Letters to the Editor

U.S. has no jurisdiction over Chinese sailors

As a retired attorney who holds an advanced degree in the law of the sea, I am outraged by the treatment being given to 30 Chinese sailors by the U.S. Marshals Service and our federal court system.

In mid-March, while a Taiwanese fishing vessel was operating in international waters hundreds of miles south of Hawai'i, the ship's captain was allegedly murdered by the ship's cook. In Honolulu, the rest of the crew was jailed as material witnesses and brought to court shackled and handcuffed.

What jurisdiction does the United States have in this case? The crime allegedly occurred in international waters. None of the crew are American citizens or even U.S. residents and the ship is not registered in the United States.

The most that we should do, it seems to me, is to turn the matter over to the government of China or Taiwan. We have no business assuming jurisdiction in this case.

William M. Stephens
Lahaina

Commentary unfair to program's 1st director

Reading the April 1 Robert Rees commentary, "Hawaiian Studies comes of age," left me quite annoyed. It completely lacked historical perspective on the Center for Hawaiian Studies.

As a Hawaiian studies graduate, I witnessed the growth of the center under the directorship of Professor Haunani-Kay Trask. From restructuring curricula to securing tenure track positions for Hawaiian Studies faculty to getting Kamakakuokalani built, Trask carved an intellectual and physical space for Hawaiians at University of Hawai'i at Manoa. People forget that by building a strong foundation for the program, she enabled the center to grow and thrive.

Part of this foundation is Trask's tradition of academic excellence. Contrary to Rees' assertions, intellectualism at the center is not a recent phenomenon. All one has to do is look at the courses and student and faculty scholarship over the last decade to see the quality of scholarship Hawaiian Studies expects and produces. The center's scholarship speaks to academic audiences, as well as to the broader community. This is the kind of academic excellence fostered by Trask.

Perhaps the center has "come of age." It is certainly in the midst of tremendous change. But in all of Rees' reluctant praise for the center, he fails to acknowledge and, in fact, invalidates the tremendous contributions of Trask to the program and, most important, to the lives of her students.

Instead of vilifying Trask, Rees should recognize the real work she contributed to building the Center for Hawaiian Studies.

Erin K. Wright

Teachers must get own house in order

I just read your March 31 article regarding teachers flexing their political muscle. I find it ironic since I am hearing a growing sentiment that teachers are alienating the populace. The people I speak to are getting a little tired of the endless sniveling coming from Joan Husted, Hawaii State Teachers Association executive director, and Karen Ginoza, HSTA president.

Everybody agrees that something must be done. But throwing more money into a bottomless abyss is hopeless.

It is equally ironic that the HSTA leaders tell us that if we fork up more money, education will improve.

Are they holding back now, or are we getting only a partial effort? It will be the same teachers we have now, so how will anything improve?

I say, show us the performance before we pay.

S. Nelson
Hale'iwa

How we must change to be Pacific's Geneva

I strongly support Wali Osman in the long-sought goal of making Hawai'i the "Geneva of the Pacific" ("Hawai'i should make itself the gathering place of the Pacific," March 31).

We all need to realize, however, that we must first become the "Switzerland of the Pacific" — independent, nonpartisan and demilitarized. Only then will Hawai'i have the moral and political clout that can earn the trust of our fellow Pacific Island states, potentially leading to a true commonwealth of cooperation and to the joint creation of a prosperous Pacific community of mutual support in protecting our island resources from globalization.

Keola Kamaunu

Peer Education Program produces a believer

I am 17 years old and a senior at 'Aiea High School. This year, I joined the Peer Education Program. It has taught me the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs and other important issues facing teens.

I have never smoked or consumed alcohol. I would never do those things. Even if I were pressured by my friends, I wouldn't do it. I know better than to put my life at risk for something so stupid. I have enough confidence to take a stand and decline anything I know is damaging.

I am drug free, and I want to make the most of my future. I've worked hard these past years, and I am on my way to college. Drugs only will bring me down.

I don't want my lungs to look like smokers' lungs. I don't want my brain to have holes in it like Swiss cheese because of drugs. I need my lungs to breathe and to live how I choose. I need my brain to think and make the right choices. I need to be strong.

Kathryn Takahashi

How many people do you need to name successor?

Once again, government and academia's preoccupation with committees has manifested itself with the recent formation of the "Committee of 16."

Can any sane person explain why a committee of this size and composition is necessary to search for, nominate and ultimately coronate the successor to UH athletics director Hugh Yoshida?

Will they each be given plaques of participation or letters of commendation when this absurdity is played out for the media?

Here is yet another unbelievable chapter in the Book of Idiocy.

Joe Harding

What has happened to the 'D' word?

What has happened to a sense of decency in Hawai'i?

Not too long ago, a play with a name using a word my family doesn't use in public headlined at the Hawai'i Theatre and you read about it everywhere. Now, a new movie, "Sex with Strangers," is showing at theaters in Honolulu — a movie dealing with spouse swapping.

As the parent of a young child, I get to choose what my child should or should not see or hear. I do not want to have to explain to my child certain subjects he may be too young to understand. I may sound overly protective, but who will protect my child if I, his mother, won't? Certainly not the media and certainly not movie producers.

Since the 'ohana is an important part of life in the Islands, I strongly urge the people in charge of movie releases and promoters of plays to put the interest of families of young children first. Help protect their innocence. Don't make them grow up to the harsh reality of life way before they need to or are ready for it.

Esther Gefroh

Give Kawamoto a ride

Let's all pitch in and get Sen. Cal Kawamoto the Segway Transporter he has his eye on. After his ill-advised and unrelenting support for the van cameras, we should chip in to buy him one, aim him at the Mainland and hope he keeps going.

Ronald Torngren
Mililani

What camera vans simply cannot do

For the first time in more than a year, I saw a police car on H-3 Freeway during rush-hour traffic. The effect was phenomenal: Everybody behaved, no wild lane changing occurred, speed was kept to a reasonable pace and everything was sane and normal. A camera van simply cannot do this.

Officers on the road manage accident scenes, spot erratic drivers, arrest drunk drivers, spot underage drivers and do myriad other things that a camera van cannot do.

So, instead of wasting our state dollars on a bunch of carpetbaggers from the Mainland, let's put some gas in those police cars and motorcycles, get them on patrol and truly do something for public safety.

Send the camera vans back where they came from.

Michael Pohl
Kailua

It works elsewhere; it'll work in Hawai'i

I lived in Michigan for many years before moving to Hawai'i. Michigan was one of the first states to adopt a bottle bill and charge a refundable deposit for plastic, metal and glass drink containers.

As a result of the bill, you virtually never see a discarded bottle or can along the side of a road, or anywhere else for that matter. If one is discarded, it is quickly picked up by someone else who turns it in for the deposit. Let's keep Hawai'i a paradise and reduce litter and landfills by supporting the bottle bill.

Tom Brayton
Lahaina