Letters for Sunday, August 19, 2007

• Praise for simulation; suggestions for next one

• ‘Partner’ defends Spear

• Cheers for Wal-Mart

• Letter writer airs pet peeves

• Celebrating an illusion

Praise for simulation; suggestions for next one

I was encouraged by the mock shooting simulation Thursday at the county courthouse and reported in Saturday’s Garden Island. Sgt. Mike Begley and the responders would seemed to have conducted a successful mission in disarming the shooters. I appreciate that the exercise focused on “corralling the shooter than tending victims.”

In an incident such as was portrayed Thursday, often victims are seen to be those physically hurt. Yet, many become victims when exposed to a critical incident. The follow up with these folk is often neglected.

I am sure the reader can conjure up those who potentially would be affected — any who were in the court house exposed to the incident. In some this exposure can create a response that overwhelms one’s coping mechanism.

Critical Incident Stress Management is the protocal that accesses a situation and determines what actions might be appropriate to deal with those affected.

I hope that the next exercise in which trauma is involved would include a focus on Critical Incident Stress Management and its application.

Rev. Jan C. Rudinoff

Lihu‘e

‘Partner’ defends Spear

For 23 years I have known Dr. Harold C. Spear III. During eight of those years I was his partner.

During that period of time he did “trade” for services. His trade agreements included mangoes, fish, avocado, papayas, and lychee. These trade agreements came about for his patients who were unable to provide cash for his services. This inability to pay cash did not prevent Dr. Spear from treating the sick or injured.

Isn’t that the purpose of being a doctor?

At no time during the 23 years of my friendship have I known Dr. Spear to trade “sex” for medicine.

There were times during the mid-80s where we had boxes of mangoes and not much else. Often his Hanapepe office was filled with grannies and the old Hawaiians too proud to get “wealth fare” and unable even to provide a “trade.” At no time did Dr. Spear turn a needy patient away.

I wonder if the rest of Kaua‘i’s medical providers can say the same thing. Is it not those who live in glass houses who throw the “biggest” stones?

Sands Dickson-Spear

Clark, Wyo.

Cheers for Wal-Mart

Hip, hip, hooray for Wal-Mart. Now “Go for it” and get it done.

Gordon ‘Doc’ Smith

Kapa‘a

Where is our senator?

It’s nice to find out that Sen. Inouye has so much time on his hands that he can go to Alaska and campaign for Sen. Ted Stevens, a man known for his anti-environmental stands, and out-of-control spending for pork projects in Alaska.

So, Homer, Alaska, had an $18-million visitor center. We here in Kekaha get a five-year extension on the dump — where is our Senator? With all the problems the State of Hawai‘i has, I submit that Sen. Inouye should be spending his “free” time (that time dedicated to Ted Stevens), right here, in Hawai‘i, solving our own problems — not backing up a Stevens Pork Project in Homer, Alaska.

Last year, Ted Stevens tried to get the federal government to build a $50-million dollar bridge to an island that had less than 50 people living there — guess who was right there backing him up, our own Sen. Inouye!

A question: Who paid for the senator to go to Alaska? Was it the Senator, or the people of Hawai‘i?

Mike Carr

Kekaha

Letter writer airs pet peeves

I’m always getting asked by people why I don’t write letters to the editor more often; as they feel I’m one of the few people asking the important questions or pointing out facts that should already be quite obvious to our island’s leaders.

My response is simply because I do not wish to be annoying.

However, I am writing today to suggest that Michael Mann find a hobby other than criticizing every letter to the editor he reads in The Garden Island each day (on reverse sticker shock; TGI 8/16 being his latest attack). It appears he knows better than everyone else and has all the answers to everything. Talk about annoying.

Another thing I find quite irritating to read daily is how people who vacation here once or twice a year or who are residing in the continental U.S. are experts on how our island’s problems should be resolved and how they know what’s best for us (I am not a locust siphoner; TGI 8/17/07).

Kaua‘i is what it is today due to all the newcomers who came on vacation and decided this is the “paradise” they want to now call home. Hate to burst your “paradise bubble,” but you are the creators of the traffic problems, employee shortages, and skyrocketing real estate prices. All one has to do is read the real estate transactions section of the monthly Kaua‘i Business Report that is mailed to each address to see the ratio of Mainlanders purchasing real estate versus the local families, to confirm these facts.

And once they have their slice of Kaua‘i’s pie, then they cry “keep it rural, that’s why we moved here.”

So the next time all you visitors and “paradise found” relocators feel a need to call KQNG radio on Saturday to find out what’s with all the traffic or whine while standing in the long grocery lines or sitting in a “slow-service” restaurant, you can feel pleased with yourselves for contributing to the situations.

Francine M. Grace

Kalaheo

Celebrating an illusion

The state of Hawai‘i is a fraud and a continuation of the illegal, self-declared Republic of Hawaii of 1898.

How can you celebrate something that doesn’t exist?

Hawai‘i and Ireland have a lot in common. Both are nations being invaded by foreign powers. In the process of resistance against foreign powers both nations have produced courageous national patriots and national heros and heroines.

In Hawai‘i we had Joseph Nawahi Kalan‘opu‘u and in Ireland, Bobby Sands.

“Give my love to my Queen, the heavenly one that I have loved and to my dear land, beloved Hawai‘i which I have held precious, and tell them on my behalf to continue to be loyal to patriotism and to the Hawaiian nation.”

Joseph Nawahi Kalani‘opu‘u, 1893.

“There can never be peace in Ireland until the foreign, oppressive British presence is removed, leaving all Irish people as a unit to control their own affairs and determine their own destinies as a sovereign people, free in mind and body, seperate and distinct physically, culturally and economically.”

Bobby Sands, 1981.

Both national heroes were tortured and eventually died in prison for valiantly resisting foreign invasion, hegemony and genocide by the U.S.A. and Britain.

Eric Po‘ohina

Kailua, Big Island