Airpower allows for troop redeployment

I believe that The Advertiser is no expert on modern, 21st-century warfare.

This latest diatribe in its editorial against redeployment reflects a disregard and underestimation of the capabilities of the 21st-century weaponry of the U.S. military.

Take The Advertiser's stance about North Korea.

If we're talking about 1950s-type or 20th-century method of conducting warfare, The Advertiser editorial is right on the money.

However, unlike in the 1950s, when it took months and combined U.S. and South Korean ground forces to repulse the North Korean invasion, it would only take days or a matter of weeks for U.S. air power to obliterate a North Korean invasion force.

China knows it cannot invade Taiwan. To do so would mean that its entire navy would face destruction and defeat so complete.

The military capabilities of 21st-century weaponry of the U.S. military underscores justification for the redeployment of U.S. troops. The devastation of precision weaponry of our U.S. air military in Kuwait, in Afghanistan and in Iraq signals the scope and power of U.S. air power, which makes maintenance of ground forces in certain regions of the globe unnecessary.

The image of a mass of tangled and burnt steel along a long stretch of highway in Kuwait is a reminder to everyone of the beginning of a new, quite-devastating method of conducting warfare from the air.

Golf courses should be more accessible

Hawai'i is a great place for golf, or so I remember. My disability prevents me from playing like I used to. As a result, I have been searching O'ahu for a course that offers a commercially available, modified golf cart that makes golf more accessible. To my knowledge, there are none.

I want to believe that a place known for its golf and willingness to accommodate visitors would have these vehicles. It has also been especially frustrating that the Hawai'i State Golf Association hasn't been powerful enough to enforce the ADA guidelines for accessible golf courses.

Frankly, it just doesn't make good business sense for golf courses to ignore what would probably be a solid return on investment. The National Alliance for Accessible Golf estimates that 35 percent of people with disabilities in this country would like to golf but are unfortunately restricted by course access. That's a lot of dollars just waiting to be spent on golf. I know that the first course to get an accessible cart on O'ahu would get a regular chunk of my disposable income.

Taxicabs should be plentiful at airport

Paul Perretta's Aug. 9 letter mentioned a few "good, bad and ugly" facts about being a tourist in Hawai'i. Having just flown back to Honolulu and in need of a cab ride home, I'd like to add to the list.

It should not be necessary to wait up to 30 minutes for a cab at Honolulu International Airport. Consider the contrast with San Francisco International; you can be in a cab within 30 seconds of retrieving your luggage.

Hawai'i's reputation suffers by making visitors wait so long for a ride to their hotel. Surely someone can design a way to efficiently dispatch cabs to handle predictable numbers of arriving passengers.

Fixing Natatorium would be a waste

The Aug. 16 editorial on the Natatorium hit right on the mark! The proposed repair of $6 million is throwing good money after bad.

Although details haven't been published, I would predict that the cost for a complete renovation would cost more than three times the current bill.

We need to invest in pools that are functional and kept up (e.g., Palolo Rec and Farrington High School) rather than dumping money for nostalgia's sake. Plus, restoration of the shoreline would be in keeping with nature and tourism.

Nix on the repairs. Tear the pool down!

Credit Guggenheim and staff for success

Rod Ohira's article on the much improved condition of the Hawai'i State Hospital is great news.

As one interested in the mental health community, I would like to give credit where credit is due.

The success, in large part, is due to the work of Paul Guggenheim and his staff. He and his staff have worked hard and well.