A spray-painted paper sign is pictured Tuesday posted inside a Hilo Bayfront display window, near the entrance to the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry. - William Ing/Tribune-Herald

While an anonymous letter was given to local business owners calling to oppose the shop, it sounds as if most neighbors do not take issue with their presence:

But apparently not to the person or people behind the letter, which encourages business owners to contact “your state/county office or mayor. We did.”

Shop owners interviewed Tuesday said they won’t follow that advice.

“Sounds like a Republican ploy, doesn’t it?” asked Nelson Makua, owner of the Na Makua Hawaiian clothing store on Waianuenue Avenue.

Noting he’s a graphic artist, Makua said his daily commute takes him past the building, and he would have noticed the sign if it was blatant.

“Freedom of speech. I mean, come on,” Makua added about the letter found at his door Tuesday.

Its author or author drew no sympathy from James Stoeckel, who owns Frame It! Hawaii Inc. on Waianuenue Avenue.

“To me, anybody who opens their mouth about marijuana is a good guy,” said Stoeckel, adding he’s been a medical marijuana patient “since the beginning” of the program.

Stoeckel complained that the letter he found when opening his shop Tuesday included Mayor Billy Kenoi’s office number, but not the author’s number.

“This is really manini, and it’s cowardly,” Stoeckel said. “I’m not calling the mayor.”

About a week ago, Kenoi’s office received one call “from somebody who was unhappy with (Christie’s) operation,” said Kevin Dayton, one of Kenoi’s executive assistants.

Janet Louise, owner of the Village Toy Shop located next to Stoeckel’s store, said she also won’t complain about the sign or activities.

“I don’t like tacky signs, but I have no problem with Roger Christie,” she said.

The Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce is located next door to Christie’s ministry, but did not receive the letter opposing his operations, said Mary Begier, chamber president.

Begier said some people have asked her what she thinks of Christie’s sign.

“It’s their building, and it’s a free country,” she said.

Source: Tribune-Herald via 420Magazine.com

Patrick Koster

Patrick Koster

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Actual aircraft may vary

The UKs’ Daily Mail has an article outlining the new space tourism program, that could be launched as early as 2012.  After a little space training, you can hop on and take a quick 45 minute space flight from Hawaii to Japan – complete with awesome views!

They would pay $200,000 for the package including spaceflight training, resort accommodations and short test flights to simulate weightlessness.

At the end of the holiday, five pasengers would embark on a horizontal take-off aboard a special rocket plane, climb to 40,000 feet before rockets fire, accelerate to 3,500 miles per hour, coast for a few minutes of weightlessness 62 miles above the Earth, flip over and then return to ground.

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