‘We grieve for the soul of our nation’
The quiet, polite thoughts of concerned citizens are often overwhelmed by the angry, critical, complaining voices that tend to make headlines.
Only local newspapers still print the views of the average person whose sole desire is for our nation to return to civility, stability and rule-of-law.
Hawaii has always felt like a safe haven of aloha, peace and beauty to many of us. We observe the high-stress, competitive financial world that puts profit above people and are glad not to be a part of that. We see the bitter divide of racism and hate crimes on the mainland, and hope the islands remain a loving safe place for people of every color, race and creed. We view with horror mass shootings and macho gun mentality and are thankful that we live in a state with sensible, protective gun regulation.
We watch the destruction of our sacred Earth by corporations that chemically pollute and desecrate water, air and soil, and are grateful for advocacy groups who help us in preserving our precious islands. We are proud of being a state that put the health and welfare of our vulnerable citizens first during COVID, rather than one that hopped on the “we should be worrying more about the U.S. economy” bandwagon.
We believe in following laws enacted to preserve the safety and dignity of every fellow human being, because we wish to remain a special place noted for its compassion and empathy for others, not a place where people only care about their own personal rights while abusing the rights of others.
We are sad for those who dwell in fear, having been swept up in the darkness of internet conspiracy thinking, causing disconnect from family, friends and reality. They inhabit a confused, distressed paranoia that unfortunately enables unscrupulous individuals to con them.
We are alarmed by the voices stirring up anxiety with cries of anarchy, discord and civil war. We remain incredulous that an incendiary mob vandalized the Capitol, seeking to harm politicians with whom they disagreed. We are upset that the Nazi fascism of book banning has reared its ugly head in this country. We only wish for our U.S. courts to be allowed to try every case and every individual based on verified factual merit and a sworn oath to tell the truth — not simply a chorus of semi-informed, emotionally charged public opinion or over-slanted media commentary.
The vast ocean has served in some ways as a buffer from mainland chaos for many years. But guns are to be allowed on our beaches? Moneyed influence bringing lawyers and pundits to our islands to advocate self-serving agendas that benefit them, while pretending to care about the people of Hawaii? Social media as a poorly monitored highway of twisted information, meanness and hate?
Without rule-of-law, humanitarian values of kindness, and democratic equality, we grieve for the soul of our nation and the impact it’s having on our islands. And we thank this newspaper for giving voice to our concerns.
Martha Hodges
Kailua-Kona
It’s too expensive to park in Kona
My husband and I spent the month of August in Kona.
We were so disappointed that hourly parking in Kailua-Kona cost $12 per hour.
We had planned to spend some time there over the month visiting shops, restaurants and the village stroll. Instead, we visited a couple of shops for about an hour and never went back.
How unfortunate that a place that depends on tourism like Kailua-Kona does not have reasonable parking rates.
Tami Robbins
Pasco, Wash.