Liberals need to look in the mirror
As I hear the liberals call for everyone to become a liberal every time they do not like something President Trump says, I have to say it is just laughable. With the alarm this weekend it just puts icing on the cake.
In a state where liberals have pretty much run it from the beginning, we have an absolutely worthless alarm system that doesn’t work when it’s supposed to, but will go out and scare everyone.
Still on water restriction after a year, Hawaii ranks pretty much dead last when rated with the other states. Infrastructure, education, business friendliness. Hence no jobs or qualified employees and I can just go on with the fiasco that is called Hawaii.
The really bad part is you have placed more importance on almost everything and placed your children last. They have no chance of any good jobs, that makes Hawaii the state that is first on people moving out of. And you want me to help you with that. Sorry, can’t do it.
Alan Parfinovics
Kailua-Kona
Message to GOP
Rise up you governing Republicans and throw off the shackles of your misplaced loyalty to the illegitimate and incompetent occupant of the White House. Observe your oath of office to serve and protect our nation from enemies foreign and domestic. Don’t follow Mr. Trump over the cliff with his racism, mendacity, and narcissism and lead our country to ruin.
Stop lying and covering up for this abomination in an attempt to preserve your agenda. Put country before your self-interest and reelection. Leave the realm of alternative facts behind. Look into the smoke, see the raging fire within, and raise your clarion voice one and all. Renounce, denounce, censure, Impeach! Impeach!
Daniel Konigsberg
Waimea
When labels stick
Being a racist has become such a loathsome label that everyone, except the most fervent white supremacist, will do almost anything to avoid it. If nothing else, the final effort is just saying “I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you.”
This raises the question who is to judge a person’s racism, or lack of it? Also, is racism determined by my intentions or by my actions?
Generally, a racist is a person who believes one race is better than others. This definition, from vocabulary.com, is absolute in that it goes beyond actions and intentions. In that sense, though, it is not very useful in judging someone else’s racism. We cannot ever truly know what other people believe, even when they claim to tell us their beliefs.
This is one of the reasons our laws are primarily based on the actions, not the beliefs of those charged. Deeds can be proved; beliefs can only be surmised.
When someone is called a racist, we are really saying their actions are consistent with a belief in preference of one race over others. Our president obviously wants us to believe his intentions are pure. But his own actions throughout his life, as well as since he took office, tell a far different story.
He notoriously charged that our first black president was born in Kenya, did not work hard at being president, and was a terrible student at Harvard Law school.
He said that if he were starting out today he would want to be a well-educated black man because it is easier for them.
He claimed that immigrants coming from Mexico were predominantly drug dealers and rapists.
He assured us that among the KKK marchers in Charlottesville were “many fine people.”
He called officially for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the country.
He famously said that he did not want black people counting his casino money because they are lazy. Instead, he wanted Jews doing it.
He falsely claimed that President Obama issued a statement for Kwanzaa but did not issue one for Christmas.
He is quick to highlight crimes committed by dark-skinned people but slow to comment on crimes committed against them.
Most recently, he expressed a desire to change our immigration policies to favor countries like Norway and not like Haiti and African countries.
He may well believe he is the least racist person in the world, but his words and deeds are totally consistent with intentional, entrenched racism. So, when he says he is not a racist, it is just another Trump lie.
Yes, Mr. President, you are a racist.
John Sucke
Kamuela