HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0798.039 2004-2006
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Murashige, Laura
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From: Halyna [halyna@ispOl.net]
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 8:09 AM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: re Bill 258
Attachments: November 29.testimony.doc O~ o
C'7
Aloha: co
Attached document is my testimony on Bill 258, today.
Mahalo, L_
Halyna Kuheana
U1
Comm. No.
Ref. To:-htwedd
Ref. Dote 11/29/2006
November 29,2006
I oppose Bill 258 for the following reasons.
The portion relating to cockfighting is a reiteration of legislation
already in place; 711:1109. It might be understandable if we had
some great proliferation of cockfighting, but there is none, quite the
contrary. I feel HPD is controlling this so why does it need to be
restated? If this is pandering to a special interest group such as the
Humane Society of the United States be aware that US Senate level
testimony has been given, complete with evidence, showing this group
to have strong ties with Animal Liberation Front, domestic terrorists.
This can be viewed at
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/downloads/pro/docs/050518 Mart
oskoSenateTestimony.pdf .
There is still no prohibition and penalty of the feeding of feral cats.
11/26/06 Hawaii Tribune-Herald carried an Associate Press story
regarding invasive species. Among those listed were the feral cats
living at Iolani Palace: real nice promotion for tourism: Come visit
Hawaii, the kitty litter box! 11/28/06 this same paper had another
story by Associated Press, from Kauai where a self-called
"compassionate" group of cat feeders refuses to leave a mall area a
prior manager had the bad judgment to let themselves set-up in. Just
like other places, the cat numbers are growing and now these
"compassionate" cat-feeders are pushing the business owner through
the hoop by boycotting the mall. Some compassion. Across the United
States this sort of compassionate coercion is rearing its ugly head. But
what a lovely way to have your cake and eat it too: these animals only
need to be neutered and fed: nobody has to license or ID them or
clean-up after them and they can do as they please since nobody is
responsible beyond that. Exactly by what authority was another
predator installed and maintained? For that matter then, anyone could
develop a feral pit bull colony on this same basis: no responsibility
besides feeding them: how easy.
As for feral cats not attacking people: this is absolutely not true. As a
youngster I remember horrific incidents. Some 40 years ago, the
Catskills in New York had an extreme problem with feral cats. These
were products of people who spent there summer vacations there and
left without the kitty they adopted. There were numerous attacks on
children, mostly under 5, for whatever food they had. But the one I
remember most was of a feral cat jumping into a baby buggy, the
mother going after it, getting lacerations all over her upper body and
regrettably her poor baby lost an eye, in the fracas. Do we need to
wait for something like this?
I have already provided you with documentation as to why feral cat
colonies are not a good idea: continued depopulation of a precarious
endangered bird population by way of predation or disease, disease
that is transmissible to humans. Many people are allergic to cats and
need only touch surfaces a cat has been on to get a reaction. This
cannot work well for tourism. The County Council has gotten the 2%
tax input for the buying of land to preserve open spaces. Why are we
preserving open spaces? For feral cats?
Thank you for your time. Please consider the ramifications of a lack of
action to a very old and out of control problem.
Halyna Kuheana, P.O.Box 968, Kurtistown, HI 96760 968-8700