Letters to the Editor
Terrorism exposed our weaknesses
Our vulnerability to the terrorism of Sept. 11 did not occur suddenly. And, it was not caused by the fact that, as Americans, we enjoy certain rights and freedoms.
Our vulnerability resulted from our country's lack of vigilance at our borders and in maintaining our intelligence community. Sept. 11 was a wake-up call. It exposed our weaknesses. It also made us appreciate and value the rights and freedoms on which this country stands.
In their hysteria, many are willing to sacrifice their rights and freedoms in exchange for government protection. They are misguided. We should demand that our government do its job by closely monitoring our borders and immigration. We should demand that our government do its job by rebuilding our intelligence community so that it may do its job.
You do not need to forfeit rights to accomplish this. If we do, we will have taken the first step backward.
Neal H. Ikeda
Organized anti-Harris campaign did its job
Anyone reading carefully between the lines these past few months has probably detected an organized anti-Harris campaign. It seems to me that the front-runner in the race for governor was brought low not in a fair election over the issues but in a series of unfair attacks on peripheral issues.
Let's see, first Harris wasn't allowed to collect contributions and had to go to court to secure his right to raise funds on the same level as other candidates. The federal court also ruled that he didn't have to resign before the filing deadline, but Russell Blair's lawsuit did its job of causing the Harris campaign to lose two months of momentum.
The unfair treatment continued with a phony budget crisis — false alarms of bankruptcy and such. Never mind that the City Council recently passed a nearly identical budget to the one Harris had proposed.
The cards were stacked against Harris from day one. He never got a fair shake, and the voters of Hawai'i weren't even allowed a chance to hear his ideas for the future.
Jason Kokaaina
Matt Matsunaga should join governor's race
Although surprised and shocked by the sudden abandonment of the governor's race by Jeremy Harris, Hawai'i's Democratic Party should take advantage of this opportunity. It should encourage more viable candidates to run for the office to ensure the voters that at least a few of the candidates are people of wisdom and compassion and imbued with the Democratic ideals of social equality and justice.
Since the party may consider this request to be unfair to the current candidates and since time is of the essence, I, for one, would like to see Matt Matsunaga join the Democratic race for governor.
Richard Y. Will
Democrats should have supported Harris
Hawai'i's Democrats have cheated the public of the most promising and intelligent candidate for governor. For reasons that have not yet been exposed to us, Democratic leaders sat in silence as front-runner Jeremy Harris was attacked and called a criminal by members of his own party.
First, they allowed the public to believe without question a man like Robert Watada, the executive director of the Elections Commission who I believe made it clear, in the July 21, 1995, issue of the Hawai'i Herald, that he doesn't care for haoles — or anyone like them.
Although the jury is still out on the truth of the charges against Harris, Watada's motives were never seriously looked into by the Democratic Party.
Second, Democrats said nothing when Mayor Harris was attacked for such events as the Brunch and Sunset on the Beach, which some saw as an attempt to use public money for his own self-promotion. This is ridiculous simply because all good deeds of any politician are driven by the desire to be loved and re-elected.
In this sense, the only thing that matters is whether or not a politician uses the cash we give him to improve public space and public morale. And no one has done more than Jeremy Harris in that respect.
If the Democrats lose the election to the Republicans, it certainly isn't because Harris is a quitter. It is simply due to the fact that the members of the Democratic Party failed to put up any sort of defense for a man who was clearly the best thing they had going for them.
Cindy Mackey
It's time for change in Hawai'i's economy
This concerns Rep. Patsy Mink's accusations at the recently concluded Democratic convention. She says the Republican Party has done little for the people of Hawai'i.
Hawai'i has been ruled by the Democratic Party, the labor unions and our government workers for the last 40 years. Seeing Hawai'i in a down economy, wouldn't you like a change? If a change is needed for improvement, let's start now.
Regardless of party affiliation, let's work together for an improved economy for the people — especially the children — of the 50th state.
Mason T. Takeshita
Other distractions should be targeted
Some people want to make it illegal for candidates for public office to employ the time-honored tradition of holding signs. The rationale for such legislation could only impress the smallest of minds. These small minds argue that drivers are so easily distracted that if they see a candidate's name on a sign, they will have an accident.
If we were going to pass legislation on anything that could potentially distract drivers, maybe we should begin with the most obvious: cell phones. And we should certainly make it illegal for anybody to drink or eat while driving.
As far as external things, we should go further and make sure all the windows are tinted so people are not distracted by the pretty girl or handsome guy in the next car. And of course it should be illegal for any good-looking girls or guys to walk alongside the road.
If drivers are so easily distracted by people holding signs, then they don't belong behind the wheel of a car in the first place.
Robert Owen
Recognizing Hawaiians shouldn't be the issue
How Tim Chang's May 31 criticism of Linda Lingle on the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill begs the question of what acknowledgment would do for Hawaiians now.
While I support the bill in the end, being recognized as Hawaiian will not help the schools reorganize and become a place to learn again. Our future is based on the education of our children, and so far, Hawai'i is way behind the curve.
George W. Bush proved to Texans how important education was to Republicans, and if Lingle follows our president's lead, it would be in our best interest to give the Republicans a chance to revive Hawai'i from the inside. Hawai'i needs a change, and basing your rejection of Lingle solely on the recognition issue, you could be forsaking the children to more years of bad management.
The most important thing to Hawaiians, and others sharing these Islands, should be the children because they have little chance of bettering themselves without a decent educational system.
Nicole L. Neidigh
Kailua
'Ice' use by itself no reason for police killing
I am writing in regard to a June 4 article entitled "Man killed by police was on 'ice.' "
What was the point of this article? He was on ice. Yes, that's true. But of what importance is that fact? Drugs may have been a factor in his whole situation. But Clinton Candelario made the choice to run from the police, not the drugs. The fact that he was a drug addict doesn't make his life worth any less.
If this article is insinuating that because he did drugs his death is more understandable, then I am ashamed. He was a human being, with feelings, emotions and problems like everyone else. My condolences go out to Mr. Candelario's family.
Amelia Woods
Kailua
Turn off that glaring light on Waikiki Beach
As a frequent visitor and now homeowner in Honolulu, one of my favorite things to do is to walk along Queen's Beach south at nighttime and look at the lights of Waikiki Beach. But I was horrified recently to see a glaring, bright fluorescent light — much brighter than any other light on the beach — destroying the beauty of this world-famous view.
I won't name which hotel the light came from, but anyone walking along the beach can see this obnoxious, out-of-place light. It looks as if a gas station or a prison has opened up among the tranquil, soft lights of the other hotels.
There is no need for such a bright light to take away the beauty of this very famous tourist site. Now is the time for the city, or powers that be, to do something about this unsightly glare of tackiness before others may follow with equally horrendous beams of poor taste.
Take a walk along the beach and you will see what I am talking about — but bring your sunglasses.
William Squire
Heidi Bornhorst truly a Hawaiian treasure
I want to take a moment to applaud the City of Honolulu for its choice of Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst as director of the Honolulu botanical gardens in the Department of Parks and Recreation. Her skill and knowledge of the flora of Hawai'i is only surpassed by her passion and love for her work.
What a pleasure it is that we should have one so educated, and at the same time a keiki o ka 'aina, in public service, in charge of preserving the beauty and perpetuation of our 'aina.
The Girl Scout Council of Hawai'i is planning on working with Heidi on several nature and educational projects in the Honolulu botanical gardens, especially Foster and Lili'uokalani gardens, which are close to our headquarters on historic Wyllie Street.
We look forward to our collaboration with such a wonderful role model for our girls. Heidi is truly a Hawaiian treasure. Let's take good care of her.
Melinda Caroll
National songleader
Girl Scouts of the USA
Development crunch hurting Mililani Mauka
On May 29, the City Council approved Castle & Cooke's proposal to rezone 104 acres in Mililani Mauka from agricultural to residential use for the construction of approximately 800 additional residences.
In April 2001, both the Mililani and Mililani Mauka neighborhood boards passed resolutions asking that this proposal not be approved until:
• Castle & Cooke reserved six acres of land for dedication to the City & County of Honolulu for a neighborhood park.
• The Department of Education provided the boards with a formal statement attesting that the educational needs of Mililani primary and secondary school students would be met without redistricting or converting currently single-track schools to multi-track if the additional unitsÊwere approved.
• Castle & Cooke reserved 12 acres of land for dedication to the state for another elementary school in Mililani Mauka and provided the board with results of a study specifying the effect on commuter time resulting from the construction of the additional units.
To the best of my knowledge, as the chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee of the Mililani Neighborhood Board, not a single one of these conditions was met.
Mililani Mauka Elementary School will soon have 15 portable classrooms situated on what was supposed to have been a neighborhood park. The Mililani Mauka Middle School is multi-tracked and will have over 2,000 students in a building built for just 1,350. Two to three thousand houses are yet to be built, but there are no classrooms for the children this will generate; Mililani High School has over 2,000 students already.
Our "master-planned" community will have 100 portable classrooms in our schools. This type of "master planning" seems to be in keeping with the recent trend of steering more growth to Central O'ahu under the Central O'ahu Sustainable Communities Plan and not to Kapolei, which is still in theory — if not in reality — supposed to be O'ahu's "Second City."
I would like to thank Councilman Steve Holmes for being a dissenting vote against this rezoning proposal. It's nice to know that someone in our downtown government hears a voice other than that of Castle & Cooke coming from Central O'ahu.
Douglas C. Thomas
Mililani
