• Stop complaining about dairy • Quiet neighborhood should stay such • Baseball for all Stop complaining about dairy I am quite sure that there are others who may be getting tired of the “Republican-style” tactics of the anti-dairy crowd.
• Stop complaining about dairy • Quiet neighborhood should stay such • Baseball for all
Stop complaining about dairy
I am quite sure that there are others who may be getting tired of the “Republican-style” tactics of the anti-dairy crowd. One or two insinuate that all of Kauai’s dairies closed because of uproar to odor complaints and less so because of economics. Those who are against a dairy sound like they think that Kauai now is how it always was. They forgot that this was a rural/plantation dominated island for most of the 20th century … only to be transformed to more suburban by transplants seeking a quieter lifestyle than wherever they came from.
The pressure to build more housing pushed up land prices; dairies couldn’t compete with imported cheaper products demanded by the newbies to Kauai. They essentially suckered the locals to buy cheap and support the exporters of goods to Kauai instead of buying local. Seems like money leaving the island to me. These newbies have money interests in the Mainland/exporting entities?
Now, the clamor versus some of the agricultural revival efforts for Kauai keep us tied to imported goods. Maybe they can afford inflated prices when a disaster hits us in the future as they’ll put up obstacles to some semblance of self-production of island goods. Think natural/hurricane, or shipping strike/interruption. One asked why no dairies where they were? The lands are in other uses now with possible complainers nearby.
Masaru Shirai
Lihue
Quiet neighborhood should stay such
Has there been a change to the live music permit issued to Tiki Iniki Bar in Princeville? Did I miss a headline? Was there no formal announcement?
Sure, I expect the owner to fulfill her promise written in her response to my letter last June when she mentioned, “The music playing over small speakers will be Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Don Ho, Vintage Hawaiian, etc.”
The owner continued, “My liquor permit allows me to have live music Friday and Saturday 6 to 8 p.m. and there are noise levels I will abide by.”
Tonight, Wednesday, April 30, while sitting inside my house around 8:15 p.m., over 475 feet from the back door to the bar (as Google flies) with my windows and doors closed, I heard loud, live music over my wife watching “Survivor,” which some of you know can get pretty loud.
The music continued past 9 p.m., so I called the bar three times but no one answered. Maybe they couldn’t hear the phone ringing? I admit, this is the first I’ve heard the music this loud. But, it’s a very peaceful neighborhood, especially after dark. I wonder if there’s a neighborly way to inform the owner that there are people living close by who enjoy their peace and quiet and do not want to hear live music while sitting in their homes after working hard all day and settling their young children to sleep.
Please try harder to live up to your promise: “I hope to prove I can be a good neighbor.”
Mahalo.
Simon Beatty
Princeville
Baseball for all
A recent story in TGI about Dean Nonaka and AJA baseball by Nick Celario was well done. But there are two sides to every story, so please let me give you mine.
I do appreciate the fact that the administrators of AJA baseball have kept their organization going for so many years.
But the biggest question that arises is why they do not open their league to all those capable of playing baseball and not to just those with Japanese blood?
In Mr. Nonoka’s interview, he makes the statement that their team struggles to find enough players to field a team and even he has to fill in. So, by opening play to everyone it would obviously make their league stronger and more competitive, especially here on Kauai where the talent pool is slim.
Yes, honor and respect the Japanese for keeping baseball alive in Hawaii. But don’t make it a racist organization limiting play to a selective few.
I know that there are those who claim that this practice of limiting play to those with Japanese blood is a “cultural” thing and nothing more. But for me and many others, this practice and use of the word cultural is nothing more than discrimination at its worst.
African Americans not being allowed to play in a white league was also “cultural” until Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to a “white” professional contact with Montreal (the Dodger AAA farm club) in 1947. And the color, a.k.a. cultural, line was broken to the betterment of all sports.
And is it not a violation of federal law to use county facilities (Hanapepe and Vidinha stadiums) for the use of one race of people? And whether it is or not, there is a moral problem here that keeps every kid from having a chance to better his baseball skills and move to the next level.
Our major leagues, NBA basketball and all sports are the greatest example of letting ANYONE participate that has the ability — from Cuba, Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Hawaii and all over the world. All races and ethnic backgrounds playing together and against each other and all respecting each other for their ability to perform. Nationwide sports are the common ground for world respect and peace as our Olympic Games have shown.
The biggest thing to remember is that the only organized baseball played on Kauai outside of the KIF is AJA baseball and the other major reason to let everyone play regardless of their race, ethnic background, or religious affiliation. Do the right thing, Tom Shigimoto, and open your fine league to everyone.
Glenn Mickens
Kapaa
