Letters for Oct. 13, 2015

Letters for Oct. 13, 2015

Worthwhile news packed newspaper

The Sunday edition (TGI, Oct. 11) was filled with worthwhile news and interviews. I hope my neighbors in this island feel as fortunate as I do to have such thoughtful police officers as Kauai County Police Chief Darryl Perry and Lieutenant Roderick Green. The explanation of gun permit regulations is reassuring as are the statistics on gun deaths in our state.

Obviously these are related. For example, Utah has the highest rate of gun deaths in our nation and no permit is required to purchase a firearm. Ben Ellsworth’s rationale for gun ownership seems absurd to me. He said “and if the freakin’ North Koreans land at the Lihue airport, you’re going to want me out there with a 30-round magazine defending what we have here.” Far more likely is a North Korean missile aimed at The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands.

Also, of special interest to me was Pamela Varma Brown’s long piece about Clinton Shiraishi’s service in World War II. My grandfather died in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. I had no idea that it was the Japanese-American 100th/422nd army units that first discovered and liberated the camp.

Shiraishi’s description matches that of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower who, after visiting the concentration camp near Gotha, wrote, “The things I saw beggar description … the visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick.

In one room, where they were piled up 20 or 30 naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops the tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’”

Jon Appleton

Princeville

Hypocrites a disservice to Christianity

Some conservative “Christians” are hypocrites. And this gives all conservative “Christians” a bad name. Like 19 self-proclaimed “Muslims” who pretended to be devout, while killing over 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Twisting parts of their Holy Book to fulfill their own personal desires.

The problem is the self-proclaimed Christians who do not follow the word of Christ. Instead, many self-proclaimed religious people use God and Jesus for their own personal ideology.

These are the hypocrites that Jesus warned us about many times, and deep down, they know who they are. They prove it to themselves every day, by what they support, and by what they deny to others.

Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk, is a perfect example. She claimed that 10,000 people were praying for her, and they were not. She claimed that she met with Pope Francis. She gives vague answers for each occurrence, and then will backtrack when found out, like a politician. Because politicians are self-serving hypocrites as well, they use the same tactics for self promotion. Many also pretend to believe in God and Jesus. It profits them.

Kim Davis waits for her 30 pieces of silver, it will come from one of the hate groups that has: “America, Prosperity or Freedom,” in its title. They use God and Jesus for their own personal benefit. If what Moses or Paul said conflicts with what Jesus said, then guess who is right?

America is full of pastors, priests and congregation members who act against Jesus every day. Unless you are a sociopath, deep down, you know if you are a hypocrite.

Dennis Chaquette

Keaau

GOP should target rich, not Planned Parenthood

One of the recent hot topics in the news has been the possibility of a forced shutdown by the Republicans in an effort to defund Planned Parenthood and stop legalized abortions. The core of Planned Parenthood’s services is in prevention, including STD testing and treatment, contraception and accompanying health care, education and information. Abortions are a last resort and only a small part of the overall services offered by Planned Parenthood.

They offer many other services, including cancer screening and prevention (Pap tests, HPV vaccinations, breast exams, colposcopy procedures, etc.) and other women’s health services (pregnancy tests and prenatal services).

Many of the services offered by Planned Parenthood are not offered at regular hospitals and many of those who come to Planned Parenthood cannot afford going to a hospital. Planned Parenthood provides much-needed services to women.

The Republican Party would better serve this country if they stopped trying to take away from the poor and middle class and instead worked on defunding some of the tax breaks being given the super-rich and the multi-million-dollar corporations.

Loyd Clayton

Hanapepe