Letters

Monica’s Visit to Molokai

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

We spent two days getting to know the lifestyle on Molokai and experiencing some of what Molokai has to offer. Visiting L&R Farm showed me just how hard-working the people of this close-knit community really are. It was amazing to not only see, but feel the love and the respect people of Molokai have for their land, their friends, and their families. Putting our hands and our efforts into caring for the ‘ain? at Ka Honua Momona Fish Pond was an uplifting experience. Uncle Merv Dudoit’s passion for preserving the Hawaiian culture radiated through his eyes and his persona. It was that passion that drove us, the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance, to want to partake in those efforts in any way we could. Visiting the Molokai Meli LLC Honey Bee Farm was very inspirational.  It was awesome getting to know the Kaneshiro family. Not only is their honey sweet, but so their attitudes towards business and working together, as a family.

My trip to Molokai exceeded my expectations. I am truly thankful for the hospitality everyone on the island has shown us. Allowing us to explore the island and learn about it is the greatest gift one can ask for. I thank Kauwila for her heart, Sybil for all of the laughs, Auntie Tika for the ono grinds, and Todd Yamashita for taking the time to speak with us. Like I’ve said before, one only needs to be on Molokai one day in order to feel the compassion, the love, and the respect all Molokai residents have for the ‘ain? and for all the people.

Mahalo
Monica Garcia

My Molokai Experience

Tuesday, June 12th, 2007

My Molokai experience was awesome and I would like to thank everyone who made my experience possible. Later in my life, when I am a grandparent, I would like to live on Molokai and teach my grandkids about the culture and the true meaning of aloha; which is, in a nutshell:  embracing differences and not having barriers or stereotyping others. E Komo Mai; welcome, come have fun and learn with us, described best by Kauwila of the Molokai Youth Center, is what I learned the most about my trip.

The Ka Honua Momona Fish Pond is a magical place.  As soon as we started driving up to the fish pond my eyes started taking everything in and as soon as I stepped out of the vehicle I could feel the presence and the history.  I could also feel people putting in their time and their effort for the love of the land.  It was love at first sight.  I can see the fishpond in twenty years with walls all around and kids playing all around the fishpond.  As well as the beauty of the fishpond, I could also see how the mangrove had taken over.  We, the Focus Maui Nui Youth Alliance, were there to put in our time and “Sweat Equity” into the land.  I could also tell that Uncle Merv Dudoit has been doing this for a while, because you could feel his deep influence and presence around the fish pond.

Our host Kauwila is so happy and at peace everywhere she goes on the island. Also, when ever she tells a story or tale, you could imagine being there with her on the trail or living back in the day that she was describing. It is amazing, when I went to Molokai, I found out why they call it the Friendly Isle; the people are always waving, smiling and laughing.  The best way I could describe Molokai is one of Bob Marley’s lyrics, “Sun is shining, Weather is Sweet”.

If I moved on to a different place, and people asked me what Hawaii is like, I would say spend a day on Molokai for the true Hawaiian ambiance and love. In the end, I can see Molokai in twenty years, just the way I had found it this past weekend.

MAHALO NUI LOA,

It’s Graduation Season

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007

I’ve learned to work a ‘graduation gift card’ category into my budget for this time of the year.  I’m growing more and more impressed with the creative menus I have come across especially in the last two years, as folks have ventured from the traditional lu`au, and have opted for steak and egg breakfast,  Chinese, roast beef or pasta.

I’m glad we're giving our kole and 'opihi population a break, letting them boost their numbers - ho'ola lahui!*  

I can't wait to celebrate the class of 2007's accomplishments, taste the creative grinds, and reminisce through those photo slide shows…as it reminds me I'm getting old…er! Let's have a safe and responsible graduation season, drive carefully and aloha one another. 

*Ho'ola Lahui – King David Kalakaua, 7th monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom adopted this phrase as his motto, which means to "Increase the Race or Peoples". He did so after his wife miscarried, and he learned that many Hawaiian children were not surviving past the age of one. 

Seeing the decline of the Hawaiian population due to disease and displacement, he proclaimed this to be his mission, to see that the Hawaiian race did not fade away. Achieving a first birthday became cause for much celebration, from whence the modern day baby lu'au tradition was born.

Not Enough Room

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

Molokai’s EC is in the process of “moving on.”

The writing is on the wall, or in the case of the Molokai’s Enterprise Community (EC), the writing is on the door. Members of the community expecting to participate in last week’s open meeting were shut out by a sign on the door warning would-be participants that the room’s max capacity was 50 people – a quota that the room had reached well before the meeting had even began.

Holding the meeting in a room far too small to accommodate the public was not a mistake or oversight. For more than six months now, EC meetings have never attracted less than 50 people. But the federally funded program, which is mandated to include participation from the public, regularly reserves meeting spaces which are too small.

Gathering Place

Wednesday, April 18th, 2007

Monsanto just announced its purchase of thousands of acres in Central Oahu to test genetically modified (GM) crops, and protests of the Legislature's refusal to hear bills prohibiting genetic engineering of taro and coffee have been in the news. The newspapers publish a steady stream of letters from industry employees suggesting that anyone unwilling to give the industry free reign is an ignorant fear-monger mindlessly opposed to everything "biotech," from aspirin to stem-cell research. Time for a reality check. Here are some facts -- you decide.

In the past six months, three federal courts have ruled that the USDA broke environmental laws when allowing Monsanto and others to grow GM crops that could contaminate other crops or harm the environment, including corn and sugar cane engineered to produce powerful drugs in their cells. Hawaii's Judge J. Michael Seabright found USDA acted in "utter disregard" of the law.

Oh how I loved those green-tailed airplanes

Wednesday, April 4th, 2007

The end of an era in Molokai’s history
 

As a five year old, the act of boarding an Air Molokai airplane may as well have been the same as stepping into to a transporter that could beam me to another planet. It meant I was on my way to Honolulu where there were Happy Meals, Chuck E Cheeses, Ice Capades, Castle Park, and the movies.

But the excitement for these material things would subside as fast as the plane left the ground. As the earth receded, I would marvel at how my family members, waving from their parked car to the side of the runway, would quickly turn to the size of ants. Even the houses that dotted the Ho`olehua homesteads quickly turned to specs.

The view from the air afforded me a world that was a sublime mix of fantasy and reality. Some Air Molokai pilots seemed to prefer flying just over the tops of the cloud line. This provided the perfect vantage point for my fruitful imagination; I always thought of how fun it would be to jump from one billowy cloud to another and wondered if that’s what angels did all day.

Don’t Call Me Haole… Unless You Mean It

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

Kudos to USA Today writer Martin Kosindorf for covering the La`au Point issue and giving a national audience some insight onto what has been happening politically on Molokai. Kosindorf’s article is, in all, a balanced estimation of the opinions of most of Molokai’s people regarding any type of development on the island, and provides a breakdown of the basic issues which should be easy for an off-islander to understand.

Even so; the article has it’s detractors, but not over the portrayal of opinions; this controversy is over language. Specifically, there have been questions asked about the term ‘haole’ and whether it implies racism. Molokai’s Annie Van Eps was quoted in Kosindorf’s story as saying "When you bring in rich haoles, there are problems. They're rude, they honk, they just don't fit in."

A Plea For Official Recognition Of Helm’s Lifetime Of Work

Wednesday, March 21st, 2007

Long before George Helm became a skilled orator, he showed his feelings by singing and playing ukelele.  Helm said that “what we needed was to get Hawaiians active… Music is the easiest way I know because people tune into music.”  The intensity of his lyrics and emotion reached those who were unwilling to listen to any political speeches. 

He explained “the words, the language – pain, revolution; it’s expressing the emotional reaction the Hawaiians are feeling to the subversion of their lifestyle.”

For the past nine years, Ron Perreira has led a campaign to have George Helm’s achievements recognized in a lifetime achievement award by Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts (HARA.)   Helm’s power as a leader came from his character, a man who understood the world through music and understood the power of music to the community and the individual.

Forever Stamp a Good Idea, But Few Should Stockpile

Thursday, March 15th, 2007

Therefore, don’t count on the forever stamp adding to your nest egg or making any real difference in your personal or small business' overhead costs; but if you’re a fan of convenience, or you live by the basic economic principle that a penny saved is a penny earned, you may as well squirrel some away.

As of press time, the Forever Stamp's design has not been unveiled. The USPS' incredible range of stamp images has included many hawaiian-themed designs. Included are just a sample of some of these.