Letters to the Editor
Camera opponents provide comic relief
Shortly after the tragic events of Sept. 11, a pundit on the East Coast declared that irony was officially dead. Apparently he came to this conclusion without considering the citizens of Hawai'i in the equation. Had he checked our local newspapers over the last few months, he'd have found editorial pages chock full of irony to the point of overflowing.
Whether it has been members of the doubly wrongly named Christian Right trying to explain to us that love between homosexuals is not a family value but hating them for that love is, or the smoking minority trying to convince us that it's their constitutional right to foul the air and destroy the health of those not sharing their suicidal tendencies, the writers on these pages have provided us with a boundless source of hilarity.
But funny as those folks are, the grand prize belongs to the small but vocal group of local island drivers who feel that red lights and speed limits are for lesser people than they. They have kept the rest of us in stitches with their hilarious crusade to halt the use of traffic cameras designed to catch them at their illegal antics.
Basing their arguments on the specious claim that they haven't actually broken the law if they're not caught by a real, live police officer, they have used every buzz phrase and intimidating concept at their disposal to scare all and sundry. The epitome has been their invoking the specter of "Big Brother," a frightening image drawn from a book few of them have probably even read.
No. Irony is not dead; it's alive and thriving in Hawai'i Nei.
Andrew Thomas
Motorcycle officers flout the speed laws
Why do we have motorcycle police officers? It appears to me that their primary duty is to hide in the highway shadows with their laser guns and give tickets to unsuspecting motorists whom they observe exceeding the posted speed limits.
Now, that's OK (providing I am not the one observed speeding). But it also appears that motorcycle police officers are unable to ride their bikes at or below the posted speed limits when they cruise these same highways.
On numerous occasions, I have been passed by these "Dudley Do-Rights of the Highways" at speeds in excess of 15 mph over the posted speed limits. These officers are not responding to a call, they are not chasing speeders; they are going to the main police station after their shift is over.
If these guardians of the posted speed limits cannot set an example of cruising within the posted speed limits, why should we, the common drivers, be expected to honor these posted speed limits?
Jack Schneider
When is displaying cross constitutional?
It seems the only good cross is a burning cross. The highly visible crosses on military and other public property around the Islands were removed long before this year's holidays in response to concerns of separation of church and state.
Apart from accusations of "promoting a religious service" at Kawaiaha'o Church, the city managed to keep the ACLU at bay, this year, by displaying an illuminated flag and Christmas tree and lottery-chosen non-Christian displays at Honolulu Hale.
But if the ACLU condones burning crosses on a consenting owner's property or "in the yard of a neighbor who is black," according to a Nov. 3 Associated Press article, the city has a new reason to avoid future church-state missteps. Imagine what a field day the ACLU would have if it put up a forbidden cross and a klansmen decided to set it on fire as a First Amendment free speech right.
Talk about a constitutional crisis.
Lenny Peters
Cayetano is correct to target Jones Act
It is indeed refreshing to hear Gov. Cayetano speak of amending the Jones Act so Hawai'i, in fact the nation, can maintain its cruise industry.
The Jones Act (and the Passenger Vessels Act) mandates that all ships carrying goods or passengers between American ports be made by, manned by and flagged in America by Americans.
Every other mode of transportation in America has been allowed to be manufactured overseas and enter the commerce of this nation, but the Jones Act has been an anachronism to economic prosperity by preventing foreign ships to enter Hawaiian waters.
This is the economic equivalent of prohibiting the people of Hawai'i from buying Japanese or other economical cars and forcing us to buy only the gas-guzzlers from Detroit.
Hopefully the governor will prevail in amending the Jones Act and make it an economic advantage instead of a disadvantage for Hawai'i.
Gene Ward
'Homosexual agenda' is to achieve equality
Regarding Steve Osborne's Dec. 27 letter about the "homosexual agenda": It seems to me he is being somewhat unfair.
Homosexuals are not trying to "take over" the schools. We are working for equality — the same way Americans gained their freedom and women gained their rights.
Homosexuals are now trying to achieve their equality and "freedom," so to speak.
Aaron Joyce
Waipahu
It's time we voted out the Democrats
Daily, we read several articles from readers concerning traffic cameras. Beginning the first part of 2002, thousands of vehicle owners will receive traffic citations in their mail for exceeding the posted speed limit on our freeways and highways.
This is a guaranteed money-maker for our politicians to increase the general fund.
The only effective action we citizens can take is to exercise our right, our duty, to vote for candidates of other political parties than the Democratic Party, which has been in power for 40 years.
I, myself, am guilty of supporting Democrats in the past. Imbalance of power is unhealthy for our society.
Wilbert W.W. Wong
Kane'ohe
State should look into blocked trail head
Access to Hawai'i beaches is almost a religion. The state has provided for this access through laws and condemnation. Meanwhile, access to public forest land has suffered from almost total neglect.
The latest blow to this access has been the closing of the access road to Poamoho Ridge Trail. This trail is a lovely trail of about 2.5 miles starting in the Poamoho District behind the Dole Pineapple Pavilion north of Wahiawa. The access road is 3.9 miles long to the forest reserve boundary and crosses pineapple fields and some low scrub on Dole's property.
The trail itself was built in the 1930s with public monies and has been maintained by the Department of Land and Natural Resources for many, many years for the public use. The trail has been used by hikers, bird watchers, botanists and occasional hunters. The trail saw a lot of use.
Within the past 30 days, Dole Co. has placed gates and cables across all access routes to the trail head. The powers that be in our state government have made no effort to reopen the access.
Are beach-goers more valuable than hikers and other nature lovers? Do their votes count more?
The anomaly is that, on one hand, Castle and Cooke is asking the Land Board for approval to build homes on several hundred acres of agriculture land while, with the other hand, blocking people from the peaceful enjoyment of the Department of Land and Natural Resource's public land.
Maybe our elected officials should give some thought to this.
Fred R. Boll
Mililani
State must ensure reliable air service
As a 27-year pilot with an interisland carrier, I have serious reservations concerning the merger's effect on employees and the traveling public.
Both the public and the airline benefit from stability. This merger between Hawaiian and Aloha airlines invites instability. The post-merger effects must be fully evaluated and specific measures taken prior to approval. Stable, reliable air service is an absolute necessity in Hawai'i.
The new merged carrier will be subject to invasion of its routes, and the economic effect might be enough to bring down the merged airline, or at the very least cause it, too, to leave the interisland market.
Under current regulations, once the merger has been accomplished, the door will be wide open for the next startup carrier to enter the market. Startups have an initial advantage in that they either fly obsolete equipment or newer equipment that has been unsuccessful in the marketplace.
Both equate to low capital costs. Nonunion, new-hire labor with low wages and minimal benefits complete the cost equation.
Unless the "golden parachute" agreements preclude it, perhaps one or more of the departing Hawaiian or Aloha executives might be involved in a startup airline.
Startups in recent memory include Mid Pacific, Discovery and Mahalo. All entered the market with the promise of low fares. All went bankrupt and left many residents of Hawai'i holding worthless tickets and coupons.
If the two established, mature airlines cannot compete against each other, how can they compete against the stream of startups that will surely follow?
Although I am an advocate of less government, I believe the only way to ensure reliable air service at reasonable fares with a single carrier is to institute a form of government oversight. The old Civil Aeronautics Board or, at the state level, the Public Utilities Commission could be used to regulate routes and fares. The airline must have route protection and the public must have service and fare protection.
Electric utilities and interisland shipping companies are examples of monopolies or quasi-monopolies regulated by the state. Interisland air service should be treated as a public utility.
Capt. William L. George
Aloha Airlines, Retired
Honoka'a
