Don’t fight, BJ
Don’t fight, BJ
BJ Penn is a truly great and accomplished athlete, as well as a local hero. He has carved out a unique identity in mixed martial arts that he could rightly take great pride in. But let’s never forget that the objective of mixed martial arts is to threaten and/or inflict serious orthopedic and/or brain injury.
Though I am only aware of about a dozen people who have died in kickboxing and MMA since 2007, four or five of them have occurred as a consequence of sanctioned UFC events. Sadly, deaths also have occurred in MMA because of the extreme dehydration of “weight cutting” and other extreme practices associated with the “sport.”
Professional football is now in the process of seriously examining if such a damaging “sport” is really a sport at all, or just a modern, consumer-culture interpretation of gladiatorial exploitation. Similar examination of MMA and boxing also have begun.
Is it time to question the value of exploiting these sad young victims of testosterone poisoning? I’d suggest that it is, as I was confronted recently on the streets of Hilo by a sturdy teenager who wanted to “scrap” with me.
Was he poorly emulating BJ, who claims his roots are “scrapping” on the streets of Hilo? I am 71 years old, so I was actually flattered to find that, in the dark, I might have appeared an appropriate adversary.
Fortunately, my sincere laughter seems to have disarmed him, but others might not fare as well next time he pulls what he probably considers to be his “BJ Penn Act,” thuggishly “scrapping” on the streets of Hilo.
BJ, will you please clarify exactly what your nonjudgmental references to your “scrapping” on the streets of Hilo really describe? I’m hoping that a better description could avoid further encouraging young thugs who roam our streets, mistakenly attempting to be like you.
Also, seriously consider (UFC lightweight fighter Nik) Lentz’s suggestion that fighting at 145 is unhealthy. Weight cutting is dangerous and sometimes even deadly.
Your new job is being a good father. Everything else, including fighting, should be in distant second place. It’s time to come home and grow up. Yes, change can be a little painful. Apply your truly formidable skills and discipline to that new challenge, and you will earn my greatest respect.
Robert Lee
Hilo
Dangerous lanes
A couple of weeks ago, there was a tragic multiple-car wreck that left two people dead on the new section of road near the Keaau Transfer Station. Because it was a head-on collision, I first thought that someone had to have passed in a no-passing zone, but upon looking at the area, there are sections of road that allow the Pahoa-bound traffic to use the inside Hilo-bound lane for passing.
The more I looked at it, it became clear that this could be a real problem, because a Pahoa-bound person wanting to pass would have to go into the Hilo-bound lane when it is clear. This is fine, except there are two Hilo-bound lanes.
At any time, a Hilo-bound car in the outside lane could quickly change lanes to the inside lane, the same time as a Pahoa-bound car wants to use the inside Hilo lane for passing, and — oops — another head-on collision.
This problem becomes even more exasperated from the 3-6 p.m. opening of the Pahoa-bound shoulder lane. Now, we have two Hilo-bound lanes going against two Pahoa-bound lanes, with the Pahoa-bound having the option of using the Hilo-bound inside lane for passing.
I urge the highway department to review this and see if it is really all that necessary to have the passing option for Pahoa-bound traffic in that short 2-mile stretch of highway.
James Lehner
Pahoa