‘Tossed aside’ ADVERTISING ‘Tossed aside’ This letter is in response to Arthur Warren’s letter titled “Protesters are hypocritical,” published May 10 (Tribune-Herald). Mr. Warren, surely the Thirty Meter Telescope would be beneficial to Hawaii; however, not when it involves the
‘Tossed aside’
This letter is in response to Arthur Warren’s letter titled “Protesters are hypocritical,” published May 10 (Tribune-Herald).
Mr. Warren, surely the Thirty Meter Telescope would be beneficial to Hawaii; however, not when it involves the destruction of our sacred mauna. You call us hypocrites, yet who are you to judge us? We have a right to protest against the use of sacred lands that will be desecrated and destroyed through the construction and contamination of the most precious of our religious and cultural beliefs.
Apparently, it is OK for you to call us names and make accusations against us, but we are to sit back calmly and silently as we have in the past and allow TMT to go ahead and destroy our Mauna Kea, all for the sake of progress and research.
Well, think again. Enough is enough. We are not going to stand by and allow you and TMT to walk all over us. Aole!
As far as rusting cars and cesspools, we have no control over that. Oppression is oppression, and cesspools were allowed for 100 years or more. Now that we are educated in environmental hazards and destruction of our ecosystem, these issues are being addressed, as well as our ecosystem on our sacred mauna, where our water originates.
The United States is no better. The water system there is polluted, and there is mining, with environmental hazards, as well. Many of our Native American homelands are being destroyed, and they are being relocated to barren, undeveloped land. These native peoples are facing the same difficulties as we Native Hawaiians, native Australians, native New Zealanders and Alaskans, as well as Polynesians throughout the Pacific.
We are being tossed aside, all for the sake of greed and destruction, and that is why we are strong in numbers now. No more will we be tossed aside and taken advantage of.
Ida S. Perez
Hilo
Street plan
I’d like to respond to Terri Napeahi’s letter to the editor, dated May 3, regarding Kalanianaole Avenue improvements.
You mentioned it seems as if there is no concern for those who have had to endure this dangerous stretch for many years, based on one comment by Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi taken from an eight-hour budget hearing. But that is not the whole picture.
At the monthly meetings of the Keaukaha Community Association on Feb. 20, March 18 and April 15, I updated residents on our office’s top two capital improvement project priorities for the upcoming fiscal year: adding sidewalks, bicycle lanes and dry wells to Kalanianaole Avenue between Banyan Way and Kauhane Avenue; and lighting all of Hualani Park so the entire field can be used after 6 p.m.
The responses we received were overall positive, and I can assure you any suggestions and concerns are being properly addressed.
Mahalo for voicing your concerns, and our office is always here to assist our communities.
Micah K. Alameda
Legislative assistant, Office of Councilman Dennis Onishi
