Luna cheerleaders support participants during the sixth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes at The Outlets of Maui.

Smoking ban should be stated in signage and enforced

The smoking ban in Maui’s parks and beaches went into effect in April of 2014. In all that time, I have seen exactly two signs to that effect – one at Keawakapu in Kihei and one at Baldwin Beach in Sprecklesville. The one in Kihei has subsequently been removed.

In Kaanapali, I pick up countless cigarette butts on the beach and see visitors and locals smoking without restraint, tossing their butts in the sand and ocean. I have never seen a single sign there.

Most people are not aware that the ban exists, and while it is undeniable that there will be a segment of the population that will ignore it, signage will have a significant effect on the practice.

We need signs at every beach access and along the beach walkway. Whatever that small expense might be would be more than offset by the reduction in toxic waste on our fair shores, not to mention the vast improvement of air quality and beach enjoyment of the majority.

JILL IRELAND

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Don’t let Republicans decimate Medicare

Health care is a right, not a privilege. Over the past few months, I’ve seen just how important affordable care is and that we’re all just one diagnosis away from needing it. This is particularly true for our kupuna.

Right now, the GOP is racing to pass a budget that decimates nearly $500 billion from Medicare, all to give a tax cut to the top 1 percent. Medicare is on the line, and we cannot let Republicans pull the rug out from under our kupuna.

I will always fight tooth and nail to protect Medicare in Hawaii and across the country.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO

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Follow Queen Liliuokalani’s wisdom

In November 1917, Queen Liliuokalani died. Her Christ-like response to the overthrow lives on. Demonstrating Jesus’ grace, she wrote: “Forgive and cleanse… let peace be our portion.”

Trusting God’s Word that “a man reaps what he sows,” Liliuokalani warned of judgment to Americans: “If not in your day, in that of your children, for ‘be not deceived, God is not mocked.’ ”

God is merciful and just, “maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents.” (Exodus)

Hawaiian heirs suffer the consequences of their ancestors who adopted Western property laws and vices. The blessing of the overthrow is it prevented all the land from being sold.

A few entities control the majority of land today. Rather than taking opportunities to return land to Hawaiian families, plundering continues by using quiet-title and quit-claims.

Returning land and restoring the nation is viable. Assurance for non-native residents, God requires to love the alien and land allotments for them. Honorable solutions could help worldwide controversies.

Establish righteous precedents – “Rid yourselves, of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezekiel)

“We cannot ourselves alone accomplish such an object. God must be our aid,” the Hawaiian Constitution states.

Liliuokalani’s book concludes: “As they deal with me and my people… may the Great Ruler of all nations deal with the grand and glorious nation of the United States of America.”

MICHELE LINCOLN, Lahaina

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Details on the state motto

Please let Ms. Lincoln know that her last letter has false information.

The official motto of the State of Hawaii is “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Aina i ka Pono.” It means, “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”

This phrase was first spoken by Kamehameha III on July 31, 1843 at Thomas Square, Oahu, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii was returned by the British through the restorative actions of Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following a brief takeover by Lord George Paulet.

Based on the context when it was first spoken, it can also mean “The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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A Nobel Prize for sanity?

The Nobel Peace Prize for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a wonderful tribute to the many millions of people around the world who have struggled over the years against the insanity of nuclear weapons.

Congratulations to the courageous and far-sighted organizers who founded the campaign! And congratulations to all who are or have been part of the worldwide movement for nuclear disarmament!

The Nobel Prize is an affirmation not only of the goal of nuclear abolition but of the essential role of civil society activism in helping to achieve that goal.

The Nobel Committee similarly honored the role of citizen activism in 1985 when it awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The physicians’ movement played a central role in mobilizing public opinion against nuclear weapons at the time of the nuclear freeze movement in the U.S. and the disarmament campaigns of Europe.

The Nobel Committee praised the role of the physicians for increasing public pressure against nuclear proliferation.

In its statement, the Nobel Committee honored ICAN for drawing attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for ground-breaking efforts to build support for the recently adopted U.N. Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons.

The humanitarian issue has been crucial to the ICAN strategy and has helped to broaden the framework for addressing nuclear weapons issues. It shifts the focus from arcane conceptions of national security to the urgency of saving lives and preventing human suffering.

ICAN’s emphasis on humanitarian issues follows the model of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

Leaders of the nuclear weapons states will ignore or scoff at this awarding of the Nobel Prize, but we will not be misled or deterred from continuing the struggle for nuclear abolition.

President Dwight Eisenhower once said, “I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”

With this latest Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps we have moved a step closer to that day.

DAVID CORTRIGHT, PeaceVoice

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Mahalo for supporting Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Women Helping Women’s West Maui Task Force would like to extend our most sincere MAHALO to everyone who helped make the sixth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes a successful event. With your help, we raised almost $5,000 for Women Helping Women’s West Maui Client Assistance Fund! Our main sponsors were instrumental in making it all happen: The Outlets of Maui, 5A Rent-A-Space, Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, Williams & Associates, Joe Hawkins and KONI 104.7 FM, Burn’n Love’s Darren Lee, and Fred’s Garage.

A big thank you to everyone who took time out of their Saturday to volunteer and also participate in the walk itself. Special mention to the teams from the Maui Fire Department, the Maui Police Department Domestic Violence Unit, Maui Search and Rescue, the boys and girls from Pillars of Creation, Coach Garret Tihada and players from the Lahainaluna Junior Varsity Football Team and the Lahainaluna Cheerleading Team for their enthusiastic cheering!

It was inspiring to see so many Maui community members pledge to do their part to end violence toward women and children.

We were overwhelmed by the generous donations, both monetary and in-kind, from Maui businesses and individuals. Thank you to all of our prize donors and other special contributors: 5A Rent-A-Space, 808PhotoBomb LLC, Aloha Air Cargo, Alii Nui Sailing Charters, Brandy Hampton Henna Tattoos, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., “Burn’n Love,” Cane & Canoe Restaurant, Captain Jack’s Island Grill, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Choice Health Bar, Cirque Jolie, CJ’s Deli & Diner, Cool Cat Cafe, Crocs, Duke’s Beach House, Fred’s Garage, Gerard’s Restaurant, Hawaiian Village Coffee, Hawaii Water Service, HMSA, Honua Kai Resort & Spa, Honolulu Cookie Company, Honu Seafood and Pizza, Island Printing & Imaging, Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Kalia’s Touch of Favor Facials & Body Spa, Keoni’s Hot Lava DanceFit, KONI 104.7 FM, La Costa Realty Hawaii LLC, Mahina Boutique, Maui Brewing Co., Maui Concierge Service, Maui Jim, Media Maui, Merriman’s Kapalua, Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, Neighbors of West Maui, Office Max Lahaina, Penne Pasta Cafe, Pi Artisan Pizzeria, Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset, Roy’s Kaanapali, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Sea House Restaurant, Sen. Roz Baker, Skechers, Slappy Cakes, Starbucks, Star Noodle, Steven Libitsky, Sunshine Helicopters, Susan’s Maui Massage, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers, The Bakery, The Beehive Lash & Brow Bar, The Napili Coffee Store, The Feast at Lele, The Fish Market, The Mauian Hotel, The Outlets of Maui, The Plantation House Restaurant, The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas, Trilogy Excursions, UFO Parasail, Volcom, Warren & Annabelle’s Magic, West Maui Chiropractic Clinic, Williams & Associates, and Zensations Spa.

Finally, congratulations to our award recipients: for largest donation, Byron Tabisola of Air Aloha Cargo (two sunset dinner cruise tickets for Pacific Whale Foundation) and John Kadowaki of Hawaii Water Service (two tickets to Drums of the Pacific Luau); for most sponsors, Byron Tabisola (two snorkel cruise tickets from Trilogy Excursions); for best costume, Keith Todd (two nights’ accommodation at The Mauian Hotel); and for largest team, Maui Fire Department (gift bags with coffee gift certificates, cookies and slippers).

We look forward to seeing you all next year! Start getting your teams ready now!

MARIA TERRA, WHW~West Maui Task Force