Letters to the Editor
Better late than never on reforming schools
I want to applaud Democratic Reps. Brian Schatz and Ken Ito for recognizing the need to reform our beleaguered public schools system (Advertiser, Nov. 15). Republicans have recommended for years that decision-making needs to be made at the local level.
After seeing the special-education mess and the huge repair and maintenance backlog, it's obvious that our statewide centralized system doesn't work. It's time for a bipartisan effort to decentralize the public schools and give the people closest to the children the powers necessary to make a real difference.
Let's work together in the upcoming legislative session.
Bob Hogue
Senate minority policy leader
Jones Act necessary to ensure security
In urging Hawai'i to "get on the cruising bandwagon" ("Jones Act must be rescinded," Nov. 13), Valerie Davis failed to note that foreign-registered ships are not subject to American oversight because such vessels are sovereign entities of the country whose flag they fly.
Holland America Line avails itself of a ready supply of crewmembers from the Third World, who toil for substandard wages under miserable conditions. There is scant incentive for a Dutch cruise line to employ local residents for any reason other than cosmetic. Further, any increase in business for Hawai'i hotels and restaurants would be minimal because cruise passengers have little need to seek such accommodations.
Finally, Davis' rationale for repealing the Jones Act has less to do with marketing Honolulu as a port-of-call than with her industry's desire to avoid federal scrutiny of its business and labor practices. That law ensures that Hawai'i's air and sea routes remain securely in American hands; its repeal would undercut our security.
As we now recognize the folly of our nation's reliance on imported oil, it is likewise imprudent to subject Hawai'i's lifelines to foreign control.
Donald R. Koelper
Apology unnecessary for flying Old Glory
I think the central issue in the flag-raising debacle that prompted an apology by Alice Guild, executive director of the Friends of 'Iolani Palace, to offended Hawaiians and sovereignty advocates alike has been lost in what could be deemed as exaggerated righteous indignation.
While I am an avid supporter of Hawaiian rights and culture, I feel it is an emotional waste of time to be caught up in the myopic viewpoints of those who demand apologies from people or groups seeking to practice compassion and genuine concern. The central issue regarding Guild's decision to fly Old Glory over 'Iolani Palace is summed up in one word: compassion.
Those who cannot come to terms with seeing the haole flag flown over 'Iolani Palace in a patriotic gesture that unites Americans and, furthermore, expresses aloha are haplessly stuck in a crevice of the past.
I'm not suggesting Hawaiians lose their self-determination or distort the truth but, rather, that we all put politics aside and face the true enemy. Thus, subscribing to the principles of compassion and love for anyone who suffers demands no apology, detailed explanation or second thoughts.
Chas LeRoy
Labeling Hawaiians by other names silly
I can't begin to tell you how silly this whole "Hawaiian blood" versus "Hawaiian" or other labels like "ethnic Hawaiians," "kanaka maoli" or "kanaka" is.
I have to guess that some people just want to be known as "Hawaiians" and put aside their true ethnicity, perhaps not wanting to be associated with the ancestral country. Association with another country I understand. But trying to get too regional, that I don't comprehend at all.
So if we try to use "Hawaiian" now as a regional adjective for us in an inclusive way, I can do the same by calling myself a Molokaian. Oh wait, but I don't have true Molokaian blood. My lineage ties are to Maui and also to Hawai'i. So does that mean I'm a Mauian and a Hawaiian? Or is that "ethnic Hawaiian" and "ethnic Mauian"?
Who are these people who are responsible for coining these new terms for others to use?
Kalani Mondoy
Glendale, Calif.
Now is the time for shipboard gambling
Recently I went to the Honolulu Harbor Festival and I noticed the cruise ship Patriot, sadly docked like an unwanted toy. I would like to suggest to our legislators and governor that now is the time for shipboard gambling.
This would be a win-win for the state (collect taxes on winning and port fees) and the owners of the Patriot by creating a ship-based hotel/casino and restricting gaming only at sea.
Let's keep our locals' money in Hawai'i, not Nevada.
Steven M. Ogata
O'ahu has a chance to vote for integrity
For those, like me, who were disappointed with Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono's decision to seek the mayor's office rather than the governorship, there is a brighter side to her move: For those who live on O'ahu, we now have a chance to elect one of the few politicians of statewide caliber untainted by scandal, not embarrassed by character flaws or controlled by the ol' boys.
Hirono was smart enough to recognize that the big bucks necessary to win a statewide race came with a price tag. Without paying the price, you don't get elected, at least in the political system we now have. I like that in a "politician," if you can brand her as one. She was refreshingly na•ve about feeling electable if you do a good job, are honest and genuinely care for people and are accessible to the masses, as she is more than most politicians.
But, raising the kind of money needed to win a statewide race was clearly not in the cards, and selling out to raise the money wasn't worth it. Her willingness to return money to donors was a political phenomenon never seen before but that reflects the character of Hirono. Few of the current crop of politicians who roost in Honolulu Hale would ever think of doing that.
It is really the right time to clean out City Hall, and what better way than to start at the top? No more perennial candidates, retreads or has-beens.
Thanks, Mazie, for giving the voters of Honolulu a chance to revitalize city government after all those miserable years of deception, kickbacks and arrogance. The state's loss will be the city's gain.
Francis M. Nakamoto
Secondhand smoking is a real crisis, so act
Anthrax terrorism claims a small number of victims in Florida, New York and Washington, D.C., and the City & County of Honolulu responds by spending thousands of dollars on expensive equipment, disaster drills and answering false alarms. The media go into panic mode, and the public is terrified.
Where is this same concern over a far greater killer, secondhand tobacco smoke?
Tragic as anthrax terrorism has been, there have been only four deaths in the entire nation so far due to this hazard. On the other hand, the World Health Organization reports that every year, between 35,000 and 62,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. due to secondhand smoke. Another 3,000 die of lung cancer.
In addition, secondhand smoke also causes and aggravates asthma and other breathing problems, particularly in children. It is also an important cause of sudden infant death syndrome.
This is a public health issue, a workplace safety issue and a child endangerment issue. Isn't it about time the City Council does the right thing and struggles to free itself from the control of Big Tobacco, Big Business and the minority of smoking addicts in our midst?
Ban smoking now in all restaurants.
Rob Vaughan
Landowners willing to work with Outrigger
Thank you for your coverage of the Outrigger Enterprises Waikiki redevelopment project and the questions you've raised regarding the city's plan to force private landowners to sell to the Outrigger through the use of eminent domain proceedings.
Our family has owned Waikiki property and leased it to Outrigger for decades. Joseph Andrade, our grandfather, was the original owner of the property where the Reef Towers now stand. Our father, Joseph B. Andrade, the successor owner, was a good friend of Roy Kelley. The two men crafted a lease that compensates our family fairly and allows Outrigger to pursue its business interests through the year 2069.
There is no reason at all to expect that we would not continue this positive relationship. Our family fully supports Waikiki revitalization.
What baffles us is Outrigger's insistence that the only way its project will work is by having our property condemned. Our lease agreement allows Outrigger to move forward with its plans for the Reef Towers today.
In plain language, the government is proposing to take our property and immediately sell it to Outrigger. The city claims this is in the public's interest. The way we see it, the city is forcing a small, private landowner to sell to a big developer so the developer can make a bigger profit. While we don't want to get into a protracted fight, you can be sure that we will pursue all of our options to protect our rights and land that has been in our family for three generations.
Again, we support Outrigger's plans for Waikiki. Our lease allows for the project to move forward today. We want to be part of the solution to improve Waikiki and Hawai'i's economy.
Surely there's a positive way to do this that doesn't involve condemnation and the legal wrangling that will follow.
Pam Anderson and Joan Brown
Andrade Trust beneficiaries
My free time and money are visiting North Shore
As a former, 20-year resident of North Shore O'ahu, I was saddened to read your Nov. 15 article about the loss and marginal operation of so many businesses in Hale'iwa.
Hale'iwa is a special kind of place, and the businesses there are very much a part of the warm, friendly, comfortable atmosphere that prevails throughout the town. Even the grocery stores have good vibes.
Much is being done by government and other entities to save the businesses of Waikiki, few of which have much meaning to the average local resident. I have decided to do my part to help Hale'iwa businesses weather the crisis by spending a large amount of my money and my work-free time on the North Shore.
No longer will Sears, Liberty House/Macy's, Neiman Marcus and all those other replaceable entities get my money. I plan to go out to Hale'iwa on every possible occasion to buy my aloha shirts, T-shirts, beach and casual wear, and other clothing items. While there, I plan to frequent my favorite restaurants and hang out in my favorite shops.
If we lose those wonderful Hale'iwa hang-outs like Kua Aina (and the surf shop next door), Hale'iwa Joe's and Jameson's, and what was a growing art community, we will have lost a part of Hawai'i that is not recoverable. Resorts like Waikiki get ripped down and rebuilt regularly by developers, but towns like Hale'iwa are unrecoverable.
I hope everyone in Hawai'i who loves and cherishes the North Shore atmosphere will resolve to help keep this place alive through the crisis so that it will be here for us and the next generation to enjoy long after Osama and his ilk bite the dust.
I only regret that 25 years ago, local and state government representatives didn't support efforts to open small inns and B&Bs instead of backing the efforts of the big developers. What a pleasure it would be to spend weekends in a nice B&B or inn on the North Shore and, at the same time, support the income of a local family.
I do hope that situation changes soon, but till then, my money's going North, in support of the small businesses that make Hale'iwa what it is: a refreshing place to relax and enjoy Hawai'i.
Richard "Rick" Bacher
