Letters to the Editor
Pecking order being established over UH
It is a tradition going back several decades. Import a high-strutting rooster for the purpose of giving Hawai'i a world-class chicken coop, then start drawing the rooster's blood when it's clear the pecking order is about to change. Witness your July 2 story about Evan Dobelle's first year at the University of Hawai'i, and an alleged backlash to his desire to make up his own mind about whether to retain or replace 205 top administrators.
As you reporter notes, Dobelle is convinced he was hired "as an agent of change to restructure a dysfunctional bureaucracy," so the freedom he enjoys to sweep out the coop is critical to his success. Yet already the pecking has begun.
"Many people think he's bringing in people from out of state and paying them big dollars. We do have many good people here," Sen. Norman Sakamoto was quoted as saying, without identifying the many who supposedly think so. Could they be friends and family of the members of the dysfunctional bureaucracy?
Want to be world class? Red rover, red rover, let the best come over. Then motivate them to stay and contribute. We cannot get there only by rearranging the present pecking order. Will there be a ruckus in the coop? Will blood be drawn again? If so, let us all pray that still another proud rooster isn't sent packing.
Bruce Benson
Legislature must deal with noise pollution
Car alarms are one of the worst noise-pollution devices to date. Apparently, very few people are aware that the sensitivity level can be adjusted so that it does not arbitrarily go off.
With noisy scooters, noisy mufflers and the car alarms, it becomes ever more difficult to remain patient and calm while living in these beautiful Islands. California outlawed gas-powered leaf blowers specifically because of this problem, and many people were up in arms about it, but they all learned to deal with it.
Hawai'i's legislative body needs to address the problems of noise in a positive way and bring it under control, and again people will learn to deal with it. There is so much to love about this state that it is sad that the lack of consideration on the part of a few ruins it for the rest of us.
Scott Glasgow
Kane'ohe
Hawai'i's legislators didn't knuckle under
The citizens of Hawai'i have a lot to celebrate. They can look forward to cleaner beaches and roadsides when their newly enacted bottle bill is implemented on Jan. 1, 2005.
They can also bask in the knowledge that they will conserve energy and natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce other forms of pollution by doubling the recycling rate for beverage cans and bottles.
More importantly, the citizens of Hawai'i can be proud of the fact that their state and local officials did not cave in to the pressures of the high-powered lobbyists and their promises of campaign contributions. Knowing that state legislators face elections this fall, it should be heartening to Hawai'i residents to know that a majority of their representatives and senators had the strength of conviction to vote in the public's interest and the governor had the political will to sign the bill into law.
This has not been the case in more than 30 states that have tried to pass a bottle bill over the past 30 years. In those states, the well-financed, politically powerful beverage and grocery industries have spent millions of dollars to keep bottle bills bottled up for three decades. In those states, elected officials have buckled under the pressure of the special-interest lobbyists.
Hawai'i has shown that what had begun to seem like the impossible — passage of a container deposit law — is, in fact, quite possible. Hawai'i's legislators have set an example for legislators in other states. It's a hard act to follow, but not impossible.
Pat Franklin
Executive director, Container Recycling Institute, Arlington, Va.
Style of leadership is in need of change
How ironic to be lectured on leadership by Walter Dods. Isn't he the guy who just refused to lead the Democrats to victory?
He has a lot of words, but his actions tell another story. Dods' vision of leadership is lecturing others on how they should do it.
I prefer someone who says "follow me."
Teresa Berthiaume
Hale'iwa
Substantial support for court pledge ruling
Contrary to the claim by Sen. Sam Slom and Rep. Galen Fox, opposition to the 9th Circuit Court's ruling on the constitutionality of the phrase "under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance is not unanimous.
Depending on what poll you look at, between 10 percent and 25 percent of respondents support the court's ruling.
Neither does our population believe we are a Christian or biblical nation. Newsweek's latest poll shows that fully 45 percent of respondents believe we are a "secular nation in which religious belief, or lack of it, isn't a defining characteristic."
Regardless of what polls do or do not say, we expect our courts to rule on the basis of fact and compelling argument, not poll results, emotion and dogmatism. I certainly hope the courts do not choose this case to begin yielding to public pressure.
Likewise, the cornerstone of our representative form of government is the expectation that our elected officials will put aside their personal preferences and research questions of public policy on our behalf, labor over difficult decisions on our behalf and act in what they have determined to be our best interests.
So how about it, Sen. Slom and Rep. Fox? Are you comfortable that you have set aside the polls and given this issue the deliberation it deserves? Have you labored over the question of whether you are willing to commit to a course of action that explicitly and publicly claims that the United States of America is a deity-worshipping, monotheistic national entity?
This is not a small issue that can be dealt with via kneejerk responses, emotion and dogmatic personal prejudices.
Kelly Aune
Charging more for wine undeserved
I always enjoy Randal Caparoso's informative wine column, but I disagree with his assertion that restaurants "deserve to charge more for wine."
In my experience, wine service at American restaurants often borders on the arrogant and the pricing on the absurd. Consumers have been intimidated into tolerating both.
American restaurants need to provide comparable service to "deserve" high prices.
John Keiser
Kane'ohe
Let readers know about politicians' court dates
Since your paper provides calendars of events for various activities, I would like to suggest that you provide court dates and times for the appearance of our legislators and government employees.
Perhaps you could even provide a synopsis of the day's proceedings. It could be something along the lines of the soap operas.
Bernard Keane
College of sports at UH makes sense
I just read the morning paper where my surfing buddy, Fred Hemmings, proposed a college of sports at the University of Hawai'i. This makes a lot of sense.
I attended Boston College knowing full well that eventually I wanted to play professional football. I obviously had to complete classes and choose a major in order to play football in college. I, and many of my associates in professional football, would have no doubt welcomed the opportunity to enroll in a college of sports.
I might add, this would be a great recruiting tool for the University of Hawai'i's athletic programs. It is apparent that sports are a pervasive business in Hawai'i. I hope the University of Hawai'i further explores Sen. Hemmings' idea.
Bill Romanowski
Oakland Raiders
Jazz bassist Brown was truly an original
I recently read of jazz bassist Ray Brown passing away at age 75. I was in New York last October and I dropped into the Blue Note, a well-known jazz club in the Village. Ray Brown was headlining.
Since I'm not a hard-core jazz fan, I'd never heard of Brown before. He was just awesome. He was a real pro, playing lead solos on the bass, and he improvised so seamlessly in the old be-bop style.
He was truly an original, and I just feel fortunate I was able to see him in person.
Wesley K. Yamamoto
'Aiea
Friend doesn't have the right attitude
I could not believe that Gary Shiroma, in his letter to the editor of July 4, spoke for his friend and others who helped rescue a woman in the Portlock jet ski incident.
While his letter does demonstrate that there are more versions of accounts of the rescue, it does not seem to reflect attitudes of shoreline fishermen whom I know. To expect a "thank you" from rescue crews for helping to rescue someone does not seem to be "Island-style" thinking.
Shoreline fishermen, especially in the Koko Head area, know it's possible that it could very well be their okole the Coast Guard or Fire Department hauls out of the water every time they go fishing. Just think if the rescue crews felt the same way, would " 'bad' feelings among some in the group about further rescue efforts" make them think twice?
There is no doubt that the group should be recognized for putting aside their personal safety and answering their instinctive response to someone in need of help. However, Mr. Shiroma states that a "thank you" would have made his friends' rescue efforts "worthwhile."
Isn't it worthwhile that they helped save a life in the first place?
Brian F. Funai
Cooking the books
Today's environment seems to be corporations, as they grow and evolve, no longer become business entities but morph into culinary institutes with accountants becoming chefs.
Warren I. Okazaki
Legislature must close cockfighting loopholes
In June, police demolished a farm in 'Ewa where over 400 gamecocks were bred and kept for cockfighting. Incredibly, the farm was demolished not for involvement in the illegal and barbaric act of cockfighting, but for failure to pay rent.
Although cockfighting is illegal in Hawai'i, keeping and training birds for cockfighting is not, a loophole that makes catching and prosecuting cockfighters exceedingly difficult and allows this gruesome practice to thrive across the state.
Cockfights are cruel events in which birds bred for aggression are fitted with razor-sharp knives, drugged with stimulants and placed in a pit to hack each other to death for amusement and illegal wagering. Even the winners often die from their injuries, which include punctured lungs, gouged eyes, broken bones and other grievous injuries.
Cockfights are also common venues for narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling and firearms, and too often homicides, such as the Kane'ohe man beaten to death last year.
Cockfighting is the very definition of cruelty to animals. Yet the loophole in Hawai'i's cockfighting law forced police to let the owners of the 'Ewa farm keep their fighting birds and continue to scoff the law with their sadistic spectacles.
Legislation to close the loophole and strengthen the law passed the Hawai'i Senate this year, but cockfighters prevented the bill from being voted on in the House.
Tying the hands of the police in this way to protect illegal cockfighters is indefensible. Cockfighting simply has no place in a civilized society.
Last month, the federal government passed legislation to ban the interstate transport and export of birds for fighting. Oklahoma, one of only three states where cockfighting remains legal, is expected to ban the practice in the November election. Hawai'i should follow suit by removing the loopholes in its own law, and giving law enforcement the tools to put a stop to this reprehensive form of cruelty.
Eric Sakach
Director, West Coast regional office, Humane Society of the United States
