Letters to the Editor
Amendment No. 3 letter was inaccurate
Regarding H. Robert Hampton's Dec. 11 letter on Constitutional Amendment No. 3:
- No one is "trying to create greater criminal rights." All that those who opposed the amendment were advocating is that the basic constitutional rights that belong to all of us should be neither increased nor decreased, but preserved as is.
- Hawai'i does not join "most" states in having a procedure like Amendment No. 3. Only 14 states have a procedure that bears some resemblance to the amendment. Thirty-six states have the procedure that Hampton and City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle want changed by Amendment No. 3.
- Hampton's criticism of Bob Rees is disingenuous in that the thrust of Rees' criticism was that Carlisle used public funds from the prosecutor's office to support Amendment No. 3. Regardless of the merits of the amendment, we should demand that our public officials follow the law.
Finally, during the campaign, I and others monitored the presentations made by Carlisle and his deputies to community groups on Amendment No. 3. Carlisle and his deputies repeatedly misled the public, as Hampton has done, in order to drum up support for the amendment.
Earle A. Partington
Women surfers are getting a bum ride
The extensive Dec. 22 article on women surfing, featuring Layne Beachley and Rochelle Ballard, got totally under my skin.
Women surfers are getting a bad shuffle and are being treated far from equal with the men surfers.
I surfed the North Shore and Makaha for more than 30 years. I lived in front of the beach adjacent to Pipeline. What I saw from my deck overlooking the surf was women slowly but surely entering the challenging surf under the same conditions as the men.
One of the early big-wave riders was Phyllis Damron, who took off on the biggest waves of a set, the waves that many of the expert men backed off.
When I was out, all I heard were snide remarks and jokes directed at any woman surfing. There seemed to be a resentment at women for daring to enter the male-dominated scene.
The sponsors of events are missing a large point by condescendingly giving token gestures to women's abilities. The media create and destroy a hero. Women are equal to or above men in status. The movie "Blue Crush" depicted this quite well. Women emit sensitivity.
Most often it is the men who fight each other while the women simply catch waves and have fun. I'd much rather surf with women than men. Women are far more interesting and focused.
I want nothing to do with an industry, whether it is clothing, surfboards, videos or advertising, that does not allow equal status for women. You will not get my support until the inequities are changed. Some of the photographers are the worst — concentrating on female body parts instead of the obvious: riding the wave with good form and judgment.
Fred Van Dyke
Moloka'i certainly wasn't prepared
Based on my "selective observations," this is what I saw on the "anticipated boat day" at Kaunakakai, Moloka'i:
- No efforts were made to increase available restroom facilities to accommodate our visitors.
- Business people posted signs that their toilets were not to be used by other than their customers.
- Crafters and musicians were crammed in a small section of the town, creating vehicle and people traffic-flow problems.
- Among Moloka'i's finest arts and crafts were plastic and glass trinkets and "junk" imported from O'ahu and other places.
- And, behind the smiles and warm greetings, there were tense, hostile feelings.
Moloka'i people are warm and caring; we have been on opposite sides of issues before and continued to respect each other's opinions. Money cannot be the only reason we are willing to risk our children's inheritance to a healthy environmental and economic future.
Jane Lee
Kaunakakai, Moloka'i
Criticism of Cayetano team was unfounded
The criticisms contained in Gerhard C. Hamm's Dec. 22 Focus commentary were unfair and inaccurate — he simply doesn't have his facts straight.
He blames Susan Chandler for the child-support mess, assuming that a division of the Department of Human Resources was responsible for child-support collections. In fact, Susan Chandler was the director of the Department of Human Services (there is no Department of Human Resources), and the Child Support Enforcement Agency is a division of the Attorney General's Office.
He also blames DBEDT director Seiji Naya for doing little to improve the state's economy. Does Hamm realize that the responsibility for formulating the Multi-Year Program and Financial Plan belongs to the Department of Budget and Finance?
If Hamm understood that the two Cayetano appointees he praised, Margery Bronster and Earl Anzai, were in charge of the agencies that mismanaged the collection of child support and the state's financial planning, perhaps he'd understand why the Legislature chose not to reappoint them.
Joseph A. DePonio
It's time the hospitals cared for the nurses
It's a shame that our nurses have to go through all this drama. After being guided to this profession, having to study for five years or more, passing the nurses test to qualify and then being accepted at a hospital, what more do you expect?
After hours of dedication, being on their feet for eight to 12 hours, even 16 hours when the hospital is shorthanded or they are needed desperately, our nurses are there to care and give all that they have. I call them "Angels of Mercy," for that's what they are.
Hospitals know their situations — over-worked and very under-paid. The nurses comfort patients and let them feel important. Yet, the hospitals make the nurses feel they don't deserve what should be truthfully theirs. Without our nurses, doctors and others in the medical field would not be able to do their jobs completely.
Please, they have cared for us all, don't you think it's time that the hospitals cared for them?
Hiiaka M. Wong
Wai'anae
Don't blame security checks for low turnout
In a Dec. 18 letter, Kelly Aune blames the "agonizingly and senselessly slow security checks" at Aloha Stadium for the poor attendance. Maybe Kelly did not attend the Cincinnati game. Can you imagine what could have happened if we didn't have those checks?
In the past year, security checks have become a part of life, and most of us have learned to adapt. Let's not forget that if people kept these well-established rules in mind before arriving at the stadium, the line would move a lot faster. Honestly, the security procedures at Aloha Stadium have been in place for well over a year now.
Let's be frank. Hawai'i fans are fickle. It doesn't take much for them not to attend a game. A little rain and it's, "Let's stay home and watch the game on TV."
Also, not having a first-rate line-up of opponents for our guys makes it even worse. If we had a USC or a Miami game, it could be raining buckets and the fans would still fill the stadium.
Janis Obara
OHA's leadership deserves praise
In early December, the Hawai'i Supreme Court denied the complaint made by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs with regard to the sale of ceded lands that generate revenue for the state. That complaint refers to only 20 percent set aside for the beneficiaries of OHA.
The problem for many years has been that there was no mechanism to write the check to OHA. Former Gov. John Waihee helped create Act 304, but last year the court voided this mechanism. The news is that OHA will appeal this decision. During the debate between Gov. Linda Lingle and former Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, I heard that OHA will present a proposal to the Legislature to get that mechanism working again.
My focus is, what happens to the 80 percent that is also affected by the sale of these ceded lands?
Hawai'i has a responsibility to provide revenues for the public schools and educational institutions for the betterment of conditions of Hawaiians, for development of farm and home ownership, for public improvements and provision of land for public use. So, why is there not enough money for the teachers? If OHA didn't get any money, where did it go? How come these people are not in the court system screaming "breach of trust"?
In essence, the sale of ceded lands affects the revenue foundation for all residents of Hawai'i — not only Hawaiians. I humbly think that what the trustees at OHA are doing is a reflection of the most basic and genuine form of aloha. Their bravery to stand for what is right for their beneficiaries and their non-Hawaiian 'ohana is what we need in Hawaiian leadership. Mahalo, OHA 'ohana.
Jojo Tanimoto
Incarceration doesn't help prevent crime
Regarding Stanley Garcia's Dec. 24 letter "Incarceration does help prevent crime": I strongly disagree with his comments. Incarceration does not help prevent crime — it postpones crime.
Imagine for a minute that every convicted felon in Hawai'i was imprisoned for his or her complete sentence. Just how many beds do you think that would take? And when the terms were over, how many prisoners would be released into the community at the same time?
And, just to let you know, property crimes are treated very severely here in Hawai'i. A burglary-I charge carries the same amount of time as a sexual assault charge. Which is worse? Treatment is available for Hawai'i's sex offenders. Shouldn't it be available for property offenders as well?
Just imagine this: If an 18-year-old was incarcerated for 10 years for a burglary-I charge and was asked to do his complete sentence, what type of impact do you think those years would have on that person? And what if that person is unable to acquire work or social skills during that 10-year period? Do you think that person would have learned his or her lesson?
The truth is that when this person tries to get a job, he or she has absolutely no job references or work history for the last 10 years.
How hard would it be to acquire a job after that? So, being unable to acquire a job to make money, the person would turn to what that person knows best — crime.
For whatever reason, these felons lack the necessary skills needed to survive in a capitalistic society. They must be given a chance to learn these skills, at least once.
Jeremy Leval
Reinstate death penalty
I pray that this new Legislature has stamina enough to reinstate capital punishment.
Olga Waterhouse
Kailua
Reform of government procurement is worthy
While Craig Watase's Dec. 20 letter regarding Sen. Ron Menor's proposal for government procurement is well-intended, I believe Mr. Watase's opposition is unfounded because he does not fully understand the reform that Sen. Menor proposes.
It is my understanding from reading the articles in The Honolulu Advertiser that Sen. Menor merely proposes an even-keeled balance between allowing board members to freely exercise their opinion while preventing mismanagement on these boards that results in loss to the taxpayers. Sen. Menor proposes to hold board and commission members personally liable only for acts that constitute gross negligence.
This means that board and commission members would not be liable for actions that constitute mere negligence, i.e., simple mistakes. Gross negligence occurs only when a person engages in reckless conduct, such as attending a meeting totally drunk and voting on matters at that meeting even though the board member is too drunk to know what he's voting on.
The adoption of this "gross negligence" standard is a necessary balance between the public's right not to have government officials blindly waste tax dollars while not penalizing board members for making good-faith mistakes.
Furthermore, so long as a board member has not been monetarily liable for actions as a board member in the past, the government can obtain errors and omissions insurance for that board member, thus protecting the board member from having to pay liability out of his own pocket even if his decisions end up being grossly negligent. This is much the same as automobile insurance protecting the average driver from personal liability in accidents where the driver was at fault.
Board members must take personal responsibility for grossly negligent actions that they engage in on their board or commission. After all, these board members are being chosen for their abilities and good judgment to guide the agency upon which they sit as a board member.
Charles K.Y. Khim
Attorney
