Letters to the Editor
Population drop due to Western contact
In regard to the Nov. 5 letter by Eleanor Nordyke, "Loss of 'pure Hawaiians' ": On Captain James Cook's third voyage to the Pacific (1728-1779), he sighted O'ahu, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau on Jan. 18, 1778. Later that year, in November 1778, he sighted Maui and the Big Island. At that time, Cook estimated the population to be 500,000, from what he could see standing on the shoreline.
However, Hawaiian historian David Malo (1793-1853) pointed out that most of the people lived inland, which would indicate that Cook's estimate was low.
When Queen Lili'uokalani (1839-1917) ascended the throne on Jan. 29, 1891, she had fewer than 41,000 subjects. Do the math here and it must be concluded that this drastic drop in the Hawaiian population (1778-1891) was not due to intermarriage, but due to Western contact, i.e., measles, chicken pox, common cold, venereal disease and Hansen's disease (leprosy).
Wayne Hinano Brumaghim
Those Thunder Sticks are grating on nerves
In regard to the Nov. 7 article on Thunder Sticks: For the first time in my memory, I applaud the Stadium Authority's stand. Just watching all seven World Series games on TV and having to listen to noise, noise, noise, I hope those Thunder Sticks are banned forever by the NCAA, NFL, NBA and both baseball leagues.
Going home hoarse from yelling is great. Thunder Sticks are grating.
Don Neill
Academic freedom allows offending views
As a long-time faculty and staff member at UH-Manoa, it was with considerable embarrassment that I read Robert Rees' commentary in your Nov. 4 paper, discussing UH-Manoa's shabby treatment of a highly controversial Lifelong Learning course on Hawaiian sovereignty, initially canceled due to threats and later quietly reinstated.
It would seem that while the UH administration ducked the larger issues of academic freedom, only the actions of The Advertiser, the instructor and a director in the Academy of Lifelong Learning persisted in having the course reinstated.
Recently, I e-mailed a faculty colleague at UH asking why no one was standing up for freedom of thought. It seems that political correctness takes precedence over the competition of ideas. That's not all too surprising.
Some years ago an assistant professor taught a controversial course in the religion department that dealt with various controversial and emotionally charged topics, including some feminist issues. Three students retaliated against the faculty member because of the course content. Against a backdrop of university administrative indifference, a federal jury finally put an end to what can only be called a modern-day witch hunt. Where, once again, is Bachman Hall?
I further find it ironic that while President Dobelle signs a petition in The New York Times upholding academic freedom, his administration seems to take it lightly when acts of intimidation close down the freedom to think at Manoa. Is this the Dobelle standard we can expect in the future?
Khalil J. Spencer
Office of Elections has great Web site
It is election night, 9:25 p.m. I sit here watching the results come in. I want to compliment the Hawai'i Office of Elections on its Web site.
As a social studies teacher, I am eager to find out the latest results. I check the various news Web sites, to no avail. However, the Office of Elections has the latest numbers ready to go. In addition, I have used the Web site a number of times for various voting information for my classroom.
I just wanted to let others know that the Office of Elections is doing a great job.
Andrea Eshelman
Mute button worked
Now that the politicking is over, I am very grateful of one thing: My mute button did not fail.
Chester Chaffee
Pearl City
We finally overcame
After 40 years of Democratic rule, we here in the "Socialistic Paradise" have finally overcome. Thank God: "Free at last, Free at last!"
P. Gagen
Waialua
Big money talks
How lucky can we get? We have the best governor and president that money can buy.
Nancy Bey Little
Govs. Burns, Lingle have a lot in common
Linda Lingle has already made history as the first Republican governor in 40 years, the first woman governor in Hawai'i's history, the first woman to head up the government of these Islands since Lili'uokalani was overthrown in 1893 — and only the second governor of the state who is not an attorney.
The other one was John A. Burns, who is remembered for putting people first and for his common sense. Burns and Lingle might belong to different parties, but they have a lot of things in common.
We can look to a bright future — if the Legislature doesn't try to block the new governor at every turn.
Keith Haugen
New hope for Hawai'i
Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! The Burns machine is finally dead! Go Linda! There is truly new hope for Hawai'i. This is a great day.
Garry L. Powell
Ashland, Ore.
Supreme Court left OHA, DHHL alone
Paul Sullivan said in his Nov. 7 letter: " ... (OHA) has an unconstitutional mandate. No one can read Rice vs. Cayetano and honestly say that it's just a voting case." The Hawai'i Admissions Act requires that a portion of the proceeds of use or sale of ceded lands go to the "betterment of the conditions of Native Hawaiians."
This mandate was a requirement for statehood of Hawai'i, voted upon by the citizens of Hawai'i and accepted by the Congress and president.
Extinguish the Office of Hawaiian Affairs? A cause of action then exists for the removal of statehood for Hawai'i.
The Supreme Court justices knew the danger of the 50th star falling from the national flag when they decided the Rice case and wisely left OHA and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands intact, limiting their decision to only the voting eligibility.
Surely, if the existence of Hawaiian entitlements was so offensive to the Constitution of the United States, it was the justices' responsibility and within their power, right then and there, to have extinguished these programs that Sullivan finds so offensive.
They did not. There are no Supreme Court cases that stand for the proposition that native aboriginal entitlements are, "per se," unconstitutional.
Damon Senaha
San Diego, Calif.
Wal-Mart treats its employees poorly
I live in Makiki and have recently become aware of the giant Wal-Mart/Sam's Club that is up for permit approval by the Planning Commission to be built on Ke'eaumoku. While Wal-Mart may tell us that it will help our community by offering more jobs, its idea of a "job" should be examined more closely.
My brother worked for Wal-Mart, and while employed there, he was only allowed to work just below full-time so that the multibillion-dollar corporation would not have to supply him with health insurance. I also just read that in 2000, Wal-Mart was sued by 69,000 current and former Wal-Mart employees who were forced to work unpaid overtime in Colorado stores.
Is this the kind of treatment we want for our people of Hawai'i? Wal-Mart paid $50 million to settle that class-action suit. We already have two Wal-Marts on O'ahu. That is two too many, if you are concerned about labor rights.
As if that's not enough, Wal-Mart will terminate employment for any employee who tries to organize or join a labor union. Don't buy from Wal-Mart because chances are you are feeding the mouth of a colossal corporate power that represses its employees.
Naomi Arcand
Lindsey Buyers' film is thought-provoking
Courageous is the word that comes to mind when I think of Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers.
I had the privilege of attending the presentation of Lindsey Buyers' film "And Then There Were None" with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra on Nov. 3. The synergy created by Samuel Wong, Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers and the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra had me leaving with "goose bumps."
I also want to say that I wholeheartedly disagree with the scathing review written by Gregory Shepherd in the Nov. 3 paper. He criticizes Lindsey Buyers for reducing the 200-year history of the Hawaiian people since first Western contact "into a 25-minute oppressor/victim dialectic" and states that her film was a "politically correct cartoon." His review was written out of obvious arrogance and ignorance.
"And Then There Were None" is a film that explores the depopulation of the Hawaiian people and the loss of the Hawaiian identity. It is also a vehicle that Lindsey Buyers has chosen to explore Hawaiian history and her Hawaiian identity. It is a film that seeks to create dialogue, confront Hawaiian issues and remind us that we live in Hawai'i with a native population.
Unfortunately, it seems that Shepherd and a large part of the Symphony audience would prefer to hear "beautiful Hawaiian music" and watch a film with a more "whitewashed" historical account of Hawai'i and its Hawaiians.
David G. Kim
Kailua
It would be nice to see carps fly again
In regard to How Tim Chang's Nov. 7 letter on missing those beautiful large paper carps flown on Boys' Day: Oh, yes! I, too, remember those paper carps flown on Boys' Day. They were beautiful and fun.
I can't remember what was flown on Girls' Day, but hopefully something just as wonderful. I had forgotten about those — and I agree with Mr. Chang: It would be nice to see these carps fly again.
Catherine Anderson
Only one wave height
Wave heights for the purpose of surfing are measured from the lowest point a surfer can ride on the front of the wave to the crest. Anyone who wants to measure a wave in other ways or for other purposes is free to do so. This conflict is needless.
Sen. Fred Hemmings
Surfer
