Kokee State Park was special to Queen Emma and it’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Why should we pander to people who are too lazy to bring snacks and water from Waimea before driving up to Kokee (“Agency seeks food truck concessions at state parks,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11)?

Kokee is a natural environment with unsurpassed beauty, fragile (diminishing) native species and precious history.

Food trucks will clog the roads from Waimea or Kekaha, resulting in lines of slow traffic. These trucks will ultimately result in more trash and rodents (which kill our native birds). The gasoline fueling the generators for the food trucks pollutes the environment. Residue from the generators will be in the air that native species breathe; it settles on plants which native fauna feeds upon. Noise pollution will affect native birds and insects, scaring them into yet smaller areas of native habitat.

Why are we willing to allow such desecration in a beautiful and spiritual native Hawaiian forest sitting at the hem of Waialeale and all its mana?

‘Auwe. A‘ole.

Merrie Carol Grain-Norris

Tantalus

Tupai too conservative for Hawaii residents

“He’s more on the conservative side,” said Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Aiona, describing his running mate, Seaula Tupai Jr. (“Republican pair face differences,” Star Advertiser, Aug. 17).

This minimizes how truly far-right Tupai is. After all, he is running as a true MAGA Republican in a mainland party that has emerged from the Trump makeover as white supremacist, opposed to women’ rights, anti- immigrant, cynical about addressing the climate crisis and open to turning our streets into free-fire zones by anyone feeling “threatened.”

So we find Tupai insisting that child adoption is the proper solution for women who or do not want to carry a fetus to full term. Moreover, he is firm in “the people of Hawaii’s right to own and bear firearms.” He also wants to implement a “stand your ground” law.

None of this, thankfully, has much support among those of us who live in the Aloha State. For very good reason. We prize our commitment to ethnic and cultural diversity, to kindness toward others, to the rights of women, to protecting our people by restricting unlimited access to weapons.

Noel Kent

Manoa

Green’s actions don’t fit the political narrative

I read with some amusement Dan Nakaso’s article, “Gubernatorial race should be cordial unless it becomes close” (Star-Advertiser, Aug. 15).

It seems we should expect a civil, cordial campaign unless (God forbid) a Republican actually comes close to winning an election in Hawaii. Then, “if Republican party interests on the mainland sense that Aiona could be elected governor,” we would see “dark money” and super PACs in the race.

In the interest of fair disclosure, you should inform your readers that in November 2021, while the omicron variant was surging and Gov. David Ige was attending a climate change conference in Europe, the lieutenant governor was attending a campaign fundraiser on the mainland at the “Bistro Cacao,” a French restaurant, in Washington, D.C. That doesn’t exactly fit the narrative, does it?

Mark Saxon

Kahului

Noisy aircraft invade our skies day and night

Look up. Look down. Listen all around, and you will hear and see the proliferation of noisy aircraft invading our island skies, night and day, 24/7, 365 days a year.

From jumbo jets to tour helicopters, not to mention the military aircraft cruising our shores, slicing through our valleys and hovering over our residential neighborhoods.

Let’s get some action from our local leaders and Washington politicians, who can seriously influence change at the federal level from this constant nasty noise pollution invading our privacy and otherwise peaceful environment.

Mike McCormack

Kahala

No need for auto social distancing at stoplights

Attention, Hawaii drivers. There have been absolutely no reported cases of auto-to-auto COVID-19 transmission on any of the Islands. Therefore there is no reason for auto social distancing.

Please stop leaving two or three car lengths between cars at stoplights. Move up and help those people behind you. Mahalo.

Thomas Sousa

Waikiki

Critics of FBI should be wary of stoking violence

With the vile hatred of the FBI being stoked by the former president and his adherents on social media, I am concerned that words can have dire consequences.

On April 19, 1995, two angry far-right extremists exploded a fertilizer bomb in a rental truck, killing 168 men, women and children at the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City.

Across the street, St. Joseph Old Cathedral, also damaged by the blast, erected a life-sized statue of Jesus, with his back to the destroyed building and his bowed head in his right hand. Nearby is a black wall with 168 niches for prayer candles and words from the Bible etched into the base: “and Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

One can only hope and pray that people come to their senses and avoid a repeat of any heinous acts against law enforcement.

John Priolo

Pearl City

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