Letters to the Editor

George Harrison left his mark in Hawai'i

As another Beatle passes, a couple of thoughts.

I was involved with the festivals in Diamond Head Crater in the '60s and '70s. The theme song for the Sunshine Festival was "Here Comes the Sun" — a song written by George Harrison. That song, and the Beatles music, will forever be a part of those great events.

In the 1990s, I was lucky enough to meet one of the Beatles while producing a Bob Dylan concert at the Royal Lahaina Tennis Stadium. ÊHarrison helicoptered in for the show from his home in Hana, Maui. ÊWhile that particular show wasn't one of Dylan's greatest, the thrill of meeting George Harrison was. Ê

Backstage, during the show, George and I spoke of Hawai'i and specifically about the music of Hawai'i. It was an unforgettable conversation. What I remember most about him was his all-knowing smile and the certainty of a man at peace with himself.

After the show, watching Dylan and Harrison walk off together to the VIP Bungalow, I realized that I was looking at music history — two of the greatest musicians of our time. Then I thought, "WOW ... I finally met a Beatle!"

Yes, even a jaded rock promoter has his music heroes.

Ken Rosene
Concert promoter

Allow drivers to go 5 mph over speed limit

I was attending my economics class when my teacher brought up a news article about the recent change in how the government plans to stop the increasing amount of speeders. When I read about the story, I was horrified that the government had not thought its way through the entire process.

I do believe safety is very important; however, I do not believe the way the government is doing things is fair. If it uses this method, it should allow drivers to go at least 5 miles per hour over the speed limit.

It is nearly impossible to keep to the speed limit due to constant variables on the roads. For example, a car will inevitably go faster when going downhill.

Also, the officials cannot say that the bus drivers and city officials themselves do not speed a little over the speed limit, purposely or not.

Aaron Miki

No matter the use, camera program good

There has been much in the media recently about the coming use of cameras to cite speeders and those who run red lights on our streets and highways.

A few have indicated that they feel payment of a fee for each ticket issued could lead to an abuse of the system by the company providing the service, as if to say that the company would manufacture citations.

A Nov. 29 editorial said that just such action had occurred " ... when the company operating the technology readjusts the equipment to trigger photos when the light is "orange,' " without giving information on the places where this was alleged to have occurred and not giving the source of such information.

This leads me to three observations:

• Even if your allegations are true, it could be easily prevented here by making sure that the Honolulu Police Department has control over the trigger points.
• The use of the highway is not a right but a privilege — a license is required for its use — and those who use the highways are obligated to follow the rules of the road. Therefore, there should be no quarrel with any mechanism to ensure that compliance.
• I have a nephew who works for a company that provides similar equipment, and they have found that they are working themselves out of a job. The effectiveness of the system is such that the number of citations drops dramatically, quickly reaching a point at which it is not profitable for the company to continue providing the service on a per-citation basis.

It is hoped that such would happen here.

Richard Simmers

Hawai'i badly needs shipping competition

In his Nov. 18 Island Voices commentary, Creighton W. Goldsmith does a credible job of enlightening us about the differences between the Jones Act, which affects cargo transportation, and the Passenger Service Act, which deals with carrying passengers. His arguments regarding maintaining the Jones Act, however, are specious and illogical.

Goldsmith first asks, "Who of us would want Hawai'i's lifeline to be in the hands of the lowest bidder?" That question assumes that the lowest-priced carrier would get all of the business. As in any industry, the consumer will compare pricing versus service and value, and elect to go with the company that best fits his needs and budget. A foreign competitor in the shipping business would not survive if it gave inconsistent or unreliable service.

Goldsmith then states that "few shipping lines would want to enter a market that hauls full containers one way and empty containers the other." If this is not a profitable market, why have the Jones Act for protection of domestic carriers in the first place?

Finally, Goldsmith asks, "Who but a fool would leave the transportation of our most basic needs to a foreign shipper ... ?" It seems to me that Hawai'i has long been a "fool's paradise" to allow shipping companies and oil companies and grocery companies to saddle us with absurdly high prices while they pocket excessive profits.

Perhaps Goldsmith is correct in stating that foreign carriers will not give the service we require or be able to operate profitably. But what is the harm in letting them try?

Robert Chanin
Kailua

Councilman's rhetoric doesn't jibe with vote

Bob Dye's Nov. 18 commentary, which dealt with the looming Honolulu fiscal crisis, raises appropriate concerns. Much of the article was devoted to quotes from Councilman John Felix that dealt with both mandatory spending, such as sewer system costs, and to discretionary spending, such as for recreational facilities.

Felix went on at great length about fiscal responsibility. What he failed to say was that he was one of the majority of the City Council members who voted to approve the latest city budget.

In remarks prior to the full council vote, Felix expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed budget. A few minutes later he voted to support the budget as proposed. It is my understanding that a similar pattern was displayed by Felix in an earlier Budget Committee meeting that preceded the full council vote.

It would be most interesting if Councilman Felix would tell us how he reconciles his votes with his rhetoric.

Robert Fowler

Waikiki improvement, bandstand wonderful

Just a short note to let you know how much we enjoyed walking the beach in Waikiki.

It has been three years since we last visited Honolulu. The wide sidewalks, the new grass and the waterfalls, rock work and general update is a great improvement.

We were fortunate to walk through Kapi'olani Park when the Honolulu Symphony Children's Orchestra was performing on the evening of Nov. 24. What a wonderful hour of music in the lovely new bandstand. We also enjoyed some of the music on the beach afterward, and returned Sunday night for more.

Congratulations to the city of Honolulu for the updating. A first visit to Honolulu was in 1957. We know Waikiki can never return to those days, but the recent update has done a great deal to re-create that atmosphere.

Roy and Maxine Geddes
Delta, British Columbia, Canada

It's OK to exclude military dependents

Regarding the Nov. 27 letter from Marsha Joyner and Don Hayman ("GOP seeks exclusion of military dependents"): As a military spouse for 22 years, I feel qualified to comment on the reapportionment issue.

Never during my husband's active duty did I change my home of record nor my voting privilege to the state where we were residing. For tax benefits, we remained New Jersey residents even when we lived in Hawai'i, and continued to vote by absentee ballot in New Jersey.

We received benefits from Hawai'i such as a 50-cent automobile registration and not paying state tax on military pay. I chose to keep my out-of-state voting privilege so we could receive these benefits from Hawai'i and the numerous other states where the military sent us. Why then should I have been counted as a constituent for any reapportionment?

Of course we made many sacrifices, as Joyner and Hayman point out, but to not have counted me as a voting resident for reapportionment is hardly one of them. It's only fair, and I support that position. Otherwise, why not also count the military member? What's the difference?

Barbara Krasniewski

UH Warriors being ignored by ESPN

No bowl game? I watched the ESPN Game Day show recently, and just about every game was mentioned except one. No mention of a quarterback with two back-to-back 500-yard games and 11 touchdown passes; no mention of a receiver with 285 yards, and no mention of Chad Owens' 100-yard kickoff return.

A lot of talk about teams winning six games and being now "bowl eligible." After one of the most exciting UH seasons ever, with an incredible coach and staff and a group of young men who never gave up, here we are 8-3, maybe 9-3, and WAC'd again.

Everything I've said you all know, so what's my point? Seems to me I heard that UH hired a top-rated marketing company on the Mainland. What is it marketing besides advertising? Certainly not the team. What does it take to get copies of the game into the right hands at ESPN? If somebody has to get on a plane with the video in his or her hand, then just do it — the players deserve that much.

Roger A. Hutchings

We aren't meeting our call center needs

Ken Gemilli's Nov. 27 letter concerning phone solicitations for local organizations being farmed out to Idaho is timely. Apparently, this is not an uncommon practice in Hawai'i.

We recently received a call requesting a donation for a local Republican Party candidate's campaign for governor. After a brief conversation with a most pleasant person, we were switched to another individual for verification of our address. When that person had difficulty pronouncing Kailua, we asked if she were located on the Mainland, which she confirmed.

One of the areas the state is promoting to attract new businesses to Hawai'i is the establishment of call centers. We certainly have the labor force and telecommunications facilities to do this type of work.

Apparently, we are far from achieving that goal if we can't even handle our own call center requirements.

Robert Engelbardt
Kailua