Questions remain on internet outage
I have to say I’m very disappointed in the newspaper’s coverage concerning the internet outage of a few weeks ago. There has still been no explanation of what happened to cause the outage. Here we are at the end of November, and apparently no one knows how the undersea cable was severed. Even if this information is not being made available to the public, the issue should have been addressed in today’s article (TGI, Nov. 29).
Robert Fitzpatrick, Lihue
What is a whistleblower?
A whistleblower to a child is someone blowing a whistle. It could be a clown, a policeman, a referee, or a lifeguard doing their jobs.
While Bill Clinton might consider Monica Lewinsky a whistleblower. The rest of society refers to a whistleblower as a narc, a rat or somebody who tattletales.
I was walking my dog on the beach the other day and out of nowhere somebody I don’t even know comes up to me and recognized me as a frequent opinion writer in The Garden Island news. They wanted to talk politics and usually, when I am walking I am not in the mood. This person wanted to know who I thought the whistleblower was in the Trump/Ukraine phone call controversy that leads to the current impeachment proceedings.
I pointed to the lifeguard tower and sure enough, the whistle hanging on the string was in seconds on the lips of the lifeguard, the person who gets paid to save lives.
I said that person is a whistleblower.
Every talk show, every comedian, almost every major conversation amongst adults is about Donald J. Trump.
The Mueller report and Russian collusion, Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen all tried to bring down the president.
The witch hunt is now carrying on with the impeachment witch trial hearings of 2019 where Republicans shall not call any witnesses, shall not speak without saying, ‘pretty please with sugar on top,’ and no restroom breaks. (I was being sarcastic to make a point).
The irony is, who really is at fault about Ukraine, Joe Biden and his son Hunter, or Donald Trump? Should Trump be impeached since he did not ask Ukraine to “dig up dirt,” but rather asked the Ukraine to investigate a crime Biden admitted to on video, quid pro quo or witch hunt?
Trump, Trump, Trump, everywhere, good bad or ugly, it all means votes! I believe the impeachment witch hunt in a subliminal way will make Trump even more popular than he is now!
I agree with the president when he calls himself a stable genius. Who else but Donald Trump could make impeachment proceedings lead to more votes and a second term. I believe he’s not only a stable genius and 10 chess moves ahead of everybody. Someday society will wonder why this president was given such a hard time from day one in office and history will recognize Donald J. Trump as one of the greatest presidents ever.
James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapaa
Reading Kimo’s tirade illuminates how 40% of our nation has gone bonkers.
Trying to persuade readers of Trump’s innocence with total disregard of the facts, or worse yet, using alternate facts (untruths), serves only to debase the conversation.
I encourage readers to read and listen closely to the case against Trump from many sources and judge for yourself. More than a dozen career service diplomats and support staff have blown the whistle on our President’s corrupt behavior.
Biden is not on trial. Monica Lewinsky is not a whistle blower. It was a close friend of hers who hated Clinton and exposed by the Washington Post.
Get your facts right. Restrain yourself from venting with misinformation.
Try reading the Washington Post.
Kimo is doubling down on the kool aid for Christmas. History will in fact measure trump for what he is. Kauai will remember kimo for his blathering about him.
Gag me with a spoon.
Please stop defending this New Yawk shyster con man egotist, this destroyer of our environment and destroyer of our democracy. This hater of blacks, Latinos, women, honest civil servants, and dogs of all stripes.
Get a life and ask the Wizard for some brains to replace the straw stuffed into your skull.
When you made the lifeguard analogy, you hit the nail on the head. A lifeguard blows their whistle as a warning that something bad is happening. Perhaps bad behavior or a life is in danger. The White House whistle-blower acted in a similar manner; warning us of a serious problem. Thanks for the good analogy. The rest of your letter reeks of Fox News drivel.
I definitely do NOT want what Kimo’s smoking!
James, go to any search engine and type in > Biden “and” Ukraine fact check. It’s amazing how enlightening that will be for you, and all Trump supporters. Much more informative, and wait for it … factual, than Trumps twitter comments, commercials, and rallies.
Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if it is moronic.
So how do you get “recognized” while walking your dog for someone who puts comments in the paper? Do you wear a name tag? Announce your presence? Maybe there was an entourage tossing out copies of tgi with you on the comment page for all to see. Maybe you broght along your Comments Oscar in its carrying case? It’s just possible that Trump supporters all dwell in the same narcissist delusion bubble. America is now a laughingstock, as witness world leaders at the NATO summit today laughing at our “stable genius” behind his back, while he preens and postures like some third world potentate, with all the deft and tact of Inspector Clouseau. Find a way to spin that one, comment man. …Sad.
You’re a strange man. These are the people I meant. Ross Kagawa, Mason Chock, Arthur Brun, Ron Kouchi, Bernard P. Carvalho jr. They all follow each other in the labor market. Not know anything about the job. And bills to pay.
Kimo gets the letter of the year award! Thank you Kimo!
And thank YOU, Gordon, for that beautifully crafted response. The Grand Poobahs have voted unanimously that you should receive the rare — and richly deserved — “Comment of the Year” award. Just stop by the Kekaha Landfill anytime between 1:00 and 3:00 am on the second Sunday of any odd-numbered month beginning with the letter “F” — except during a leap year — and pick it up. Congratulations! You make us all proud.
Anything for attention. Whether negative or positive.
What’s the exact opposite of a stable genius? I think we have our answer.
Kimo, you da man! You exercise your freedom of speech and make these thought police pull their hair out. Like rabid dogs they come running when you blow a whistle. Aloha!
What concerns me most about your letter, Mr. Rosen, is your characterization of whistle blowers as narcs or rats. I’ve served in leadership roles in a highly regulated industry where our company relied on a bond of trust with our clients. To protect against fraud and abuse, we had not only protection policies for whistle blowers but also an independent, third-party hotline to allow employees with concerns to report them without having to go to their boss. This is necessary because the boss could be involved in or covering up fraudulent activity. If a private industry, which just touches some parts of some peoples’ lives, should need these protections, we should certainly expect that they exist, and be taken with the utmost seriousness, at the level of the federal government. Any whistle blower may be right or wrong. Verifying their information is up to investigative bodies. The whistle blower’s responsibility is only to report the information they have, not to posses every relevant fact or to investigate themselves. Should we not take them seriously, attempt to out whistle blowers, disparage whistle blowers, or question the motives of the people who investigate complaints, we richly deserve the tyrants we will get. Feel free to dislike or disparage politicians with whom you do not agree, but please do not disparage the protections that were designed to allow brave individuals to report potential abuses of power and the breach of the public trust. Unless, that is, you would be fine living in a fascist state or a kleptocracy.