Freedom under siege
Wake up, America! Our freedoms and democracy are under attack like never before!
While the nation has been paralyzed and divided about masks in the middle of a pandemic, real atrocities to our freedoms has been occurring: the right to peacefully assemble and protest, the right to know what you are being accused of and being detained for, the right to vote, the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness — which has been taken from 160,000-plus people due to the botched handling of this pandemic — the right to equality for all and to be treated with basic human decency, and the list goes on and on.
These current and blatant actions against our freedoms and democracy should be enough to jar every American out of complacency to demand an end to these injustices.
Our current leadership in Washington must hear us collectively, loud and clear, that we will not stand for this. Remember our government is for the people and by the people, and if we don’t take responsibility to protect our freedoms and stand up against the injustices, by holding our leaders accountable, then I am afraid our democracy will not survive for our children, and America will fall.
A wise person once told me that once you lose your freedoms, you will need to fight to get them back. The time for action is now.
Call, write, send emails to all your representatives in Washington demanding a stop to these terrible, unconstitutional tactics. Demand that President Trump, William Barr and his other cronies resign, and demand to investigate this current administration for crimes against humanity and the Constitution.
Stand up, and let the people’s voices be heard!
Pam Wilson
Pepeekeo
Reduce air travel
I actually laughed out loud when I read the “Responsible tourism” article on the front page of the Aug. 4 edition of the Tribune-Herald.
I sincerely apologize for that odd and inappropriate reaction, but Hawaii tourism can only be called “responsible” when there is an alternative to getting here by air — something not even mentioned in the article.
Hawaii is the most remote place on Earth, and as such the volume of air travel associated with Hawaii tourism makes a large and very significant contribution to climate change. The concerns expressed in the article — respecting our culture, communities and resources — sidestep this elephant in the room.
I won’t pretend to have a specific plan for Hawaii’s economic future, but whatever direction we take it must include a large reduction of air travel associated with tourism. Otherwise, we can never call ourselves responsible citizens of the world.
Just as West Virginia has had to give up on coal, Hawaii needs to give up on high-volume air travel.
We need to pull our heads out of the sand. Realistic planning for the long-term future needs to start right now and needs to include a reduction of air travel to Hawaii.
Robert Lee
Hilo