For the love of Honolua and future generations

Honolua is an area that is so loved by so many, and it is being threatened again, held hostage for economical reasons, used as collateral for the monetary debts of a company that has made poor decisions and is bad at managing money.

The natural beauty of Honolua must be preserved for future generations to be able to experience and enjoy. Now is the time for action. Will you help Honolua? We are counting on Mayor Arakawa and Maui Land & Pineapple Co. to negotiate a deal for the preservation of Honolua’s Lipoa Point, and we are counting on the Maui County Council to accept that deal.

However, these entities have shown they will not act on their own; we the people need to help them to do the right thing. How often do our elected officials come out to the Honolua area? Have they seen the community come together for a major cleanup? Have they experienced a day of double-overhead barrels? Have they enjoyed a peaceful sunset at Honolua? Are they aware that there is heiau restoration going on at Honolua? Have they counted the thousands that visit the area daily to take in the awe-inspiring magic that is Honolua? Probably not.

We have a chance to share with the mayor the importance of Honolua at the upcoming budget hearings that will take place around the county. This is not a Lahaina issue; it is an issue that affects all of Maui County and the world. So we ask, for the love of Honolua, that you come out and testify to the mayor about the importance of Honolua, and come out and testify to the council during the general plan process.

Kula community activist Mary Traynor stated, “This is an election year; people need to keep the pressure on and register to vote. Let our elected officials know how important it is they reverse their vote when it comes to Honolua.”

TAMARA PALTIN, Napili

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Don’t take Honolua away from us

Honolua Bay is one of the most special places in the world.

This area needs to be kept accessible for all the residents and visitors to enjoy freely. Come see for yourself this winter when hundreds of us a day are enjoying the best and most pristine surf spot on Maui, from the dawn patrollers to those just trying to catch one wave after work before the sun goes down. Please DON’T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM US.

This area needs to be kept for all of us to use, not just the few. I write this with a tear in my eye, because I am scared what the future might be if the wrong decisions are made.

Listen to all of us who care deeply from the depths of our hearts to preserve the land known as Lipoa Point.

GINA PAROLA, West Maui

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Maui needs better harbors

I have lived on Maui since 2006 after moving here from Chicago. It was quite amazing (in an unfavorable way) to see the state of harbors on Maui. For an island that can only be reached by water and air, and which relies heavily on tourism and local fishing, the facilities available are grossly inadequate with waiting lists at 20 or more years for a boat slip and little or no haul-out or repair facilities. With each new storm, we find one or several vessels run aground. Often those vessels remain on the rocks for prolonged periods of time (weeks or years) to pollute our waters, catch fire and endanger our environment.

Every day we watch the Mala Wharf crumble into the ocean, often with kids on it playing or fishing. It is beyond a horrible eyesore – it is an accident waiting to happen. We should not wait until a serious accident or death occurs to take action.

While there a few “rich” who own boats, most boat owners on this island are hardworking people who need and use the ocean as a means for feeding their families. They respect it, because it brings them life. It makes no more sense to have inadequate harbors than it does to have inadequate airports. In addition to basic everyday use, both are needed in times of emergency, and to “pretend” they are not needed ignores the reality of our economic situation.

The new harbor is a great opportunity to once again employ our people, provide adequate facilities for our ocean-going vessels and take pride in our beautiful island.

BOB GRAYBOSCH, Lahaina

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People in Lahaina have aloha

In August, I attended my eighth Second Friday Lahaina Town Party. After enjoying great live entertainment and plate lunches at Campbell Park, I left my purse hanging on the folding chair on the lawn after the event.

When I walked to have a cup of Ono Gelato, I realized that I forgot my purse at the park. Thirty-five minutes after the event, I returned back to my seat. The set-up was broken down, and all the chairs and lighting were gone. I asked around with the crew that was working the event, and I asked Lynn from LahainaTown Action Committee if anyone had turned in my purse. In it I have everything: credit cards, driver’s license, car and house keys and my parking ticket.

After 20 minutes of reaching around the lawn, I concluded the purse was gone. I stopped a Maui Police officer to report a lost and found. Halfway into my report, Lynn came to me and advised me that they found my purse. It was turned in by one of the crew members who did the breakdown of the chairs. It was sitting behind the pickup truck with the rest of the set-up items for the event.

I would like to express my appreciation and mahalo to the individual who did a good deed for me by returning my purse. I am a single mom and have been living in Lahaina since 2002 – a little more than ten years.

This experience has showed me how wonderful it is to live in Lahaina. And YES, Front Street is a GREAT Street in America.

Mahalo, Lahaina! I so look forward to the ninth Second Friday!

JENNY CHAN TAKEMOTO, Lahaina

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Lawmakers focus on getting reelected

As I watch legislators choose to protect their special interest groups over the needs of their communities, I wonder why.

Edward Kaahui, Democratic challenger to Angus McKelvey, said, “I don’t think my opponent is listening or engaging with the people in our community. His loyalty is to the majority of his campaign contributors who reside on Oahu.”

I believe most incumbents’ first priority is to be reelected. That’s why you will seldom see an incumbent agree to campaign spending limits, which allows everyday people like you and I the opportunity to stand up and speak out on issues of primary importance. Running for elected office is a privilege that every law-abiding citizen should have, and not just people with the financial means and socially connected individuals.

As a citizen candidate, I signed a pledge with our county to abide with the campaign spending limit for the office I am seeking. Unfortunately, the winner is most often the one who spends the most, not necessarily the one with the best ideas and solutions.

If we had term limits, we would see a huge drop in political corruption. I am not pointing a finger at anyone; I am just saying as a rule, this statement is true. Second, it is important that more people get a chance at bat. Fresh people, fresh ideas are always a good thing. If I am elected as your new legislator, I promise to serve no more than two terms in this office.

Remember that incumbents love to take credit for everything and responsibility for nothing. They will emphasize how important their unfinished business is, and how many colleagues they have in the House. If that is not enough, let’s not forget that incumbents stress they know the ins and outs of government, and that a new legislator would be at a disadvantage being new and not yet understanding the processes of government. That statement is true to a degree, but it is not true about everyone. As far as I know, we still can’t measure passion or willpower.

I took out papers to run nonpartisan for legislative office. Later, I was contacted by the Republican Party. They convinced me that if I ran nonpartisan, I would be on my own. So I changed my mind and ran Republican, because the GOP promised to support my campaign. In retrospect, I regret changing my mind, because I am nonpartisan at heart. I am all about unity, not uniformity. Party politics divides us at a time when the most important thing we can do is come together. Party politics divides people, ideas and visions. Our strength has always been when we stand together. All parties must stop the posturing, finger pointing and cynicism of politics past. My approach is to embrace dialog and nonpartisan consensus building.

I will be a strong advocate for you and work with the Democratic leadership, which is in the majority in our state government. By working together as a team, forming bonds of common concerns to benefit the people, we can rekindle the hope of our constituents. With unity, we become an unstoppable force that can change government for the better. I promise I will never accept a campaign contribution from a special interest group, union or corporation. I reserve all my favor for the people. My opponent will accept contributions from just about anyone, even Monsanto. Your question should be why would private interest groups, unions and corporations invest in a candidate? Could it be they want favor that should be reserved for you? My dad told me people usually don’t do something for nothing; could that be true of special interest groups, unions and corporations?

CHAYNE MARTEN, West Maui

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Democrats, Republicans waste time fighting

It is 7:40 p.m. and my Democrat and Republican humming birds are still trying to get enough to eat before they go to roost for the night.

I know one is a Democrat and the other a Republican because they both want exactly the same thing. When one hummingbird lands to drink the sweet water and the other sees him, he chases the other away. If he lands on the opposite side where he can’t be seen by the other, they both drink together. If one notices that the other is getting some of the sweet water, they both fly away fighting.

This is exactly what the Democrats and the Republicans are doing. They both want peace and a prosperous America, but they continue to fight each other like the hummingbirds because they do not understand that money is a public utility and must be intelligently managed.

KENNETH L. RUSSELL, Via E-mai

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Store supports Maui Food Bank

We are proud to be sponsoring a food drive for the Maui Food Bank. As a new West Side drop-off location, we are hoping to raise 100 pounds to feed Maui families. We thank you for your support in achieving our 100-pound goal.

As a bonus, we are offering 10 percent off home furnishing purchases for a donation of three canned goods. The most-needed items are canned meat and tuna, canned fruits and

vegetables, canned meals and soups with protein, cereal, rice and pasta. We are located at 1000 Limahana Place in Lahaina. For directions, please call (808) 667-4383.

Help us fill our barrel!

MAUI FAMILY FURNITURE

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Police can treat people better

Regarding the letter “Follow orders by the police” in the Aug. 23 issue, I was a police officer as well, 17 years, and as a sergeant, I quit for no other reasons than police forces – all over the U.S. – are way too rough, trigger-easy and biased.

To me, it’s a clear violation of the Constitution having ANYBODY handcuffed. I witnessed 12-year-olds being handcuffed just because he/she was “under arrest.”

Some time ago, MPD had a bench-warrant against me – I totally oversaw my parking ticket – and when I entered the Lahaina Station, they treated me like a criminal! I simply forgot all about a silly and trivial parking ticket, officers of MPD!

I do agree, and I had to use my handgun drawn when a person appeared to endanger the officer, but other than that? No!

After my time as a police officer, I have worked in many countries, from Asia to Australia, and from Europe to South Africa. And apparently, all those people watch “Cops,” etc. They asked me if all that seen on TV is true about American police forces, and I had to concur that scenes shown were not reenactments.

My remedy? Don’t just address people with “ma’am” and “sir” while you slap the cuffs on them and shove them into the patrol car. Treat them as such first.

DR. GEORG WOODMAN