Gabbard on Syria
Gabbard on Syria
I attended the recent town halls in Hilo by Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and was struck by the contrast in their positions on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s gassing of his own people.
Schatz emphasized that there should be clarity that Assad is definitely responsible for this crime against humanity, while Gabbard equivocated and just supported more investigations.
Given the accounts of sources as diverse as Israeli intelligence and nongovernmental organizations serving civilians in Syria about Assad’s culpability in this matter, Gabbard’s position is inexcusable.
Gary Kitahata
Hilo
Mahalo for ‘Evita’
A big mahalo to the students of English 202 (“Literature of Human Rights”) for enhancing and deepening the “Evita” experience for us University of Hawaii at Hilo theatergoers.
The supplemental reading, with great photos and maps which we received with the programs, and the masterpiece lobby display answered all my questions and provided information that I didn’t even know to wonder about.
The lobby felt like a continuation of the musical after the curtain went down, with all the roses scattered as though newly tossed toward Eva’s casket.
The performance itself was a fitting grand finale for director Jackie Johnson Debus. I am so grateful to live in Hilo, where we are able to enjoy the high-caliber live theater that we have, thanks to extremely talented actors and all the people who work so hard to bring us such fine entertainment.
Dorothy Zipp Malinski
Hilo
Litter in paradise
I want to compliment Leiana Andrade Stout of Honokaa for her fine letter regarding littering (Your Views, March 29).
I have lived on the Big Island for more than 15 years and have seen littering increase tenfold and am embarrassed to lament the same mess is seen daily by hundreds of tourists, particularly along the highly traveled corridor between Kailua-Kona and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Abandoned vehicles, dilapidated and abandoned structures and hand-made signs all over the place — in violation of Chapter 3 of the county sign ordinance — fill the landscape, along with the discarded trash on the sides of the highway.
The “adopt a highway” program, and the all-too infrequent signs about fines for littering, are absolutely laughable.
Will someone please tell me when the last person was fined for littering?
What has happened to the so-called respect for the aina I hear so often about? Has it come to a 15-year-old like Leiana to remind us adults that we are slowly destroying the island with our bad habits?
Oh, and need I mention the feral chickens slowly overrunning the island (just visit Costco’s parking lot). Now, if we could only teach them to pick up the litter!
Cock-a-doodle-do, folks.
Carl F. Goebel
Naalehu