Posted on: Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Kamehameha debate should focus on racism

The acrimonious debate over the admissions policies of the Kamehameha Schools has erroneously been centered on either the variously interpreted facts surrounding the overthrow of the monarchy or the exact terms of the will establishing the Bishop trust, two disputed matters of history, neither of which are relevant to the current discussion.

The sole question is whether the school, which, as a not-for-profit organization is subsidized by federal tax dollars, should be allowed to ignore federal law forbidding discrimination based on race and ethnicity.

Proponents of the school's discriminatory admissions policy have loudly declared that as a private organization, the school should be allowed to set its own policies and rules. They believe they can celebrate their racism in private while publicly continuing to suckle at the national teat. They have a clear choice: Follow the law, or give up the tax exemption and pay the taxpayers the millions of dollars it owes them.

An additional discovery is that Kamehameha students, schooled as they are in an anti-haole environment, have come to believe that laws forbidding racial discrimination apply only to how others treat them, not to how they treat others.

Riders expect better bus company service

While most riders won't mind some bus fare increases (even after a recent increase), we do, however, expect better service from the bus company. Service such as: frequent buses during rush hours, on-time schedule and friendly bus drivers.

We also expect that bus drivers pay more attention to riders to comply with the bus rules — such as refraining from talking on the cell phone while driving, telling passengers to observe "no eating or drinking," and telling parents with small children to put them on their laps, to comply with the bus rules.

Moreover, in riding the bus throughout the island, I found that the friendliest bus drivers are those with Waikiki routes. Don't we, regular bus riders, who have been riding the bus like forever, deserve friendly service as well?

Most of the bus income is not generated by the tourists, but by the regular bus riders. Don't forget that.

Another suggestion is to have bus riders with special passes (senior citizens, etc.) only ride the bus before and after rush hour, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. This is not to discriminate against our senior citizens, but rather to give preference to those who have to work and be at work at a certain time. Special-pass riders can, of course, ride the bus during rush hours providing they pay full fare.

I would suggest that the bus drivers attend customer service class included in their next contract.

Kahele has history of misrepresenting facts

Ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors during negotiations between the Teamsters and the bus company? You'd think after so many sessions that there would be some common ground with which to build a settlement. Think again.

You hear stories about the Teamsters asking for a 10-minute restroom break, returning to the bargaining table 10 hours later. You hear that the Teamsters' position is about this and not that, and then you hear it's about that and not this. You have to wonder, who is telling the truth? A quick look back at one contested labor/management negotiation may shed some light on who is telling the truth.

In 1998, Young Laundry sued Mel Kahele and the Teamsters, charging they misled workers about the company's financial condition that resulted in a lengthy strike. U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor ruled in favor of Young Laundry and fined the Teamsters $985,000. End of story? Not quite. The Teamsters appealed and the judgment was overturned by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the grounds that such forms of speech are protected during these negotiations.

Is it any wonder Kahele, emboldened by this ruling, has no regard for the truth? He would rather run around and gather signatures for Mayor Harris' recall and use any other diversionary tactic than offer any serious solutions. The real losers in this farce, besides the public, are the bus drivers, who, like the Young Laundry workers, believed their misguided leaders and will soon be out of a job.

'Silence the band' story most entertaining

As a former Hawai'i high school student, UH football fan and current member of the USC marching band, I couldn't have been more entertained by the recent "silence the band" story preceding the most recent Warrior embarrassment at the hands of the Trojans.

The band enjoyed the comments of Kelvin Millhouse and company, and without them I doubt we would have been as excited for a non-conference game against the lowly WAC.

However, it was odd that you hate our fight song so much but still let us score 61 points. What a silencing. I mean, after the sixth or seventh touchdown, even I was getting tired from having to play it so often.

And by the way, Hawai'i, you paid Uncle June $61,000 for what you saw on Saturday. What a world. Enjoy the Hawai'i Bowl.

Pipe railing at UH stadium is dangerous

On Tuesday evening, Sept. 2, I attended the closing ceremonies for the Worldwide Okinawan Conference, which was held at the University of Hawai'i Les Murakami Stadium.

As the stadium was quite full on the lower level, I proceeded up to the second level, where I took a seat on the orange level. As I sat there, I noticed some young children up against the front-row pipe railing. The children seemed to be between the ages of 5 and 8.

As I focused on the children, I also realized that the pipe railing does not meet current building codes for public areas. The children were small enough to fall through the railing.

I believe the current codes indicate that the railing be 36 inches in height from the floor to the top railing with intermediate bars no wider than four inches apart. The current railings are about 36 inches in height with only one bar in between, which should make the spacing about 18 inches. This presents an extreme public safety hazard.

I urge the state and the University of Hawai'i to look into this matter and correct it as soon as possible. This is an accident waiting to happen.

Japanese, Europeans welcome in Islands

Regarding the Sept. 15 editorial on visa requirements: Don't you know that Japanese citizens and citizens of Western Europe are much less likely to become illegal aliens upon entering the U.S.A.? These welcomed visitors usually always return to their prosperous countries.

We need more of them. I wish we had more Canadians, Irish, Germans, British, Scandinavians, Dutch, Italians, Portuguese, Spanish and other Western Europeans visiting Hawai'i. And, yes, more Japanese who are nice, well-behaved and always return to their lovely homeland.

Please have most all of the others continue to be carefully checked out before allowing them in.

Hokuli'a developer should play by rules

It is so ironic that on the same day you published a story about how the recent Hokuli'a decision is going to have a "chilling effect" on development in Hawai'i, here on the Big Island the headline was about a huge new development at Kohanaiki.

The problem with Hokuli'a is not that our community is opposed to all development, it is just that we want developers to play by the rules. Lyle Anderson, the Hokuli'a owner, is famous for stretching the rules, but this time some courageous citizens and a meticulous judge stopped him.

Agricultural zoning? Just plant a few mac nut trees and call it a farm. Native Hawaiian burials? Make an agreement with the Burial Council, then ignore it because a Burial Council agreement isn't legally binding. The judge is ruling against us? Just get him removed from the case.

This flouting of the law is what makes people so mad at Hokuli'a. Instead of going off half-cocked now with appeals and lawsuits against his opponents, I suggest that Lyle Anderson start playing by the rules and negotiating with the community. He'll find that we can be very nice neighbors if he just stops trying to steamroll us.

We should listen to the peacemakers

Recently members of the Hawai'i chapter of Friends of Sabeel, an ecumenical organization advocating peace with justice through nonviolence in Israel and Palestine, met with Rep. Ed Case in his office and later attended a talk he gave at Temple Emanu-El. They were concerned about Rep. Case's junket to Israel with a large group of other freshman congressmen at the expense of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful lobbying organization in support of the policies of the current Israeli government.

The tour, they felt, had not provided a balanced picture of the situation in the area. Their concern was amply borne out both by Rep. Case's spoken remarks and by one of the written statements he made available at Temple Emanu-El that described his brief foray into Gaza.

Rep. Case and his cohorts on that tour and anyone else interested in a truer picture of life in Gaza would do well to acquaint themselves with Israeli journalist Amira Hass' wonderfully informative book "Drinking the Sea at Gaza." It is a beautifully written and thoughtful book. It is fear that drives the cycle of violence we read about in the news. We need to listen to these true stories of friendship and peaceful co-existence, such as those found in Hass' book.

During the past week, Rizek and Alice Abusharr and local boy Eliyahu McLean and his Palestinian friend Rami Mahamid have told us firsthand of their experiences promoting peace and reconciliation in Israel/Palestine. We need to listen to them and support these peacemakers and pressure our government to stop supplying arms and instead intervene to stop the killing.

Make school crossing guard position attractive

In regard to the Sept. 12 front-page story "Schools lose 55 crossing guards": The article states that the Honolulu Police Department has always had a difficult time hiring guards. Why not make it a voluntary position, with the remuneration coming from private businesses?

An example would be, if you work as a guard, you can play free golf at selected courses. This is only one example of many possibilities. Retired people living in the community would be terrific.

Preference programs deserve our support

We all know how special Hawai'i is, and how lucky we are to live and work here. There are more than a million people in this state, yet every day we run into people we know, or with whom we have a friend or relative in common. We are descended from every ethnicity you can imagine, steeped in a culture that brings us together. We are connected.

I was reminded of that two Sundays ago when 10,000 people marched through Waikiki to support Hawaiian preference programs. That display of unity reveals a fundamental truth about life in Hawai'i: We are an integrated community, and we understand that what helps one of us will help us all.

Those who want to abolish preference programs such as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the admissions policy at Kamehameha Schools see those programs as exclusionary — helping one group of people at the expense of others.

Those who support the programs argue that they improve Hawaiian well-being, which improves our entire state. I agree with them.

It goes beyond the obvious fact that educated and resilient children grow up into fine, contributing members of our society, or that people with solid self-esteem become leaders who inspire the next generation. What's important is the role these programs play in rebuilding and preserving pride in Hawaiian culture.

The Hawaiian cultural renaissance was just beginning to blossom when I arrived here in the 1970s. Hawaiian contemporary music was finding a following, and Hawaiian language and voyaging programs were taking shape. I have enjoyed the benefits of this cultural resurgence for more than a quarter of a century. It is what makes living here so unique and enjoyable. It must be nurtured and protected.

These preference policies protect and promote Hawaiian well-being, and in doing so, they build a stronger community for all of us. They don't divide us, they help us all become stronger. They deserve our most fervent support.