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Tourists should respect mask-wearing locals
Why am I annoyed by tourists who aren’t wearing masks?
I know we don’t need to wear one anymore as of March 26, but for some reason I think less of tourists when they’re maskless.
Maybe it’s because we had to deal with wearing masks for the past two years, which was significantly longer than the rest of the United States. It is not fair for tourists to just show up and reap the benefits of our hardships.
The majority of locals still wear masks in public to feel comfortable. Some of us just need some time to get used to the old, mask-free way of life. I think tourists should respect that.
When people visit our home islands, they are often not very respectful to the locals.
Whether it’s about wearing masks, or something else, I take it a little personally when guests just treat our home like it’s theirs.
Nathan Shea
Kailua
Propeller guards would protect visitors in water
I remember a couple of past Hawaii incidents involving fatal propeller injuries to both free divers and swimmers in the open ocean because of inattention from the boat operator. Just recently, a person perished after contact with the boat’s propeller while trying to save another boater from drowning during a fishing tournament in Florida. Now we have another Hawaii resident boater who has lost her life during a commercial night manta-ray tour due to the boat’s propeller.
Why not institute mandatory full protective cage propeller guards for all commercial marine craft operators that cater to tourist-related ocean activities, regardless of the added fuel cost? A life or limb, as well as marine life saved, is worth much more than a few extra dollars, and it would go a long way in providing our visitors a safe island vacation, as well as protecting our kamaaina.
Byron “Jiro” Kaneshiro
Wahiawa
Push Navy to shut down Red Hill facility now
Every day, the average American uses 82 gallons of water from home. Now if you take those 82 gallons, and then poison them with jet fuel just as the Navy has done at Red Hill, you now have almost 1 million residents of Hawaii actively consuming 82 jet-fuel poisoned gallons throughout their daily routines.
The Navy needs to stop pretending that this crisis isn’t happening. Instead of taking months to put out an announcement that the Red Hill fuel facility will start to be shut down, it needs to be dealt with immediately. With the recent 14,000-gallon leak, all the Navy did was deny and place the blame elsewhere, proving that it doesn’t actually care about the safety of civilians. It even went as far as saying it did not affect the water.
By taking a stand against the abuse of the Navy, the community can take back control of their lives and no longer live in fear of the Navy’s lack of concern.
Jaimie Burton
Manoa
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