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LETTERS for August 8 issue

By Staff | Aug 8, 2013

Water study shows no harm from discharge

The recent Lahaina shoreline study the environmentalists are touting in order to push for more costly taxpayer paid remedies, or to negotiate away our injection wells, leaves something to be desired.

After 1.25 years, the dye showed up in the first 75 feet of shoreline. The study estimated an average flow of 2.75 million gallons per day of disinfected injection well water, which may include groundwater, flowing into the first 75 feet of offshore water.

Based on an average shoreline depth, out to 75 feet distance, this calculates to a concentration of 0.19 parts per million of treated injection well water. Wow, that’s a heavy concentration! And no mention of additional breakdown in the ocean waters.

This 0.19 ppm is an estimate of the amount of disinfected injection well water, which may include groundwater. The study did not state any harm had been attributed to this discharge with this extremely low concentration.

We should probably worry more about surfboard wax and sunscreen in the shoreline waters affecting coral than this.

DON GERBIG, Lahaina

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Kaanapali project a traffic nightmare

(The following letter was sent to Mayor Alan Arakawa.)

I am sure you are aware of the construction occurring on Honoapiilani Highway in Kaanapali. This is a real traffic nightmare for residents and visitors.

My suggestion is to take the southbound traffic and reroute them through Kaanapali Parkway, and allow northbound traffic to have two full lanes using the closed southbound lanes that have been rerouted.

I am the rental manager at Honokeana Cove; many of my guests from the Mainland are quite upset about the delays due to this construction. I quote, “We could have stayed on the Mainland if we wanted stalled traffic.”

Is this what we need to promote tourism on Maui? I really don’t think so. So maybe someone should start using their brains and help alleviate traffic by rerouting options… it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out!

Maui continues to grow – and traffic is getting worse – so why not start thinking before doing?

SU CAMPOS, Napili

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Slow down in Kapalua

I was not aware that Office Road is now the West Maui Speedway in Kapalua. This morning, as I was walking on Office Road, a small white car with surfboards on top that frequents this stretch of the speedway on a regular basis between 7:30 and 8 a.m. was traveling at a speed in excess of 45 MPH when he/she hit the raised crosswalk by the Honolua Store, flew two feet in the air and almost hit a couple with their baby in a stroller as it came back down and was off-balance. This driver never missed a beat and kept driving as if nothing had happened. No one was able to get the license plate number, since going the speed of sound, it would be impossible.

Another speedway is Office Road where it forks off to Kapalua Bay Drive. That corner is the area where you hear the squeal of tires in enough time to jump over to the golf course side to avoid being hit as, once again, the raceway continues.

The street behind the Ritz-Carlton is another speeding area that is very dangerous for those walking their dogs and/or jogging.

Those raised crosswalks do not deter anyone; in fact, it is a challenge to everyone.

I have seen Maui Police Department patrol the area, but two cars close together will not get the job done. There needs to be speed trap points set up.

Kapalua used to be a very serene area to walk, bike, jog and enjoy the beauty, but no more, since one has to be sure not to get hit and not to enjoy a stress-free time. Please extend the speeding campaign to these areas.

Too many accidents in 2013 already – both locals and visitors alike. We do not need any more. PLEASE drive responsibly; what is your hurry?

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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Asbestos handled properly

I am a Lahaina Surf resident and have worked for the Health Department on the Mainland. I am very concerned about the misinformation that is given to the media and newspapers, such as Kim Chang’s letter on the managing of the asbestos material.

The Department of Health’s response that the company is certified and following protocol IS pertaining to the container that is holding the asbestos material.

The protocol is that the material is double-bagged in heavy/thick plastic, and the container is covered with this same plastic. The container has heavy tape preventing any of the material from escaping.

The hazmat suits are worn for those removing it. They are the only ones in any danger of ingesting the asbestos. The Lahaina Surf maintenance staff also wear these suits when painting.

The popcorn material containing the asbestos in the ceilings is also in most older homes. Unless you inhale the dust that is caused by removing it, you are not in danger if it is sealed.

I feel that anyone reporting anything to the media or the paper has the responsibility to know what is really happening. The fear that this misinformation is causing is not helping anyone.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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American politics, scandals and human failures

What do Anthony Weiner, Bob Filner, Eliot Spitzer, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and Bill Clinton all have in common? Think about it. There are several answers to this question. One answer: they all had or have a human failure problem.

Thomas Jefferson is reported to have had six children with a mistress slave. How would that play out on cable news today? Ralph Abernathy reported in his book that King had a problem with white prostitutes, and that a mistress was in the hotel the night he was killed in Memphis. John F. Kennedy was reported to have had several affairs, including one with Marilyn Monroe. His brother Bobby was also alleged to have been involved with Monroe. Roosevelt was accused of numerous women in his life, including a 20-year affair with his secretary. And then there was Bill Clinton.

Jimmy Carter drew national attention when he admitted to being an adulterer during his presidential campaign.

It seems like it usually boils down to sex, but not always. Richard Nixon was run out of Washington because of Watergate, and Ted Kennedy almost lost his political career over the Chappaquiddick car crash that took the life of Mary Jo Kopechne. In 1922, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was found guilty of bribery, fined $100,000 and sentenced to one year in prison in what is remembered as the Teapot Dome Scandal.

Human failure is rampant in politics, mainly because politicians are human beings prone to fall short. You may quickly name persons of unblemished service – and there would be many – but the problem with that is that you never know everything. Every human being is guilty of foul-ups, let downs and human failure.

Even the Bible says all have come short. All means all of us.

People actually talk about the faults and mistakes of people all the time. They talk about them in church prayer meetings under the guise of prayer requests. We gather in our little circles and make each other feel better as we talk about the faults of others.

Granted, you or your neighbor may not be running for public office, and therefore, you may feel you are exempt from life scrutiny. Just remember these people are human beings with a human nature and human problems and have the ability to fall short of perfection. We all have that nature.

GLENN MOLLETTE