Letters to the Editor: November 8, 2022

Subscribe Now Choose a package that suits your preferences.
Start Free Account Get access to 7 premium stories every month for FREE!
Already a Subscriber? Current print subscriber? Activate your complimentary Digital account.

Mahalo for the support

On behalf of Waimea Outdoor Circle, I’d like to thank the National Arbor Day Foundation and State Farm for their very generous support of our first-ever Arbor Day Tree Give-Away at Ulu La‘au Waimea Nature Park on Saturday, Nov. 5. We were so pleased to be a part of this Statewide Outdoor Circle Arbor Day event, providing 150 beautiful grafted fruit trees to the public free of charge. We look forward to seeing all of these shade-0 and fruit-producing trees planted in our local communities and hope for another successful event next year.

Cheryl Langton

Waimea Outdoor Circle

^

About time

DLNR spending $1 million to demolish Uncle Billy’s — about time I’d say. But how about taking that rumble out to sea and creating an artificial reef? Concrete we know is the best material for artificial reefs. Our tax dollars has been funding an artificial reef program for 30 years yet none have been even proposed. And with DLNR touting up their 30×30 plan that is all about restrictions and nothing about actual improvements or enhancements this would go along way to proving that they are forward thinking. After all, they cover mauka and makai and despoiling the aina with hundreds of tons of concrete where is that logic?

Steve Kaiser

Hawi

^

Explicit books should not be on library shelves

I am a retired airline pilot of 25 years, father of two amazing young men, and grandpa of a beautiful little girl. I was appalled to discover there is a sexually graphic book in the children’s section in many of Hawaii’s libraries including Hawaii State library, Hilo Public library, Lihue library and many more. This book is titled, “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human” (a graphic novel).

This book not only describes sex acts but graphically shows cartoon images of minors in both hetero and gay sex positions.

I remember having to be 18 years old to get a “Playboy” book and now a 10-year-old and younger can check out a graphic novel at the local library. This is not OK!

When do morals and protecting our keiki come into play?

When children are exposed to sex too soon, it affects who they become and the kinds of intimate relationships they have. Books like this only confuse children who cannot truly comprehend what they are reading and the images they are looking at.

What happened to the standards of what books are allowed in our public libraries? Who is in charge of putting these sexually explicit books on the shelves for our keiki and why?

As a father and grandparent, I feel the parent is responsible for educating their children about sex. I believe the library should have a section where parents can check out books about sex and share it with their keiki as they see fit. However, in this book the pictures are cartoons of children performing sex acts with each other and that is not appropriate. It is like child pornography, which is illegal. Because of that, this book should be taken out of all Hawaii libraries immediately.

Vincent Jahn

Kailua-Kona

^

Relief

I was relieved to see that the firearms bill restricting places where weapons are restricted from being present was passed. One thing for sure, the people who live in Hawaii do not want what is happening on the mainland U.S, to happen in our peaceful island paradise.

Those of us who have had loved ones murdered by individuals with weapons can now breathe easier knowing that our loved ones are protected.

Colleen Miyose-Wallis

Kailua-Kona

^

Tell us about it

Do you have a story idea or news tip? Is there a community problem that has not been addressed? Do you know someone unique, whose story should be shared and enjoyed with the rest of the community? We want to know. Email the West Hawaii Today newsroom at news@westhawaiitoday.com and share the information with our readers.

^

Letters policy

Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less and will be edited for style and grammar. Longer viewpoint guest columns may not exceed 800 words. Submit online at https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/letter-to-the-editor/ or address letters to:

Editor

West Hawaii Today

PO Box 789

Kailua-Kona, HI 96745

Email: letters@