Land of free no more
Recently, the Trump Administration imposed a travel ban preventing people from entering the United States from various Middle Eastern countries, including Iran.
A 4-year-old infant from Iran in need of heart surgery was scheduled to journey to Oregon for treatment. Her visa was canceled due to the travel ban. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici stated that “keeping 4-month-old babies out of our country doesn’t make us safer. It put her life in danger and diminishes the United States in the eyes of the world.”
President Trump was outraged that a court stopped the ban and appealed the decision. Apparently, we are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are the land of the baby killers.
Dennis Brown
Waimea
Golf a boon to economy
This letter is in response to the opinion by Richard Apothaker submitted on Feb. 3. He said that the Waikoloa Village golf course, which is owned by the village association, is a liability and that the recent increase in our association dues was because of the losses from the golf course.
He obviously didn’t read the financial statement that came with the bill for the association dues. The golf course actually made money last year. The increase in association dues was for the reserve fund. This fund is for future maintenance and upkeep of the association properties. In this case, I think it’s for renovations to the pool.
I believe that the golf course is an asset to the homeowners of Waikoloa Village. It was the centerpiece of Boise Cascade’s plan for this community, designed by world renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. If you want to think outside of the box, Mr. Apothaker, think of new and better ways to manage and market the golf course.
People come from all over the world to golf in Hawaii. We can be very competitive. Shutting down the golf course would also be bad for our local economy. Many people work at the golf course. Some have been there for 25 years or more. What happens to them and their families when they’re out of jobs?
If you would like to see a new science and technology center in the village, maybe the association has some vacant land. But then who’s going to pay to develop it? The association dues haven’t risen very much in the last 15 years. I don’t think there is any reason to panic.
Cecilio Libadisos
Waikoloa Village
Gabbard fights for peace
Patsy Mink took a stand against the Vietnam war: She was a warrior for peace.
Like Patsy, Tulsi Gabbard is a warrior for peace. She showed incredible courage and bravery in going to Syria and being a voice for the Syrian people who are crying out for peace, crying out for the U.S. to stop arming the terrorists who are destroying their country in the attempt to overtake Assad.
Assad is not going anywhere so the war will continue endlessly as long as we continue to arm the jihadi rebels. The U.S. continued to fight in Vietnam long after the leaders knew they couldn’t “win”; now they are continuing the same depravity in Syria. Tulsi is a true leader and the efforts to smear her are a predictable response by the pro-war military industrial complex and corporate media.
Cheryl Tunnicliffe
Pahoa
