Letters to the Editor
Columnist's attack on Hee unwarranted
David Shapiro has one thing right is his blatant July 4 attack on Clayton Hee: The name of his commentary, "Volcanic Ash," is aptly named. Volcanic: "to spew hot gas"; and ash: "a soft residue left when something is burned."
His condemnation of Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee Hee is unwarranted and unjustified. I have the pleasure of knowing Hee, and while our politics may differ on some issues, I have found him to be an honest and dedicated man whose greatest concern is to represent the people who elected him to the best of his ability.
Shapiro may interpret passion in his beliefs and an inability to suffer fools as poor traits in an elected official, yet I find it refreshing. Hee and fellow trustee Charles Ota without a doubt make many personal sacrifices to serve and attempt to better the conditions of the indigenous people of Hawai'i. They do not deserve to be branded as the problems at OHA.
Hawai'i politics would not be in the sorry shape it is in if more of our elected officials had the backbone to stand up for what they believe is right.
Daniel Huffman
Kahalu'u
We all must work for alternate energy
Frank McHale, in his July 6 letter, correctly asserts that HECO is not the "bad guy" with respect to alternate energy.
HECO has a responsibility under present laws to provide economical and reliable electricity. Indeed, it has participated in many past projects to bring alternate-energy technologies into the marketplace while ensuring that all of us can get the electricity we need when we need it.
Obtaining more energy from alternate sources — geothermal, solar, wind, biomass, ocean and hydroelectricity — has long been an objective of the state. These technologies must compete in the marketplace after they have proven to be reliable and cost-competitive.
To accelerate their adoption, the federal and state governments have offered incentives such as grants and tax credits, and enacted policies such as net energy metering and renewable portfolio standards.
Today, technologies such as wind, hydroelectric and geothermal can be competitive when compared to burning fossil fuels, and with community support and advocacy, these clean-energy sources can be incorporated more extensively than they currently are.
Hawai'i's economy and environment can benefit significantly by using more alternate-energy sources now and in the future, and that should ideally be achieved in collaboration with HECO.
All energy generation sources have potential negative effects. Additional research into promising new technologies and their commercial adoption are best achieved through the active involvement of HECO, with its considerable influence in energy markets, and sound technical capabilities.
We all want more alternate energy. All of us must work together to make it happen.
Maurice Kaya
Energy administrator, Hawai'i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism
Concession stands getting out of control
Kuhio Beach is a mess.
After a multimillion-dollar reconstruction of Kalakaua Avenue (which looks great), the city, either through oversight or negligence, has allowed the beach concessions to build boxes and shacks in an uncontrolled sprawl.
In the "old days," each concession got a big umbrella and a card table and everything had to leave the beach at night — the idea being to leave as small a footprint as possible on the beach. Now the beach looks like a shantytown from one end to the other.
What's going on?
Todd Camenson
Sports, universities simply don't mix well
Your July 1 editorial "Sports and universities still an uncertain mix," concerning sports teams (notably football and basketball) at high-level university athletic programs raises a number of important issues.
It is wrong, however, in adding yet another voice, to attach significance to the graduation rate of the players involved. Perhaps the most honest thing that big-time schools do in such matters is deny degrees to those who do not fulfill their graduation requirements.
At most of the big-time schools, athletes who merely show up for class, take the exams and pass in a few of the required papers would receive course credit. But with all the special academic assistance, admonitions, warnings and pleas, the big-time schools have been unable to get them to do so. It is farfetched to think that threats from yet another investigating group will persuade the athletes to act like students.
If, as the cited Knight report recommended, teams without a 50 percent graduation rate are banned from post-season play, big-time schools would find ways around the requirement rather than honestly live up to it.
The fortune of university teams should not be predicated on the graduation rate of the players. That connection will demean the university and its legitimate graduates.
Mathew R. Sgan
What's wrong with creating a better zoo?
Who wants to drive to the hot and dusty Barbers Point to visit a new zoo? Is more money to be spent on transportation for hotel guests who do not have cars? What will be the trauma to the animals?
What is wrong with taking the money to develop a new zoo, transporting the animals, etc., and using it on the lovely space we already have? Buy more land to enlarge the Zoo.
As for complaints about the food, use some of the money to have a food court with several concessionaires.
We love having the summer music programs at the Zoo, plus being close to the beach. Let's do some more research before rushing into a foolish move.
Donna Kats
Kailua
We needed to act now to protect our children
As someone who attended the Senate hearings on raising the age of consent to 16, I just want to say how tired I am of the argument that the "intent of the bill was good, but ... " The intent always seems to lose out when other issues muck it up.
I'm sure no legislator who voted in favor of this bill and then voted to override the governor's veto wanted to make criminals out of young people who are legally engaging in sex as of today. Those people should be taken into account.
But we needed to act now to make sure tomorrow's 14- and 15-year-old children have our protection, that no older person can take advantage of them, that older teenagers are aware that it is not OK to have sex with them.
Jay McWilliams
Waialua
Little Leaguers got the dope firsthand
Mahalo to two-time All-American Shane Komine for sharing his time with the Kaimuki Little League All-Stars (Senior Division).
Komine covered topics such as weightlifting, nutrition, pros and cons of going away to college, importance of getting an education, giving back to the community and accepting the responsibility of being a good role model.
Thanks again and good luck to you as a professional or at Nebraska for your final year. You are an inspiration on and off the field.
Royden Emoto
Are there monthly speeding quotas, too?
Here's to Alex Garcia, chairman of the O'ahu Chapter of SHOPO, for criticizing the Honolulu Police Department memo directing officers to issue four tickets per hour while working overtime on traffic duty. Garcia is correct that such a memo jeopardizes the integrity of HPD officers.
Another common HPD practice that jeopardizes their integrity is the strange coincidence that there always seem to be more cops on the road with speed guns near the end of the month, as if they are trying to issue tickets to meet a monthly quota.
I used to live in 'Aikahi and would drive the stretch of H-3 from Kane'ohe Bay Drive to the Kamehameha Highway exit nearly every day, and you'd be guaranteed to see cops with speed guns on that freeway in the few days before the end of the month.
I frankly do not believe Assistant Chief Stephen Watarai when he says that quotas contradict HPD policy. Whether officially sanctioned or not, the acts and practices of HPD officers suggest otherwise.
Joel Kam
Address exploitation through education
Legislation of "sexuality" has never been proven an effective means in regulating sexual behavior. Sexual behavior choices are a result of complex cultural, social, familial, educational, economic and perhaps genetic influences.
An age-of-consent law, however, should not aim to address (nor judge) human desires, only human behavior. It must be recognized that age is often a factor in the power dynamic of gender relationships, and that power is often the underlying motive in sexual choices.
Any blatantly exploitative relationship is a crime. Unfortunately, there is much denial in the male population (and most lawmakers are male) about the prevalence of this exploitation, and much "victim-type" disempowerment by the female population about how they can prevent being exploited.
While broad laws should provide the legal framework for addressing sexual exploitation, the most effective means to address exploitation is through education: relationship building, responsibility of power, self-esteem, civil rights and equity in economic opportunity. It takes an enabled, well-informed population to dismantle abuses of power.
Karen Yukie Yamada
Harassment complaints imperiled
I am deeply saddened after reading David Waite's June 28 article on the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission. I pray that Judge Koichi's Circuit Court ruling, which would effectively repeal Hawai'i's Civil Rights Act, is overturned and soon.
As director of the University of Hawai'i's Labor Center, I and my colleagues often receive calls from people throughout the state looking for information on workplace laws. Sadly, in many cases the situations they describe, if proven, would constitute serious violations of sexual and other clearly illegal forms of harassment and discrimination.
We had been able to refer these hard-working but often distraught and financially distressed people — the people who are the lifeblood of our economy — to the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission. Almost always, they want to know how much it would cost them, because very few employees can afford to hire lawyers and file complaints in court, where the costs can run into the thousands, especially when large employers are on the other side. Rarely, if ever, are they able to find an attorney who will even give them a free case evaluation, let alone accept their case on contingency.
Now, apparently, under Koichi's ruling, all employers who are respondents in these cases will have the right to demand a jury trial and only complainants who can afford a lawyer will be able to protect their rights in the courtroom. While the right to a jury trial is important, it has to be balanced against the strong commitment Hawai'i has made to protect the people's civil rights.
It is laughable for a lawyer representing a huge company to suggest this decision "levels the playing field." In fact, it does just the opposite. It makes the "playing field" enormously tilted in favor of employers, who can hammer into submission complainants with legitimate grievances about sex, age, race, religion, disability and other fundamental human rights. The "hammer" is a typically overwhelming advantage in financial resources.
Some have suggested we do not need a state Civil Rights Commission. In truth, the dynamics of Hawai'i's diverse cultures, ethnicities and races cannot be adequately reviewed or adjudged by the much shorter list of protected classes in federal law. Lawmakers here recognized this when they passed the act in the first place.
We must keep intact our own Civil Rights Commission, which received almost 700 complaints last fiscal year, if for no other reason than that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission simply does not have the resources (or in some cases, the authority) to enforce Hawai'i's strong civil rights commitment.
Let's leave the Hawai'i Civil Rights Commission with the proper tools to do its job. Let's keep the "playing field" level for our working men and women.
William Puette, Ph.D.
UH-West O'ahu
