Welcome to Gilead
If you are a fan of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” you know that Gilead is the name that was given to the former United States after being taken over by the religious right. In Gilead, women’s opinions are suppressed, and women’s bodies are controlled by corrupt old men.
Gilead is basically the same as Iran except there is an extremist Christian supreme leader instead of a Muslim one.
Instead of being horrified by recent Supreme Court rulings and Republican political leaders destroying the separation between Church and state, the Republican Party is celebrating.
As the author Margaret Atwood could see 38 years ago when she wrote “The Handmaid’s Tale,” her dystopia is exactly where we are headed.
Even moderate Republicans are complicit in this. Sen. Susan Collins claims she was lied to by all the Trump Supreme Court nominees, but she, and the rest of the “moderate” Republicans, were too afraid of Trump and his thug politics to do the right thing.
This is how we slide into religious fascism. If we want this to change, we have to work hard to make sure Republicans everywhere pay a price for their sociopathic behavior.
Friends don’t let friends vote Republican, and please don’t hesitate to tell everyone you know how you feel about our country turning into what we thought was just Margaret Atwood’s feverish nightmare.
Matt Binder
Waimea
No sprinkler tests?
Fire sprinkler systems are one of the most effective methods of protecting life and property from the ravages of fire. The National Fire Protection Association is the premier organization in that field. NFPA 25 is one of their standards concerning inspection, testing and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is not performing tests required by NFPA 25 on its fire sprinkler systems. In a FOIA request, DOI-NPS-2022-003899, I requested maintenance and test records for fire sprinkler systems and their connected backflow preventers. Below is a quote from the final FOIA response letter.
From the FOIA request:
“After a thorough search of our files, the NPS did not locate records responsive to your request besides those previously released to you. Specifically, we do not have records for 2018, 2021 or 2022. Rhonda Loh, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Superintendent, is responsible for this denial.”
“Besides those previously released to you” refers to a previous FOIA on fire sprinkler systems from 2011 on, in which the park performed maintenance and testing, but not as required by NFPA 25. The FOIA response indicates that in 2018, 2021 and 2022, no records were available, therefore no testing was done. Part of the testing requirement is that records be kept.
NFPA 25 requires quarterly testing on fire sprinkler systems attached to backflow preventers, which all park fire sprinkler systems are, and yearly testing of the backflow preventer. Backflow preventers are mechanical plumbing devices that keep water from backing up into the water system and possibly contaminating it. They can severely impact the sprinkler system performance if not working properly.
Structures under the control of the National Park Service are not having their fire sprinkler systems properly tested. This is a safety issue, and HVNP is not doing their job, and lives could be in jeopardy. The question is: When will HVNP start doing their job?
Roger Schweitzer
Volcano
Keeping us safe
Between January through June 30, there were approximately 2,195 arrests made on Hawaii Island, according to the arrest logs in the Tribune-Herald.
From contempt of court, to DUI, to petty misdemeanor and up to major felonies, much kudos to our Hawaii Island law enforcement officers and to those other law enforcement agencies here who go the distance in keeping our community safe as much as possible.
What is also amazing to read are the number of times the same people get arrested over and over. For those who complain about the police not doing their jobs, look at the arrest logs in the newspaper three to about four times a week, and perhaps you’ll think otherwise.
Mahalo to our law enforcement community!
Rick LaMontagne
Hilo