Article misses piece of history
Cameron Miculka’s article on the closing of the Oshima Store (“Piece of Kona says goodbye,” WHT Aug. 13, page 1) is wonderfully descriptive and includes much about the store and its 92-year relationship with the Kainaliu community, but it seems to me one important chapter was omitted: World War II, which the article dismisses with a single sentence about the store expanding its offerings to groceries.
Were members of the Oshima family interned? Did they endure anti-Japanese sentiment? Or is it something we just don’t talk about? As philosopher George Santayana’s words carved into the National Archives building in Washington warn us, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Alan Silverman
Kailua-Kona
Candidate says thank you
Mahalo to West Hawaii Today for the 2018 primary election coverage. I’d like to thank all who supported the Maya Parish for County Council campaign. I’m proud of what we accomplished in only nine weeks.
This election we had 900 more primary voters than 2016, which is an encouraging trend. With only a 7.1 percent difference in returns, this was a close race. I love living in North Hawaii and appreciate the diversity and engagement of our local community. It’s been an honor to meet so many amazing people on the campaign trail and I look forward to working with you in the future! Mahalo nui loa.
Maya Parish
North Kohala
Fish aren’t there anymore
Growing up, until my mom went to heaven, she always told me, “Don’t believe anything you hear and half of what you see.”
To this day at my ripe age, I still try to live by what she taught me so when it comes to our beautiful reef fish, I don’t care what the aquarium industry is trying to make us believe. According to the WHT article, “Sides tangled over fish EA finding” Aug. 10, it all comes down to money for them!
When we bought our home in 2005, we would sit at Pahoehoe Park every night and in the mornings just to look at the gorgeous yellow tang in the waves, hundreds of them. They aren’t there anymore!
I pray the courts will continue to invalidate all aquarium permits for commercial collectors. God didn’t create our tropical fish to be put in a little glass tank!
Joani Duncan
Kailua-Kona
Safety first
I couldn’t agree more with those who have written to warn about the potential dangers of the ‘a’a rock placement on the new Highway 19 center dividers (also known as Queen Kaahumanu Highway).
Who is responsible for this decision? All users of this road should be concerned about this dangerous overlay of sharp rocks. We all know that unforeseen accidents can happen in a split second and it would be good to have a clean divider as an escape area if necessary. Imagine getting thrown from a car and landing on the sharp ‘a’a rocks. Besides that, it makes maintenance of weeds very difficult.
Why not plant a lovely ground cover of portulaca, as was featured in Sunday’s WHT Home section? Maybe different businesses, schools or nonprofits could each adopt a section of the divider, like the Adopt a Highway cleanup program, with their name on a sign.
Anything or nothing is better than the current plan. Please call your council member to complain to them and consider signing and passing on this petition.
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/no-dangerous-aa-rocks-on-queen-k-highway-divider
Maybe together as a community we can correct this disastrous lava rock tourist decoration plan.
Just say “a’a aole”
Marian Hughes
Waimea