Letters to the Editor: 6-12-17

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Trump’s teammate

Trump’s teammate

Ignorant by birth, a bully from the hills

Spitting rage gleefully, cursing others for thrills

Bowing to wealth and power

the crazier the better

He spews his ugly message

to the editor in a letter.

Bob Peters

South Kona

Get serious about speed enforcement

Too many innocent people have lost their lives as a result of reckless driving in this county.

Since the highest legal speed is 55 miles an hour, no one can have a valid objection to requiring all vehicles operated within the county to have speed limiters set to a maximum speed of 65 miles an hour.

While I think that our annual safety inspection requirement is a joke, it should also include verification that speed limiters are in operating order.

Any vehicle which is discovered to have an inoperable speed limiter should be subject to immediate confiscation, and the operator should go directly to jail.

Judy Howard

Waimea

Moves have consequences

Having worked with some of the Ellis family in the Waimea Community Theatre and Chorus, I personally know Graham and several members of his family and I empathize with their plight. They are lovely people and are very community minded. I know nothing about what happened to or by Graham in England 36 years ago that has prevented him from obtaining U.S. citizenship, however I can speak personally about having done things which sometimes have had unintended consequences for me.

That said, there are other historical factors to look at concerning immigration. Perhaps President Trump actually reads history and can understand the hazards of unrestricted immigration.

1. Had the Aztecs killed Cortez, they might still rule the Americas.

2. Had the American Indians and the Hawaiians vetted or quarantined the Europeans, tens of thousands might not have been wiped out by small pox, Hansen’s disease, and other plagues.

Here are some other unintended consequences by U.S. presidents:

1. In 1909 President Teddy Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet to Japan. Japan’s military perceived this as a threat. In 1945 Japan sent their fleet to bomb Pearl Harbor.

2. Iran was our friend until 1951 when President Eisenhower on behalf of BP sent CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt to Iran to unseat their democratically elected president. In 1979 the Shah was disposed and Iranian students took over the American Embassy.

3. The Watergate break-in led to the resignation of President Nixon.

4. President Bush called Iraq, Iran, and North Korea the Axis of Evil and invaded Iraq. Iran and North Korea immediately proceeded to acquire nuclear weapons to protect themselves from what they perceive as a bully.

5. In 2010 President Obama deployed missiles near China to “send a message.” In 2014 China began building islands in the South China Sea in a planned campaign to create a chain of air and sea-capable fortresses.

Learn from history to prevent repeating it. President Trump needs to learn to speak softly while carrying the big stick, according to President Teddy Roosevelt.

David B. Gomes

Waimea