In the implementation of the Second City within the Honouliuli ahupua‘a, no consideration for the endangered species to be displaced by their loss of habitat was afforded, let alone recognized.
House Bill 2629 would remediate this cumulative harm. HB 2629 would give the Hawaiian owl, or pueo, and all those voiceless creatures in the wild that have been dismissed a place to call home.
If passed, the measure would establish a habitat conservation preserve on 150 acres at the University of Hawaii-West Oahu campus makai parcel, taken from the 286.5-acre non-campus private development lands.
From the federally endangered hoary bat, coot, stilt and Hawaiian duck, to the birds protected under the Migratory Species Act, including the barn owl, heron, ibis and plover, these birds should be offered sanctuary and given a voice under the wing of the pueo.
Michael Kumukauoha Lee
Ewa Beach
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Nothing real about serpent’s fake news
Pope Francis has come up with a charming but incredible theory that the originator of fake news was the serpent in the Garden of Eden that persuaded Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge (“Pope says Eve duped by snake’s fake news,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 25).
The pontiff has thus unwittingly contributed to fake news by this absurdity. The story of the Garden of Eden is a beautiful tale that has enchanted humanity for thousands of years. It is a magnificent work of imagination but hardly reality.
Today’s outpouring of fake news is ugly and horrifying, not beautiful. Let’s not make the serpent a scapegoat for the current insanity.
Carl H. Zimmerman
Salt Lake
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Headline misleading about firm’s loss
As I read the article headlined “Johnson & Johnson loses $10.7B after tax changes” (Star-Advertiser, Jan 24), I thought: How misleading.
The article speaks about a rare quarterly loss of $10.71 billion, due to a $13.6 billion charge related to the new tax overhaul. If one stopped reading, their opinion would be negative about the new tax laws.
However, later in the article we find out this $13.6 billion charge is because Johnson & Johnson is bringing back foreign earning in the amount of $66 billion, of which $18 billion was held in cash. Maybe the headline should have read, “Johnson & Johnson to bring back $66 billion due to tax changes.”
Dale K. Yamauchi
Makakilo
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Children not fooled by false missile alert
Concerning the recent false ballistic missile alarm, not everyone was fooled as most news sources seem to indicate. My teen and pre-teen children immediately realized the alarm was fake or a hack when the alert message appeared on their phones. They carried on with their normal routine.
It seems the false alarm was a good lesson for them to not believe everything that is posted and to check other sources of information.
A lot of fake news comes from government, like building the rail on time and on budget, reducing homelessness, eliminating illegal vacation rentals and not raising the property tax.
What next, folks?
Casey Cummings
Haleiwa
