During the decades that retirees were working, politicians skimmed $1.3 billion from the state Employees Retirement System.

1997: Lawmakers promise to stop taking earnings from the ERS and passed a law to stop future skimming so the system could rebuild lost revenue.

1999: Act 100 is passed, and the promise to stop skimming was broken. Politicians promised this would be the last time.

2000: A long-standing five-year retirement adjustment was eliminated. Cayetano said the ERS couldn't afford it. Another broken promise.

2001: Claiming that changes were needed to continue funding health care, politicians passed the Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund bill. This will cause retirees to co-pay for health plans or accept less coverage. A promise broken and a contractual relationship, stating "accrued benefits (for past services) of which shall not be diminished or impaired," is blatantly being violated.

2002: Retirees should make it a point to hold the fork-tongued 13 senators and 38 representatives who broke promises and violated their retirement contracts accountable in the upcoming election. Out with the rascals; make it a promise you'll keep.

Earl Arakaki
'Ewa Beach

Hawai'i moves to beat of different drummer

Regarding Mike Leidemann's May 23 comments on the "Lahaina Noon," when there is no earth shadow on successive days from Hilo to Lahaina, Honolulu and Lihu'e: It is also interesting to note that uniquely in Hawai'i among the 50 states, the days then begin to get slightly shorter, until June 21.

Days then begin to get slightly longer, until the "Lahaina Noon," which occurs now first in Lihu'e and last at Hilo, after which the days start to get shorter with increasing magnitude until Sept. 21, when the rate of daily change is a maximum.

The reduction in length per day then starts to reduce, until the shortest day of the year at June 21, whereupon the cycle repeats, with days starting to get longer.

The shorter daylight hours approaching June 21 may not be normally discernible, but probably can be calculated by noting the number of hours and minutes between sunrise and sunset. The number may reduce by seconds and then possibly by a minute or more, before slowly reducing to zero (shortest) on June 21, then again lengthening minutely, returning to zero and starting to get shorter, as identified above, with the "Lahaina Noon."

As an afterthought, regarding e-mail: Clear weather with no wind could be "weather dot calm."

Ted Gibson
Kailua

Rules of the road make driving easier

Here are some suggestions to O'ahu's drivers to help keep what "aloha" remains on the roads here alive:

• Don't tailgate. It greatly increases the possibility of your being responsible for a "rear-ender." You should drive at least three car lengths (2 seconds) behind the vehicle in front of you.

If you keep at least 40 feet behind the vehicle in front of you at all times, you will: decrease your chances of being involved in a multi-car pile-up; greatly facilitate the flow of traffic; make space for other drivers to merge into your lane or pass through your lane to exit; help minimize your insurance costs.

• Don't try to be the fastest driver to the next stoplight. I've noticed that the traffic lights in Honolulu are timed almost diabolically to maximize the amount of time drivers have to spend at stoplights rather than moving. This will save you big money in brake and fuelcosts and decrease your chances of an accident.

• Don't try to get around slower traffic by using the slow (righthand) lane. By doing this, you greatly increase your chances of a collision with a car trying to enter or exit the road. Also try to remember that buses and big trucks use the right lane. What's the point of getting into a "battle" with them?

• Don't weave in and out of traffic, trying to "get ahead in life." It's childish, stupid and endangers everyone, including you and your passengers.

• Don't block intersections trying to "beat the light." It's illegal and pays very small dividends. It just slows all the traffic.

• Don't drive unless you need to. Take the bus or car-pool. Staying out of a car can help you live longer, healthier, happier, richer.

Mike Griffin

There's nothing super about 'superblock'

Regarding two front-page articles, one on May 23 ("Home Depot giving up on 'superblock' deal") and another on May 15 ("Hardware firm seeks site near Ala Moana" ): This seemingly legendary "superblock" between Ke'eaumoku, Sheridan, Makaloa and Rycroft streets has been neglected and empty for years, except for wild botanical life.

With the withdrawal of Wal-Mart and Home Depot as potential buyers of the block, there isn't anything really "super" about the block, unless we consider 8.5 acres of prime land in the core of Honolulu with weeds "super."

In comparison, in Las Vegas, a property like this could have changed owners several times over and have had new casinos built on it in just a matter of a few years. It appears that with all the politicizing and "don't build it in my neighborhood" consensus going strong throughout the island, we will be having a lot more open space with weeds.

Hey, take a look around. We won't have to worry about more congestion and traffic, just more overgrown weeds on valuable empty land.

With all due respect to the renaming of land going on in Hawai'i (Barbers Point, Dillingham), it would seem justly appropriate that the "superblock" be renamed. I propose a more accurate "super emptyblock".

Leonard Lau

Delay in implementing Felix is warranted

Regarding the May 24 story that the state is requesting an extension to the Felix consent decree: Attorney Eric Seitz says the state has had plenty of time to meet the requirements of the court order and has consistently failed to do so.

Court-appointed monitor Ivor Groves indicates that he will recommend approval of the state's request for the extension. Groves indicates the extension is warranted because of the recent teacher strike and also because of teacher recruitment delays that were beyond the control of the department.

I agree with Groves. I believe more patience is in order because the state has shown significant progress toward compliance. Appointment of a receiver will only add another layer of micro-management to the process and will not add more services any faster.

The state's resources would be better spent concentrating on recruiting new special-education teachers and support staff and training teachers already in the system.

Henry E.K. Lee
Kane'ohe

What choice do we have on State Hospital?

I would like to reply to Curtis Harada's May 18 letter demanding closure of the State Hospital.

Mr. Harada, it is an unfortunate fact of society that a few of our members will suffer from mental illness that may render them dangerous to society in general.

We have three choices: We can let them run loose to do whatever they might choose, we can confine them in a hospital and try to treat their illness, or we can kill them. You don't seem to support No. 2. Do you prefer No. 1 or No. 3?

I have lived in Kane'ohe for 37 years, a total of 43 years on O'ahu. While I don't live next door to the hospital, I do live within easy walking distance. In the time I have been in Hawai'i, there have been a number of escapes from the hospital. I do not recall any truly serious incidents where other persons were injured or killed by these escaped patients.

During these same years, there have been thousands of people killed or injured by assorted murderers and assaulters as well as drunken or careless drivers. You and your loved ones are much more at risk from this category of society's misfits than the occasional escaped mental patient.

And finally, I remind you that the State Hospital has been in its present location for decades. Your subdivision was built years after the hospital was already there, and its location was never a secret. If living next door to a mental hospital bothers you so much, why did you move there?

James V. Pollock
Kane'ohe

Activists don't speak for entire community

I would like to comment on the May 20 Focus commentaries on Makua Valley. I have met both Brig. Gen. Karl Eikenberry and William Aila Jr., and can appreciate both of their positions.

I have attended most of the Makua meetings held out here on the Wai'anae Coast and have listened to the discussions, pro and con. The problem I have is the statements made by Aila, and others who are representing various "small" organizations, using the phrase "Wai'anae community."

As I listened to these debates, the above small groups kept referring to the wants of the "Wai'anae community." These various groups represent about 400 to 500 people on the entire Wai'anae Coast. We have a population of approximately 40,000 people here. This means that the "collective groups" represent only about 1 to 1? percent of the people out here.

So I would appreciate it that when these individuals write news commentaries or speak to the media about the Wai'anae community, they would identify their "representation" properly and not indicate they are representing the other 39,500 of us residents.

I have been a resident and homeowner here on the Wai'anae Coast for over 40 years and have been very active in all facets of our community affairs. The objections to the Army's continued use of Makua Valley appear to be way far from "the majority" of the entire community.

Ted L. Pond
Wai'anae Coast resident

View 'Pearl Harbor' as history it is

In the May 24 article on "Pearl Harbor," John Tateishi expresses worry that the movie might somehow cause "a new generation to learn to hate Japanese Americans."

I don't know anyone who would walk away from the movie with a feeling of animosity toward Japanese Americans — or the Japanese, for that matter. The movie, in fact, explained why the Japanese attacked and the inevitable circumstances surrounding it.

The scene Tateishi described of the Japanese American dentist receiving a phone call clearly shows that he was not a spy. After the dentist hung up the phone, he was perplexed by the call, saying, "That was the strangest phone call I've ever received." While phone lines were being tapped, the dialog then goes on to explain that he was not a spy and clearly didn't know who the phone call was from. The next line went on to say, "Innocent civilians are being called all around the harbor and asked about the placement of the ships in the harbor."

Yes, the scene of Japanese Zeros coming in over children playing in a field had the feeling of an invasion. It had that feeling because it was an invasion. Like it or not, it happened. It was history.

Not mentioned in the article was the scene of a Japanese American medic trying to aid an injured soldier, only to be shoved away and called a "Jap." Racism, based on the fear of Japanese spies, was also a reality of the time. It too was part of our history. If we pretend it never took place, we deny truth and the efforts made to change such a way of thinking.

If we were to pretend Hiroshima never happened, we would never learn from the horrible and undeniable outcome of its terror. We took from it the knowledge that nuclear war is not an option and no one wins. It was a turning point in history.

The most powerful thing history provides is not just a lesson in the past but one that forms our destiny. I left the movie with not only an extreme sense of sadness for those lost and gratefulness to those who served, but a reflection on time healing all wounds.

The Japanese are now our friends and allies. Our pilots fled to Chinese shores to escape the Japanese. Our American pilots now train with Japanese pilots. In the course of a mere 60 years, much has changed.

"Another side of the story" was mentioned in the article, in reference to the internment of Japanese Americans. Yes, the internment was a terrible and shameful time in American history. But this movie was about Pearl Harbor, a different piece of history. If one wishes to reflect on that segment in time, see "Snow Falling on Cedars."

The greatest gift we may give our children is a truthful lesson in history. If we were to whitewash our history, then the message of forgiveness, communication and amity is lost. This movie gave us all a chance to experience that day, Dec. 7, 1941, just a fragment in time, but a lesson to us all.