• State doesn’t own ceded lands • Don’t blame the Humane Society • Horrible flight • Kaua‘i’s generosity State doesn’t own ceded lands Governor Lingle needs to re-think her decision to sell our land for the simple reason that she
• State doesn’t own ceded lands
• Don’t blame the Humane Society
• Horrible flight
• Kaua‘i’s generosity
State doesn’t own ceded lands
Governor Lingle needs to re-think her decision to sell our land for the simple reason that she does not own the land she intends to sell. (“Hawaiian rights activists line Kuhio Highway,” The Garden Island, Dec. 27)
As our elected official she is in authority to hold the land in trust for our future generations, period.
The idea that the State of Hawai‘i owns land to be sold is neither true nor just.
When native lands are recognized for their value it has been the policy of the U.S. Government to find ways to relocate and even sterilize the natives who live on those lands. The useless treaties and failed programs are hundreds of years in the making.
Why should Hawaiians still suffer the results of those actions done by those Americans who commandeered the lands of Hawai‘i? Especially because they are still trying for the sovereignty by law that was once theirs by right.
If we consider that the Hawaiian culture has been oppressed continually from the start of the occupation of the American government, it becomes difficult to try to talk about justice in terms of land use.
Hawaiians say they do not derive their sovereignty from this government. They shouldn’t have to and they don’t want to. In the United Nations Charter it says nobody shall be made a citizen against their own will.
Because there are not enough Hawaiians to defend themselves, they are not very strong when facing our absolute majority, and that’s really unfair.
Governor Lingle, we should not sell our host culture’s land and you should work harder to bring about the fair and just use of those lands for the benefit of our Hawaiian people now and for the times ahead.
• Mark Jeffers, Hanapepe
Don’t blame the Humane Society
Mr. Tyler, the island has a serious stray cat problem. (“Humane Society and feral animals,” Letters, Dec. 19)
Parts of the island are practically infested with stray cats. You state that your cat was “erroneously” trapped by a distant neighbor. How could it have been erroneously trapped if it was in your distant neighbor’s yard without their permission?
You cat was stray. It was trapped. No error in this situation, other than the error of allowing your cat to be somewhere it wasn’t supposed to be.
Kaua‘i Humane Society has to do something with these animals — they can’t just pile up in their facility, and they can’t just be released.
The real solution to this problem you bring up is for pet owners like yourself to be responsible at all times. Keep your pet in your yard, then you won’t ever have to worry about them ending up at KHS.
Please stop putting the responsibility for your pet’s well-being on everyone else.
• mdmann, thegardenisland.com
Horrible flight
This story is so unbelievable (“‘Unruly’ travelers cause airport delay,” The Garden Island, Dec. 18). I was on the American Airlines flight that they were on and can tell you that the problems were so bad the captain pulled the plane over while we were moving on the runway in Los Angeles!
The flight attendants tried to get these kids to sit down and stay in their seats, stop ringing the call lights and stop running down the aisles, but to no avail.
The parents just ignored the situation and ordered their cocktails. Then, they handed the kids their drinks! The kids were running all over the plane holding the wine bottles and the little liquor bottles. They started throwing them at passengers, throwing magazines at passengers and kicking the seats of the passengers.
Some of the passengers next to me started yelling at the parents and all the parents could say was “they’re only kids.”
One of the flight attendants conferenced one of the mothers and gave her a paper. The mother yelled something at her and then threw the paper at her!
After five hours of the most horrible flight I have ever been on, they had the flight met by the police. I was hoping something bad would happen but whatever it was, I’ll never know, but obviously if they continued this behavior at the hotel, they were not fazed at all by this.
I hope the airline denied them passage, at least they would have a financial consequence to their awful behavior.
• airUtated, thegardenisland.com
Kaua‘i’s generosity
From cynical Southern California, thank you for a nice Christmas story. (“Officers take young shoppers on a spree,” The Garden Island, Dec. 23)
I’m still paging through our newspaper looking for something other than greed, frustrations, and tragedies. We know the economic meltdown has really hurt of the people of Kaua‘i, but we also appreciate reading in The Garden Island about the strength and generosity of people of Kaua‘i.
Merry Christmas, and a wish and prayers for a better new year.
• Tsakiyama72, thegardenisland.com
• EDITOR’S NOTE: To encourage more interaction between our print edition and our Web site, thegardenisland.com, we at The Garden Island have begun to print comments to our online stories alongside our standard letters to the editor. We encourage you to continue to send in your letters, and also now welcome online submissions.
