Monthly Archives: July 2008

As always, we appreciate all of your emails. We’d like to take the time to include two emails that were particularly touching. If you would like to get in contact with us, you can email us your comments, questions or story ideas to heraldinfo@thehawaiihochi.com

Dear Editor:

As a long time reader of The Hawai‘i Herald, I appreciate the good writing and the many human interest articles. Today I read the story of Misao Kuwaye Sakamoto on the battle that hit home in Okinawa (June 20, 2008, Hawai‘i Herald). It was very touching the extreme suffering those people had to endure. It shows graphically the futility of war and passively accepting what a government says.

Also, the essay by Sonoe Nakasone was excellent in calling attention to the achievements of Bamboo Ridge.
Thank you again.

Aloha,
Alfred Bloom
Kailua, Hawai‘i

* * *

Dear Editor:

Thank you for printing Sonoe Nakasone’s insightful comments regarding Barack Obama’s speech on race in America (April 4, 2008, Hawai‘i Herald). As was pointed out in her article, Obama’s speech was prompted by the charges of anti-Americanism made against his former pastor and spiritual mentor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

Why has Dr. Wright become the target of so much fear and hate? Because he preached what he believed to be God’s judgment upon of one of our nation’s most sacred cow: that we are God’s chosen people and, as such we can do no wrong. That’s the notion that led our nation into a unilateral war in Iraq, caused the death and suffering of countless innocent lives, and brought us this day to the brink of moral and economic collapse.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites thought similarly of themselves. They built a statue of a golden calf to display their might and delude them into thinking they can do as they please. Moses, the prophet, was instructed by God to burn the statue and have the Israelites drink its ashes. This was to serve as a warning and a wake-up call.

Dr. Wright has done the same for our nation by his bold and prophetic preaching. He has said that by adhering to our sacred cow we have done much harm to ourselves and the world and, in effect, crucified Jesus on the cross. For many Americans, such preaching is threatening to our sense of self-assurance, supremacy and entitlement.

Fortunately, Barack Obama is carrying us into the further realm of confession, healing and hope. He has reminded us that we can change (which is confession) as a people and as a nation. We can begin to dismantle our sacred cow and hold ourselves accountable to ourselves, each other and the world. We can move from our current course of dividing, distrusting and destroying ourselves and the world into a different course of unifying, trusting and building a new America and earth that is truly grounded in justice, peace and liberty for all.

Sincerely,
Rev. Wallace Fukunaga
Honolulu, Hawai‘i