Letters to the Editor

Kapahulu-Date needs overhead signal, too

I want to bring to someone’s attention the dangerous intersection at Kapahulu Avenue and Date Street where cars frequently go through red lights.

Both my husband and I, at different times, have observed cars (usually SUVs) that run the red light with all lanes of traffic stopped. No car crossing Kapahulu Avenue would dare to start up right away on the green.

This past summer two pedestrians were hit in a crosswalk there.

A light needs to be strung across Kapahulu Avenue for traffic going ‘ewa since some drivers evidently have a difficult time seeing the lights on the pole alone.

I have come close to being broadsided at least three times if I had started up right away or followed the car in front of me on Date to cross Kapahulu on the green light.

Cassandra Aoki

No evidence of orders could apply to overthrow

On Jan. 11, dateline Washington: "The Army acknowledged that American soldiers killed an unconfirmed number of civilian refugees early in the Korean War but said there was no evidence of orders to do so. ‘I deeply regret that Korean civilians lost their lives at No Gun Ri,’ said President Bill Clinton, stopping short of an apology."

On Jan. 12, when President Clinton was asked by a reporter if "regret" was the same as "apology," he explained that there was maybe a legal difference, and "regret" was used instead because there was no evidence of orders from superiors to the soldiers to do what they did.

Since there was no evidence of orders from superiors to the U.S. minister and naval commander in Honolulu to do what they did on Jan. 17, 1893, President Clinton should have more properly issued the Regret Resolution of 1993 instead of the Apology Resolution of 1993.

Why did President Clinton make such a mistake in 1993? Maybe a Regret Resolution would not have had all the weight that an Apology Resolution appears to have had for the Akaka bill.

Orders given, or not given, by superiors seems to be the difference.

Ralph Peck
Del Mar, Calif.

Caseworkers showed how much they cared

I’d like to publicly thank some dedicated professionals at Child Protective Services. Too often CPS workers are criticized and maligned and the good they do is not surfaced.

Recently, a young child under the custody of CPS underwent extensive treatment for an aggressive leukemia at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children. Over the course of many months, his CPS caseworkers were frequently called upon to interact with the hospital; eventually they had to make some very difficult decisions.

These professionals, particularly Margareta Lum, Bunny Carl-Matsuura, and Stacey Pascual, were concerned about not only his physical care, but his emotional well being as well. As his condition deteriorated, they were available at very short notice for important meetings. They visited him often throughout his hospitalization, on their own time in the evenings and on weekends.

After about four months, when his condition unfortunately became terminal, Ms. Lum visited him every morning before going to work. These visits were not a required part of her job, but she came to see the child out of personal caring and concern.

Carol Kotsubo, RN, MS
Clinical nurse specialist, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children

Cost-of-living index should be factored in

Why don’t we put these pay raise proposals for teachers in the right perspective? The reports are that the fact-finding panel has recommended nominally a 19 percent raise. HSTA is asking for a nominal 22 percent increase.

But the teachers have been working without a contract for two years (since 1999) and the new contract will be for four years. Nineteen percent, covering six years, comes out to an average raise of 3.17 percent a year. At 22 percent, asked by HSTA, the average raise would be about 3.6 percent a year over the full term.

The cost-of-living index has risen at a rate of about 3.6 percent a year. According to my calculations, without a cost-of-living clause in the teachers contract, they will still be behind in pay equality if the panel’s recommendation is accepted, and would about break even with the HSTA proposal. Where is the raise?

I suggest that, in addition to the needed raise, an inclusion of a clause in the new contract that would give teachers an automatic annual cost-of-living raise commensurate with the raise in the cost-of-living index.

B.G. Judson
Kapolei

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