Silent consent?
Now that we are just about past the issue of Billy Kenoi’s removal from office, we must turn our attention to other serious issues. The way American democracy is supposed to work, there is a check and balance system between the administrative and legislative bodies.
Regrettably, no such thing presently exists on the Big Island. A recent example of this failure was the mayor’s push for an ill-advised incinerator project, which, if implemented, would have caused serious health problems and a huge financial burden for our county.
Our County Council, supposedly representing the public interest, sat there mute, with the notable exception of Margaret Wille. They made no effort to look into what would have been the largest commitment in the history of our county, and made no objection to the impending disaster.
How dare they, in mass, abdicate their fiduciary responsibility to their constituents. And again, we see the same unacceptable performance with regard to Billy’s lack of integrity. With the exception of Margaret Wille and Aaron Chung, and in spite of one of the biggest scandals recently in Hawaii, they have been in a state of fearful, frozen, subservient silence.
And, of course, Mr. Chung was prepared to ignore Billy’s dishonesty and move on.
How embarrassing is their inability to act or even to comment? Something is horribly wrong, and it is time for the voters of our county to pay attention to who they are voting for and to demand fair and honest representation.
Ray Chaikin
Waimea
Cartoon response
Ted Hong’s recent letter critical of Gary Hoff’s cartoon is off the mark (Your Views, Tribune-Herald). After examining the cartoon again, I find Hoff’s handling of the issue quite conservative.
If a cartoonist chooses to deal with an issue, he/she must gather the facts and tell a story with them. Given the headlines statewide of the situation, it would be a glaring oversight to ignore the stew brewing in Hawaii County.
The mayor’s agony is self-inflicted, as he admitted. Hoff makes no allusions to the mayor’s family. Even the hostess is depicted as an icon of innocence.
The history of political cartooning is full of serious and vicious attacks, both with the pen and the sword. The recent attacks in Paris attest to the dangers of exercising one’s freedom of expression.
In America, Thomas Nast, father of American political cartooning, almost single-handedly brought down the corrupt Boss Tweed machine of New York in 1870.
Honore Daumier was imprisoned for six months in 1832 for drawing political satires of the French king.
Discretion is the key to the artist’s work, and Hoff is well within the parameters of politically correct taste.
Tomas Belsky
Hilo
Time for change
These are my thoughts about Mauna Kea.
I believe our ancestors were progressive thinkers. They didn’t want things to remain static. They were always seeking change and knowledge for the betterment of their people. They were also very understanding of the spiritual side of life, and were intelligent enough to know that stone and wood were not spirit, but were symbols that related to mana in nature. It is no different than a person wearing a crucifix. There is no spirit in the crucifix, but it’s a symbol of the wearer’s belief. Mana is as strong today as it ever was.
Astronomy played a great part in the lives of Hawaiians. It was through astronomy that they were able to navigate over vast oceans and eventually discover Hawaii. The Hokulea is a perfect example of what our ancestors did in the past. The Hokulea should be our symbol of what can occur in the future.
I believe we should embrace the Thirty Meter Telescope project, not just as “token” Hawaiians, but equal partners with all entities that occupy Mauna Kea, to share equally in the discovery of knowledge and success. After all, we are the original landowners.
I also believe we should not follow the same path as the past. If we do the same things, we’ll get the same results. People will get arrested, people will get tired of going up and down the mountain, the protest will end, and the telescope will be built. What will we gain? Nothing.
We should be like the Hokulea, changing course to harness the maximum power of the wind. In our case, to harness the upwelling of support, not only nationally, but internationally, via social media. This is leverage. I believe this is our time of serendipity.
This is the time to make the change.
I also believe Gov. Ige can take the lead and declare that the Hawaiian community shall be the stewards and security for Mauna Kea, who will determine those areas set aside for prayer and veneration.
I know our younger generation of Hawaiians are passionate about their culture and beliefs.
I appeal to their sense of logic and calmness, to take a step back and look at the total picture. We can be in a synergistic relationship, a win-win for everyone.
Instead of a raised fist of defiance, extend a firm handshake in partnership.
The telescope will be the portal for travel into the future or the past, but always going forward. The Hawaiians should be at the forefront. Imua!
Albert Bee Jr.
Hilo
