A quieter July 4
A quieter July 4
Mongooses are fortunate. They can escape into their acoustically comforting burrows. Birds, dogs, cats and mankind are not fond of burrows.
Most animals are subjected to the explosions, the vibrating booms and snap, crackle and pops of fireworks. The pyrotechnics contribute to urban chaos before, during and after the Fourth of July.
Manufactured mostly across the seas, they are imported by fossil-fuel-consuming ships and planes. The demand for fireworks propels our collective climate crisis by adding carbon to the atmosphere.
Do we need symmetrical floral flashes and toxic smoke in the sky to celebrate our independence from England? Can we learn to celebrate in a quieter, healthier and more nurturing manner?
Instead of buying fireworks, could we instead donate money to a human rights organization? Some examples are Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International and Earthjustice.
Gary Harrold
Hilo
Climate kuleana
Hu Honua would annually spew one-quarter million tons of CO2.
No Big Island power plant releases more. Is this how Hawaii meets the Paris accord?
Ask the Public Utilities Commission to reject Hu Honua’s high electricity price and protect our paradise.
Susan Bassett
Pepeekeo
‘Shame on you’
Friday morning, I stopped at the Ross store in Hilo.
As I was walking across the parking lot, I noticed a BMW sports car, blue in color with a tan top, license No. HZX 909, parked in the handicap stall. I looked for the handicap decal, but there didn’t appear to be one hanging.
The car had coolers inside, so it looked like someone was out doing their shopping but didn’t want to park where their car might get damaged.
Shame on you for not taking one of the many open stalls available at 8:30 in the morning.
What goes around comes around.
Linda Heintz
Pahoa