Highway work important Labor Day reminder
As I was driving north into town from Captain Cook on Saturday morning I suddenly found myself stuck in a massive traffic jam. Apparently the Department of Transportation had decided to begin a major highway repair job on the first day of the Labor Day weekend which was causing a long delay and long line of idle cars and frustrated motorists.
My initial reaction was to silently curse the brilliant planners at the DOT for the unconscionable inconvenience they had caused for so many people who were forced to sit waiting in their vehicles feeling impatient and annoyed instead of enjoying the holiday as they had planned.
But then it occurred to me that there were men working on the road crew toiling under the blazing sun in extremely difficult, unpleasant and even dangerous conditions. They work in order to keep and maintain the roads I use all the time and generally take for granted and always expect to be in good condition so as to allow me to get to the places I need to go that essentially allow me to survive and live the relatively comfortable life I enjoy.
On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women serving in the military protecting our country, especially those who have died in that service; and generally, we as a nation seem to be pretty good at doing that. On Labor Day, however, we’re supposed to honor the working men and women whose diligent labor keeps the country functioning on a day-to-day basis, year after year.
I am just one person who benefits from the combined labor of so many working individuals who provide the manpower, knowledge, skills, leadership and muscle that makes and keeps America the greatest nation on Earth. All too often I forget the many sacrifices, both great and small, continually being tirelessly and thanklessly performed, which not only make my life easier, they make my very survival possible. I realized that an occasional traffic delay is a small price to pay for such a significant benefit.
This Labor Day holiday was the perfect time for us all to remember that we must not only work as individuals for ourselves and our own families, we must work together as a community and as a nation for the common good of all people who make America a wonderful, amazing place to live.
Quintus Gwynn
Captain Cook
Stop cat killer before it escalates
It is horrible to think that anyone could kill an animal just for sport or fun, yet it has happened now at least three times. Someone knows who is committing these crimes. Perhaps what they do not know is that this is a sign of a mental illness.
This is the beginning of a sociopath. There is a family member or a friend who knows who this person is. I realize that turning in a friend or family member is hard. Consider this and maybe stop any more suffering. Eventually killing animals will not be enough. Eventually it may be something much worse. Think about the guilt of knowing that you could have stopped this before a person had to die. If anyone knows who is doing this and does nothing then you are also guilty for not coming forward. Please, do not stand by and allow this person to continue killing animals. They may be someone’s pet. This person is dangerous. This person needs to be stopped.
John Pierce
Waikoloa