Posted on: Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Hawai'i should unite in letter-writing campaign

Regarding Lee Cataluna's Dec. 23 column on the "mal-odious" commentary about Hawai'i by Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla:

How are we to respond to this inane attempt at humor? Shall we merely show them the voluminous cheeks of our collective posterior vertical smile or shall we show them the erudite power of our brand of Hawaiian "love"?

I urge that a major letter-writing campaign demanding a formal public apology be mounted by every Hawai'i citizen toward these "gentlemen," who must apparently live somewhere in the Los Angeles area where a great many expatriated Hawaiians reside, and the syndicators of the "Loveline" radio show.

Those callous, irresponsible remarks smack of their collective diminished intellectualism and seems to have crossed over into the realm of pure libel, which demands a righteous and wrathful response.

Our local meteorologists must also tender a major concerted response to these directed slanderous characterizations in no uncertain legal terms.

As a state that has invested untold millions in competition with other states toward presenting an attractive social image to attract both visitors and contributing would-be residents, a public slap like this cannot be tolerated in the least. We cannot simply turn off our radios or change the station, as Cataluna suggests, because the bell cannot be un-rung. And any apparent damage to our delicate marketing strategy may not be felt in the short run.

Ergo, we must respond accordingly through the proper channels — immediately.

Confrontation doesn't help in communication

As a former employee of Student Affairs and now a graduate student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, I can verify that President Evan Dobelle (and especially the new chancellor) have shaken up things quite a bit. It's also true, from what I have heard, that Dobelle has pretty much had free rein over the Board of Regents from 2001 to 2003.

The fact that interim Regent Ted Hong has chosen to speak out and challenge Dobelle's way of doing business may or may not be to help establish communication between the president and the regents. Confrontation and conflict, as Hong well knows, are not the way of life in Hawai'i. In fact, when it does happen at the workplace, it is usually aimed at forcing a person who is disliked or unwanted to leave on his or her own accord.

Tell me, if one or more regents are allowed to badger Dobelle and he decides to go elsewhere, do we still have to pay him that $2 million severance pay?

It's shame that we must watch 'thug football'

Such a disgusting display of sportsmanship by the Houston football team. I have personally visited Aloha Stadium the past two years and found Hawai'i fans to be very friendly and sportsmanlike.

On Nov. 29, I watched as the University of Alabama football team delivered again and again as hard of hits on the Hawai'i football players as I have ever seen, and there was never a threat of violence. I have been there on the winning side and the losing side, and the mood was the same both times.

This is why I gave up on pro football, and why I would never attend an NBA game. Another example of thug football, players being allowed to do as they please and coaches letting them get away with it.

I have coached youth baseball, soccer and basketball for the past 10 years, and it is impossible to teach young athletes good sportsmanship when kids see such sickening events as this on TV.

There's one thing not to love about Hawai'i

Oh no! Not that time again! Christmas Day, 11:30 p.m., woken by firecrackers at Jefferson School. I love everything about Hawai'i except the noisy, stinking firecrackers. Does this happen in other states? We are told that the noise scares off evil spirits.

The only evil spirits on this earth are human. Time to ban this ridiculous, dangerous, noise- and air-polluting, superstitious behavior.

Official firework displays are the only safe fireworks. Remember the woman and her dog burnt alive in the name of what ... fun?

County will address public access rights

Papa'a Bay is a beautiful and wondrous place — truly a gem to Kaua'i. I strongly believe in improving and increasing public access to our mountains and beaches, such as Papa'a Bay, and my record will show unwavering support on this issue. Increasing public access must be done in the right manner and through a legal process.

It has come to my attention that some people in the community believe the access issues relating to the old government road leading to Papa'a Bay have been resolved. Though some may believe that the old government road does indeed extend to Papa'a Bay Beach, the county does not yet have enough information to take an official position on the legal status of access to Papa'a Bay.

For several months, I have been working with communities across the island, through Ka Leo O Kaua'i, to address island-wide access issues. Some people who attend Ka Leo O Kaua'i meetings met with me to present what they believe to be evidence of access rights to Papa'a Bay. I subsequently instructed the county attorney's office to look into the matter, and the decision was made that the logical first step in determining access rights would be through a title search.

The county is currently in the procurement process for a title search to determine ownership and extent of the old government road at Papa'a Bay.

A "Notice of Public Intent to Reclaim Access to Papa'a Bay" recently appeared in the Garden Island Newspaper, authored by a group referring to themselves as "Mayor's Ka Leo O Kaua'i Anahola Community Group and the Island Access Coalition." While I support the community's efforts to improve public access, the opinions of this group are not representative of my own. I am fully committed to working with the community in addressing the island's access issues, through the legal process.

Until that title search is completed, the county is unable to determine legality of public access as it exists today at Papa'a Bay. In this matter, I ask for the public's patience until I am able to make a final decision.

I am fully aware that the issue of beach and mountain access is a very important one to the community. I will continue to work with the community to identify and address specific access issues, and once again pledge my commitment to the promotion of additional beach and mountain access.

Don't contaminate more land in Hawai'i

How do we as mere citizens respond to the autocratic methods employed by Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, our own state government and Congress approving the Army Transformation Stryker Brigades before the public response period is even over on Jan. 3, 2004?

Is this the democracy that American soldiers are dying for in the Middle East? When is the Army going to spend money decontaminating the 138 toxic-waste sites already in existence according to the Federal Hazardous Waste Sites.

What does the motto of the state of Hawai'i mean to Inouye and the Army? Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono: The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. Why are Hawai'i's resources and quality of life so expendable?

At the hearing held at Turtle Bay Resort on Dec. 4, when I asked the three Army representatives seated at the table if we could go to their home communities and unload toxic wastes, one said he was from New Jersey and it was already polluted.

Are Inouye and the Army striving to have this status for Hawai'i, too? What is in our drinking water? What are the MTBE levels? We need answers now before the Strykers begin to deposit thousands more gallons into our land and water along with all the other contaminants they will leave behind as silent killers on the 1,200 acres of new lands the Army intends to acquire.

Advertiser wrong on China-Taiwan dispute

Your Dec. 22 editorial on the China-Taiwan dispute is way off the point. China has been the major undercurrent that is rocking the boat off balance. Since his inauguration as president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian has offered numerous olive branches to China. Among them, he promised that he will not unilaterally declare independence unless the island nation is under attack from China.

China, in return, has been stonewalling any attempt by the Taiwanese government to negotiate any issue unless it submits to the so-called "One China Policy." In addition, China has managed to isolate Taiwan from the international community in trade, arts, sports and even the World Health Organization.

The last stroke on the camel's back was China blackballing Taiwan's admission as observer to WHO in the aftermath of China's mishandling of the SARS epidemic. China has left no breathing room for Taiwan. A national referendum is the last and strongest protest Taiwan can do to show the world its determination as a democracy.

Kiribati severed diplomatic ties with China because it refused to submit to the "One China Policy." The United States and the free world should learn to say no, too.

Grinch: City Council

While sitting at home on Christmas Eve, my daughter asked what the Grinch was, so I told her to look it up in the dictionary.

Well a few minutes passed, and to my surprise she had found it. It read:

Grinch (noun): see "City Council"

God is not quintessential factor to a marriage

Regarding the Dec. 24 letter "God will bless only heterosexual marriages": Melvin Partido Sr.'s judgment of others, namely Michael Golojuch, is simply more rhetoric from the hypocritically ignorant.

To judge Michael as "unnatural" is really against the "Christian values" he should follow more closely. Too badmore people do not realize that God is notthe quintessentialfactor to a successful marriage.

Self-accountability, compassion andunderstanding is the primary factor to utopia in the celebration of marriage. Christian couples are no more prepared for a union then most people. For example, there are a great deal of divorced Christians. Maybe Melvin should teach a class on how to utilize an open mind and respect for his fellow human beings. Remember Melvin, God loves all and accepts all. Can you?

Hearing excluded experts, stakeholders

As a member of the Legislature, I was amazed that the so-called "informational briefing" on gas prices before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing excluded the most knowledgeable experts and stakeholders on the subject.

While the exercise's main purpose seemed to be to discredit the report of Stillwater Associates on the impacts of Hawai'i's pending gas cap law, no one from Stillwater was called upon to participate. And while accusations were flying about oil company profits and pricing practices, no one from those companies was invited either.

This is unfortunate at best and irresponsible at worst. Stillwater was retained as a result of bipartisan legislative action under the administration of former Gov. Ben Cayetano to study Hawai'i's gasoline market and evaluate potential effects of the gas cap law. Cayetano's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism selected Stillwater as the best qualified to conduct this important research, and it was under DBEDT's direction that that the report was delivered to the Legislature last summer.

Stillwater had access to an unprecedented amount of information about how the gasoline market here works and as a result concluded unequivocally that if implemented, the price caps would have no benefit for consumers and could well lead to higher pump prices.

Stillwater also concluded the price caps could force small mom-and-pop dealers, especially in the more rural areas, out of business, thus decreasing competition and imposing hardship on consumers who would have to drive longer distances to find gas.

And, Stillwater found that while oil company profits were not unreasonable, the cap could cause the state's two refineries to close down, taking with them about 1,400 jobs and about $400 million out of the economy every year.

Finally, Stillwater interviewed Democratic legislators who had authored the gas cap bill, and virtually all acknowledged it was seriously flawed and could pose serious unintended consequences for consumers.

The handpicked witnesses in the hearing were free to advance unsubstantiated theories and allegations without the inconvenience of challenges from Stillwater, the oil industry or the public. The one-sided nature of the hearing squandered what could have been an opportunity for informative public debate and rendered its findings irrelevant.

While much has been made about the cost of the Stillwater report, I can think of no greater waste of taxpayer money than to hold a hearing questioning the report's conclusions but not inviting the authors, or the regulated industry, to participate. Hawai'i's consumers deserve better.