Roundup is toxic
The Oct. 30 edition headline featured the proposed law banning Roundup by the county. You folks chose to headline a farmer/rancher spokeswoman who declared toxicity depends on dose.
“Table salt is more toxic than Roundup.”
Totally false! Roundup causes miscarriages and is a probable cancer-causing pesticide. Does West Hawaii Today have credentials in environmental toxins? Does the rancher/spokeswoman? Shame on you.
I have the credentials and experience. The Roundup “inert” additive POEA kills umbilical and placental cells. Argentina farmyard animals near Roundup fields have miscarriages. French lab tests confirm the POEA connection. It takes many years to test for cancer, not so for miscarriage. Human miscarriages are mostly not reported, not so with farmyard animals.
Rollin Frost
Kailua-Kona
Black smoke not needed to train
I am not sure why I have been asked by the Hawaii and U.S. Departments of Transportation to respond to a proposal to build the Pacific Regional Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Training Center at the Kona International Airport, but here is what I have to say:
Every so often, for a period of several days, the existing fire fighting facility sets off an oil fire within a mock aircraft fuselage which rescue personnel then practice extinguishing. This exercise results in an immense plume of black smoke, laden with hydrocarbons, several times a day.
It’s not just the gross pollution created by these sessions but, as importantly, it is the message given by those of us who live here to both ourselves and to the visitors we rely on for our livelihoods that we don’t give a damn about our environment.
If the millions of dollars expended to build this facility are to be justified it will only be because the facility will then be used to train firefighters from across the country and that means gigantic plumes of black smoke every day.
Keahole airport is the gateway to Kona and any effort to create what can only be an unparalleled affront to our atmosphere and to who we are must not be allowed.
In this day of virtual reality media, I am sure we can train firefighters without blackening our skies.
Kelly Greenwell
Kailua-Kona
Hate crimes can’t be tolerated
It is troubling that the recent vicious anti-LGBT vandalism of the home and vehicle of Puna resident Joshua Franklin Alameda will not be investigated as a “hate crime” by police.
Mr. Alameda, an openly gay man and father, believes this incident is linked to legal action he has taken regarding harassment against his tween-age sons at a local school based on their dad’s sexual orientation.
The Hawaii County Police Department and Prosecutor Mitch Roth are being untruthful in claiming that Hawaii County doesn’t have any hate crimes, by purposefully refusing to classify bonafide bias incidents as such.
Native Hawaiian culture has a longstanding tradition of accepting people of diverse sexualities and expressions of gender, but since colonization, these values have been opposed by the evangelicals and bigotry has grown out-of-control.
The Hawaii County Police Department must establish a Bias Crimes Unit with LGBT officers as part of the team and a task force to undertake a public education campaign on hate crimes, in places like schools, before something even more tragic happens to one of our diverse Big Island ohana because of who they are.
I stand with Joshua Franklin Alameda and urge everyone to join me in combating hate and supporting human rights on the Big Island.
Rev. Dr. Eric Hafner
Mountain View
Picture not appropriate
I was shocked and disturbed by your front page picture of the child’s tennis shoe on Nov 3. To sensationalize a family’s tragedy in this way is unacceptable and unforgivable. I apologize to this family that in this time of grieving they were subjected to this sad attempt at headline grabbing by WHT. This is a new low for our paper.
Christine Brunsen
South Kona