Letters to the Editor
Parole violators must be held accountable
Regarding the Jan. 5 commentary by inmate Mike Coleman: If he was attempting to gain my sympathy and compassion for better prison conditions and greater availability of drug rehab programs, he has it.
However, if he was attempting to gain my sympathy and compassion for parole violators, forget it. He listed several examples of inmates who were returned to prison for what he would describe as minor infractions. Every inmate is fully aware of his condition of parole, as well as the consequences of failure to comply with them. These are in place to promote a safe and secure transition back into society.
As parents, don't we set up rules and consequences for our children? Aren't we as citizens expected to follow the rules or deal with the repercussions? We are taught to take responsibility and be accountable for all of our actions, to be a person of integrity.
So why does Coleman think that parole violators, who have already hurt themselves or others, have a different standard of accountability than the rest of us? Not once in his letter did he mention that he and the others should have adhered to their terms of parole and that they messed up. If the conditions in the prisons are so bad, why didn't they make every effort to stay out of them?
Mr. Coleman, that young boy you talked about should be looking at you with eyes of anger. You let yourself and him down ... not the Paroling Authority.
Susan Shim
Fire ants will make gardening miserable
Regarding the threat of fire ants to Hawai'i as reported in the Jan. 5 paper: Once this nasty insect arrives, there is no getting rid of it. There is only one way that they can be stopped: stop importing plants and soil into the state.
The fire ant first landed in Mobile, Ala., during World War II, spreading like a wild fire from there. Today, as one looks out across flat Mississippi Delta pastures, one is reminded of a bad case of acne. Indeed, each extremely painful fire ant bite resembles a zit within a couple of days. They don't call it the "fire" ant for nothing.
The worst thing about fire ants is their pack instinct. If you have the misfortune to disturb their ant hill without noticing, it won't be long before you do. You see, they don't bite right away. No, they wait until large numbers have crawled onto and into your clothes. Then comes the ant version of "Charge!" as they seek warm skin to bite all at the same time.
These critters have taken down full-grown cows through the deadly combination of pain, panic and sheer numbers. I'd admire them if it didn't hurt so much.
Fire ants will make agricultural work and outdoor gardening in Hawai'i absolutely miserable. Poisoning simply abates the problem for awhile. They always come back — and with a vengeance.
Hawai'i has a year-round growing season. There is absolutely no real need to import plants and soil into this state. The only real reason is the human desire for something from back home or something different than the incredible plethora of what is already here.
The miconia plant and coqui frog were simply God's warning shot across the bow. With the fire ant, the 'aina will no longer welcome anyone.
Charles Flaherty
Kealakekua, Big Island
State must maintain its music education
Studies have shown how instrumental music education improves academic learning and test scores. What the Hawai'i All-State Marching Band did went way beyond that, as members represented Hawai'i in a positive way and also showed that we have many talented students.
No science classes can equal what bands do for our students and state. For the sake of our students, let's make sure that we keep music education as part of the curriculum.
Kudos to Michael Peyton, band director at Kahuku. People should know that he did most of the work in putting this band together. I hope they do it again ... next year?
Max Miura
Band director, Dole Middle School
Let Hawaiians open casino on Kaho'olawe
As a longtime Waikiki resident, I am appalled and disgusted every time I hear the name Las Vegas. All I think of is money spent there for gambling that is so badly needed here.
The Europeans, Asians and visitors from other parts of the world usually find very little to do in Hawai'i other than surf, shop and sightsee. There are no places of interest for some people once they've been seen. Nothing other than the luxury hotels and upscale retail shops (which usually are empty).
Hawai'i residents so far have been sleeping at the switch in regard to gambling. They can, and have, tolerated spousal abuse, drugs beyond comprehension, littering, the so-called homeless people, drug-addicted freeloaders, moped and bicycle riding on the sidewalks, etc. These problems would not be tolerated in other states and countries.
Everything here is so laid back — lazy — in our so-called paradise. My solution to the problem of gambling would be to open gambling casinos on or around Kaho'olawe, which should be controlled by the Hawaiian people who claim to own every inch of Hawai'i.
Frank A. Gonzales
Cruise ship impact statement needed
I would like to applaud The Advertiser for its Dec. 5 editorial and the sensible approach to the issue of cruise ships on Moloka'i.
Chapter 343 requires the state to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) prior to use of state lands. The purpose of the EIS is to look at all positive and negative impacts to the island, so that any false hopes and false fears may be laid to rest. The EIS allows baseline data to be gathered and a comprehensive assessment to be conducted on the economy, on small business, on public opinion, and on the reef and water quality.
Unfortunately, the Maui judge in charge refused to hear the case until Jan. 22, leaving the Moloka'i community in limbo, dividing our community and potentially compromising the process itself.
We know that the unemployment rate is near 9 percent. We know, too, that we account for 70 percent of the reef systems in the eight main Hawaiian islands. But all facts remain moot until recognized by due process.
To proceed any other way, out of compliance with current state law and in the absence of evaluation, is bad government, bad economics and bad science. A "wait and see" approach will not do.
There is still an opportunity for the state to do the right thing. Gov. Lingle, Mayor Arakawa, DOT and DLNR, do your stuff.
Russell Kallstrom
Kaunakakai, Moloka'i
Maui beach erosion due to sand mining
The Dec. 27 article on a shoreline erosion hearing failed to outline the main cause of Maui beach erosion.
A consistent theme at the hearing was of private company sand mining that went on for over 80 years. Beachfront owners did not create the erosion, nor is nature marching on shores as fast as a UH "scientific" study indicate (an erosion study that ignores 80 years of sand mining).
There should be a cooperative effort in sand replenishment among the companies that mined the sand, the county that allowed it and the homeowners who live on the ocean.
Huge sand deposits lie off our shores. The technology to pump this sand onto barges and then onto beaches exists. Sea walls can disappear. Maui's beautiful white sandy beaches can be returned.
John Severson
Lahaina, Maui
Plate's commentary on foreign council wrong
Tom Plate's references to the Council on Foreign Relations in his Dec. 4 commentary ("Is Japan really a basket case?") were inaccurate in almost every respect, suggesting Plate made no effort to report on the information he conveyed.
He characterized the council as an East Coast organization, but, in fact, the council's membership is equally divided between New York/Washington and the rest of the country — with more than 300 members on the West Coast alone.
Plate also implies that the Council on Foreign Relations remains indifferent to Asia studies. However, we have more scholars concentrating on Asia than on any other region of the world, and this has been so for almost the last 10 years.
His reference to council members as "New York and Washington boys" suggests a real animus that has no place in serious journalism. Almost 25 percent of our "boys" are women.
The council and the East Coast may have many faults, especially when compared with the West Coast, but Plate has mentioned none of them.
Leslie H. Gelb
President, Council on Foreign Relations
We're not so lucky to live in Hawai'i
This could be such a joke, with the City and County almost bankrupt and the new City Council wanting to raise taxes to cover what the mayor has thrown away.
Then the nurses strike, with the nurses and the hospitals not in agreement.
Then our two interisland airlines look for ways to save money by not servicing the traveler — cutting off flights when they are needed. Perhaps we should ground the airlines and go back to boat travel among the Islands.
Hawai'i in many ways is a great place to live, if you can afford to live here.
Curtis R. Rodrigues
Kane'ohe
Not worth the effort
Regarding Olga Waterhouse's Jan. 2 letter ("Reinstate death penalty"): I do not think the taxpayers want to pay $14 million for executions like we did with Timothy McVeigh, who was worthless.
Phil Robertson
'Tiki bars' abound on O'ahu
Lately in the consumer media, there has been some brouhaha about O'ahu "finally getting its own tiki bar" and other exclamations, leading some to think this is a new thing.
May I remind the journalists: O'ahu has been graced for decades with what they term "tiki bars." Since at least the 1930s, O'ahu has enjoyed the likes of Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic's and many others before and after them. Later came the Waikikian's Tahitian Lana'i and the Papeete Bar.
As these slowly closed and made way for the implementation of that devil's motto chanted by developers and politicians, "highest and best use," these restaurants and bars were supplanted by chain stores, large corporate chain fast-food joints, high-end designer-wear stores and others that could handle the heftier lease rates.
So, as these Polynesian palaces slowly went the way of the wind, our friend at La Mariana, Annette, began acquiring many of the authentic artifact and decor pieces to fill her growing tiki bar and grill. This has been in almost continual operation since 1955.
We hear, "Didn't we pioneer tiki culture back in the 1950s?" We certainly did, although it was not known as such. Basically, it was Polynesian restaurants, tropical drinks, old Hawai'i-style decor. The Polynesian islands were the origin, the inspiration and the influence of this original "theme restaurant," which was replicated and scattered throughout America in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, and even around the world.
This current emphasis on the word "tiki" being ascribed to food, decor and drinks has had somewhat of a warped effect on the genre to the point we have lost touch with the authentic — the sources, the originators — much of which is still with us.
We are scolded, " ... we're the last in the pool. Something is wrong when Portland, Ore., can beat us." No, Portland did not beat us. After a visit to our islands in the late 1940s, some fella named Roy bought a horse-and-buggy stop and turned it into an old-style Polynesian restaurant. We here in the Islands have had the "real thing" for many years antedating this. (Why allude to Portland at all as "beating us"? Donn Beach started his chain in California in the 1930s after traveling all through the tropics — Polynesia and the Caribbean — learning of rum and exotic food in numerous original "tiki bars" and Polynesian restaurants.)
There are "tiki bars" throughout O'ahu, if one is really interested in knowing them. Heck, if you have any attachment to or interest in the old-style Polynesian restaurant, you can't help but stumble upon them now and then.
Allen St. James
