Letters 2-14-14

It’s time to vote out the old guard

In the Jan. 29 issue of West Hawaii Today, there was an article about the governor appointing his third high court justice. The good point is that we are losing the most liberal judge currently on the court, Justice Simeon Acoba Jr. The bad part is we have a Democratic governor appointing another liberal judge. All of this is to be expected in a state that has been virtually under siege by Democrats for more than 50 years.

Another good point, the mandatory retirement age for justices is 70. This helps keep real old cronies from getting more entrenched than they are already. The bad point is our legislators are trying to convince us that we should raise the mandatory retirement to 80. Once again, the Democrats controlling Hawaii politics are attempting to shove a bad idea down our throats and make it look like a good idea. It may only be a 10-year appointment but we need younger judges that are more in touch with the people, not old ones that think they know what is best for us. We are supposed to take comfort in the fact that we will have a “lasting judicial legacy” of liberals until the 2020s.

Obviously this letter is directed to our young voters. Young voters be aware. Do you want to have a bunch of old cronies dictating your lives until they are 80 years old? How out of touch are these old legislators? Look at our federal legislators, do a search and find out how old and entrenched our congressional legislators are. Likely it will make you sick to realize that a bunch of old people are controlling your lives.

Voters, please use your head when this comes up on the ballot this November.

Frank Dickinson

Kailua-Kona

Policy on feral cats angers resident

I don’t support the Humane Society any more.

I usually give to the Humane Society, but will no longer. I’ve had so much trouble with feral cats, which have been spayed or neutered and released into our environment, all facilitated by the Humane Society.

My hen in my yard can’t raise chicks anymore because the wild cats just eat them. I tried raising chicks in a cage. In the morning, there were wild cats sitting on the cage. I trapped one of the cats and took it to the Waimea shelter of the Humane Society. The lady there wanted to know where the cat was caught so they could turn it loose if it was “chipped” and neutered. This was a totally wild, vicious cat that wouldn’t let anyone get near it. It was not a pet.

Cats are an invasive species and a top predator that have been introduced into our delicate island environment. There are no coyotes, bald eagles, bobcats or cougars that will keep the cat population in check, as they do on the mainland. Our native birds have never evolved with any predator other than io, or Hawaiian hawk. We used to have pueo in the pastures in our area and on the Kohala grade. I haven’t seen them for years. And there are now feral cats in our rain forests, so I guess we will see no more of the native forest birds either.

I am really disappointed with the Humane Society for supporting this carnage and the misguided concept of spay/neuter and release.

I love cats and dogs, my father was a veterinarian and I am a trained biologist, so this has me very upset.

Pat Hall

Waimea