I noticed that the website for Safari Helicopters, the tour company that was involved in the fatal helicopter crash in Kauai, is up and running as if nothing has changed. Apart from the preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board, I am not aware that there is a continuing inquiry on the overall safety of helicopter tours on the islands (“NTSB says adverse weather conditions was a factor in the Kauai helicopter crash that killed 7,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 17).
The companies deny that there is any problem with their operations. The incident is no longer on the front pages, and true to the usual way things are done or not done in Hawaii, nothing will come of it, and it will literally be a return to business as usual.
Is it then fortuitous that the tragic helicopter death of Kobe Bryant in similar weather conditions might serve to put the spotlight back on the Kauai crash just as it is fading from view? It would be a great tribute to Bryant’s legacy if some good could come from his death from an unexpected quarter.
Edward D. Lasky
Hawaii Kai
Ban tour helicopters over populated areas
Yesterday morning I stepped out of the house to hear and see a helicopter flying over Niu Valley residences. After the recent crash that killed nine passengers in Calabasas, Calif., and fatal crashes in Kauai and Kailua, it was alarming to see the potential dangers.
Here in the islands, stricter flight regulations, including over routes and altitudes, should be intensified for the helicopter tour industry.
In attending “talk story” sessions held by U.S. Rep. Ed Case, I became aware that he has vigorously pursued heightened flight regulations but has been stymied by Federal Aviation Administration limitations.
It is imperative that flights be banned over populated areas to avoid noise annoyance and potential accidents harming residents.
Les Nakasone
Niu Valley
Property tax exemption needs to be updated
I have had a disabled wife for many years now. When it comes to our property taxes, for many years there’s always been only a $25,000 exemption. Will that ever change? Our property value has increased every year.
Verdis Dixon
Waipahu
Trump behaves like Dennis the Menace
With apologies to Hank Ketcham, I find a terrifying similarity between his Dennis the Menace and the man in the Oval Office. They even look alike.
Neither thinks through his intended actions, nor seems capable of doing so.
Neither recognizes the gravity of those actions nor their repercussions.
Neither shows remorse for damages done. Both tend to blame their victims.
Both get their few friends involved, then run when the inevitable mess happens.
The neighbor, Mr. Wilson (We the People), suffers every day, while his wife (Congress) abets and rewards the brat.
How old is Dennis in reality? Will he ever grow up?
The cartoon Dennis is often comical.
His “adult” counterpart is scary.
Thomas Luna
McCully
Senators should serve you, not themselves
Military veterans are in every Senate district. They took the oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Senators also took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Don’t let a politician try to convince you that a ripe banana is purple, when you can see for yourself it’s yellow. Listen to the arguments and deem for yourself if President Donald Trump did what is alleged in the articles of impeachment.
Hold your senators to the standards of the oath they took. Not defending the Constitution means there would be no government. The senators have to put the United States, which includes family, friends and neighbors, before themselves. If not, it means they do not care about you. Vote them out.
Wendell Ogitani
Pearl City
More gun restrictions won’t stop gun violence
Our Legislature likes gun bans and restrictions so they can claim to be doing something about gun violence. In reality, the public pays the price.
Fewer honest people with guns means more crime, more armed honest citizens means less crime. Criminals and potential mass murderers ignore the law and will still prey on us.
When rights are infringed, honest people have to sue the government to restore their rights. Hawaii tries to make things worse for honest gun owners every year, but we are not the problem.
Fund police departments to eliminate the shortage of officers, so they can be involved in community policing and prevent crime, rather than being overworked and just responding to whatever incidents are top priority.
Fund the mental health system, so dangerous individuals can be prevented from harming others or themselves. But that’s hard work. It’s much easier to restrict and ban.
Brian Isaacson
Kailua
Dangerous to allow tenant access to guns
There are too many red flags to count, with regards to the Diamond Head tragedy. I’m terribly sorry the landlady was killed. That being said, her behavior in leaving a house containing guns for a violent, mentally disturbed tenant with multiple restraining orders against him to possibly use, is truly dumbfounding.
Was she too nice? Did she hide her head in the sand with regards to the possible implications of this man’s behavior? It seems like he got chance after chance, all the while sitting in a house with guns. Could this be the result of too much aloha? Or what?
Faith Burns
Hawaii Kai
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