Posted on: Thursday, October 9, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Incomprehensible act? Granting Rodrigues bail

U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra says that former Bishop Estate trustee Lokelani Lindsey has committed "the single most incomprehensible act" he has seen during his entire tenure as a federal judge ("Lindsey begins prison term," Oct. 4).

If Judge Ezra is interested in identifying incomprehensible acts, he should begin with his own decision to grant bail to Gary Rodrigues. The unrepentant Rodrigues has been convicted of 101 counts, and there is no sensible explanation for Ezra's act except the one provided by columnist David Shapiro in The Advertiser: " ... there really is a separate and unequal system of federal justice for influential white-collar criminals" ("Rodrigues' bail a miscarriage," Oct. 1).

The three reprieves that Ezra gave to Lindsey illustrate the same inequity.

Public outcry needed to stem development

It's been nearly one month since Circuit Court judges in Hawai'i County and on O'ahu decided to clip the wings of developers on those islands, and if newspaper letters pages are any indication, the public is overwhelmingly lining up to support the court decisions over Hokuli'a and Koa Ridge residential developments.

The only words of opposition I've noted have come from the industry's paid lobbyists and employees.

While this stands as a warning to politicians wishing to short-circuit what centralized state land-use planning exists through agencies such as the Land Use Commission, it also proves the need to reform the counties' planning and land-use systems.

The cases in question are only indicative of a deeper pattern by which developers use economic conditions as a pretext to end-run any and all county policies that might ensure smart growth.

Hokuli'a is hardly the first residential development approved on agricultural-zoned land in Hawai'i County lacking serious farming requirements, but Judge Ibarra's ruling is a counterweight to local pressure for short-term jobs and growth at the expense of adequate planning and livability.

Meanwhile, development on O'ahu has been spurred in no small way by hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidized public services provided to developers. Despite a general plan mandate for full developer financing of required infrastructure, government (i.e., taxpayers) continues paying nearly all the costs for schools, parks, fire and police and other services that development alone necessitates.

While Judge Eden Hifo's decision here may only prolong the process of inevitable dumb growth, public outcry over environmental and fiscal costs of development is the real hope for change to patterns of subsidized growth across O'ahu's last open and agriculture lands. Let us speak out for environmental protection, food security and fiscal responsibility.

Truth is the victim in stolen-land claim

It seems The Honolulu Advertiser is taking lessons from the L.A. Times for publishing distortions of the truth. Sunday in the "Opinion" pages, we are once again told someone stole land from the "Hawaiians."

Truth is that no person has ever reported to the police such a crime. Why? Maybe it was because it did not happen. The American court system is very good at correcting wrongs. Why is the judiciary silent? There is no crime.

On Tuesday, under the disguise of an opinion from a Californian, The Advertiser prints another obvious lie: "William Burgess preaches hate for Hawaiians." The Honolulu Advertiser knows there is no factual truth that Mr. Burgess preaches hate.

One must question the motive of The Honolulu Advertiser when it publishes these types of letters from readers.

With its cadre of writers and editors, why can't The Advertiser identify this blatant distortion of the truth? Printing a lie as an opinion does not make it right.

House Democrats were playing partisan politics

The Oct. 2 article "Experts push school reform" noted that professor William Ouchi's ideas to decentralize our education system, and empower parents and principals, have proven successful on the Mainland.

Rep. Roy Takumi, chairman of the Education Committee, claimed he was surprised that Gov. Lingle did not invite education leaders in the Legislature to participate in her newly formed Citizens to Achieve Reform in Education committee.

Perhaps the governor chose not to precisely because of their record of playing partisan politics on the issue of education reform. In 2002, Rep. Takumi and 27 Democratic colleagues proposed HB 2037 to establish locally elected school boards. House Democrats passed the bill by a solid majority, but it later died in the Senate.

In 2003, when Republican Lingle proposed a similar local school board bill, the same House Democrats rejected it without giving it a hearing. Why the reversal? If Gov. Lingle's education reform committee is to achieve results, the members must be committed to real reform. House Democrats, led by Rep. Takumi, have been putting partisan politics ahead of the interests of students.

Median is unwanted

Regarding the new Hawai'i Kai median: The city is spending money we don't have on something we don't need. Not only do we not need it, we don't even want it.

Even worse, the city is downright arrogant. When businesses objected, the city responded with this: "We have told the businesses that we won't make any changes. ... Their concerns have been addressed as far as we're concerned."

Auwe!

Not 'fair and balanced'

The article in Sunday's paper reporting on the results of the recent Program on International Policy Attitudes study — showing that viewers of the Fox News Channel are badly misinformed about Iraq — confirmed my belief that the goal of Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate is not to present "fair and balanced" news reports, as it claims, but instead to perpetuate right-wing mythology. Around our house we think of it as "The Faux News Channel."

Firm hand, toughness needed

Both Honolulu dailies ran a series about ice use in Hawai'i. Countless sad stories have been relayed about families and lives that have been shattered. Lawmakers, lawyers, doctors, social workers and other facilitators all blame crystal meth as the single largest factor in these ruined lives. Most argue that the cure for this "epidemic" is more money for state-run rehab and other feel-good programs.

One of the few voices of reason comes from Richard O. Rowland. He correctly states that ice itself is not the problem. The use of ice is the problem. Ice is not a deadly disease that can be treated by antibiotics or other drugs. Reducing the flow of ice into the state, although helpful, will not cure the problem. To stop ice use, one must address two areas — prevention of first-time use and break from continued use.

The liberals argue that social programs and community support will prevent someone from first-time ice use. I do not disagree. They also argue that people with lower incomes and broken families are also more likely to use ice. Statistically, that may be correct.

However, how does this explain all those stories of children from loving families and good schools who get hooked on ice? Well, in every one of those stories, the user gets hooked on ice because a "friend" turned them on to it. Some friend! People get hooked on ice because they make the stupid decision to let a drug user stay in their sphere of influence.

Once hooked on ice, which apparently happens after the first use, there is only one effective way to break from continued use — total abstinence. Ice, it appears, is so addictive that only physical separation or restraint can prevent continued use. Yes, mandatory jail time needs to be instituted in every single case.

I don't care if the prisons are overcrowded. Stack them three high, put them in tents and have them hot-rack the cots for sleep time. We subject our service men and women to worse conditions; why use kid gloves for the criminals who pollute our society?

If you really want to rehab them, subject them to hard physical labor.

Parents need to hold their children accountable for those they hang out with. Society needs to hold drug users accountable for the destruction they cause the community. Love and kindness are nice and make you feel good, but only a firm hand and toughness can counter the evil of ice use.

New bus pass

Highway robbery or theater of the absurd?

The two-year senior citizen bus pass for which I paid $25 will no longer be valid after Nov. 1 — even though seven months still remain on it. Instead, I now must pay $30 for a one-year pass.

Well, OK, that's still a pretty good deal. But, as they say on those TV infomercials, "Wait! There's more!" For the "privilege" of paying more than twice the price of my original pass, I must first purchase a photo ID card for an additional $10. Since I already have a valid Hawai'i driver's license (with photo) and a U.S. Armed Forces retiree ID card (with photo), I neither need nor want another card because I'm running out of space in my wallet.

Is this a case of highway robbery or an act in the theater of the absurd? I mean, who's running this show — Jesse James or the Marx Brothers?

Apology is in order to elderly bus riders

I watched on the news a huge group of disappointed seniors who had waited for their bus passes and were turned away. It seems clear someone in the city transportation services is responsible for this lack of foresight.

Why are ID cameras only now being flown in? Wasn't there a bus strike lasting several weeks, during which they could have been procured in readiness for the rush of people wanting bus passes?

I think a big apology is owed to the poor, patient elderly bus riders.

Satellite city halls should lend a hand

Why should our valued seniors have to wait hours to receive a new bus pass when many of them already have passes valid for several years? The lead article on The Advertiser's front page of Oct. 7 shows seniors had to wait hours to receive their new passes.

I would like to see the politicians who created this new system out there handing out passes, to expedite their new system. Satellite city halls: help, and please let the Hawai'i Kai satellite city hall issue passes. It is spacious and underutilized.

Bus pass renewal will be a headache again

Requiring all of us elderly and disabled people to renew our bus passes in the same month will cause the situation to repeat itself every year.

There will be thousands of us renewing our passes during the same month every year. The city will have to set up these special registration places from now on, since we can't all possibily get into the bus transfer center during a one-month period.