‘Flu bags’
‘Flu bags’
Just when the flu season is starting up, our bag ban goes into effect. Our clean plastic bags are replaced with reusable, dirty cloth bags.
Let’s ban the ban until after the flu season.
Louise Treloar
Hilo
Freedom has limits
We have a constitutional right to freedom of religion, but human or animal sacrifice and the ingestion of psychoactive plants as a part of religious ceremony are banned by law.
We have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, but yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, making false defamatory statements about private citizens and calling bomb threats to a school are banned by law.
The U.S. Supreme Court has found that women have a constitutional right to an abortion, but many different types of restrictions have been placed on this constitutional right by various laws.
We have a constitutional right to bear arms, but, like every other right, government has a responsibility to regulate it in the interests of the people, both to insure domestic tranquility and to promote the general welfare.
Russell Wichman
Keaau
Act of aloha
With the recent freak spate of shootings and murders that happened in Hilo, it’s especially important to remember that the spirit of aloha and small-town values are still alive and well in our special town.
I experienced it myself on Sunday night. After shopping at Target, I absentmindedly left my purse in the red wagon and drove home. It had cash, lots of holiday gift cards, credit cards and my ID. I didn’t notice it was missing until Monday morning.
After frantically looking for it in my car, home and office, I started to count my losses but called the store in a last-ditch effort to find it. Someone had turned it in, and everything was there!
I don’t know who this Good Samaritan is, but I’d like to say a huge mahalo to them for doing the right thing, and remind my fellow East Hawaii residents not to give up hope. The aloha is still here.
Jessica Ferracane
Mountain View
False alarms
What in the heck is going on with the tsunami alarms? A friend from Puna called (recently), saying the tsunami alarms in her neighborhood were going off and asked if I knew whether it was a real warning.
Each time this happens, people become more complacent about these alarms, with potentially life-threatening consequences. This is just one added element in the increasing dysfunction of American society — one that must not be tolerated. When these alarms are tested, they must be tested at exactly the same time every month.
They should never go off at any other time unless there is a tsunami warning issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The way these alarms have been handled lately is inexcusable! It will lead to confusion and death.
The Big Island public must demand that this situation be remedied immediately!
Brent Hightower
Hilo