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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 19, 2002

Letters to the Editor

Don't blame Islands for tragic accident

Visitors do not come to Hawai'i to see signs at every turn, but to enjoy our beautiful beaches, mountains and views. That someone recklessly endangered himself, and ultimately died, is tragic; to blame the city or state for this accident is ludicrous.

My heart goes out to the family of Daniel Dick, but they must realize that this accident was preventable had the man used some basic common sense.

The placement of signs on every beach or mountain would not only detract from the beauty of our Islands, it would likely not prevent further mishaps.

An award of monetary compensation will not bring their son back, nor will it prevent such tragedies from occurring again. We cannot post a sign at every potentially dangerous spot, and we cannot be held accountable for every accident that results from poor judgment on the part of our residents or visitors.

Lisa Wiley


We should try to be more like Hawaiians

No, Mr. Conklin, you are not Hawaiian, and, I'm sorry to say, neither am I. Sure I was born here and have lived my entire life here, but no, even I am not Hawaiian.

What you and I can try to do is to be more like Hawaiians. We can find someone who understands Hawaiian culture to teach us how to become a little more compassionate, a little more tolerant and a little more concerned about others instead of ourselves. We'll learn to be a little more concerned about what happens to our environment. And most important, we will learn to have a deep respect for each other and we will learn to show that respect in our everyday lives.

So while you and I can never be Hawaiians, if we are akamai, we will learn to take the best of each of Hawai'i's cultures and apply the knowledge to ourselves so we can live honorable lives.

Judy Soares
Waipahu


Anti-Hawaiian lawsuits filed by revisionists

The shameful legal suits against Hawaiian entitlements show the plaintiffs and their supporters as Hawai'i history revisionists who pander to the self-interests of non-Hawaiians, who, of course, are the overwhelming majority.

Ken Conklin is unmatched in promoting hewa (lies) in an attempt to erase a legal and moral obligation to right the wrongs. Examination of his "facts" provides proof of the injustices that Hawai'i and Congress have agreed to deal with. How they do that is a testimony to the fact that to do right is as much a challenge as it ever was.

In this election season, candidates are giving lip-service to federal recognition as if it were a panacea, in spite of the fact that constitutional challenges are real. Hawaiians have legitimate claims that should be resolved within a U.S. constitutional framework. If "annexation" and subsequent statehood are indeed questionable, such, I propose, is the dilemma.

Are we so beyond ho'oponopono (to make right) today that viable introspection is a thing of the past? Auwe! It's a shame.

Michael Locey
Anahola, Kaua'i


You can't right wrongs by promoting racism

"Righting wrongs" is an excuse to promote racism and teach our children discrimination.

Does Imai Aiu, in her Aug. 13 letter, believe that only "whites" practiced colonization, slavery or the slaughter of Native Americans? What about the Aztecs, Spaniards, Vikings or Huns?

What country has not been founded on many wrongs? How far back in history do we go to make amends?

Do I, for example, go to Mexico and demand compensation for the thousands of my ancestors whose land was stolen, and who were enslaved and murdered by "Native Americans"? I'm almost sure those Vikings wronged my ancestors as well.

So let me get this straight, in order to make right those wrongs: I need to start practicing racism and discrimination? No, thanks. I choose to love.

Cathleen Dominguez Matsushima


UH Bridge to Hope program is laudable

Mahalo to the state Democratic legislators and University of Hawai'i for establishing the Bridge to Hope program. The program allows welfare recipients to take care of their children, get a college education, meet welfare work hour requirements and work on campus.

President Bush and congressional Republicans consider education as a "loophole." Republicans are pushing for federal welfare rules that prohibit state education programs like Hawai'i's Bridge to Hope.

Our Hawai'i congressional Democratic delegation and Hawai'i Democratic legislators should be commended for pushing for rules that allow welfare recipients to improve their skills and get better jobs.

We need to expand the Bridge to Hope program, which has allowed over a hundred welfare moms to go to college and become more employable. Bush and the Republicans should support education for welfare recipients and not corporate welfare and corporate greed.

Mahalo to Bev Creamer for sharing the stories of courageous students on welfare and for your Aug. 11 editorial, "Education is an exit off welfare highway."

Mary Sanchez


UH medical school project handled well

The Honolulu Advertiser recently ran an article and editorial regarding the designing of the telecommunications and computer network for the new UH medical school. The take-away messages from the pieces are clear:

• Hawai'i now has a university that is not content to move at the slow pace it used to. As a result, a new facility that is critically important for Hawai'i's residents and economy — the UH medical school — is moving toward completion at a fast-track pace that has not recently been seen in Hawai'i for state projects.

• After soliciting and evaluating proposals to design the telecommunications and computer network for the medical school, UH selected the company it felt was most qualified. In this case, UH chose Verizon Hawaii, which not only has a 117-year history of providing quality services in Hawai'i, but is also best qualified for ensuring that the medical school's network is compatible and integrated into the systems operating on the UH-Manoa campus.

• UH is getting the design services it needs at no charge. That means taxpayer money that would have been spent on design services will be available to spend on other improvements for the medical school or on other UH projects.

• All companies that are interested in bidding for the installation of the telecommunications and computer network will be provided the opportunity to do so.

Harold J. Dias Jr.
Business manager/financial secretary, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers


Council passed buck on landfill solution

I find it incredibly disturbing that the City Council has not yet determined an alternate site for the Waimanalo Gulch landfill in Kapolei.

The landfill is now less than three months from being filled to capacity, yet I have seen no public dialogue, no suggestion of alternatives and no serious investigation of other sites to be used. It seems that the City Council has simply decided to pass the buck to the next council.

In previous areas I've lived, it's taken years to determine new landfill sites, conduct studies and finally decide on a site, yet the Honolulu City Council seems to think it can take care of the problem in a matter of weeks. This is because members know that with no other option in sight, they will be able to extend the time that the Waimanalo Gulch landfill can be used. This is weak leadership, weak governance and weak policy.

We need a council that is proactive, forward-looking and concerned for the welfare of the people. Gov. Ben coming out as opposed to the landfill extension is too little, too late.

One good option for extending the life of any landfill is to have a comprehensive, neighborhood recycling program. I'm not talking about recycling stations in a few areas of the county. I'm talking curbside pickup.

Communities I have lived in that are far less wealthy than Honolulu have been able to implement such policies. It is about time people here took a stand against wastefulness.

Tim Rupright


Review of 'Anna' missed the mark

Drama critic Joseph T. Rozmiarek's misplaced values of dramatic art have, alas, once again led to gross misjudgment both of the current excellent TAG production of "Anna" and its appreciative audience.

He faults the play for lacking an early "dramatic incident to involve the audience," when from start to finish, Frankie Enos, as the soulfully intense and passionate Russian poet Anna Akmatova, is herself a powerful and seamless incident.

In a peculiar anomaly, he slightingly compares this intimate two-person play to the large-cast musicals "Man From La Mancha" and "Les Miserables," which he judges to have more successfully "sold" their audiences. He uses the term "tough sell" twice to indicate the presumed challenge a play faces with an audience too easily "restive, puzzled and mildly annoyed."

But to be "sold," despite the "toughness," is to be tricked and fooled in the archetypical sense — surely not the aim of this serious man-woman play about courage, freedom, love and "recognizing the real world" amid Soviet oppression. Anna helps the detached professor see the real world, as playwright Nancy Moss helps the discerning playgoer to value human qualities now under attack in our terrorist-besieged world.

My night's audience saw this with vociferous enthusiasm.

Professor John Conner
Literature Department, Leeward Community College


Street signs, building numbers sorely lacking

The recent Advertiser items explaining highway route numbers suggested to me that there is another item that apparently has never been addressed: street signs, or the lack thereof.

Much of the heavy traffic on city streets involves tourists in rental cars who cannot find an address because there is a lack of street signs and building numbers throughout the city. Half of the streets bear no identifying signs, and more than half the buildings have no address numbers. Consequently, people drive around and around searching for an address they cannot find.

Street signs could be made and mounted in about a month. Then, all building owners or their tenants could be required to provide the numbered street address on their building at a maximum cost of $10 each.

Kay Dowie


Exporting produce has its challenges

I applaud your efforts to promote Hawai'i agriculture via the front-page article on organic farming and your follow-up editorial.

As an agriculturist in Hawai'i, I would very much like to see a strong export agricultural industry. This brings dollars into the state. Farming is a solid, honest business, and Hawai'i has much to offer. We can grow just about any crop imaginable here, but exporting has its regulatory challenges.

Fresh produce is subject to quarantine restrictions (both domestic and foreign) that are unforgiving. The presence of even one live (and sometimes dead) insect in a product can be the basis for rejection of an entire shipment. More stringent is that the offending insect need not be a new pest species at the shipping destination. Just the fact that it is an insect is enough to cause rejection.

This rejection can occur here (by USDA plant quarantine) or, even worse, at the shipping destination. All costs associated with destruction of the shipment are borne by the shipper (in most cases, the farmer).

If Hawai'i agricultural producers, especially of fresh produce, could get some relief from this extremely low tolerance for bugs, then we may be able to realize our potential in the export market.

Niche market Hawai'i produce definitely has a place in the world markets.

John McHugh
Hawai'i Farm Bureau Federation


Airlines exemption should be approved

The application for an antitrust exemption by Hawaiian and Aloha airlines will hopefully be approved by the federal Department of Transportation.

People should bear in mind that Aloha was nearing bankruptcy not so long ago, and the limited interisland transportation market requires special economic attention by industry leaders.

Consumers need not be alarmed about price-fixing because that issue is not involved in the proposed cooperation. Rather, the airlines seek to maximize efficiency by flying at or near seat capacity. Given the high operating cost of flight travel, this is a very reasonable request by the airlines.

Another safeguard for interisland travelers is that governmental approval is required — if the airline cooperation is not in the consumer's best interest, the governor can pull the plug. This proposed antitrust exemption, best I can figure, is to the benefit of all financial parties.

Stuart N. Taba