Stop the harmful dialogue ADVERTISING Stop the harmful dialogue I would like to respond to Linda Albers’ letter of Nov. 5. I read your letter with dismay — slandering our current president, anyone who supports Trump, and folks who live
Stop the harmful dialogue
I would like to respond to Linda Albers’ letter of Nov. 5.
I read your letter with dismay — slandering our current president, anyone who supports Trump, and folks who live in Mississippi and Alabama (wow, that was a stretch). I do fault our local paper for giving slanderous language a voice. The uncivil discourse from the left is doing nothing but hurting our country. I do hope I never see another headline that is so biased as the one on Nov. 3 “Wish you weren’t here.” That headline does not speak for those of us who do support Trump — and I’m betting it’s more than the 30 percent Linda cites in her letter.
C’mon folks, let’s get our aloha spirit back, quit the hateful chatter and try to help Trump and our nation be great again. I didn’t support Obama and didn’t agree with his politics but I never said things about him that I see are said about Trump. I wanted Obama to succeed and respected the man and the office.
Debbie McCoy
Holualoa
Pledge simply isn’t true
After reading your letter to the editor, it is clear you do not understand the reason the NFL players took a knee. It has nothing to do with God or Jesus or religion. It is a protest of the hypocrisy of the language in the pledge, “liberty and justice for all.”
To be honest, let us admit that our country is far from the words in that pledge. We were taught the pledge in elementary school. As children we memorized the words without any true understanding of what we were saying.
As an adult, now I realize what those words mean, and it is simply not true. There is prejudice all around us. Hypocrisy and prejudice is indeed an ugly fact that is alive and well today.
Susan Cook
North Kohala
Aloha, let’s lead by example
In response to Dennis Gregory’s column in WHT Nov. 2 (changing the state motto from Aloha State), the “aloha” of Hawaii is not dead. Perhaps disabled. For some, aloha went back into the closet. For others, it’s become “ABC” (Aloha By Convenience), a word spoken cavalierly when there is no other comeback to a losing argument. Or perhaps aloha skips a generation or two now and then.
Nonetheless, we should all continue to demonstrate our aloha toward each other — especially in public. Aloha is the current that pulls our canoe forward. It guides our behavior through life. It’s a smile-maker to the unsmiling face.
Bottom line, we should all lead by example. The aloha example.
With a growing population of arrogant politicians, greedy developers, and “anti-assimilists” assuming an air of superiority, it’s easier to notice the bad actors and harder to notice the good examples. We must not let others suck the aloha out of each and every one of us. We should scrub out negativism and most of all we must exercise aloha kakou! Ku’e! Resist the condescending rhetoric of others and stand up against hate speech.
As for a motto? How about a motto that simple says “Aloha!” (complete with exclamation point)?
I enjoy reading Gregory’s column. Provocative; like a faceless mirror, suddenly staring back at you.
Likeke Bumanglag
Kailua-Kona
