‘Antiquated morality’
More than 40 years ago, I had an abortion. It wasn’t a difficult decision, and I don’t feel I committed a sin. And today I am appalled that that our Supreme Court appears to want to deny this option to young women across the country.
The stunning arrogance of abortion opponents! They hope to force their antiquated morality on others — despite the damage done to the lives of thousands of young women and despite the inevitable birth of thousands of unwanted children. This is not progress — it is authoritarian and patriarchal.
This is not worthy of the United States.
Susan Munro
Pepeekeo
Divided we fall
America will last only around 200 years (allegedly) according to the Tytler Cycle by historian Alexander Fraser Tytler. So, have we proven him wrong, or are we simply overdue?
It does look bleak. We are so divided that we react with instant rage and/or snobbish arrogance to differing opinions (though differences are what made us great). Thus, our politicians have largely given up on solutions. They simply appease an ever more angry than hopeful electorate with money that the government does not have. We would solve more if we talked kindly.
Instead, we are fleeing in circles atop massive sandcastles of debt and blind to the onrushing tsunami.
Rather than Build Back Better or Make America Great Again (both slogans acknowledge our decline), we need to be kind to one another again. If we do, instead of a hard fall, we may get a soft landing.
Boldly embrace kindness.
Leighton Loo
Mililani, Oahu
No to Honua Ola
Look out, Hawaii Islanders. Hold your breath, and hang on to your wallets, as Honua Ola is on a full-court press to end-run the upcoming Public Utilities Commission proceedings.
If Honua Ola is successful, we will be breathing its polluted air, drinking its polluted water, paying an unnecessary premium for the electricity it produces, and living on a planet whose atmosphere has been degraded by Honua Ola’s callous disregard for the health of our planet and the lives of our citizens. All in search of corporate profits for Honua Ola’s mainland investors.
Russell Ruderman’s commentary in the April 27 Tribune-Herald (“Perversion of democracy in Legislature”) illuminates Honua Ola’s effort to find a legislative solution that would shackle the PUC, a solution carefully crafted to take geothermal out of the equation and shoe-horn Honua Ola in. Cynical for sure. Thank you, Russell, for your timely alert.
Equally cynical is Honua Ola’s effort to wins the hearts and minds of our islanders. Golly, what a good corporate citizen Honua Ola must be, allocating three acres of the land in Pepeekeo to Hawaii Community College, allowing HCC students to plant ulu, banana and papaya (March 28, Tribune-Herald, “HCC students grow crop on Honua Ola land”).
I can only guess that the picture depicting students on their knees, hand-planting a banana tree, is intended to take our minds off Honua Ola’s real purpose: to chop down trees elsewhere, burn them up and make money in the process.
But wait, there’s more! Honua Ola announced that the food these students grow on the three acres of Honua Ola land will be donated to the Hawaii Island Food Basket. Wow, good ole warm-hearted Honua Ola must really care about us.
No, actually it doesn’t, so I would urge legislators to vote against the legislation that Mr. Ruderman exposed and would urge the PUC to be true to its mission statement: “…to serve the public fairly, efficiently, safely and reliably, while addressing the goals and future needs of the state in the most economically, operationally, and environmentally sound manner … .”
That effectively means thumbs up for our islanders, thumbs down for Honua Ola.
Skip Sims
Ninole