Violence
Violence
No easy answer
The massacre at Newtown is a tragedy that affects us all. As usual, we will be bombarded with extreme opinions, citing hand-picked factoids. In reality, the correlation between gun laws, ownership and crime of all sorts is weak.
Don’t take my word for it, research it.
Assault rifles (automatics, U. S. Army definition) are still illegal, and have been for decades. Semi-automatic rifles that look like assault rifles were illegal for years; it made little difference. Hundred-round magazines do not make sense unless you are fighting a war and have thousands of rounds. Semi-automatic sport rifles make sense to a responsible hunter who does not leave wounded animals in the field.
When the best guns were single shot, criminals carried several.
If you could make all the guns disappear, there would be more tomorrow.
If you banned ammunition, there would be illegal ammunition tomorrow.
Violent movies and video games just replace live violence, like rumbles, public hangings and Roman circuses.
Tragedies like Newtown usually end when a responsible person with a gun arrives.
Maybe there should be a provision for trained responsible gun custodians in the gun-free zones.
No one objects when an armed police officer responds, but usually too late.
Ken Obenski
Kaohe
Parade complaint
Counter-candy kill joy
Regarding the bah humbug complaint of Mr. Dickinson concerning candy at our town parades: Really?
As an Alii Drive business owner, I can attest that the day after clean up never amounts to more than a five-minute sidewalk sweep.
I have found, in general, that kids are much more litter-conscious than adults.
The world is in extremely scary place for a child these days.
He obviously hasn’t heard the squeals of joy of kids jockeying to get a handful of candy from Santa or Uncle Sam.
Why take away one of the few remaining innocent childhood pleasures living in a small town affords?
Cindy Coats
Kailua-Kona
Transit fees
Where do the collected board and bag fees go?
Here’s the $64,000 question: What does Mayor Billy Kenoi’s transit agency do with all of the money taken from this island’s skateboarders?
Are they going to build a skate park for these young dudes and dudettes; or just balance the county budget?
What about the money the Hele-On bus drivers have taken from shoppers for that extra bag of groceries? Will Tom Brown donate the “hot bread” to The Food Basket, or just balance the county budget?
The longer the administration stalls concerning this, the more dollar bills they can rake in.
How long can they keep getting away with this?
Jerry Warren
Naalehu