Do We Have Cabin Fever?
Normally I would just ignore a story like this but I decided to read it. I’m still angry about the so-called “hunter” who killed someone’s pet not too long ago. This time is different. An officer, charged with keeping the peace and protecting the environment for the State of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, overstepped his bounds. I need to side with the hunters and their families on this one.
I used italics and quotes around the word hunters at the beginning of this post because the idiot who killed someone’s pet was anything but! He was stupid, obnoxious, on private property, and a slew of other things I could say. I grew up around people who hunted regularly and something like that was unheard of!
I never liked the sport because I tend to hate anything that involves the killing of animals. But, we really need to look at the big picture. The goal is to catch the animal, not to torture it. The animal is not discarded, it is used to feed those who are lucky enough to benefit from such a catch. I speak from experience when I tell you that wild boar blows away the fatty pork you buy in the grocery store! It makes the best laulau.
Okay, all of that aside, we need to remember that the wild pigs on Oahu are not indigenous to our islands, they are destructive to our rain forests, and they probably have a huge hand in all those leptospirosis warning signs we see posted near many of our rivers. In short, the hunters (the real ones) are doing us a favor.
I will say that, yes, on one reported occassion, there were youngsters who broke the rules and were trespassing. Those rules are there to protect our property and safety. Agreed. But, I’m sorry, you don’t pull a gun on a bunch of minors because they were being stupid. What was he thinking?!? I am also of like opinion with those sharing the details that a loose canon like that should not be carrying a gun, nevermind any other kind of weapon.
Let’s see, I do believe that the Honolulu Police Department would classify that as assault and terroristic threatening. Even HPD would not hire an abusive person like that. In the real world, we all know that you don’t uphold the law by behaving like a criminal yourself!
If the DLNR officer in question is that caustic and confrontational, he should join the Army and go to Afghanistan. This is not a war zone, it’s a community — a crowded one where tempers do flare, but it is a community nonetheless.
Sending out a special aloha to Ollie Lunasco, the current President of the Oahu Pig Hunters Association, and to the community on the North Shore that I don’t write nearly enough about. I have to admire you guys for standing up for what’s right and for following up and not just letting it slide — that’s a Neighborhood Watch at its best!