Letters to the Editor
Interisland airlines should be public utility
The big problem with Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines trying to act like Mainland airlines is that they aren't.
We have no access to highways, bus services or railroads as alternatives to the interisland airlines, so they are really our de facto public service interisland bus line.
As a small independent businessman with projects on Maui, O'ahu and Kaua'i, I have to fly all the time to visit my various projects. I have no choice. My customers often have emergencies at the last minute, and I have to run to the airport to go to another island to work on the problem. To be penalized for this when there is no alternative, and because Aloha and Hawaiian think they have a right to behave like a Mainland airline, where there are various travel alternatives available, is ridiculous.
Maybe it's time we took over these airlines as a public utility, which is what they actually are, whether they want to believe it or not. If they keep behaving in this manner, it's likely to happen.
William Pyle
Pukalani, Maui
To the departing council members, a big mahalo
Elected public service is a noble profession but all too often also a thankless task.
In the media frenzy surrounding the occasional misdeeds of our elected officials, we tend to forget that most of them serve honorably. We complain at length when votes do not go our way.
On the other hand, we fail to give equal time to the good decisions of our legislators. Much work, long hours of patient listening and careful thought frequently stand behind these decisions — yet they often seem to slip by without much acknowledgment or thanks from the public.
Yesterday was the last City Council meeting for five of its members: Duke Bainum, John DeSoto, John Henry Felix, Steve Holmes and Jon Yoshimura. I have not been pleased with all of the votes cast during their long tenures. But I want to applaud and thank them for the good decisions they made.
Some of the good legislation that comes to mind are the anti-smoking bill, the energy and water conservation measures, and the number of land acquisitions for open space and public parks. These measures will benefit our economy, our environment, our health and our quality of life for generations to come.
Councilman Steve Holmes deserves special thanks for proving in three elections that a candidate can be elected with maximum donations of $250 from individuals and no contributions from businesses and special-interest money; for working full-time for part-time pay; for introducing many of the good bills; and not least, for devoting most of his weekends during 12 years to public service projects, such as cleaning streams, painting bridges, helping to restore heiau sites, and improving public views by removing vegetation overgrowth.
To all the departing council members, a big mahalo and good wishes.
Ursula Retherford
Kailua
Lingle has daunting fiscal task ahead
Good riddance to the outgoing Democratic management.
The Nov. 30 Advertiser said it all. On page one, we have the governor dipping into the hurricane fund to propose a balanced budget; and on page nine, we have an expensive half-page ad "paid for by the Office of Elections" informing us of the ballot issues for the Nov. 5 election.
I think we all know that stuff like this is just the tip of the iceberg. Gov. Lingle certainly has a daunting fiscal task ahead.
Brian Barbata
Kailua
Taxes ensure we all get the same treatment
The great capitalist storyteller, Cliff Slater, is spinning another tale in his Nov. 25 commentary on competition. Competition may be our savior when it comes to shoe stores, but not if it involves our public services.
Our basic and public services are paid for by the great equalizer in our community: taxes. Taxes ensure us that the same public services, such as garbage collection, are provided in Kaimuki as well as Waipahu.
Privatization of the garbage services, or any public services, will lead to unequal treatment. Private companies operate only with a healthy profit margin in mind; and if the private garbage collection or bus services don't generate enough profit, these services will most likely be terminated.
Cliff, I would rather pay my taxes to have these public services, without interruption, provided by the city. And, you know, it really doesn't matter to me if the garbage truck is gray or pink — as long as it collects garbage.
Hakon Bjerke
Governor should not accept 'professionals'
It is absurd that our new governor has to ask for business handouts to staff her office — in the form of highly paid "professionals" on paid leave. That arrangement smacks of quasi-public corporate fascism.
The governor should be provided with an emergency budget to hire professional public servants who are devoted to the whole public interest.
David Arthur Walters
'Gifts of Aloha' received help from many in state
All of us who traveled to New York with the "Gifts of Aloha" project in September send you our sincerest mahalo for including our efforts as one of the things to be thankful for in your Nov. 28 editorial.
We also thank former Hawai'i resident Elizabeth Cressman, who cared enough to contact you from New York to say how touched she was by our gifts of aloha. We were humbled so many times by the appreciation of the people of New York, as well as well-wishers from across the country, foreign countries and right here at home.
However, our group cannot take all of the credit. We know that our trip would have not been possible without the generosity of many companies, individuals and even student groups from schools across the state, who made generous contributions of time, money, products and services. It certainly reinforced for all of us how much we have to be grateful for here in Hawai'i.
We were also humbled by the many firefighters, families and recovery workers whom we were fortunate enough to meet while in New York. Although they had endured unimaginable tragedy and loss, they showed us through their hospitality that the aloha spirit lives beyond our borders.
We traveled there hoping to bring a tiny bit of hope and sunshine into their lives, but we all left feeling we had been given back so much more.
Mona K. Wood
For "Gifts of Aloha"
Waikiki Theater will be sorely missed
It is sad to see the Waikiki Theater, by far Hawai'i's finest, close down. The 65-foot screen and large seating capacity turned movies into experiences.
The newer theaters are seriously lacking in comparison. In order to fit so many screens into the complexes, some end up looking tiny, such as 10-foot screens in rooms not much bigger than a living room.
In an age when home theaters are high-tech, interactive and can provide a 6-foot high-definition screen with six-channel surround sound, why should I pay $30 for a movie and popcorn in these ever-shrinking dinky theaters? It's more fun to wait and premier the movie at home. It also justifies the investment in my gigantic TV.
But, the Waikiki Theater truly exceeded any home setup and was worth the price of movie admission.
I suppose Consolidated expects the IMAX — now converted to a 70-foot conventional screen — will suffice for big-screen fans like me, but seats are way too close to the screen. This is why the only theater where I enjoyed to see a spectacular movie event was the Waikiki Theater. It will be sorely missed.
Anthony Julius Lannutti
Rodrigues set bad example for child
I was appalled to see former union leader Gary Rodrigues grab a news reporter's microphone and throw it to the ground. It shows what kind of person he really is.
But the one thing that is really sad is the kind of an example he is setting for his granddaughter. As I watched on TV, Rodrigues displayed his immature behavior in front of his granddaughter — while she held her parents' hands.
There is a saying that goes "absolute power corrupts, absolutely."
I hope the Rodrigues family can learn from this experience — to be better examples for the children in their own family.
I think as adults we have to realize our children learn how to behave from us and how to be successful in life. There is another saying about children that goes "More is caught than taught."
My words to all parents and adults is to be good examples for our children. We don't want them to make the same mistakes we did.
Alan Kim
'Aiea
UH football team should apologize
Once again Lee Cataluna hits the nail on the head. Bottom line regarding the UH game with Cincinnati: We were the host team and an apology is in order.
Several of my friends were there with their children and left immediately, fearing for their safety. They then had to explain why kids are not allowed to behave that way even if adults do.
How strange that everyone who watched the evening news was able to determine the name and number of the individual swinging the crutch but June Jones could not.
A public admission of bad judgment for their inappropriate reaction is in order from UH staff — along with an apology to the opposing team and the public.
Sally Fortson
Shintani diet would be good for prisoners
I agree with Gov. Linda Lingle that Dr. Terry Shintani's diet should be used for convicts. A wise and logical choice. For those who need information, read his "The Hawaii Diet" and "The Good Carbohydrate Revolution."
As for location of a new prison, I would suggest Kaho'olawe. Out of deep respect for Hawaiians, I feel all could benefit.
Martin Halesy Grubb
Let's keep Christ in Christmas
It's Christmas, not "the holidays." We seem to have officially forgotten that fact.
I don't know about you, but I am tired of folks insisting that we refer to this time of year as "the holiday season" instead of Christmas.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the term "holidays" was used as an alternative, not a replacement, for "Christmas." Good editors would tell their reporters to use "holiday" in their seasonal stories to avoid overusing the word "Christmas." But never would they say to stop using Christmas all together. That's crazy.
Where is it written that use of Christmas will cause someone else mental or emotional harm? Look, political correctness is as much a self-inflicted wound as it is a social imperative. Without any new or legal requirement, we apparently just meekly accepted the notion that it should no longer be used because it might offend somebody.
It is no coincidence that Christmas comes at this time of year. In fact, it's pretty predictable for Dec. 25, because that's the day most Christians agreed that Jesus Christ was born. They've celebrated that birth over the ages and never barred others from celebrating along with them. And others have. I mean, all those presents and Peace on Earth, as well? Where do we sign up?
So, Hanukkah, a relatively obscure Jewish holiday, was vaulted to the forefront because it occurred around, you guessed it, Christmas. I know for a fact there are a lot of Jewish kids who would be more than a little upset if we dispensed with the tradition of gift-giving that grew up around Christmas. Seems to have become a part of Hanukkah, as well.
African Americans, looking for their roots, may have stumbled onto something called Kwanzaa and began celebrating that, too. But it's no coincidence that it also occurs around Christmas.
It's as if there were no Christmas, and someone was busy trying to invent it — other groups, other cultures, other religions, just because it was just too good to be missed. So let's not take the Christ out of Christmas and Christmas out of the "holiday season." Let's agree that our culture and tradition do still matter.
Let's wise up to the fact that we will always be in danger of losing that which we are unable or unwilling to defend. Let's keep the Christmas parade, the Christmas party, the Christmas tree, the Christmas present, the Christmas wreath and the Christmas celebration intact and not let anybody steal it from us for any reason. Let's refuse to use the euphemism "happy holidays" when we're really just talking about, well, "Merry Christmas!"
L.E. Harris
