Our Outraged Readers Respond
Wednesday - March 14, 2007
The response to last week’s column “A Vicious Attack, Not Road Rage” has been unprecedented. Your commentary on the heinous beating of a young couple at the hands of a violent family ran the gamut of sadness to visceral outrage. Coupled with the recent USA Today cover story focusing on the Waikele Shopping Center beating, there has not been this much discussion regarding race issues in years. If you missed last week’s column, please log on to www.midweek.com.
Here are some of your comments:
I am myself an aggressive with a low tolerance for people that drive stupidly. However, I (like the majority of other local drivers) limit my aggression to the honking of the horn ... I find it pitiful that someone with a violent nature can inflict such harm on others, and the attack be mischaracterized as road rage. I think that the barbaric manner in which these beatings were inflicted show that these individuals do not possess the moral rudder that most of us have. - T. Murph, via e-mail
Let’s all pray and hope these two thugs get what they deserve. But the way our Legislature is in Hawaii, these guys will back on the streets in no time doing and re-enacting what was done before. - K. Imperial, via e-mail
The one thing I found missing (in the coverage) was the wife who had her share of participation in the animalistic behavior as her husband and her son. These kinds of people should not be allowed to mingle with our ordinary citizens. They should be shipped out to Iraq and placed in a remote mountain area. - LM Lauahi, via e-mail
It’s really a hate crime, a “hate crime against humanity” crime. Civilized people do not behave this way. - P. Sucher
I do not think it would matter what color, sex or age. This father and son were brought up this way, his father probably beat him when he was young (yes, he did according the court records). They were ready to pounce on anyone who would cross their path that day. - P. Adcock, via e-mail
I totally agree with you that the beating of Andrew and Dawn Dussell was not “Road Rage” but a “Vicious Attack.” I pray that these so-called “tough guys” get prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The state needs to make an example of these guys - if you do this to anyone, no matter what nationality, that you will pay restitution and do time behind bars. - Debbie, via Internet.
I understand there are unresolved issues regarding race relations in Hawaii. I don’t think there would be such a pronounced sensitivity to discussing race if it weren’t for the fact we espouse such unanimity. The Aloha Spirit is proprietary to Hawaii. We express it, we promote it and we claim it. However, do we practice it?
Yes, we do.
We have challenges like any other city in America. But for each act of prejudice and violence, we have countless expressions of tolerance and acceptance. Pamela Young’s column “Applause” details our better nature every week.
The appropriate conclusion to this story is the swift and sure punishment befitting a crime of this severity. If our judicial system fails to respond with a firm consequence and allows these thugs to walk away with a slap on the wrist, then an even greater crime will have been committed.
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