Letters to the Editor
U.S. is hypocritical on Geneva Conventions
The Bush administration in general, and Donald Rumsfeld in particular, protested loudly when a few American POWs were shown on Al-Jazeera TV, invoking the Geneva Convention. Yet, since then, scores of Iraqis have been paraded on Western TV channels without so much as a whimper by the administration.
ABC even aired a segment where Iraqi POWs were made to strip (to ensure they had no concealed weapons). What hypocrites we Americans are. Freedom of the press is all right as long as it is us.
Pradeepta Chowdhury, M.D.
Hilo
Anti-war sentiment on campus disturbing
I am a student at UH-Manoa and I am disturbed by what's been occurring on campus. The anti-war, anti-Bush, anti-U.S. sentiment is so overwhelming that it seeks to exclude all those who disagree. It's espoused by faculty and students alike.
Where does this anti-war rhetoric come from, anyway? I am confused by people who label President Bush a "dictator" and compare him to Hitler, all the while ignoring the brutality of Saddam Hussein against his own people. Rape rooms are used by the government all over Iraq, and torture and murder of dissidents are standard practice.
How quickly we forget the lessons of history. It wasn't so long ago that no one wanted to go to war to stop Adolf Hitler, and because of the world's (especially Europe's) refusal to do so, Hitler was able to exterminate millions of people. You'd think we would have learned our lesson.
At the very least, those who are staunchly anti-war should show respect for our soldiers who are currently dying in Iraq to protect our peace. We must show them that the American people are not going to be ingrates in the face of their immense sacrifice.
Hannah Sentenac
Emulating the British military a bad idea
You gotta be kidding! Now we're going to take lessons from the British military history in Northern Ireland — or anywhere in Ireland?
Which century would you like the U.S. military to emulate? You've got eight to choose from. Planning to occupy the Middle East for eight centuries? The Irish people didn't like invasion/occupation/exploitation; are you expecting proud Arab Muslims to?
Frances Viglielmo
There's a better way than college quotas
Quotas vs. no quotas. Racial discrimination vs. diversity. Who cares? It's time to kill college affirmative action, all political skirmishes and accompanying racial tension.
Now, before anyone applauds, endorses my southern presidential campaign or demands my head, listen to what I have to say because there is a better way.
My proposition is simple: Let's take all the underrepresented minority persons, change their names to George Bush II, then creatively adjust their application forms to declare, "Race: Rich, politically influential blue blood. Family connections: Child of alumni capable of donating a million a year plus a building upon graduation."
With these totally unbiased credentials, mediocre SAT test scores of 1200 and lackluster grades, colleges across the nation will jump to accept these students. Yale, Harvard, anywhere. Without talent or intelligence as a barrier, these obviously talented students could succeed by becoming businessmen, oil tycoons, governors or even presidents.
Obviously, there isn't an element of racial discrimination involved with this proposal. The pernicious point system that has been so harshly criticized will vanish. Of course, the plan offers no sign of, heaven forbid, quotas. President Bush can hardly complain either. In fact, he should feel honored that tens of thousands of bright-eyed, brilliant and college-bound students share his name.
Some feel that our president is part of the problem. I would argue that President Bush is part of the solution.
David Kobayashi
Congress isn't proper body for investigation
Regarding Frank Scott's March 24 letter: The subject matter is the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1893. This is and has been the issue for 110 years and counting.
To suggest that an "unbiased investigation" be conducted by Congress shows he is unaware of the events subsequent to 1993 and lacking in objectivity.
With sincere respect to the U.S. Congress and all elected officials, it would be at the very least a conflict of interest to have a congressional investigation on this matter. The involvement by the United States of America on Jan. 17, 1893, and thereafter has proved the U.S. government to be no less than culpable.
Today, avoiding responsibility and accountability seems to be the distraction. This matter must be resolved internationally. Not by any U.S. court or congressional action or inaction. It is like asking a perpetrator to investigate his own crime.
Foster Ampong
Lahaina, Maui
The target should be Legislature, not Lingle
David Shapiro misdirects his call for the governor to improve education, strengthen the economy and restore trust in government ("Lingle must regain her focus," April 2). Shapiro's target should instead be the Legislature.
Last fall, the people picked a new governor but returned old faces to the Senate and House. Those old-timers are comfortable with the bad economy, poor schools and political corruption their efforts gave Hawai'i, conditions the governor plans to change.
Meanwhile, Democratic leaders continue the bickering that historically has marked House and Senate differences.
The governor's "new beginning" is one of style as well as ideas. She should be praised, not criticized, for rejecting confrontation in favor of bringing people together.
Shapiro rightly notes the Legislature this year has sunk every sincere effort to fix the schools, boost the economy and end political corruption. Here is the problem: House and Senate leaders think the people will settle for fake reform and won't demand the real thing.
The governor knows better. The people want change, and want it now. For that reason, the governor is demanding real reform, not shibai. And because the governor has the power to expose and stop fake reforms that hit her desk, she bargains with the Legislature from a position of strength.
Galen Fox
House Republican leader
Arguments against CarePlus are weak
Regarding Rep. Galen Fox's April 3 commentary "Long-term care: There's a better way":
- CarePlus is a tax increase, but so is the solution he proposes.
- CarePlus is intended to help people stay out of expensive nursing homes; as Rep. Fox points out, people don't want to be institutionalized.
- True, CarePlus is regressive, but people who have incomes below the defined federal poverty level are exempt from the program.
- CarePlus is not intended to solve a systemic problem. It provides a financial relief to more than 80 percent of the families who provide in-home care to those who require assistance with activities of daily living.
- Section 346-29.5, HRS, allows the state to place a lien on real property for the state's cost of providing institutional long-term care under Medicaid. The Department of Human Services is required to prepare an annual report to the state Legislature called the Home Lien Report. The January 2003 report indicates that the state held liens exceeding $21 million on real property. People don't buy long-term-care insurance because they know they can keep their homes. They don't buy because it is expensive.
- As for his "solution," if the federal government can't provide prescription drug coverage under Medicare, it is as likely as a snowball in hell to include long-term care in the Medicare package.
George Honjiyo
President, Coalition for Affordable Long Term Care
Fix the traffic snarl before building campus
As a resident of Makakilo, I am writing to urge caution on approving the building of the UH-West O'ahu campus in Kapolei due to traffic concerns. Traffic in Kapolei is already a mess. The City & County, as well as the state, really dropped the ball on this one.
When I first moved to Makakilo, there were only cane fields at the bottom of our hill. When the "New City" was being built, we had the perfect opportunity to build Kapolei any way we wanted. There were plenty of room and open spaces. Instead, due to lack of planning, we have a traffic mess: only one east-west street that everyone has to travel on.
Building a UH campus without first fixing the traffic situation is unacceptable. The current traffic signals are too close together and are not timed at all. Traffic routinely backs up, and it can take two or even three cycles of the traffic light to get through. Additionally, the only access between Makakilo and the Wai'anae Coast is to drive right through the middle of the Kapolei mess. (This could be solved by building a frontage road directly mauka of the H-1.)
I must admit that the thought of a UH campus in West O'ahu is very appealing. However, given the current traffic situation in Kapolei, I was very glad to hear Gov. Lingle say that the building of the campus will have to be delayed due to the economic situation.
Bob McCulloch
Kapolei
Bring back the spirit of Klum Gym volleyball
I am an alumnus of UH, and I remember the days at Klum Gym for volleyball when it was loud and crazily filled with students. It was exciting, cheap and mostly accessible to students.
Nowadays, UH students are slowly being eliminated from participating in the "Stanley." Eliminated by rising prices, eliminated by not giving them a prime student section, eliminated just because UH never really cared for its student body. Instead, we have an older crowd that reads books, newspapers, looks at times of interest in the game, and even some ... sleeping.
I agree with coach Mike Wilton about the decline of students participating at UH men's volleyball games. The UH prez and his subordinates aren't looking to support the student body. It's about money and status, like a typical dysfunctional family unit: Make sure we look good to others but never taking care of the family unit — in this case the students.
As an alumnus, I don't mind some of the rate hikes for the community at large, but UH needs to rethink how it treats its students to make them feel a part of the university's function.
Give them a visible student section and offer them a reasonable student rate. We need the crazies.
Frank Lee
Stop the construction on pier next to heiau
I respectfully request that Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona use their powers to temporarily halt construction of improvements to the pier adjoining the site of Ahu'ena heiau at Kailua, Kona, so that all concerns of the Kulana foundation, the nonprofit organization that maintains and preserves the site, can be heard and so that the question of obtaining an environmental impact statement that incorporates all of the history of the site can be entertained.
I find it wrongful, if not totally hypocritical, for the governor of the state of Hawai'i to testify in front of the U.S. Congress in support of the Akaka bill and then do nothing to preserve the very heart of the spiritual culture that the bill is intended to perpetuate and propitiate.
Why let Kulana, a Hawaiian organization that is in desperate need of resources, deplete its few remaining resources by going to court when the governor can most probably solve this problem in-house by just taking a moment to listen and making a few calls on behalf of the preservation of this sacred site?
Moke Kupihea
Car registration fee increase isn't the answer
Regarding the proposed increase in the cost of car registration fees to cover the cost of more ambulances: I believe that, yes, we do need more ambulances in Hawai'i, but I don't think raising the cost of car registration fees is going to do it.
Currently, the fees charged to the patient go to the state's general fund. There is no emergency medical service fund. So basically, the cost to the patient for the immediate service of paramedics goes to fund other things the state of Hawai'i purchases. It should go back to the EMS system so it can purchase and maintain state-of-the-art equipment and personnel.
The other solution is for the EMS system to merge with the Fire Department.
Ken Anama
Smith-Beretania park should have its tot lot
The Harris administration has decided the Smith-Beretania park can have a basketball court but not a tot lot. There are over 6,000 people living in a four-block area around this park; 18 percent are children under the age of 18. Many of their tutus living here are unable to take their keiki to the parks mentioned in F.M. Scotty Anderson's March 31 letter.
Both our neighborhood board and vision team tried to put the tot lot into our 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 budgets, only to have it removed by the present administration.
These are the facts, F.M. Scotty Anderson. We didn't go before your neighborhood board or vision team and tell them how to spend our taxpayer dollars, so why do you think you can come and tell us how to spend ours?
Shame on you, Mayor Harris, Malcom Tom, Ben Lee, Carol Costa and F.M. Scotty Anderson, shame on you. Let us have our tot lot.
Dolores Fees Mollring
