Letters for April 17, 2016

Letters for April 17, 2016

Let’s do without all the insults

A response to Bettejo Dux’s letter (TGI, April 11).

The writer comments she has never ever seen the word “hate” written so many times in letters to the Forum as in Gordon Oswald’s letter on April 5.

Your hands must still be shaking because I counted the following nouns and adjectives that can be just as strong as the word “hate.”

Let’s begin with your “hate” words.

1) Coils like an asp, 2) Miserable heap, 3) dregs, 4) buffoons, 5) religious fanatics, 6) crude, 7) belligerent, 8) ignorant, 9) malignant, 10) bombastic, 11) misogynist, 12) bungler, 13) ignorant ( repeated twice), 14) bumpkins.

You’re halfway there. Maybe another letter will do the job.

Personally, I really do not consider myself an ignorant bumpkin. And I assure you, I am quite sane and intelligent (I can pretty much validate that one). But I am still entitled to my voting rights, as you are, without being called names for my choice.

Carrie Eckert

La Quinta, California

Report not worth money

Aloha, just wanted to give a little more input regarding the Joint Fact Finding committee meeting. A whole year and over $100,000 and we didn’t get much. The data gathered was inconclusive. It could not tie the agri-businesses to any of our problems here on Kauai. Not only that, but I felt we were being treated as extremists ready to riot.

We were not allowed to speak or applaud if we agreed with something. There were police at every exit and it was even mentioned that this was not a jihad. What! I saw a room filled with, for the most part, concerned, compassionate, wise people that know the harm being done to their children, themselves, our land and sea.

The scientific data is out there. I had hoped this would be brought in and used to help everyone understand some of the problems these chemicals being used are causing. We were told that because Kauai’s Westside is such a small community, the data was inconclusive. I bet the chemical companies loved hearing that. One of the committee members suggested using data from other Mainland communities; when we tried to applaud this idea we were shut down and told there will be no clapping.

What we do have is knowledge that these harmful chemicals are leaching into our ocean. We have reefs being decimated in a two-year timeframe, we have our precious honu (turtles) with tumors on their necks, eyes and elsewhere, we have a severe decline in our sea snails, where are our seashells, and we had a 50,000 urchin die-off on the Westside that quietly went by. How much proof do we need to show these poisonous chemicals are killing our environment, as well as us?

In California, the buffer zone for agri-business is one quarter mile from schools! Are we being played for fools or what when we can’t even get 100-foot buffer zone. I do feel these seed companies are starting to squirm. We need to keep the pressure on them and our representatives we voted for. Our representatives, especially our mayor and council, need to fight harder to protect us from these toxic chemical companies. The money is not worth the health of our island and the people. If they don’t, it’s simple: Do not re-elect them.

Linda Bothe

Kalaheo