More on dolphins, TMT
Today’s letters by Young and Flores have hit dead on with the way the majority of keiki o ka aina feel today.
Until I moved from Oahu 25 years ago, I never heard of swimming with dolphins. Never once, even when I spent half my life living on Maui, did anyone suggest let’s go swim with the porpoise — that’s what we called them.
This appears to be something brought over from the mainland and exploited by both locals and others who puts a buck before common sense. I have never seen dolphins come to shore to swim with us.
On the subject of TMT, I was informed about a Thirty Meter Telescope but no one ever publicly to my knowledge told me about the monstrous building it would be mounted on. This will change and destroy the beauty of Mauna Loa. Not being a religious person my concerns for Mauna Loa is strictly to preserve the beauty of this magnificent and powerful piece of Hawaii. We have lost too much of our aina’s beauty to money, which some say is progress but without money there would be no need for progress.
Many of our people still follow the ancient beliefs and pray to their Akua and are accused of just being superstitious and superstition has no place in stopping progress. This is just blatant disrespect to the culture of Hawaii. You would never hear any politician refer to Catholic, Jewish or, heaven forbid, an evangelist of being mere superstition and they should never let their beliefs be considered in works of progress.
In closing I want to put the pro TMT public at ease. Your telescope will be built. I didn’t get this from a crystal ball but merely from our history of Hawaii. If there is a buck to be made by the state and every insider that profits from the state, it will be built no matter what.
Paul Santos
Ocean View
Some dolphin testimony ignored,
some disgusting
On Sept. 9 at Kealakehe High School an ardent supporter of the group who calls themselves “Dolphinville” joyfully described his encounters with dolphins who are mating. He informed the attendees at the public hearing that he had taken numerous pictures of dolphin in the act of having sex.
He revoltingly described his encounters with these intelligent mammals and leeringly detailed his observation of them having sex and photographing them.
His last remark recommended that everyone should experience this intimate act and he promised us that it will change our lives.
At the Kealakehe hearing, Charles Young testified that it does not take a room full of scientists to make us understand that dolphins need rest and time alone to nurse their young and socialize with each other. But this sound advice went unheeded by the proponents of swim with the dolphin activities.
Their contention that the dolphin could leave the protection of the sandy bay if they wanted to is a deceitful attempt to justify their desire to “play” with these mammals and exploit them for profit.
There are other ways to make money enjoying nature’s beauty without intruding upon the biological cycles of a mammal which had previously been left alone for hundreds of years. Economics should not enter into this issue as a reason to continue the interruption of the dolphin’s normal lifecycles. Arguments for self-regulation is a little late since people have not attempted to do so since it became popular 30 years ago and they are not willing to do so now.
Damien Kenison
Hookena, South Kona
More Beach Boys back and forth
I am the gold star wife that Mr. Bingham thought it OK to take pot shots at. I bet you don’t like John McCain because he got caught.
I paid a high price for our freedom — my husband did research and development for Boeing’s space program. He served our country his entire life as I have done through public service to the disabled.
I don’t know who was dancing in front of the entitled Mr. Bingham at the Beach Boys concert but it wasn’t me. I was standing at my seat dancing next to my eye doctor, who is also ex Air Force. We did nothing wrong. Blame the victim and discount them. We broke no laws. Security infringed on our right to enjoy the services we paid for.
Sir, that is un-American and your need for control shows how entitled you think you are. You obviously never served your country!
Nanci Dennis Coulter
Kailua-Kona
