Anti-Hawaiian letter writer should leave

The George Berish letter of Dec. 8, "All Islanders share in gifts of Creator," is confusing.

He starts with praise for his "Creator" for the blessings of sun, sky, mountains, seas and climate of Hawai'i, but very quickly segues into his agenda of general animus toward Hawaiians, particularly those who offend him with their "preachiness" in pursuit of native rights. He sees the social and economic ills of Hawaiians as self-imposed and therefore irretrievable.

His disdain also naturally extends to the Bishop Estate, which he sees as fruitlessly attempting to educate the uneducable; he suggests that it should instead be funding DOE teacher pay raises.

He sees "vibrant and vital art and culture" of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Tahiti in the Hawaiian landscape, but acknowledges no likewise contribution from the Hawaiian community. What movie has he been watching?

Berish speaks of the "neighborliness" of his youth as equivalent to "aloha spirit," embodying a "wonderful spirit of mutual respect," yet his personal gas-tank of respect for Hawaiians runs on empty.

The core of the Berish message is venomous: There is no aloha spirit. It clearly illustrates the Berish version of a Hawai'i without Hawaiians.

I prefer a Hawai'i without Berish. I suggest — and hope — that Berish will leave Hawai'i now, to enjoy the neighborliness of his birthplace, and stay there.

Gas prices falling, but not in Hawai'i

Since October, crude oil prices have fallen $15 a barrel and the national average for regular gasoline has fallen more than 30 cents a gallon. Why is it again that Hawai'i gasoline prices stay high and do not follow the national trend of lower prices due to lower crude oil prices?

Critics of the gasoline price cap argue about the "higher costs of doing business in Hawai'i," but these higher costs are a constant and gasoline prices in Hawai'i should reflect the lower crude oil prices.

The national wholesale price for regular has dropped more than 40 cents a gallon, and if the gasoline cap were in effect, gasoline prices on O'ahu would be more than 25 cents a gallon less. The savings on the Neighbor Islands would be much more.

Consumers need to be more concerned. Call your legislator now and express your irritation with our high gasoline prices.

Fiber-optic project on DHHL land is wrong

I'm surprised there has been little said about the $400 million fiber-optic project being built by Sandwich Isles Communications.

This project is being financed by USDA Rural Utility Service loans, which will be repaid by the Universal Service Fund. The USF is a source of money to expand broadband access to rural areas.

This project will only benefit Native Hawaiians living on Hawaiian Home Lands. No one not living on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands property will be able to use this network when complete — which, taking into account the funding of the project, is racially exclusive, in my opinion.

This project will not be financially self-sustaining. Sandwich Isles Communications hopes to eventually service 22,000 people. But currently there are not 22,000 people living on DHHL lands. Thus I believe this network will need continuous financial support to survive after startup.

USDA Rural Utility Service loans cannot be used in areas with more than 5,000 people. There are areas of DHHL lands I believe that exceed that figure.

Be careful before prepaying for funeral

The Dec. 12 article "It's your funeral, so plan the details yourself" had one glaring inaccuracy: Prepaying does not always guarantee the price will stay the same, and in some places funeral prices are going down, not up. There are several things to consider before prepaying:

• Is the price guaranteed in writing? Anything said orally is of no value.

• Is the prepay contract revocable or irrevocable? Irrevocable means it is payable only to the funeral home from which it was bought. What if the person dies somewhere else?

• Is the prepaid money in the form of so-called funeral insurance or is it in trust? Refunds on funeral insurance are usually pennies on the dollar.

• Is the whole contract void if changes or additions are wanted? An option far better is putting money into a trust account at one's bank, payable upon death to a designated person, not to a funeral home.

Norm Chow victim of racial barrier

Regarding Ferd Lewis' Dec. 13 column "What more can Chow do?": If Norm Chow had been white, he would have been a head coach 20 years ago in college football.

Asians aren't accepted into the coaching fraternity, nor do they have many mentors. On top of that, there is always the board of directors of a university, which is the final gate for any minority. It's the one that did in Norm Chow with the University of Utah two to three years ago.

The Utes' athletic department people loved Norm. He played at Utah, was an All-WAC lineman, etc. But when it came to the university president, his committee and cronies, they overwhelmingly picked Urban Meyer.

Where's the justice in all of this? Why isn't there the same clamor in the name of diversity and justice for an Asian-American coach as there is for an African-American coach? Where are the liberals and the self-righteous sportswriters and columnists when a non-politicized issue such as the hiring of an Asian-American comes up? Where's Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, who talk about sports and diversity ad nauseam?

All I hear is silence.

Gridlock is coming

Congratulations to Pasha Group, the new vehicle shipper that will soon be bringing in 6,000 cars per month (72,000 per annum). I assume that these will be in addition to the 100,000 or so cars brought in by Matson every year.

Is there any end to this folly? Rapid transit, light rail? I have heard naught about limiting the number of vehicles. Might this not be a simpler solution to the soon-to-occur, ultimate gridlock?

Mahalo and happy sitting in traffic ...

People, be careful strolling your babies

Regarding people walking on the streets with babies in strollers: Are they walking for the exercise, or are they walking to get some sun or just to get out of the house? For whatever reason, they need to be more safety-conscious for themselves, the baby and others.

I've seen women with babies in strollers walking in the middle of parking lots where cars pass, walking on the road when there is a sidewalk on the other side, and even not obeying the traffic lights. I mean, crossing streets against red lights.

How about using some common sense?

Where's the priority?

"Tree vendor flying in a few"?

Fly to Oregon, burn natural resources, slay trees, pollute air dragging trees across ocean, watch life drain from trees, throw dead trees onto curb, fill landfill.

Penguins and children starve, reefs die, oceans rise, islands flood, earth warms, men, women and children die in war.

'Tis the time to tote a tree to the tropics!

Get those armored plates to the troops

Isn't there some way we can get those armored plates for the Humvees and trucks directly to the troops in the field and the ones waiting in Kuwait so that the troops can install it themselves? Surely some emergency procedure can be in place whereby those plates can be in the hands of those who will be directly affected.

The more protection our troops have, the better chances of survival.

The persons responsible should act quickly for the safety of our men and women of the armed forces currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is crucial!

Classified research bad for UH

Classified research interferes with the mission, programs and operations of our university.

Classified research restricts the free flow of information and the unfettered exchange of ideas that are essential to the generation of new knowledge and the dissemination of research findings.

Classified research creates a privileged class of individuals who have access to information and resources that are not available to students, faculty and other members of our community who do not have security clearances.

Classified research promotes a climate of secrecy that is antithetical to the values and ideals of a public institution committed to openness, transparency and full accountability.

Classified research does not permit the degree of scrutiny, review and disclosure of scientific protocol and the protection of human subjects used in experiments potentially affecting the health and safety of employees, students and the general public.

Classified research does not meet the traditional standards of peer review, which is essential to maintaining academic quality and integrity.

Classified research obstructs the normal review process for tenure, promotion and advancement within the institution.

Classified research limits the potential for students to share and exchange information, to integrate research into their coursework, class papers, theses and dissertations, and to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals.

Classified research involves a host of administrative and operational practicalities involving not just the faculty and researchers but also the students, secretaries, custodial staff, maintenance workers, campus security and others coming into contact with the affected facilities, equipment and personnel.

Classified research does not support our strategic imperatives to "honor the indigenous people and to promote social justice for Native Hawaiians," nor is it consistent with our efforts to develop into a "Hawaiian place of learning, open to world culture, informed by principles of sustainability and respect for indigenous knowledges and practices (Manoa Strategic Plan, p. 8).

Classified research needs to be fully assessed in terms of its costs and benefits as well as its longer-term impact on our university.