Widespread issue
of trash-dumping
I struggle to understand the psychology of illegal dumping, especially of items that can be disposed of for free.
In my Papaikou neighborhood, we have creek beds stuffed with mattresses, appliances, cars, furniture, pig carcasses and countless bags of rubbish. The water washes over it all as it heads directly into the ocean.
Sadly, most of these items could have been disposed of for free. And most of the items required a truck to transport — the same truck that could just as easily driven to the dump.
But it’s not an isolated case. Any casual drive around the back roads of the Big Island will reveal evidence of dumping nearly anywhere you look.
What am I missing? If it’s free, and you have a truck, why illegally dump it? Is it a revered cultural practice? Are tourists buying mattresses on vacation for the sport of throwing them in ravines?
No, like most things, I’m afraid it’s us. We are the problem, and we need to do better.
Patrick Bodell
Papaikou
Men can’t compete
in women’s sports
I was sent the article titled, “Hawaiian boy wins medals in girls’ track and field, awarded ‘outstanding athlete.’”
This reminds me of the story, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The emperor is walking around naked, and all the adults are saying his clothes look so great.
He was supposedly wearing magic clothes, and the adults didn’t want to say they couldn’t see them for fear of looking bad. Then an innocent child simply says, “But he’s naked,” and everyone is shocked and then realizes that, yes he is naked. Even the king realizes it and is embarrassed and ashamed.
If biological boys and men want to dress like women, fine. If they want to believe they can get pregnant, they can think whatever they want, but it doesn’t make it true!
When are adults going to tell the truth? Biological males should not compete in women’s sports because they have a different body type. We all know this! Do we need an innocent child to tell us that?
What this is doing to the self-esteem of our girls is horrible. I think of what ancient Hawaiians would say about this and cringe at the ridiculousness of what people have allowed to happen in our schools.
Michelle Melendez
Hilo
