Posted on: Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Letters to the Editor

It's time for Hawai'i to recycle on larger scale

Coming from Hawai'i, an enclosed ecosystem, I thought I was knowledgeable about recycling. I was in for a re-education coming to Wisconsin, where statewide curbside recycling has been in place since the early 1990s.

My college abides by the recycling laws by providing many bins around the campus and on residential floors for recycling. I had a personal change of consciousness; now when I move to put something in the trash, I check myself: Is it glass, plastic or paper?

When I visited my roommate's home, the family naturally broke down cereal boxes and the like for recycling in a paper bag with other paper goods. A separate container was set aside in the house for cans and mixed recyclables. In my mind, I compared it with my home recycling of picking up the newspapers around the house for a weekly drop-off at the nearest school.

Wisconsin is also excellent in promoting markets for the usage of recycling goods. There is a viable industry that, if supported, can help be environmentally friendly and provide for a state's economy. I hope that government officials took such things into consideration that it is not enough to collect recyclable materials on this scale. There have to be proper downstream industries to make good use of such goods.

It is about time for Hawai'i to catch up with other states. I am just hopeful that citizens give this program a real chance and that politicians realize that it will take a conscious change of behavior.

Wie should not have been given exemption

Shame on you, Gov. Lingle and those who made it possible for Michelle Wie to play in the 2004 Sony Open via sponsor's exemption. Like any pro on the tour, she should earn her spot in the tournament as a qualifier.

I am a golfer myself. I love the game because of its history, etiquette and rules you must abide by. That is what made this game great and what made great players.

I've watched Michelle for about a year now, and she has been phenomenal. I am very proud of what she has done for Hawai'i, for the game of golf and for our youth. If given the right course, she will also become a great player.

However, the latest sponsor's exemption has placed her in the category of PGA "cover girl" or a "circus side act." For whatever the reasons were and however justifiable the reasons may be for her to play, she was given a free ticket. If she makes the cut, then I will eat my words. But if she doesn't, well, "that's show business."

Permanent parking along Ala Wai is awful

What planning genius within the city Department of Transportation came up with the brilliant plan of allowing permanent parking in the mauka lane of Ala Wai Boulevard along the Ala Wai Canal?

For years, the time-honored, traditional approach has been to allow overnight and midday parking along the canal, but to force cars to move during the crucial rush-hour periods of early mornings (especially important) and late afternoons. This forced the turnover of parking spaces and cleared out four lanes of traffic for the rush hours.

As a Waikiki resident who drives this street daily, I can instantly detect two negative impacts that have already emerged from this new and "unimproved" approach to traffic planning:

• I spot dozens of cars permanently parked 24/7 by Waikiki residents for use as their own personal parking lot.
• The commute down the Ala Wai (a distance of about a mile) has already been extended by an extra five to 10 minutes each morning.

Almost equally stupid is the City Council's newly pursued approach to mandating wider and longer dimensions on parking stalls. I am well aware that the SUV crowd feels they need more space, but that same SUV crowd is the bane to any rational approach to the already-difficult job of synthesizing motor vehicles and ecology.

These SUV tanks burn up more fuel, tear up our roads, make traffic far more unsafe by blocking view planes and represent a serious safety threat to those of us who drive smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Every legally possible disincentive should be given to "Hulk drivers," including higher registration costs and smaller parking spaces.

Let's hear it for two giant steps — backward.

School lunch sales need to be increased

After reading about the DECA students from Waiakea High School, I realized school lunch sales need to be boosted almost everywhere in Hawai'i. I've heard fellow classmates remark that they either dislike waiting in lines or eating school lunches.

I'm one of those students. To wait in line to get a lunch ticket, then wait in line again to get a lunch is grueling enough. What's more irritating is when our school cafeterias run out of lunches. Students deal with doors slamming in their faces telling them there's no lunch.

At my school, we don't have a program like DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America). Maybe we could start up something like it. Prizes could be given out to lure students to buy lunch. This could be financed by the increase in lunch sales.

Schools could also ask for cash contributions to finance the efforts, as Waiakea did. School lunches are a matter of supply and demand. Are enough school lunches being made? Do students want to buy lunch? Hopefully, everyone will be able to eat lunch at their school.

UH's handling of Senior Night was a nightmare

As a graduate of University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime Wahine volleyball season-ticket holder, I was disappointed in the UH administration for the way Senior Night was handled at the Stan Sheriff Center.

With a sellout of over 10,000 fans, the arena was not opened until the usual 6 p.m., with a 7 p.m. start. This created a crowd-control nightmare.

When the gates finally opened at 6 p.m., there were easily 5,000 fans bunched up, with only three lines to enter the arena. The threat of rain did not help.

An earlier opening would have avoided the many negative comments I heard about the situation from the fans.

If UH were more fan-friendly, the financial situation would improve with more fans, and the university would not find it necessary to promote itself with a fast-food restaurant logo on the backside of the UH flag.

Don't judge Pearl City by the recent killings

The people of 'Aiea were recently shocked by the killing of a man in a neighborhood carport.

Then our Pearl City community experienced a very similar shock, the killing of a young man in our shopping center.

We thank the Honolulu Police Department for the quick apprehension of four suspects.

We just want to say, please, do not judge the wonderful people and businesses of Pearl City by this foolish act of violence. Our community, like so many others, is hard-working, family-loving, just great folks.

Our four adult children attended Lehua Elementary and Pearl City Highlands Middle School and graduated from Pearl City High School.

Our community has citizens like Breene Harimoto, Albert Fukushima, Richard Lau and so many others. Our businesses, like Flamingo's Restaurant, Foodland, Daiei and so many others, have the deepest appreciation for their customers and the community.

To all who would think otherwise, please know that our schools, banks, merchants and residents make up an absolutely great place to live, work, learn and play.

We hope that no other community experiences what we recently have gone through. But a good community is bound by respect, thoughtfulness and hope.

Please understand our love for our town when I say, "When God is not in Heaven, surely, He is in Pearl City."

Caught shark should have been examined

Congratulations to Kaua'i fishermen for landing a large tiger shark that could possibly have been the one that bit off Bethany Hamilton's arm.

It's a shame that the carcass was dumped at sea before marine scientists had the opportunity to examine the shark's stomach contents.

Years ago, I worked for the University of Miami Institute of Marine Science and the Miami Seaquarium. We examined the stomach contents of many freshly caught sharks. Items found included an anchor, a camera, a dog, a ladies wedding band and a bikini.

Quite possibly, the tiger shark caught off Kaua'i might still have had parts of Bethany's arm bones in its stomach.

It would be comforting to know that the shark that attacked Bethany would never attack another human.

Military must be able to train in Hawai'i

I am a Hawaiian (100 percent) and an American (100 percent). I am grieved by the animosity I have perceived from the opinion pieces in your newspaper about the military and why it shouldn't use our 'aina to conduct training vital to our survival, the use of Pearl Harbor as a base for a carrier fleet, and, most recently, a Stryker brigade at Schofield.

I served in the Army from January 1959 to September 1979. I trained in areas throughout the world: Hawai'i, South Korea, Germany, Denmark, Panama, Louisiana, Washington state, Alaska and California.

In my humblest gratitude, I thank those countries, and our own U.S. of A. (Hawai'i included), which allowed us to conduct training that was vital to our survival. The value of the training we received at these areas cannot be measured by money, plants and animals, or even sacred sites (with much humility). It is measured with lives, our lives! For, without these areas to conduct valuable training, we would have been hard-pressed to survive in harm's way.

Yes, I served in Vietnam, too. I served with the First Battalion, Eighth Cavalry, First Cavalry Division Air-Mobile, and yes, I survived. Not without cost to me personally. A lot of my fellow comrades did not survive, not because they were not well-trained, but because they literally gave their lives that we may live and enjoy ours.

As for those of you who oppose the use of our Islands for vital and necessary training by our armed forces, I pray that history does not repeat itself. Remember Dec. 7, 1941? I do. I was 4 years old.

Military has shown it has misused the land

The Nov. 13 issue of The Advertiser had three articles regarding the military in Hawai'i.

On Page 1, a banner headline declared that Hawai'i would get $772 million, partly for a Stryker Brigade, which, by the Army's own admission, will adversely affect groundwater and the environment.

The second article on the front page addressed the military return of Kaho'olawe, though it isn't totally cleaned up and is hazardous to humans.

The third article was on Page B1, about the Marines saying they couldn't safely use Waikane Valley to train their troops because of all the unexploded ordnance from previous military use.

Why do we continue to allow the military to contaminate Hawaiian land to the point where it is unsafe? Why should we allocate more land for the Stryker Brigade when the military will only destroy land as it did on Kaho'olawe, Waikane and Makua? Enough!

When Pauahi's will is neglected, what then?

Before my acceptance into Kamehameha Schools, I attended an elementary school in Wai'anae. I worked diligently to be afforded an opportunity to attend Kamehameha.

Countless numbers of Native Hawaiians prepare from early childhood to take the entrance exam, but very few are selected. Each awardee is overwhelmed with appreciation when blessed by the legacy of our beloved princess, Bernice Pauahi.

However, when the intent of her will is neglected, indigenous individuals denied an invitation to the schools question why? When a non-Hawaiian individual takes precedence over a Hawaiian student, it ignites much passion within the Hawaiian community to protect the rights of the true beneficiaries of the princess's will.

Our makua were unrightfully stripped of their culture and heritage many years ago. By admitting a non-Hawaiian into a Native Hawaiian school, once again a nightmare of long ago becomes perpetuated.

All of 'Aiea is proud of the Na Ali'i boys

Congratulations, Na Ali'i, on your awesome defeat, 22-15, of the Kapolei Hurricanes on Nov. 14. All of 'Aiea is proud of the boys in the Green, Black and White.

It was an awesome game. The Na Ali'i coaches made the right adjustments on both defensive and offensive sides of the ball. I have been a big supporter of Na Ali'i football for many years, and this is one game to remember.

A few of the boys have asked me to come to their games and continue to cheer them on, which I have done very willingly. I am so proud of every one of you, as is all of the 'Aiea residents and alumni alike. To Rocky S. (No. 99), C.J. T. (No. 7), Ben A.S. (No. 21), R.J. K.K. (No. 5), James H. (No. 16), Jonathan B. (No. 2), Raymond T. (No. 8), Kali K. (No. 15), Lahaina O.K. (No. 24), Lawrence L. (No. 45), Justin H. (No. 95), Aveni L. (No. 31), Donny M. (No. 4), Dustin S. (No. 44), Justin M. (No. 77) and the rest of the team, good luck and I mua Na Ali'i.