Posted on: Friday, August 1, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Claims about ice, marijuana ridiculous

I've seen letters to the editor espousing legalization of marijuana and others saying that the ice epidemic is due in great part to a shortage of it. Each time, I tell myself that I should write a letter to say how ridiculous I think those comments are, but I never get it done.

However, Lee Cataluna's July 22 column has said it for me. I don't agree with everything she writes, but I do enough of the time to always read it.

This time I agree so much that it's as though she took the thoughts right out of my head. She expressed it so well that copies should be provided to every drug counselor in the state to study so they'll be prepared with just the right words to answer such ridiculous assertions.

Defense of Jones Act leaves many questions

Neil Dietz would strengthen his argument in favor of the Jones Act (Letters, July 23) by presenting some figures rather than merely asserting that "The cost differential of carrying freight to Hawai'i's market on a foreign ship compared with an American ship is marginal." Simply stating it as fact doesn't make it reality.

Will Mr. Dietz compare the wages of a seaman or officer on an American-flagged freighter with those of crew on a freighter under a "flag of convenience"? Will he explain why we have no passenger liners "Made in the U.S.A." and carrying the American flag?

And where (and what) are those "37,000 vessels in the Jones Act fleet (that) daily provide safe and secure transportation of goods and passengers on U.S. waters ... "? What ports do they serve? How many passengers and tons do they carry annually? Do they include tugs and barges sailing inland waters of the Mississippi and Great Lakes, and the Delta Queen?

And what is the "Hawai'i Ports Maritime Council"? I find no telephone number for it in the O'ahu directory. Who belongs to it, besides Mr. Dietz, and who does it represent?

Horse racing would be good for Hawai'i

With the opening of the much-talked-about movie "Seabiscuit" and all of the hype surrounding this year's Triple Crown hopeful Funny Cide, Hawai'i needs to seriously consider becoming a part of the multibillion-dollar industry of thoroughbred and quarter horse racing.

A pari-mutuel racetrack, perhaps located in west-central O'ahu, would prove to be the single greatest boost to our state's economy. It's the right thing at the right time for Hawai'i.

Every industry and every business, big and small, would financially benefit from legalized horse racing in Hawai'i. We would all experience a boost in our Islands' economy. Revenue from horse racing would be directed to the improvement of public education and a number of social programs within the state.

Horse racing is huge in Japan, Korea, Australia, Hong Kong and other Asia Pacific nations. Considering these countries and the Mainland U.S. and Canada, legalized horse racing would be the biggest draw to our island state, next to its own natural beauty.

Unlike casinos, offshore betting or a state lottery, horse racing can be enjoyed by the entire family. Nothing is more beautiful than to witness, firsthand, the magnificence of the horse — arguably the most majestic and powerful of animals.

There is this quote from "Horse Racing in Japan": "In Japan, horse racing is considered a wholesome leisure activity for the whole family. The proceeds from horse racing contribute greatly to the betterment of social welfare."

As is well documented, horse racing was once a very popular activity in our Islands' history. From commoner to ali'i, a day at the races at Kapi'olani Park was enjoyed by all.

Let's all be careful when transporting things

I'm compelled to write to you after reading the very sad news about the accident on Farrington Highway. I'm concerned about the cause of the accident, the falling box, because that could have happened to anyone at any time, anywhere.

About three months ago on our way to Wal-Mart in Mililani, we ran over a box that also fell off a truck and landed right in front of our van. The box got stuck under our van, so my husband had to pull off to the side of the road. Luckily, we were in the far right lane of the freeway and no car was behind us at that moment.

We should all try to be more careful when transporting stuff in trunks. What happened last week was a tragedy and very painful to all. Please, let's help each other and be safe.

Defense of annexation based on false premise

Bob Gould's assertions (Letters, July 25) as to the benefits of Hawai'i's annexation by the United States assumes too much. The newly formed constitutional Hawaiian monarchy was never allowed to develop to its full and natural potential.

The U.S. Congress admitted that the "United States minister assigned to the sovereign and independent Kingdom of Hawai'i" conspired with a "small group of non-Hawaiian residents of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, including citizens of the United States, to overthrow the indigenous and lawful government of Hawai'i."

It further states "the United States minister and the naval representatives of the United States caused armed naval forces of the United States to invade the sovereign Hawaiian nation on Jan. 16, 1893, and to position themselves near the Hawaiian government buildings and the 'Iolani Palace to intimidate Queen Lili'uokalani and her government."

The provisional government was formed by the conspirators without the consent of Hawai'i's people and was done in violation of treaties between the two nations and of international law. Not only is Mr. Gould's concept of "progress" for Hawai'i debatable, but are we to believe that the current controlling government is corruption-free?

Limiting teen driving won't solve problem

Restricting teens from driving or raising the age to drive is useless and basically simple discrimination.

The reason more accidents are caused by the 16- to 19-year-old group is lack of experience. If you raise the driving age to 18, it becomes the 18-to-21 group; if you raise the driving age to 30, it becomes the 30-to-33 group, and so on.

Better driver education and decent enforcement of traffic laws will go a long way to curb the habits of those who choose to ignore our traffic laws.

Second, a way to slow speeders on the Pali and any other roadway, excluding the freeways, is to install a signal light that senses a speeder and turns red to stop him. This system is in use in Sun Valley, Calif., and works beautifully. A speed sensor detects the speeding motorist and turns a signal red about an eighth of a mile later. It holds traffic for about eight to 15 seconds and then turns green.

Hawaiian government would be discriminatory

Jerry Burris' July 27 commentary on the Akaka Hawaiian sovereignty bill is either very naive or very cynical.

Burris would have us believe that the proposed new Hawaiian government would be based on "political" criteria and not on "racial" criteria. Everything I have read about the matter indicates that eligibility to benefit from the new government would be based on whether or not a person had "Hawaiian blood."

Just like the Kamehameha Schools, which, amazingly, gets away with discriminating against non-Hawaiians but still keeps its federal tax exemption as a charitable organization. But, hey, let's just pretend this is not racial. Wink, wink. Whatever it takes to get this divisive law enacted.

Hiking can be taxing, but well worth the effort

I didn't know Daniel Levey, but I understand something of his love for hiking. I helped search for him this past week, and the news of his death was terrible to hear. Hiking can be challenging and demanding, both physically and mentally. But, taxing as it may be, it has vast restorative powers.

The sport of hiking is enhanced by the artfulness of the places it takes you to. Places of revered magnificence few others visit. That promise of private beauty propels many a hiker, and if one must meet his or her maker, I can think of no better place than the simple yet elegant summits that ridge this lovely island.

Rest well, Daniel, and may "flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Editorial on California recall election drivel

Regarding the July 27 editorial "Recall effort shows worst of money politics": When I need a laugh, I usually turn to your editorial page; it very rarely lets me down. Who writes this drivel for you, anyway?

The closing paragraph reads: "The real result of the drive is that it has virtually paralyzed California politics at a time the state faces its worst fiscal crisis. Hawai'i can do better than that." Take a look around you, Sherlock. This state is paralyzed as is. And to "institute a system of statewide initiative, referendum and their companion idea, recall," as you so succinctly put it, would have to be the biggest joke of all time. Not to worry, though — there's always Sunset on the Beach.

No more HVCB probes

Now the HTA is going to spend half a million dollars on its own HVCB investigation. The state auditor has done her job. More public tax dollars will be spent unwisely. This is a reflection of how the HTA wastes public monies. That half million could be spent on the education of Hawai'i's children.

Overall, we are doing very nicely, thank you

Our state's fiscal woes, the ongoing slump in tourism and commerce, empty office space signage growing like mushrooms, the seemingly continuous educational doom and gloom, gas at two bucks a gallon, a freeze on government hiring, and almost weekly scandals in political and religious circles — it definitely seems like time for some good news in Hawai'i. So here is some we already know about but that needs restating:

• The reality of the Hawai'i I am most familiar with after two decades here is that almost all the educators I know are among the best qualified and most dedicated of any you could meet in the world.

• The great majority of businesspeople, builders, designers, retailers, administrators, Realtors, even politicians, are caring, hard-working people who aim to please and who place their customers' and clients' needs first.

• The schools and universities I have attended as a student, instructor or administrator, including the UH university and community college system, are first-rate, at least in their potential for studies and progress.

• Private schools like Kamehameha, Punahou and Damien offer accelerated learning, the finest equipment or other diverse opportunities and reduce the burden on public schools. Our public schools, though often hot and stuffy, are well-staffed with learned people doing what they can with the tools available.

• Our workforce, if anything, is more qualified than is strictly necessary for the work needing to be done. Most of the people I have worked with, worked for or had work for me were a pleasure to deal with, and many have become friends.

The true Hawai'i is not full of negativity and intolerance — though certainly we are legislatively and administratively buttoned down far too tight in our Islanders' fear of the unknown. Hawai'i is a sunny place with a bright future.

We should not let troublemakers and fearmongers — those nefarious forces probably numbering fewer than those on a loaded jumbo jet — lead us into a downward spiral, allow us to stagnate or make us feel any less capable than people from other states or nations.

Compared to most places, Hawai'i is well worth the effort most of us put into living here. And overall, we are doing very nicely, thank you.

Let's take a moment or two to congratulate ourselves on our good fortune and our savvy choice of a place to call home.