ art, music and playground fundraiser.
With the abundance of parent and teacher volunteers to help oversee the successful event, a wonderful time was had by all.
The fabulous support from everyone involved proves that it does indeed take a community to raise a child!
Jo Thompson
Kilauea
