WAIMANALO GULCH

LANDFILL IS FILLED WITH EXCUSES, POOR PLANNING

The continued expansion of the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is an insult. It is an insult to the community, the land and our intelligence. The deception and political maneuvering that have taken place is shameful.

To tell the people of Nanakuli that unless they support the expansion of Waimanalo Gulch Landfill there will be one in their backyard is nothing less than blackmail. It is a tactic as old as the oppression of indigenous people, environmental racism and "divide and conquer." Before the Wai'anae Coast was split into two neighborhood boards (which happened soon after they voted on the landfill issue), the community stated it did not want landfills or expansions anywhere on the Wai'anae Coast.

The Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is a massive joke that isn't funny. It is a dump filled with the garbage of excuses, poor planning, lies, and lots and lots of money.

If Japan and Europe can find solutions to their garbage problem, then why can't we? There is no excuse for this outrage. Enough is enough. We are not going to take it anymore. We demand accountability for this assault on our health and well-being for ourselves, our children and future generations to come.

'IOLANI PALACE

PALACE IN AREA THAT HAS LONG BEEN VENERATED

'Iolani Palace is in an area called Pohukaina. This area was sacred, venerated and holy long before the palace was built. Today, there is only a small mound, covered with ti plants, and surrounded by an iron fence. Traditionally, it is said that this was the entrance to a large underground cave where ancient chiefs are buried.

In 1825, Kamehameha II and his sister were buried there. Many ali'i were buried there afterward. In 1858, Kamehameha IV had the bones of the ali'i of the Big Island removed and reinterred at a small house built above the cave entrance. Later, some of the bones were removed to the Royal Mausoleum, but others remained. That is why the area is fenced with a sign that says kapu, but the true area that is kapu is much bigger.

A recent letter writer decried the use of the word sacred to describe "piles of rocks" and "holes in the ground." If your ancestors were buried under those piles and in those holes, you, too, would consider them sacred.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

UNLIMITED MAJORITY RULE HAS ITS DANGERS

In her June 19 letter, Janice Pechauer neglected to mention that the Founding Fathers were acutely aware of the danger posed by unlimited majority rule.

James Madison, principal author of the U.S. Constitution, put it this way: "In republics, the great danger is that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority."

Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, stated that "the majority, oppressing an individual (or a group of individuals), is guilty of a crime, abuses its strength, and by acting on the law of the strongest breaks up the foundations of society." He also said, "No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another."

"That the desires of the majority of the people are often for injustice and inhumanity against the minority, is demonstrated by every page of the history of the whole world." (John Adams, second U.S. president.)

Courts do act properly when they refuse to place a judicial stamp of approval on majoritarian tyranny. Even unanimity of public opinion means nothing if the opinion is wrong.

SUPPORTS SUMMERS' PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

The June 23 letter by Suzie Lum criticizing the Rev. Buddy Summers needs to be challenged.

In her rebuke of Buddy's pastoral and spiritual leadership, she refers to several verses from the Bible that support her opposition to same-sex marriage and suggests Buddy needs to "revisit the Bible."

I wonder if she has recently read Exodus 21:7, which grants a father permission to sell his daughter into slavery or Exodus 21:15 and 17, which orders a parent to kill a disobedient child.

Perhaps she should also read Leviticus 11:7-8, which prohibits the touching of a dead pig's carcass (no more football).

Clearly, the Old Testament was written by people who had an understanding of God that differs from the Rev. Summers and other enlightened biblical scholars. They proclaim a God of compassion and kindness, a God who hopes people will seek justice and fairness, a God who encourages all people to live in harmony and peace.

I am a member of Christ Church Uniting Disciples and Presbyterians, where Buddy serves, and I have been a student of his Bible classes. I know he regularly reads the Bible, and I support his Jesus-centered, love-based, justice-guided leadership.

QUEST PROGRAM

NEW MEDICAID PLAN OFFERS CARE CONTINUUM

Now that a federal judge has rejected a lawsuit filed by AlohaCare, the state is moving ahead with its newest Medicaid program, QUEST Expanded Access.

Because of the lawsuit, many people may have false impressions about QExA. Here are some facts.