Top 10 overheard things at White House
10. “He wants what?”
9. “Hey, why don’t we try …?”
8. “Oh yeah, Mexico? Watch this!”
7. “Yes, Mr. President, you did say that. Did you really mean it?”
6. “Putin. He loves me; he loves me not; he loves me …”
5. “Bannon, you’re kidding, right?”
4. “Who are all those women out there?”
3. “Come on, Spicer, act like you mean it!”
2. “”Why can’t we just sign an executive order that says we did it and move on?”
1. “Does this jacket make my hands look small?”
John Sucke
Waimea
Irish used to be feared
“Irish need not apply.” This is just one of hundreds of headlines in the 1800s in America against Irish. Here are just some of the words describing Irish that stuck in my mind from those 1800s newspaper clippings: Widely known as assassins, little white monkeys, incestuous, slave race, dangerous, among many others.
Americans didn’t want them.
The Irish were forced to leave Ireland due to lack of industry, and the great potato famine, so they immigrated to America. About 2 million in all over a few years, 750,000 starved to death in Ireland. Germans had a few of the same issues. About 1 million of them immigrated in the same time frame.
At this moment in time, there are more Irish Americans than there are Irish in Ireland. I sure hope they don’t take my Irish friends away. I won’t have anyone to golf with!
Joel Sparks
Kona
Doctor pitching unsafe dairy bill
I have been a practicing pediatrician on the Big Island since 1981. I am quite aware of the increasing politicization of health care in Hawaii in general, and the University of Hawaii in particular.
The medical students and their professors demonstrating this week in Honolulu was therefore no surprise. I am wondering if these individuals are aware of the latest threat to the health and safety of their patients being advocated by our locally elected legislators. I am referring to HB 257. HB 257, unfortunately introduced by Richard Creagan, MD (former Kona hospital ER physician and now legislative representative from Ka’u), would allow the retail sale of raw dairy products in Hawaii. Although the law would impose some tracking and labeling requirements, none of these would mitigate the risks of consuming unpasteurized dairy products.
Curiously, the legislation appears to also promote an excise tax avoidance scheme whereby “consumers” would purchase “cow shares” from farmers and be paid back in raw milk. Perhaps Dr. Creagan is unaware of the real and profound dangers of consuming raw milk and other unpasteurized dairy products.
I certainly hope this legislation dies the sudden death it deserves, before the people of Hawaii are injured and killed by it. I also hope that Dr. Creagan reaffirms his physician’s oath to “do the least harm” rather than succumb to vote-getting political expediency. If he cannot, he should never campaign for public office with the letters MD after his name.
Perhaps also, the demonstrating medical students can learn a lesson as to what occurs when physicians suborn their training and ethics to the political process.
Peter Locatelli, MD
Kealakekua