Letters to the Editor

Bike riders who shun helmets deserve fate

I support Tony Ching's views on the helmet law. I have not gone through what he has been going through because I survived an accident wearing a motorbike helmet.

State officials say about 15 percent of the motorcycle population of this state do not wear helmets while riding their bikes. Naturally, the choice to wear a helmet is up to the rider. But I can tell you one thing: If a rider comes by me and has only a baseball cap on, I will not look twice at him.

Ever heard of Darwin's rule of natural selection, that the weak of mind will be vanquished due to their own stupidity? Not an exact quote, but close enough.

Well, if you don't wear a helmet, say hi to Darwin for me.

Ed Chevy
'Ewa Beach

Sponsorship of puppet theater is welcome

I heartily congratulate the East-West Center for its sponsorship of the Ho Chi Minh city water puppet theater.

This cultural exchange program with Vietnam is a strong indication of the EWC leadership's awareness of its mandate from the American people and its role in the promotion of U.S. interest in Asia. As it is almost three decades since the end of the Vietnam War, the United States is now looking at Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, as a zone of peace, security and economic cooperation for the well-being of people in the region and the American people.

For centuries, Vietnamese living in the Red River delta enjoyed itinerant water puppet theater troupes even as the great river flooded their villages almost every year in the rainy season. I had the good fortune to enjoy this unusual form of rural theater twice in Hanoi in the past three years, which gave me a meaningful picture of Vietnamese village life and sketches of the Vietnamese history, especially stories having to do with the Vietnamese people's struggle for independence before the European colonial era.

I hope that people in Hawai'i will take the time to see this unique cultural performance representing an important aspect of the life of 70 million Vietnamese. The EWC has made an excellent choice in lending its support to this program as part of its active and continuing involvement in cultural, academic and professional exchanges between Vietnam and the United States.

As a U.S. foreign service officer (retired) and a native of Indochina, I would like to thank the EWC for its good work and its robust vision of cooperation for peace and prosperity between the United States and all countries in Southeast Asia.

Thavanh Svengsouk
Hawai'i Kai

New ferry technology needs more than words

So you're excited to hear about the opening of a $5 million ferry terminal in Honolulu Harbor, with "an e.t.a. for an interisland passenger and auto service" in 2006.

Would you like to buy a bridge to go with the package?

When Hawaii SuperFerry partner John Garibaldi says new ferry technology is making the roughness of the ride among our Islands a thing of the past, may I suggest you ask what technology, where is it in use, in what sea conditions, for how long, how successfully? May I suggest you tell us who is John Garibaldi, what is his experience with ferries, what is his background?

You point to the San Juans in Washington State as a model for Hawai'i. How amusing. You may want first to tread water for an hour in the San Juans, then try it in the Moloka'i or 'Alenuihaha Channel. Hawai'i interisland trips take place in the middle of the open ocean.

Two years ago, William E. "Matt" Dillon of Las Vegas, another would-be ferry entrepreneur, was reported to say that a ferry system can succeed in part because "a boat captain can detect bad weather and travel around it." More than amusing. Truly comical.

Hawai'i does need a ferry culture. We don't need any more ferry tales.

By the way, about the new $5 million ferry terminal opening this summer with the unseen, untested, unknown ferries coming right up just some years later — who is paying for that?

Bruce Benson

Why price increases?

I want to know why the prices for interisland travel have jumped so high. I fly both Aloha and Hawaiian airlines, and it was upsetting to see that the prices were to increase. I hadn't read or heard any announcements from either company about the increases. I was planning a flight for this month, and I just found out about the new prices. It's not fair.

Jessie Kalika Afong

Art show review sensitive, positive

I would like to thank your art critic, Victoria Gail-White, for her very sensitive and positive review of our art show, Abilities 2003, which has now been held over through mid-June at the Gallery on the Pali at First Unitarian Church of Honolulu.

Often, the media ignore critical issues about mental health. Rarely do they cover stories about the many people who fully recover from their so-called "mental illness" or those who are doing well.

As one of the artists in this show, I thank Gail-White on behalf of many people for her wonderful review. I would also like to thank Philippe Gross, Ph.D., of the Adult Mental Health Division, and Norma Nichols, Ph.D., who has been working for 18 years as the director of the Gallery on the Pali and has provided the community with many exciting exhibits.

Laurie Meech

It's good news that real drink is returning

Kudos to writer Will Hoover for his informative and entertaining article on 'okolehao that appeared on the front page of Sunday's newspaper. And for bringing us the good news that the Hawaiian spirit of the past is nearly back again.

I first tasted 'okolehao as a UH graduate student in 1951. It was smooth, striking and simple, and I thought I detected a touch of sherry. At a later swilling, my throat caught fire, and I took "the pledge" against it. Decades later I cautiously sipped from a bottle that allegedly contained the stuff. Two entrepreneurial friends — Ken Hyry and Warren Johnson — bottled it in Kaka'ako and peddled it in Waikiki. It was palatable with fruit juice and a lot of bar sugar, they said. But it had not the taste that I remembered.

Years later, they confessed their booze was 'okolehao in name only. The rascals had "bought for cheap" a vat of Canadian rye in Kansas City, brought it to Honolulu, and passed a ti leaf over it while chant-ing Hawaiian words that came to mind: "Ala Moana, Makiki, wikiwiki, Kalakaua, Manoa, we palapala thee 'okolehao."

With this background, I am available for a complimentary tasting of the new spirit of our time.

Bob Dye
Kailua

Build another H-Power plant through surcharge

Your May 31 editorial stated that "Killing city curbside recycling was pointless." It may have been better to state that it was pointless for the City Council not to consider a very obvious alternative: H-Power.

On April 7, I wrote Councilwoman Barbara Marshall suggesting that the council consider imposing a monthly fee of $8 on each residential property. The annual fee of $96 could be added to the annual property tax bill as a surcharge. This surcharge could be earmarked for H-Power. With 160,000 private residences on O'ahu, this surcharge would produce $15.36 million each year. With that collateral, the city could float a bond issue with a very favorable rate to build a second H-Power plant.

Your May 22 article on H-Power brought out many interesting facts.

Built in 1989, the H-Power plant burns 2,000 tons of waste per day, producing 57 megawatts of electricity, which is sold for $25 million annually. This power accounts for 7 percent of O'ahu's electricity needs.

The plant burns about 600,000 tons of waste each year. Yes, it is environmentally safe on its emissions, according to your article. There is a proposal to add a third boiler, which would increase the annual amount to 725,000 tons.

Since 1989, it has processed 8 million tons of waste, saving about 500 acres from landfill use.

It would appear to me that instead of sitting back and doing nothing until the next landfill crisis, the City Council should direct its efforts toward something that works. How much more would two H-Power plants reduce our dependency on oil and landfills?

Could it be that mandatory recycling is not the way to go? We should not lose sight of the fact that H-Power may be the most efficient and effective way of recycling our trash.

Coupled with the ongoing voluntary recycling (32 percent in 2002), an increase in the present H-Power capacity or a second H-Power plant should be looked at very closely during the three years it will take to top off the extended height of Waimanalo Gulch.

R.W. Grantham
Kailua

Where's the quality of Leeward life?

I was disappointed by the recent tax credits Gov. Lingle has approved for the Leeward Coast and was moved to write by the June 1 commentary by Emerson Burnett. Before the plans of Gov. Lingle and Sen. Hanabusa are put into effect, I hope they, and the various neighborhood boards, take into account the lack of transportation infrastructure from the Leeward Coast to town:

• The entire state is aware of the morning and evening transportation problems going from Wai'anae to town today. The system is broken; where's the fix?
• Haseko and Gentry are adding hundreds of homes in 'Ewa Beach proper, which are going to add more cars to the transportation problem; where's the fix?
• Hundreds of more homes are being added in Kapolei and Makakilo. More cars; where's the fix?
• There's a proposal to add 600 to 1,000 more homes between Kapolei and Nanakuli. More cars; where's the fix?
• Lots of homes are going up along the mauka fence line of Kalaeloa. More cars; where's the fix?
• More homes are going up in the central 'Ewa Plain. More cars; where's the fix?
• The new aquarium and hotels being considered to go up along the Leeward Coast are touted to bring 10,000 construction jobs and 2,100 permanent jobs. Have you ever seen construction workers carpool? Each one has to bring his own pickup, SUV, car or van. That's 10,000 more vehicles in the Leeward area during construction. Where's the fix?

We were initially told in 'Ewa Beach by the Haseko representatives that any traffic problems resulting from their home developments would be paid for by Haseko as part of its contract with the city and state. If that's the case, why is Sen. Espero so proud of obtaining millions of dollars to widen Fort Weaver Road? That should be paid for by the developers as per the initial contracts.

With all the above housing developments putting more and more cars on the road, Gov. Lingle and Sen. Hanabusa must first ensure the development of the transportation infrastructure to handle the traffic that will ensue. Without a better infrastructure, morning and evening traffic will be so bad people will have to leave home at 3 a.m. just to get to work on time.

If you think that's stretching it, you haven't been on H-1 townbound from 'Ewa Beach at 4 a.m. weekdays. How many Leeward residents get home after 6:30 or 7 p.m. due to traffic? Where's the quality of life?

It is the responsibility of all the boards on the Leeward Coast and in Waipahu, Pearl City and 'Aiea to band together to get the message across to the politicians. If you approve developments, you must first ensure the transportation infrastructure is in place before the initial house is worked on. If you don't, you have only yourselves to blame when the people in your communities complain about traffic destroying their quality of life.

Tony Roberts
'Ewa Beach