Good coverage
Buku mahalos, Mr. John Burnett, for the wonderfully creative manner in which you depicted Hilo’s Memorial Day event (Tribune-Herald, June 1).
It’s amazing how you can take various sections of activities occurring throughout the day and put it into proper perspective, and shed light on the importance and the necessity of recognizing our departed veterans, while also including their spouses (whom I also consider very much veterans).
At the forefront, our mission focused on recognizing the names and showing respect and dignity for those guarding our nation’s freedom. Their names needed to be heard throughout the land and into the heavens by tolling of the bell, 21-guns and “Taps.”
I thank the good Lord for answering my prayers. Mahalo plenty to all the kind hearts who helped to make this event possible. American Legion Post 3 and the Fire Mission-Honor Guards will take the helm again Memorial Day 2022.
God bless you all and God bless America.
Cmdr. Jeno Enocencio
American Legion, Post 3-Hilo
Aid, not sanctions
In the early 1950s, at the behest of Great Britain, the CIA joined with MI6 to overthrow Iran’s duly appointed Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq.
He was a nationalist who planned to nationalize the British oil fields. This irked the U.S. government, as they wanted a lapdog in that oil country, not one that would protect itself from who they would call the imperialists.
Mosaddeq saw his duty as working for the Iranian people, not foreign governments on the other side of the world. He was deposed, and his followers managed to get him back. About a year later he was deposed again and replaced with the Shah, who some called the most hated man in Iran.
If your family had money, the Shah was wonderful, but if you didn’t, he was just plain evil. The U.S. was responsible, as the British had backed out of the deal. The U.S. meddled in Iran’s internal political affairs and placed the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlevi, into power, who then turned over 40% of the oil fields to the U.S. and bought a lot of America weapons, including the F-14A Tomcat.
This is of course a simplification. Now that Iran has a nuclear program, many in the West are terrified that it will lead up to a weapons program. That’s quite worrisome for the only nation that’s ever dropped nuclear ordnance in anger.
The sanctions against Iran must end and be replaced with humanitarian aid. Iran’s reputation was crafted by the Mossad, whose motto is: “By way of deception, we shall wage war.”
Dave Kisor
Pahoa