‘Stop being lazy’
A few years ago, we were driving along a hillside on the mainland, probably Utah or Colorado, when we pulled over at a scenic lookout to look at some elk across the valley.
A pickup truck pulled in, driven by a rugged looking dad with his two young kids. As they piled out, he called to them.
“What’s the first thing we do?” “Pick up trash,” the kids answered. They scampered around and picked up what little rubbish they could find. Never saw that in Hawaii.
Everyone loves their homelands, certainly so, here in Hawaii. So, why are our roads littered everywhere you go?
I’m happy that signs are appearing about covering loads in transit. Perhaps the transfer stations could turn away uncovered trucks. Maybe folks could simply stop being lazy and show true aloha for our land, our home.
Peter Easterling
Pahoa
Mahalo, first responders
May 15 to the May 21 is designated Police/EMS Week and is a time set aside for our nation to recognize first responders and the valuable contributions they make toward public safety in our communities. Here on the Big Island, we are blessed to have dedicated men and women who put on a uniform every day and provide protection and medical treatment 24/7.
They work long shifts, do without adequate sleep, sacrifice time with their families, and willingly expose themselves to traumatic situations regularly to ensure that the Big Island is a safe place to live and raise families for all of us.
We owe them a debt we can never repay, but community support can go a long way toward making their challenging careers less challenging. There are so many ways that we can show these everyday heroes that we have their backs as they have ours. We are coordinating sign-waving events at various locations around the island, and there are many other ways that individuals and groups can encourage our first responders.
Our community and state are seeing such a rise in violent crimes. Our first responders would have much easier jobs if we had better laws and if our judicial system could keep criminals locked up so that our police officers aren’t discouraged because criminals they arrest aren’t facing any real consequences.
Improving social services and providing more resources for our citizens who are struggling with mental health issues would also help our first responders. Where do they take them after they pick them up?
I have personally witnessed the frustration of law enforcement, EMS and emergency room personnel because there is no appropriate place to send people who need help other than the services they can provide.
During Police/EMS Week, we also want to thank the families of all our first responders who suffer along with them as they give so much of themselves to our community. I encourage you to make time during next week to let a first responder know how much you appreciate them for what they do.
Renee Godoy
Police and fire chaplain, Hilo