REPORT COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AT HONOLUA

From April 2009 to the present day, the Save Honolua Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has been the sole contractor of port-a-potty services at Honolua Bay Marine Life Conservation District. We invite everyone who visits Honolua to use the port-a-potties free of charge in an effort to keep this Marine Life Conservation District sanitary for all and slow ecological decline. We have paid for the two port-a-potties through donations to our website, as well as through grants from the CORAL Reef Alliance and Hawaii Tourism Authority.

We have never received any money to support the port-a-potties at Honolua from the illegal vendors at Honolua boat ramp, nor from the “donation box” located at the boat ramp. We are working in coordination with the state Department of Land & Natural Resources, Maui Police Department and other landowners (not involved in the vending operations) to put a halt to this illegal activity.

The Honolua Bay boat ramp is located in a conservation district, and it is illegal to conduct any commercial activity within a conservation district without a permit, regardless of who owns the property.

Since being designated a Marine Life Conservation District over 30 years ago, the severe ecological decline has been documented by the Division of Aquatic Resources and, despite our best efforts, there is still no management plan for this treasured area.

Given the circumstances, the Save Honolua Coalition does not support any type of commercial activity at Honolua; we support educational makai watch programs but not further exploitation. This has been a concern that we have been trying to address for several years now.

We ask the public to please contact the Maui Police non-emergency line at (808) 244-6400 as well as DLNR Maui at (808) 873-3990 if they witness continued illegal vending at Honolua Bay boat ramp.

SAVE HONOLUA COALITION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THE ELITE SHOULD PAY HIGHER TAXES

Newt Gingrich stated he believes in “social responsibility” (The Maui News, Aug. 22, 2011), in that someone who gets (free) public housing should also clean the premises. Doesn’t anyone on Maui know that he didn’t talk about other social responsibilities for a reason? Instead, he pointed out the poor class while leaving out, purposely, the fact that the obscenely rich class became wealthy off the backs of the working poor, and that there are millions of children and adults in our own country who go to bed hungry every night through no fault of their own.

He shared his opinion. Let me share mine: If the Grand Old Party wants to raise taxes again, and they do (The Maui News, Money Matters, Aug. 22, 2011), then the only class that should pay higher taxes are the OBSCENELY rich elite class in America.

America is becoming — give Congress enough rope and they will hang themselves — a third world country. Take another look.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with being in a high tax bracket, and that the bracket allows many tax breaks. But it is wrong when it comes at the expense of starving children in your own country.

It is wrong when it cuts the funding for important environmental issues. Humans think they know about nature, but that is just not the case here. There are such things as natural and logical consequences.

The least thing that the obscenely rich class can do is give something back to the starving poor in America. I would advise caution when listening to any politician.

ELLEN GARRISON, Lahaina

PURSUE A ‘NO-KILL’ PLAN FOR MAUI

How often we hear that a definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result, and yet we see it reoccurring all the time. For several decades, domestic animals have been killed on Maui because of “overpopulation,” and it has solved nothing. So we kill some more.

The “no-kill” plan is spreading in shelters all over the Mainland and in much of the world. New Zealand plans to become the first “no-kill” nation.

As numerous examples yield positive results, the movement is slowing catching on here. Free and low-cost spay/neuter clinics are successfully progressing to prevent the root cause of the issue: slowing the domestic animal population growth.

9th Life Hawaii, Maui’s largest no-kill, all-cat sanctuary is once again having an eight-day mass spay/neuter clinic beginning Sept. 14. For a suggested $35 donation — but FREE in hardship cases — a 9th Life volunteer will transport your cats (whether pets, ferals, strays or colony cats) from your area to the clinic for surgery and return them the same day.!

See www.9thlifehawaii.org or call 573-3365 to reserve a slot and secure required surgery forms. While providing shelter for nearly 300 cats with safety and security at the sanctuary, 9th Life has “fixed” over 3,600 cats. Let’s increase that number as we move to a solution.

MIKE MORAN, Kihei

PATRIOT DINNER A SUCCESS

Sincere thanks to those who attended the American Patriot Dinner on July 31. We were all captivated by the musings of Capt. Jim Hickerson (ret.), former POW. Mahalo to Lahaina Yacht Club for their ongoing spirit of aloha.

SUSAN NEALY, Navy League of the United States, Maui Council

PROTECT AND SAVE HONOLUA BAY

A new resident of Maui, I snorkeled Honolua Bay for the first time recently and was shocked at what I saw. “Where’s all the coral?” I wondered, after having been lured there by pictures of an elaborate and flourishing ecosystem in a six-year-old guidebook.

Then I found out about the devastating impact development in the area has had on the bay and the local movement to preserve what’s left.

I moved to Maui (and brought my Mainland business with me) specifically for the unique and pristine environment that it is known for, and I plan on raising my kids here. If we don’t protect the natural beauty of the island and surrounding water that attract visitors and businesses here in the first place,

certainly we all — even those who pose to benefit from short-term economic gain by exploiting these natural resources — will lose out in the end.

To those who hold the power, please protect forever Lipoa

Point and mauka areas!

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

MONEY IS A GOOD REASON TO WORK OUT

When a person gets out of shape, he decides to do something about it outside of changing his daily habits.

He joins a health club at a big cost. He inspects all those impressive machines in the facility. He envisions himself getting healthy working all those contrivances. Exercise is what he wants.

The first day comes. He drives to the club. He frantically searches for a parking spot close to the entrance. After all, he’s paying for exercising in the club. A long walk in the parking lot is not part of the curriculum.

Some people won’t exercise unless they pay for it.

ARSENE “BLACKIE” GADARIAN, Lahaina

DON’T CELEBRATE GADDAFI’S OVERTHROW YET

Should Americans commence celebrating the success of Libyan rebels’ disposal of Gaddafi?

Not if the outcome reflects our celebration of Fidel Castro’s capture of Cuba, or the disposal of the Shah of Iran for an obscure Islamic cleric.

RAY PEZZOLI JR., Kihei