Posted on: Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Letters to the Editor
Kahu Patterson was right man for the job
Regarding the May 21 editorial "What does Kawaiaha'o want in a chief kahu?": Well said.
Personally, I have always been leery of the motives of the Kawaiaha'o types. Their decision only showcases their true desires and whom they selectively represent.
Clearly, Kahu Kaleo Patterson has a long and healthy history of working in the Hawaiian community, especially for those who need the most love and compassion. He is also very humble and a champion for truth and justice.
At the core, his practice of truth, justice and compassion makes the pharisaic rulers of Kawaiaha'o very nervous. Obviously, they have been more concerned with the lucrative business of collecting pieces of gold and silver through malihini marriages at this house of God than with securing a proven leader who would give guidance and provide charity to the needy of this 'aina.
Kahu Kaleo Patterson may not be what Kawaiaha'o wants. He is surely, however, what Kawaiaha'o needs.
E ike i ka hoa kanaka o kipa hewa ke aloha i ka ilio! In the end, history will be the judge.
Kaleikoa Kaeo
Pork-barrel defense by Rep. Say rings hollow
Rep. Calvin Say's May 27 letter defending the House Democrats' pork-barrel spending on low-priority school projects raises some pertinent (or, perhaps, impertinent) questions.
For instance, he says the school spending plan, which basically only funds projects in districts represented by a Democratic committee chair, is a "compromise" and the result of "bipartisan cooperation" between the House Democrats and the governor. That's funny — I thought a compromise was defined as a meeting of the minds between two parties. Is Rep. Say claiming that Gov. Lingle has agreed to this plan and won't use her line-item veto to cut out projects not on the DOE's priority list?
Then, Rep. Say has the gall to claim that "we are fighting for the needs of the people we represent" and that "Sen. Hemmings is playing partisan politics. Enough already!" Umm i when he says "we," does he mean Democratic committee chairs? As in, he's fighting to benefit the people in Democratic committee chairs' districts at the expense of everyone else in Hawai'i? How is that not partisan politics?
Auwe — enough already!
Jim Henshaw
Military endangering endangered species
The military seeking exemptions from environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act appears to be an all-out war on endangered species.
Perhaps Pentagon terrorist intelligence learned of Abutilon menziesii recruitment and thought it was a radical leader seeking followers instead of an endangered species on the road to recovery.
In Makua Valley, the live-fire training nearly caused the Hawai'i state flower, Hibiscus brackenridgei ssp. mokuleianus, to go extinct on O'ahu. The military was found in violation of the Endangered Species Act. Now the military must try to prevent rampant fire from consuming the endangered plants, snails and birds in Makua Valley with responsible explosions within the established firebreak. Training in Makua Valley continues, as it does on the numerous other military installations throughout O'ahu.
Since the Department of Defense already benefits from a national security exemption under the Endangered Species Act, and the Pentagon has failed to provide any evidence that laws protecting Hawai'i's endangered species actually hinder military readiness, it is not absurd to suspect that the Pentagon has got the definition of biological warfare all confused.
Contact Hawai'i's congressional delegates to inform them that you support the protection of our endangered species and our military as they coexist, without the unnecessary exemptions.
Naomi Arcand
Virginia Lowell was a thorough professional
Our community and its libraries are the better for state Librarian Virginia Lowell's leadership these past five years.
Overseeing a statewide library system, difficult in the best of times, has been especially challenging because of our state's financial situation. Nevertheless, Mrs. Lowell executed her task with great professionalism and, in the Hawaiian way, with aloha.
She deserves our community's thanks for her excellent work.
Ruth Tschumy
Motorcycle muffler test should be required
A simple solution for the noisy motorcycles is to have their owners pass muffler tests every year to renew their licenses. There are some noisy autos, too.
Citizens could report any loud auto or motorcycle by taking down the license number and reporting it to the motor vehicle department. It in turn could send a letter to the offending party to come in for a muffler check.
It wouldn't take long to get rid of the noise pollution and restore peace on O'ahu and in Waikiki.
William J. Uhrik
Sovereignty must also embrace many others
Foster Ampong, in his May 23 letter "Sovereignty can only be for the kanaka maoli," chooses to ignore the fact that approximately 7,500 of the approximate 48,000 Hawaiian subjects at the time of the overthrow were non-Hawaiian. These non-Hawaiians, who had attained their subject status by birth or naturalization, had full citizenship rights.
That citizenship in Hawai'i would be based on nationality and not race had been freely decreed by Kamehameha III as early as 1840. In hindsight, some Native Hawaiians may have later regretted it, but this was the "law of the land." Any present or future sovereign Hawai'i, if it honors the traditions of the kingdom up to the time of the overthrow, would need to give full citizenship rights to, at least, the descendants of the non-Hawaiian subjects at the time of the overthrow.
Sovereignty cannot be "only for the kanaka maoli."
Toby Kravet
Enforce proper use of transfers on buses
In light of our soft economy, increasing the bus fare and cutting services may be a poor choice, although something to think about in the future.
A simpler way to close the financial gap would be to enforce the proper use of the transfer. Passengers, most commonly tourists, treat the transfer as if it were a "round-trip ticket" between Waikiki and whatever attraction they plan to visit. Although there is a time limit printed on each transfer, some drivers seem to overlook this fact. One went as far as to announce, over his P.A. system, the transfer was good for "five hours," which was out of line on his part.
On most transit systems, transfers are directional. Passengers headed west are not permitted to transfer to any eastbound bus that would return them to their point of origin. A usage charge of 10 to 25 cents is added when transfers are requested.
It is our hope these suggestions are taken to heart by the powers that be and TheBus continues on its road to greatness.
Charlie Doremus
Ban on Canadian beef is too little too late
The U.S. ban on Canadian beef and cattle imports, following on the heels of a mad cow disease case in Canada, represents too little too late. The USDA claim that there has been no confirmed case in the U.S. rings hollow.
Too little, because U.S. authorities test 20,000 animals for mad cow disease each year — that's only .05 percent of the cattle slaughtered, and Canadians do even less. Europeans test that many animals every day. Moreover, most cattle are slaughtered before the age of 4, before mad cow disease symptoms develop. The afflicted Canadian cow was 8 years old.
Too late, because last year the U.S. imported 1.7 million head of cattle and more than a billion pounds of beef from Canada. This accounts for 7 percent of U.S. beef consumption, and NAFTA regulations make sure that we don't know which 7 percent. Consumption of infected beef leads to development of the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob dementia in humans.
It's getting harder every day to trust the judgment of USDA officials to tell fact from fiction. If I were involved with the cattle industry, I would look for a more predictable and socially redeeming career. And, if I were a meat eater, I would try out some of the great new meatless food products that are widely available today.
Aliaska Brozen
Bad review shows play will be worth it
Joseph Rozmiarek hit the bull's-eye again with his review of "The Music Man." His insightful and inciteful commentary often helps me in deciding what to see in the world of the arts. There are so many acts to see that I'm glad there is someone like him whom I can depend on for advice and information.
The Honolulu Advertiser: Please allow Mr. Rozmiarek to continue to share with us his "expert" knowledge of the theater.
By the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the play. The opening scene, "A Railway Coach," was not only riveting, but also fun to watch and listen to.
You're right, Robbie Brandt (Letters, May 20), "the play was energetic and as entertaining as heck." Thank you again, Mr. Rozmiarek, for doing your job and helping me make the right choices.
Dennis Kawamoto
Shoe screening could be more comfortable
While we certainly don't mind the additional screening of our shoes at the airport during times of high alert, some suggestions might be of value.
First, provide additional chairs for us to sit on to take off and put back on our shoes.
Second, roll out a carpet for the length of the screening area only during the shoe-screening time so we don't have to walk on the dirty floor.
And last but not least, vacuum the temporary carpet at the start of each work shift.
Of course, these suggestions pertain to our interisland airports.
Wm. J. King
Playing politics with Act 221 — GOP style
Regarding Roy Yanagihara's May 22 letter ("Democrats: Playing politics with Act 221"): It sounds as if Mr. Yanagihara is toeing the party line on his "facts." All the "facts" that he presents are the same "facts" that the Republican Party keeps presenting, but there is no data to back their claims.
Since Mr. Yanagihara relies heavily on the assumptions of the nonpartisan Council on Revenues, he should consider what it had to say about the numbers that the Department of Taxation has been floating.
This information appeared in The Advertiser on May 17: "There was clear dissension among the council members on whether the estimates for the tax credits are correct. Council member Vito Galati said he was uncomfortable issuing projections that blamed tax credits for the decrease in anticipated revenues because he felt uncertain about the assumptions used by the tax department" ("State told to expect $73M less in revenue").
If the Council on Revenues feels uncertain about the numbers being generated, then can we really use those numbers as fact?
To further the case, why is it that of the 53 companies the tax department has identified as claiming these credits, only the figures from 23 companies are being used? Could it be that if the "real" numbers were used, the argument the administration is making would be meritless?
Mr. Yanagihara also knocked the movie industry as producing one-off deals. "Blue Crush" has actually returned to film the series "Surf Girls" for MTV. This would dispel the notion that the deals are one-offs. Even if there were a one-off deal and the company did not remain here, there are provisions in Act 221 for the recapture of credits.
Mr. Yanagihara has submitted that the Democrats have gone on a disinformation campaign. I would suggest to Mr. Yanagihara that he check his facts before submitting yet another piece of party-line shibai for the public to read. The disinformation campaign has come from the Republicans, the administration and the tax office.
Don Mangiarelli
Kailua
Vice chairwoman, Sierra Club O'ahu Group
Ellie Ferri
Kihei, Maui
Mililani
Kailua
