Letters 1-20

Jail sentence

Justice system ‘working pretty well’

As a criminal defense attorney in Kona, recent letters to the editor prompt a response. People complained about a “short” jail sentence a person got after being involved in a fatal car and motorcycle accident, and others complained about someone getting a deferral of their plea to a criminal theft charge.

I submit that the system in Kona is working pretty well. The deputy prosecutors in Kona are doing a pretty good job. The defense attorneys in Kona are competent enough. And the judges are fair in their judgments and, generally, they follow the law.

In the case of the traffic fatality, the court was not so lenient as letter writers would make one think. They missed or forgot or ignored what your newspaper reported: The accident was the fault of the person who died after passing the hapless defendant in a no-passing zone. The defendant’s mistakes were driving after drinking and leaving the scene, and he was being sentenced for those mistakes, but not for some wanton killing.

Regarding the deferral system in Hawaii, maybe it reflects Hawaii’s tolerance for some normal base human behavior. We all make mistakes. Some commit acts and errors of judgment that rise to the level of criminal conduct. And a few innocents, dare I say, are accused of such acts and errors. The deferred plea idea lets society give someone another chance at a conviction-free life (try getting a job when there are 10 people in line and you’re the only one with a felony record). Also, for the innocent, the rare few, for example, that walk out of a local supermarket that has a zero-tolerance policy for shoplifters, accidentally carrying something they meant to pay for but didn’t, it’s a chance for them to keep their record clean without asking a judge to believe their tale of “oops, I forgot.”

If a person proves they can live a law-abiding life by not messing up again during a deferral period, shouldn’t they be given a clean slate, a second chance?

A law-abiding life, by the way, is more easily attained when you don’t have to worry about medical insurance or paying for a decent education. Universal health care and a higher priority for education — paid for by a compassionate government through taxes on the unconscionably rich — would go a long way toward solving society’s symptomatic criminality. But that’s another soap box.

Frank L. Miller

Captain Cook and Waimea

Elks response

Donations made for those in need, not headlines

This letter is in response to Michael C. Robinson’s letter of Jan. 17, regarding the criteria used in selecting headlines. He questioned why the Elks were favored with the striking headline while other organizations raising larger amounts of money were not.

I wish to say it is obvious the choice of headlines is not in the purview of the Kona Elks. However, donations made by the Kona Elks Lodge; its auxiliary, the Makoa Wahine O Kona; the Rotary; Shriners; the Credit Union; Clark Realty; and all other groups, are all done for the good of the community. There is no dollar figure that can say one donation is better than another.

Thank goodness we have community-minded individuals and organizations spending hundreds of hours of manpower to better our community. This year has been an especially difficult one for so many families and the contributions to each organization combine to help those who need it. Let us not lose sight of what is important here. We do not donate for the sake of headlines. We donate, whether money or manpower or goods, for those in need. God bless all those organizations for their hard work.

If anyone is interested in the Kona Elks Lodge, we invite them to call the Kona Elks Lodge at 329-2616 for more information.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is a nationwide organization whose membership over the past 130 years of tens of millions of American citizens are motivated by deep feelings of reverence for family, nation, flag and community. The Kona Elks Veterans Committee participates in all events at the veterans cemetery. They also host meetings of the recently organized Veterans of Foreign Wars group.

Muriel Boot

Kona Elks Lodge No. 2616, Public Relations