Violent protests to stop...a passenger ferry!

The environmentalist nutjobs are at it again. Check this out, from Hawaii Reporter:

Capt. Vince Atkins, U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port in Honolulu, made a stunning announcement on Tuesday, Aug. 28. He acknowledged that the federal law enforcement agency charged with protecting American ports will back down from an estimated 150 protesters currently holding Kauai’s state Nawiliwili Harbor hostage.

The protesters, not all from Kauai, are camped out in the state’s main island harbor to prevent the private inter-island Hawaii Superferry from landing there. An $85 million privately funded passenger vessel built to shuttle local families and business owners with their automobiles and fresh produce between Oahu and Kauai and Oahu and Maui, launched for the first time Sunday night with a sea of happy passengers on board. But when the Hawaii Superferry arrived in Kauai three hours later on schedule, protesters used thuggish tactics to scare the passengers as they disembarked by yelling and threatening their physical safety, all with dozens of children present. About 15 protesters on kayaks, surfboards and canoes surrounded the Hawaii Superferry as it entered the harbor to keep it from moving forward.

As Superferry officials unloaded the passengers’ automobiles Sunday, dozens of protesters turned even more violent, attacking the vehicles by pounding on the windows, letting air out of tires, and denting the cars where they could before they were interrupted by county police and state law enforcement. That night, 9 people including 4 children were taken into police custody and charged with misdemeanor offenses from disorderly conduct to trespassing.

These disruptors didn’t just threaten other Hawaii families. Monday night, when the Hawaii Superferry attempted its second-ever landing on Kauai, protesters raised the stakes by using their own children as human barricades, encouraging their youngsters to paddle surfboards in front of the Superferry as it moved into the harbor. State officials say protesters reportedly threatened to toss their children from the pier into the Superferry’s path if the vessel wasn’t stopped. Coast Guard officials mounted on small boats unsuccessfully chased after 50 or so protesters who darted quickly from their reach via various watercrafts. The conflict quickly descended into lawlessness, as county, state and federal law enforcement were unable to bring calm to the chaos either on land or in the harbor waters.

Instead of ensuring the ferry’s safe passage, U.S. Coast Guard officials and the Superferry captain gave in late Monday night. Protesters let out resounding cheers of victory as the ship departed hours later without letting passengers off.