Beware of the crabs in the bucket in Kona coffee, mac-nut industries

The article "Battle brewing on Big Isle over coffee roasting plant" (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 25) contained several inaccuracies, which I must clarify.

Accusations were levied against our firm, PLK Air Services Group LLC, that we will import foreign green beans and foreign macadamia nuts into Kona. One of our most vocal detractors, James M. Wayman, is the president and CEO of Hawaii Coffee Company, the state's largest importer of foreign green beans. Their brands, Lion Coffee and Royal Kona Coffee, are primarily blended Kona coffees that contain only the minimum 10 percent Kona coffee in their products. Hawaii Coffee Co. is sold to retail stores by its parent company, Paradise Beverages, which is owned by Topa Equities Ltd., a California company.

PLK is a locally owned company led by native Hawaiians that will market only 100 percent Kona coffee and 100 percent Hawaiian macadamia nuts. We will not now or ever import any foreign green beans or macadamia nuts into our manufacturing plant at Kona Airport.

Charges also were made by Dennis Simonis, president and chief executive of nut grower ML Macadamia Orchards, that PLK has been given an unfair competitive advantage because we received preferential governmental assistance. He also said that "the last thing that Hawaii needs is another processor of macadamia nuts."

In reality, Simonis and ML Macadamia Orchards LP have entered into a contractual agreement with Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co., which obtained a guaranteed loan from the federal government for $2.1 million to expand its processing capacity to accommodate the ML Macadamia 2006 crop.

Since Simonis feels that "the last thing that we need is another processor of macadamia nuts," then we taxpayers should demand that Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co. return its $2.1 million federally guaranteed loan.

And while representations were made that "special purpose revenue bonds essentially transfer to a private entity the state's ability to issue tax- exempt bonds," our particular bond will be a taxable issue at the federal level because of the limitations in the use of tax- exempt offerings. And although our bond qualifies for tax- exempt status at the state level, we will not avail ourselves of that provision. In addition, our bond is guaranteed in full by our own equity and therefore the state of Hawaii will not subsidize any portion of it.

We believe that our business operations and model will serve as a catalyst to stimulate the Kona coffee and macadamia nut industries. While our detractors contend that these crops are a finite supply, we can recall that in 1957-'58 the Kona coast produced 18.5 million pounds of coffee as compared to only 2.7 million pounds today. The state also has lost nearly 5,000 acres of macadamia orchards due to low farm prices. With more than 100,000 acres of prime agricultural land currently lying fallow due to the demise of the sugar, pineapple and macadamia nut industries, it is incomprehensible that our detractors could suggest that our crop potential is finite.

We believe that the truth is a powerful medium and that everyone will now see our detractors for what they truly are, entrenched businesses that are afraid of healthy competition. And while we work diligently with local farmers to elevate farm prices to profitable levels that can be sustained over time, it is truly disappointing to see that the 'a'ama crab syndrome is alive and well in the Kona coffee and macadamia nut industries.

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Pidgin talkers instill awe in newcomer

I agree with Rep. Marcus Oshiro (Letters, Aug. 21). There is no shame in talking pidgin. As a humble newbie to the island, I do not dare attempt to speak pidgin, but am in awe of those who speak it so effortlessly.

I respect and admire this unique and wonderful language. But I do have to admit, I too wish I could speak "da kine pidgin."

FEMA has one duty, and it failed

We need to stop referring to the situation in New Orleans as the worst natural disaster in our history. The hurricane was natural, but what has transpired since was completely man-made. From building a city below sea level, to not shoring up the levee system, to not evacuating people, to not mobilizing the resources necessary to deal with the aftermath, the death and destruction is largely the fault of incompetent humans.

There is but one natural disaster in our country right now, and its name is George Bush. People try to excuse the federal government and blame the Louisiana governor and New Orleans mayor. They seem to forget what the letters in FEMA stand for -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA's sole job is to manage emergencies, to take over and coordinate every single resource needed to deal with an emergency situation. FEMA and its boss, George W. Bush, failed miserably in fulfilling their sole responsibility.

President should be more consistent

Why is President Bush against stem cell research? He already has played God in Iraq.

Gas price cap law poorly written

OK, I get it now -- "gas cap" doesn't mean the same thing to our legislators as it does to the rest of us.

Our legislative body must be measuring the success of its law by how much pain it causes the electorate rather than how the rest of us see it.

Well, I have a message for them: You have failed. Whoever is advising you that a gas cap tied to some unbelievably faulty logic is good for the consumer is just plain wrong. The belief that the cap will start to have an effect in several weeks is laughable, as well. Caps don't work when tied to a wholesale price index when the law is so poorly drafted and enacted.

To see how wrong the logic is, all one has to do is ask any of the folks in the Legislature where our petroleum product base is located. I'll bet most can't answer the question. Why the heck it is tied to any mainland location simply baffles the imagination.

The governor needs to feel our pain now, not in three weeks, and get rid of this joke.

During the next election, we need to help these legislators feel the implementation of our "election cap tenure." They have served long enough and need to be capped now.

Katrina bungle demands investigation

Following the events of Hurricane Katrina, it is clear to me that we need an independent commission modeled on the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal, state and local agencies.

It seems that our nation was better prepared and responded better on Sept. 11. It is clear that the Bush administration has made us less safe since then. This investigation must be independent and we should not let one party control the investigation of the federal response to Katrina. We cannot let the Republicans try to push a phony investigation on us like they tried to do after the terrorist attacks.

Ask your congressional delegates to support Sen. Hillary Clinton's legislation calling for an independent commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission.

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