Letters to the Editor
How can Kamehameha get away with bias?
Where's the IRS when you really need it?
In the year 2003, how can Kamehameha Schools (and former Bishop Estate) — which is supported by every taxpayer from Hawai'i to Alabama — be allowed to discriminate against other fellow American citizens and continue to deny them admission based on race and ethnicity ... blacks, whites, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans, Lithuanian Americans?
As long as Kamehameha Schools wants to act like the Klan and act as if it's not hurting anyone, fine. It can pay for its racist policies on its own. From local dailies to "60 Minutes," we learn the estate has assets between $6 billion and $15 billion as it is. And it enrolls only how many kids a year? And all its scandals? And its exclusion and bigotry?
C'mon, Congress and IRS, you're asleep at the switch. Tell these guys this U.S.-taxpayer-supported candy store is closed. With 6 billion to 15 billion bucks in its bank faults, something tells me the estate has a great head start on the rest of its fellow American citizens as it is.
Kevin Gagan
EWC shouldn't support Vietnamese theater
I am writing this letter on behalf of 13 Vietnamese associations in Hawai'i. We are opposed to the East-West Center's coordination of The Saigon Water Puppet Theatre's performances.
Through this objectionable sponsorship, the EWC and other co-sponsors are sending the message that they support a criminal communist regime that has held an iron-fist rule over Vietnam during the past 28 years. Though Vietnam is a signatory to international treaties that recognize universal human rights, atrocities against humanity, including torture and sterilization of Montagnard Christians and imprisonment of peaceful political dissidents and religious leaders, continue to occur.
We who have had to live under these suffocating circumstances only to leave our homeland to seek freedom treasure our cultural heritage as much as any other ethnic group. However, this is why we will not tolerate its exploitation in an underhanded means of propaganda by the communist regime to cover up its criminal activities, meanwhile gaining sympathy in order to maintain its uni-party rule.
The EWC is world-renowned for its expertise in the understanding and advancement of Asian history and civilization, and we would expect that such an entity would act responsibly under circumstances such as these.
Quoc Le
Forget seat belt use, go after the speeders
How stupid can you get on seat belts? The Police Department has the responsibility of handing out these tickets; however, the state captures all of the revenue, and the city gets nothing for its efforts in writing these tickets.
Extra police are put on to ticket these non-seat belt users — why not extra police to control the speeders and crazy drivers on our highways? What if the police decided to only pass out warnings to non-belt users and went after the more serious offenders?
Wouldn't making our highways safer be good?
Curtis R. Rodrigues
Kane'ohe
School administrators should know economics
Whenever I read the letters and commentary section, there is always a complaint about the schools and education.
I believe to run a school or company successfully, you need people with an economics degree or background who have the knowledge to disperse monies to keep a company or, more specifically, a school running.
The way it is now, we have teachers in administrative positions who do not hold any kind of degree in administration or economics.
Probably only a handful of these so-called administrators worked in the private sector, which is very different from the DOE.
Also, there are too many people trying to run the school system. Governor, politicians, DOE, schools superintendent, district superintendent, PTA, PCNC, etc. ... these are just a few.
If worst comes to worst, chop the top — not the blue-collar workers at the bottom who do all the hands-on work.
Hire competent administrators with administrative and economics degrees. This may help the school system.
Roy Yamamoto
Akaka bill is wrong; reinstate the kingdom
For over 100 years, the United States government has been pretending to make things right in Hawai'i after it committed the crime of overthrowing the government of the people of Hawai'i. But you can't make wrongs right by continuing to break the law while continuing to pretend you're not.
Such is the case with the so-called Akaka bill the state of Hawai'i and the U.S. congressional delegation are pushing for passage. Not only does it fail to make the wrongs of the past pono, it will forever rob the Hawaiians of their inherent sovereign rights as kanaka maoli and exterminate their identity by social triage.
The Akaka bill is nothing less than a seditious criminal conspiracy integral to an ongoing criminal enterprise in violation of the U.S. Constitution, the law of nations and the will of God.
The problem is there is nowhere on the planet, no office, where you can file a complaint that would implement the process of adjudication in pursuit of truth, justice and happiness for all concerned. This is the same problem Queen Lili'uo-kalani had.
To make things right in Hawai'i, we should all think about beginning to do what's right by returning all the stolen assets of the Hawaiian nation to the lawful Hawaiian government, the reinstated kingdom of Hawai'i.
Rev. James D. Kimmel
Wailuku, Maui
Bicyclists should be licensed, pay fee
In reference to recent articles quoting bike path advocates, I would like to suggest that all bicyclists who use our city's streets be made to obtain a license with a yearly fee from the city.
How many pedaled bikes have you seen filling up with gas at a local service station? Taxes paid by car and truck drivers fund the building of and repairs to the streets and roads these bicyclists use, and the special paths are paid for by taxpayers.
Also, bicyclists should be held accountable for traffic violations and pay commensurate fines. They should be prohibited from riding on sidewalks and bridge walkways to maintain safety for pedestrians.
How many bicyclists throw the stink eye at you because we don't treat them equally? However, they do not observe traffic laws, stoplights and signs although they are required to do so by law.
John Turner
How can landlords police their units?
Regarding the May 20 article "Law targets 'ice houses' ": Gov. Lingle and state lawmakers have their heads in the sand.
How can the responsibility of policing rental units be that of the landlord? Landlords should not be held responsible to monitor their rental units. Why? Because many are absentee landlords. Other units are contracted to property management companies to manage their rentals. Does the property management company now become the responsible party?
I believe that this imprudent decision will open up a whole new can of worms for the Hawaii Board of Realtors and the real estate laws in Hawai'i.
Instead of directing responsibility and blame on innocent landlords, how about increasing the severity of punishment to the individuals who manufacture and distribute to dealers, dealers and users of "ice"?
In countries like Singapore, drugs are not tolerated. Just one stick of marijuana will cost an individual five years of imprisonment. This is what Hawai'i needs.
Lawmakers, get your heads out of the sand and take responsibility.
G. Watanabe
Waipahu
Massive slum fire burned down houses
While the coverage of Childwatch India is deeply appreciated, I'm definitely not the story ("O'ahu man builds homes, hope," May 27). The story is that all 50 of our little houses just burned down in a massive fire in the slum. We are rebuilding, and the Metro Rotary is helping.
The other story is that individuals like Hilo Hattie's Jim Romig do far more to help — here, there and everywhere — than I ever could imagine doing. I am only lucky to be warmed by the fires of goodness that burn in the hearts of so many others, Hawai'i business people and Delhi's Edward Daniel alike.
Peter Gellatly
Hostage to airlines
Why are we allowing ourselves to be held hostage by our airline industry? It has the nerve to raise its prices. Can't our elected officials do something? Are we just supposed to accept it and allow them to do it? Come on, now, something needs to be done.
Richard Kamalii
Hilo
Bill Tyau took on life head-on
Admittedly I've not attended many wakes or funerals (knock on wood) in my tenure on earth so far. But as limited as my experience has been, I still must believe the wake I just attended was exceptional if measured only by the amount of tears I shed and laughter I shared. And I hadn't seen or thought about Bill in probably 30 years.
Willy Tyau was the second child with Down's syndrome I ever met. Our mothers both worked long hours at St. Louis High School, and we both spent most of our afterschool hours hanging out on campus. Just as the brothers and priests of St. Louis were, he was simply a given in my childhood, part of the cast of characters who inhabited that part of my life.
I remember him clearly, could have picked him out of a crowd any day, and my memories of him were all pleasant and warm, but I couldn't say there were any particular moments that stand out in my mind. I was saddened when I learned he'd died and, for once, willing to escort my mother, who had been much closer both to Bill and his mother than I, to his service.
What a service! I suspected it was going to be something special as we neared the church at which it was to be held, as I noticed quite a large number of people dressed rather sedately for a Saturday morning heading that way. The suspicion grew as I hunted for parking and had to park in the farther of two municipal parking lots and then followed yet more, it turned out, mourners to our mutual destination.
Then I saw how the church was packed while there was yet a respectable line of people waiting to approach the coffin where he lay dressed in surely atypically (for him) formal attire. He looked so dignified, and I think it was most appropriate because this man, I was to learn, left a big mark on this world, bigger than any I will leave no matter how many more years God grants me.
There were several speakers: a cousin, representatives of Special Olympics and of Toastmasters, coach Cal Lee and a pastor, and the stories they told of Bill, the prayers and parts of his journal that they shared, were all of someone with an innate peace within himself, an abiding and exuberant faith in God and a tremendous joie de vivre. The anecdotes that most touched me included:
- The Special Olympics director tactfully discussing with him the attitude he exuded when he spoke at functions — hearing Bill say at his next speech, "I am Bill Tyau and I've been working on humility. And, boy, am I good at it!"
- Then, the Toastmaster sharing how excited Bill was to be asked to room with him at one of their competitions, how Bill went around for days prior to the contest bragging that he was rooming with the champion speaker, that with that kind of encouragement and faith in him he just had to win.
- The Toastmaster pointing out Miss Hawaii at some function they attended and Bill announcing, "I goin' ask her to dance" (and doing so, naturally, to the envy of many).
- The policeman, a coach on the opposing basketball team, who just saw Bill sink the winning shot with seconds to go in the game and having Bill trot by him and say, "Sorry, coach. I had to do it."
- The musical director feeling a little down one Sunday, sitting and pondering, and having Bill come up to him, touch his shoulder and say, "Let's pray together."
It was all about a remarkable man, one who was born at a time when babies with Down's syndrome were hidden away in institutions, one who didn't think he was disadvantaged and went out and lived, spreading his exuberance to all he met.
Lisa Phee
Kane'ohe
