Posted on: Monday, September 1, 2003

Letters to the Editor

There's a solution for disadvantaged students

They who speak of racial discrimination at the Kamehameha Schools are blind to the fact that students there, besides having at least a tinge of Hawaiian blood, represent more ethnic groups than the average person can name.

Further, when priority is given students of a minority race, primarily from disadvantaged areas, to have the same opportunity for a quality education as those in the higher economic areas, I consider that just.

However, there is a solution:

• Give the Hawaiian kids in disadvantaged areas the same quality of education as those in the upper-income areas.
• Give these kids a fair share of experienced teachers.
• Stop using their schools as entry points for new teachers.
• Stop using their schools as a resource for filling teacher vacancies in the "well-off" areas.
• Give these schools the same kind of facilities, including auditoriums, gyms, cafeterias, books, computers, etc., that other schools have.

Non-Hawaiians should wait their turn in line

Regarding Kamehameha Schools' admissions policy and the many uninformed comments accusing Hawaiians of being racist and divisive: The lawsuit against Hawaiians or any institution or policy benefiting Hawaiians today is simple jealousy on the part of those seeing Hawaiians to be less than equals.

This was so in 1893, 1898, 1900, 1920 and 1959 — the years in which our sovereign nation, identity, land and heritage were stolen. Stolen by the people and government who today are crying to be victims of racism and discrimination by the Hawaiians.

To the non-Hawaiians out there who genuinely feel you have been discriminated against, take a number and stand in line. As sarcastic as this may sound, the numerous legitimate complaints and grievances Hawaiians have filed and made over the past 110 years have yet to be resolved.

By avoiding the core issue of these Islands (the perversion of justice committed upon Hawaiians), you perpetuate racism and stir this pot of perversion.

This is a fact. Hawaiians are in effect at the head of the line (rightfully so) regarding being victims of racism and discrimination. Jumping (non-Hawaiians today) to the head of the line will not right any wrongs. It will exasperate the existing problems. Simply wait your turn.

It's wrong to compare Hawaiians with others

Regarding Tiffany Simon's Aug. 25 letter "Protesters have some questions to answer": Simon tends to remind us that "the past plights of Hawaiians are in no way, shape or form comparable to those of other ethnic groups who have had to play a much more unfortunate hand of cards dealt to them."

Examine this statement alone and you can see how Simon is already misguided. First, to portend that any ethnic group's "unfortunate" plight is worse off than another's is auwe. It even sends another denigrating message that the Hawaiians are less.

Second, Simon proclaims that the plight of the Hawaiian is not comparable to other ethnic groups. She is absolutely right here. The Hawaiians don't want to associate their "unfortunate" plight with any other ethnic group. Their plight is one of an indigenous people in their homeland where the United States came to occupy. If a school like Kamehameha did this on the Mainland, you could see some openness to strife. But this is a private Hawaiian school in Hawai'i, sponsored by Hawaiian money. So much different.

The way people try to align this poor, young Brayden with that of a black person going to an all-white public school or any other racially discriminating situation is ridiculous. What is Brayden doing that many kids are not willing to admit to? Simon is trying to make Brayden a Rosa Parks.

Leave Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands. It's the least we can do.

One can't adopt lineage of his hanai family

OK! So Hawaiians always hanai'd other children not of their race. It was a practice of long ago, but does it mean that it entitled them to claim another family lineage? No. I don't think so. The mere fact that this family of non-Hawaiian ancestry is taken care of by a Hawaiian family does not give them the right to claim that family's lineage and bloodline.

When you are legally adopted, the court says you cannot claim anything to your biological parents' rights, such as land, etc. However, when you claim lineage, it's by your birth parents, not that of your hanai or adopted parents unless you were adopted by your biological grandparents.

Knowing your genealogy is part of our culture and being Hawaiian. It's knowing who you are and being proud of it.

Defense of Jones Act doesn't make sense

Edward Enos (Letters, Aug. 18) would have us believe that competition doesn't result in lower prices, and thus the Jones Act isn't raising our cost of living in Hawai'i.

To "prove" his case, he says, "If Mr. Slater's assertions are true, our fuel prices should be the lowest in the nation. Why? Because most of the raw crude oil imported into Hawai'i and refined by Tesoro and Chevron is brought here ... on foreign ships, owned by foreign companies, manned by foreign crews. So why do we pay so much at the pump? So much for the 'cheaper foreign shipping' costs theory."

Actually, that example bolsters the case that we should ditch the Jones Act. I haven't heard anyone claim that the high price of gas is due to the cost of shipping it here, which indicates these competing foreign carriers are doing a good job of containing costs. Instead, we're getting ripped off due to a lack of competition:

• Direct state and federal taxes add about 60 cents to each gallon of gas. Governments are monopolies; you can't price shop for the lowest taxing one unless you pack up and leave.
• Price gouging by the refineries — add an extra 10 or 20 cents a gallon. The refineries? A duopoly.
• Reduced competition among service stations due to the divorcement law — a few extra cents a gallon in Honolulu, plenty more in rural areas.

Riley Wallace should do better recruiting

In the article on Derrick Lowe's commitment to Washington State, Riley Wallace was mentioned as not having contacted Lowe for four months because it was not his style to call or write. With that type of mentality, how does Wallace plan to land any major talent such as Lowe, arguably the best basketball player ever from Hawai'i, or a top prospect from the Mainland?

A top prospect would help fill the arena seats and generate sorely needed revenue as well as improve UH's chances of winning a national title.

Rather than recruit foreign players whose eligibility is in question or junior college players who play for only two years, Wallace should focus on impact players. With Hawai'i's beautiful 'aina and wonderful fans, it should be impossible not to land some top players with a little effort.

Even if only for a year, a top-10 player could help UH win a national championship, such as what Carmelo Anthony did with Syracuse this past year. The last time I checked, Hawai'i has had trouble just winning an NCAA tournament game in the past few decades, let alone a championship.

A national title should be every coach's goal, and while it may not be Riley Wallace's style to heavily recruit players, given our profit margin and NCAA tournament wins, maybe it should be.

Ten Commandments editorial disturbing

Your Aug. 24 editorial "Ten Commandments have no place in court" reads: "Any monument to any religion's founding ideas — even ideas as generally benign and acceptable as the Ten Commandments — have no place in a court of law. ... Historically, he has an argument. But judicially and legally, he is all wet. The law is supposed to be above any particular set of religious beliefs."

There are disturbing things about this editorial. First, your dictum, which implies a relativist philosophy, is an absolutist's position stated as a categorical imperative that stands above the law to make this judgment. How do you arrive at this conclusion?

Second, the Ten Commandments are the law of God, declared to God's people in Israel by Moses almost 3,500 years ago. While you allude to this as religious beliefs, they were nonetheless the law as declared by God and efficacious as governing principles, at least in the Western world, until your own recent declaration, which seems to override this historicity.

For our society to function in some orderly fashion, we need to be less dismissive of the Ten Commandments, as your editorial declares, and be more mindful of the historicity of our foundational institutions.

After all, our current society didn't rise in just the last few years. This ought to be especially important for you who occupy positions of power to influence public thought and opinion, for the reasonable functioning of our society.

Marketing Hawai'i to gays makes sense

Regarding Ben Clinger's Aug. 24 letter about homosexual marketing: As a purveyor of business news and trends, The Advertiser has every legitimate right to report on the gay tourism market and the new gay-friendly Ha'aheo Hotel opening up in Waikiki.

We in Hawai'i should be aware that gay tourism represents a significant percentage of tourism dollars in San Francisco, Miami and other metropolitan areas on the Mainland. This is about business, Mr. Clinger, not a gay/lesbian/ transgender agenda or conspiracy.

I believe Hawai'i should have the wherewithal to pitch homosexuals or any other potentially lucrative market segment that might bring dollars into our state. To not explore every potential market would be irresponsible.

Trees need water now

SOS! Help!

The newly planted trees on Diamond Head are dying. They need water desperately.

Is anyone in charge?

Generations of workers fought for our benefits

Labor Day 2003 honors each working man and woman's contribution to the American way of life.

Without too much thought, we in Hawai'i enjoy the benefits that generations of workers sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears to achieve: the eight-hour day, sick leave, maternity leave, minimum wage, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, prepaid medical insurance, Social Security and pension protection.

Workers across the country and in Hawai'i, however, are waking up to the fact that they can lose what they take for granted. Under the pretext of patriotism, the president uses the Iraq War to restrict or eliminate collective bargaining rights for thousands of Americans. Corporate corruption destroys the livelihood, pensions and retirement of thousands more. Americans from infants to students to the elderly suffer from cuts to childcare, schools and healthcare. In two years, the nation's largest federal surplus turned into the largest deficit in our history.

Throughout the country, employers are putting the burden of growing federal and state deficits, tax policies favoring the super-rich, and spiraling prescription drug costs on the backs of employees. Workers are asked to do more with less, but not to share in the harvest. Workers must sacrifice to keep the company alive, but are not guaranteed a comfortable retirement at career's end. Workplace safety rules are an obstacle to profits. Workers are commodities and liabilities, not the company's top asset.

Against government and business interests, who fights for workers and their families? Only labor unions. When unionized workers gain, it ripples throughout the community, and everyone, including businesses and non-union workers, benefits. Good union jobs mean stronger communities. Unions — the people who brought you this holiday — make good things possible.

So enjoy Labor Day 2003. Hawai'i's unions are at work for you.