Letters to the Editor

No joke

As one of 100,000 diabetics in the state of Hawaii and one of the state’s 8,000 medical marijuana card holders, I have to say that I was personally offended and morally outraged by Roy Chang’s cartoon sarcastically depicting medical cannabis as “bad” and sugary drinks as “good.”

More than 900 Hawaiian residents die every year of diabetes-related illnesses, and we have one of the worst obesity problems in the nation. By contrast, there is not a single incident of MJ as a cause of death in modern history. Not one. You should also know that marijuana was made illegal by the federal government in 1937 largely for racist reasons (it instantly turned the majority of African-Americans and Mexicans into criminals), and also to give corporate superiority to DuPont, who patented Nylon rope in that same year (and ruined the livelihoods of thousands of hemp farmers).

I say this not as an attack on Mr. Chang or to promote illegal drug use, but to educate him and anyone reading this. All Hawaiians have the domicile right to cultivate and use naturally occurring herbs for medicinal purposes. Meanwhile, the introduction of massive quantities of sugar into the diets of born-and-raised Hawaiians has been one of the sneakiest and most grotesque forms of genocide wrought on Hawaii by Western culture.

I’m sure you were just trying to make a joke, and maybe send a “don’t do drugs” message to the kids. But to those of us living in the harsh reality of being persecuted (and often incarcerated) for trying to survive naturally in a world ravaged by federal colonialists who don’t care if we live or die, it was a kick in the head. If you want to fight drug abuse and make fun of the justice system, maybe you could make a cartoon about ice heads running the federal government. But unless you’re willing to take responsibility for politically influencing your readership without knowing the facts, I suggest staying away from politics and just stick to your usual funny, delightful, lighthearted style.

Ari McNaughton
Kaua’i

Good read

I don’t always agree with Bob Jones, especially when he blusters on. But his personal remembrance of the U-2 spy plane was a good read, especially for those old enough to remember the Gary Powers incident with the Russians.

Michael Lee
Honolulu

World’s cop

Patrick Buchanan is right-on yet again on foreign policy, this time in his column “Why Are U.S. Troops Still In Korea?” It’s clear the U.S. can no longer afford to play the world’s policeman, and that it’s not in our own best interests.

Stuart Chan
Honolulu