Letters to the Editor
Police officers across America feel the loss
Whenever a fellow officer falls in the line of duty, the hurt, pain and loss is felt by all police officers across America. Though we may be miles apart, we share one common bond: We're police officers serving and protecting a piece of this great country.
The tragic death of officer Glen Gaspar has shocked many former Honolulu officers now serving in the Pacific Northwest. Our prayers and sympathies go out to officer Gaspar's family and our fellow officers in HPD.
As police officers, we must keep reminding each other about the highest priority in this job, and that is "Go home the same way you came to work: alive and uninjured."
Rome Esmeralda
Police officer
South Snohomish County, Wash.
Both state, city should look to private sector
Responding to Mayor Harris' call for higher property taxes, Councilman Charles Djou suggested that the city could save money by having workers from the private sector, rather than city employees, maintain all of the city's parks.
This is a good idea that should not only be implemented by the city but by the state as well.
The public would benefit from having more and better-maintained facilities, and cash-strapped state and county governments would obtain some much-needed financial relief without having to raise taxes.
Management of public parks could be turned over to nonprofit groups like Friends of Heeia and Friends of Haiku Stairs. These organizations would agree to assume maintenance and management of the parks and would be allowed to charge user fees for use of facilities and provide additional services, not now provided, such as educational tours and classes and operate equipment rental concessions, much like the operation at Hanauma Bay.
This plan would create new opportunities and jobs where none exists today. The only problem with this idea is that some politicians may want to expand it into a money-making plan to make up for declining revenues.
Roy Yanagihara
Kane'ohe
Airport screen could effectively maroon us
There is a suspiciously absent voice in Hawai'i concerning the recent implementation of the CAPPS II program (Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening).
To recap the new program for those who have not yet been informed: CAPPS II will use government data bases of information on your credit history, banking transactions and the ominous federal watch list (one can only imagine why people may be on government watch lists) to prescreen and categorize passengers by one of three threat-assessment levels — green, yellow and red. Green passengers will "supposedly" be allowed to board without secondary screening. Yellow passengers will be required to undergo "scrutinized" (yet undefined) screening, and the unhappy red passenger will not be allowed to fly at all.
As residents of Hawai'i, we have no other option to travel except the airlines. If, due to poor credit or questionable banking transactions or purchases, you or I should be determined to fall into the red category, we will have no choice but to ship ourselves in Matson containers if we want to travel to Las Vegas for a weekend or visit relatives on another island.
Perhaps we could mail ourselves via the post office, but I haven't seen any human-size envelopes.
CAPPS II effectively turns our beautiful Islands into individual internment camps. Residents of the Mainland may be able to drive or take the train to their destinations once they have been determined to be a threat and "unfit" to fly, but what will happen to us? And this is going to stop terrorism how?
Glen Mason
Kea'au, Hawai'i
Article on Hiram Fong was poor journalism
Shame, shame on The Advertiser!
How dare you delve into the personal side of Hiram Fong's family and his current difficulties. The March 8 article resembled something you'd expect from the tabloids (Star or the Enquirer).
No one wants his personal and family difficulties published on the front page of Honolulu's leading newspaper. Where is the discretion and respect for privacy, especially when you consider that Mr. Fong is a former U.S. senator? Was it good journalism? No, I don't believe so; there was nothing to be gained from the article, except sensationalism.
Mr. Fong's personal difficulties are his and his family's business, not ours. The Advertiser showed poor form in printing this article.
Glenn Jinbo
'Ewa Beach
Local air fare hikes won't encourage travel
Regarding the March 4 story "Hawaiian, Aloha increase prices": It's worrisome to me that I'm only in my late 20s and I can hear myself saying things like "I remember back when it was just a $60 round trip to go outer-island."
The last fare hikes by Hawaiian and Aloha in January also took away the ability to go to the airport with a coupon and hop on a plane — very spontaneous and local-style. Now we have to plan, and in advance, and we don't even get rewarded for our effort with discounted fares; it's all based on seat availability.
We've either got to fork over whatever they demand — which, at $200 a round trip (just $50 more than a round trip ticket from N.Y.C. to L.A.), can feel like paying off the mafia just because we happen to live in their territory — or suffer the distance with phone calls and letters to dear ones who live what just might be a 20-minute to one-hour plane ride away.
Now, in addition to the smaller number of people traveling from the Mainland because of economic and safety worries, the fares will reduce the number of residents traveling within Hawai'i as well.
As local travel agents know, the airlines have to do something to stop losing money — they are, after all, businesses whose services we, and they, need. But it seems debatable that this change in attitude and policy will help the airlines earn enough business to keep them aloft — let alone encourage an increase in travel that will allow them to turn a profit in years to come.
Christine Thomas
Kailua
Drivers, not roads, are the cause of accidents
Every time there is a traffic accident that results in serious injuries or death, the hue and cry of "The city/county/state must do something about that dangerous street/intersection/highway" is invariably raised.
Here is a simple fact: Except in the very rare cases of catastrophic mechanical failure, every traffic accident is the result of an error on the part of the operator(s) of the vehicle(s) involved. If someone were to look carefully, it could be shown that the majority of traffic accidents happen on roads that the driver is quite familiar with.
Roads don't cause accidents. The people using them do. Improving roads is a good idea. Improving the users of those roads is an even better one.
Matt Vose
'Aiea
Who approved new signage at the airport?
Bull's eye: Joe Gedan's March 2 letter hit the nail on the head. Comical, well-written and oh-so-true.
Where is the outrage from The Outdoor Circle? When the sun reflects off the obnoxious color of the signs, a driver is blinded, making it impossible to read or understand the most important directions.
Who approved the new signage, and what was the cost to us taxpayers?
Gloria C. Keller
Travel consultant
Legislation against poll watchers wrong
I confess. I proudly rose early on the morning of Nov. 5, armed with my list, cell phone and cooler full of drinks and snacks ... to poll-watch. The long day ended well after sunset.
The election process is very public, except when each voter marks the ballot and places it into the machine or ballot box. As a poll watcher, I looked at the poll book to match against Linda Lingle's supporter list. Maybe if Mazie Hirono's party had done likewise, she might have gotten her voters there.
I agree with the governor's desire to change the law to delete the current requirement that precinct chairs be of the same party of the governor. It should be open to individuals of all parties, based on skills and integrity.
Jimmy Carter and others often observe elections in other countries to ensure that procedures are followed. Should they be labeled as "miscreants"?
I was there to watch: The precinct officials permitted only eligible voters to vote, the blank ballots were opened and the machine was emptied at the end of the day, and voters were turned away after the polls closed at 6 p.m.
My reward for my volunteer work is future legislation to brand my actions as a "misdemeanor." No wonder our state has the lowest voter turnout in the nation.
Kathleen H. Masunaga
Wahiawa
Coble needs treatment
I'm with David Duffy (Letters, March 7). Let's name a sewage treatment plant after U.S. Rep. Howard Coble. How do we get started?
Perhaps there can be a dedication above the entrance: "For a man truly full of it." Spread the word: Coble needs treatment.
Lou Zitnik
Hilo
Attack unprofessional
I note with great dismay that our governor has once again chosen to publicly berate a hard-working state employee (state Librarian Virginia Lowell). Rather than suggest intelligent solutions, Ms. Lingle chooses to call names and use a high-handed attitude to embarrass and demean. Who is it that's unprofessional here?
Dave Jones
Kane'ohe
Start using volunteers
Hawai'i has lots of difficult problems to solve, but staffing our libraries should not be one of them.
Many people in the community love books and libraries and would be happy to serve as volunteers. If we cannot afford a full staff of salaried personnel, then why not use volunteers, also? It has been done successfully elsewhere.
Paul Johnson
Kupuna program under attack in public schools
The kupuna program is made up of educators who teach "na mea Hawai'i" (things Hawaiian) in our public schools, servicing kindergarten to grade six. This has been a successful program for over 20 years statewide.
We are kupuna (grandparents), and in the last few years have added makua (parents) to the program. We usually service the schools from October to May for the school year. In past years we received training sessions and workshops from different sources to build our skills. We also were placed in available positions in the schools each year. Now we have less training and must individually apply to the school and be interviewed by the principal.
Some of the main questions asked: Do you do May Day? Do you do music? Do you do hands-on crafts? This shows us that the schools are not really concerned with the intellectual part of Hawaiian studies, which have been mandated to be taught in our schools.
Yes, I can do all that and more, but as a Hawaiian educator, this offends me because that is not all that we are. Most of us are not kumu hula, music teachers or musicians.
President Bush's No Child Left Behind requires all part-time teachers to have an associate's degree by a certain time frame. Why do we need this to do May Day or teach music? This presents difficulties for our generation. Our program is unique to Hawai'i, and we should be exempted.
This past February presented a new concern for us. Three kupuna in one of our schools were given a few days notice of termination due to the depletion of kupuna monies for their salaries.
This was a total shock to them and caused the rest of us to wonder about our positions. Why did this happen? Why wasn't there enough money allocated to last until May? Why aren't these three kupuna receiving support from higher-ups in the program? Why are they left to fend for themselves?
This is not Hawaiian. There must be other monies that can pay their salaries at least till April. Get the money from somewhere.
Parents and teachers, we need your voices to speak up for us.
Joyce Pu'u
Kupuna, Mokapu Elementary School
