Posted on: Thursday, February 19, 2004

Letters to the Editor

James Campbell Estate supporting school arts

Here it is after 7 on a Friday night and I am in school trying to catch up on the necessary but non-emergency things that school principals do. This public thank-you needs to be written because of the support that the Estate of James Campbell gives to our schools.

In behalf of all the schools in the Leeward District, I thank the Estate of James Campbell for sponsoring the yearly Leeward Young Artist program. This school year, over 300 pieces of artwork were received from 19 schools, challenging the three jurors who had to select only 50 finalist pieces. Each of the finalists, their families, their teachers and school administrators were invited to a special reception in their honor and received an award for their efforts. The winning pieces are professionally mounted and hang on display at the James Campbell building in Kapolei for a year. The families of these student artists and the schools have benefited much from the many years of support from the estate.

With so much emphasis on the core academic areas today and money being cut from school budgets, we are fortunate that one organization in our community recognizes and supports the need for a well-balanced curriculum. Mahalo to the Estate of James Campbell.

Your efforts will not go unnoticed.

Statue's crooked base needs to be fixed

I have admired the neat bronze surfer statue atop the gushing wave ever since its installation last spring in the sidewalk near Queen's Surf Beach in Waikiki. That is, except for one tiny problem: The base doesn't sit straight.

At first I thought maybe it was intentionally leaning a few degrees to the left to symbolize the majority political views of Hawai'i. But if that were the case, not even the best of surfers could ride a wave tilted that far from center.

A more likely explanation is flawed workmanship.

Regardless of the cause, the crooked base spoils the otherwise wonderful water feature and needs to be fixed. The city should add this project to its repair list.

Science symposium aided by 'villagers'

Listen up, Pat Hamamoto!

If you believe "It takes a village to raise a child," then hats off to all the "villagers" who made the 10th Annual Science Symposium for Girls at Sacred Hearts Academy a terrific success on Feb. 7.

Over 20 professionals from our "village" community encouraged approximately 500 junior high girls to pursue careers in math, science and technology. Renowned navigator Nainoa Thompson used his aloha spirit to challenge these girls to pursue their dreams, as did his mentor, the late Lacey Veach.

Corporate "villagers" First Hawaiian Bank and Coca-Cola provided the financial resources, while premier adolescent counselor, "villager" Emma Pavich, captivated the girls' parents with such sage wisdom as, "Spend time with your daughters because they love you!"

Other kudos go to "village" teachers and counselors from nearly 50 public and private schools for convincing girls to devote a Saturday morning to learning that science and math can be exciting.

But, the Villager of the Year Award has to go to Jonathan Lott. Listen up, Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto and Kalakaua Middle School Principal Randal Tanaka: Jonathan and his students did you proud.

A science teacher at Kalakaua, Lott brought 15 of his enthusiastic young students, chaperoning and riding with them on the city bus. They followed the dress code, obeyed the rules of the day and showed each other and the presenters respect and appreciation. Superintendent Hamamoto and Principal Tanaka, give this teacher a resounding high five! Good things are, indeed, happening in our public schools.

What we need are more angry moms

One of the most impressive changes I have seen in my lifetime has been the turnaround in the way we view drunk driving.

When I was young, it was rarely an issue, and I often heard bragging rights that included how "wasted" someone was while driving (or street racing). Part of this was a lack of maturity and young people's feelings of immortality, and that will always be with us. The difference is awareness.

Today, people know the consequence of driving drunk, measured standards are in place and education is ongoing. The major factor in this change in attitude has been the influence of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. This group met an amazing challenge and has accomplished great things.

Every time I read about the drug epidemic in our state, I think about MADD. More than any study, committee or pontificating politician, what is needed are a few more angry moms.

Making it a felony to speed is a big mistake

The police come to our Makiki Neighborhood Board meeting each month. They've explained that the problem with stopping young drivers from using public roads for late-night racing is one of enforcement. It's very tricky to catch the racers.

Making it a felony to drive faster than 30 mph over the speed limit will not make it easier to catch people who are using our highways for a purpose (racing) they were not designed for. It will make criminals out of tens of thousands of ordinary drivers who are not driving dangerously.

Cases in point: take the left fork on the way to Pearlridge Center at the 'ewa end of the Moanalua Freeway. There is almost half a mile of good freeway after the cutoff that has a posted speed limit of 35 mph. At least half of all drivers are driving over 60. The Pali Highway has a maximum speed of 45 mph, but many drivers are doing over 70 on the downhill.

Traffic engineers have told me that Hawai'i's speed limits were set for trucks and buses in bad weather conditions. They are not indicative of actual safe speeds for passenger cars in good driving conditions, which may be as much as 25 mph over the posted limits.

The issue here is in the difference between proper use of our roadways for travel between points, and the misuse of them for competitive driving. It is the misuse that needs attention. Let's not make Hawai'i the only place in the United States where people can go to prison simply for driving faster than some sign tells them to.

Save us the nitpicking and give Lingle credit

I'm baffled at the rash of criticism about Gov. Lingle's visit to Iraq. As one who saw military service, I believe the boost to the morale of those serving in Iraq and their families when someone as prominent as the governor visits is incalculable.

And make no mistake, despite heavy security, her visit was no cakewalk. Iraq is the most dangerous place on Earth. The riskiest activity is traveling. A recent e-mail from my son, a major in the British Army based in Basra, describes just how dangerous traveling is:

"We fly up to Baghdad in the Learjet with the general. Our plane is fully loaded with flares and 'chaff' to avoid SAM and RPG threats. We use evasive flying maneuvers, pulling a massive amount of G on take-off. Then we drop like a stone into Baghdad Airport. Next comes the 'Gauntlet' road into the center of the city."

Was the governor in harm's way? With more than 50 people killed by a suicide bomber, and the attack on Gen. Abizaid's convoy occurring close by during her visit, absolutely. Did she have to go? Definitely not. Was it the right thing to do? Most certainly.

Save the nitpicking criticism about some inexperienced press secretary's fumble and give the governor credit for "being there" for our brave troops.

Bills already would reinstitute the draft

It was very commendable of John Griffin to put the topic of a draft on the table for discussion (Focus, Feb. 15).

However, he might have pointed out that reinstituting a draft is not simply an abstract idea. Legislation (co-sponsored by Congressman Neil Abercrombie) has been proposed for reinstituting a form of the draft (House Bill H.R.163 and Senate Bill S89IS, "Universal National Service Act").

Furthermore, a couple of points Mr. Griffin raises on the "pro" side may or may not be accurate.

First, is the military really a "shining example" of affirmative action? Sexual harassment and sexual assault problems plague the military. Females are far less than 50 percent of people in the military.

Second, I would have preferred more than bland reassurances that "we have a military made up not just of poor whites and minorities." Could Mr. Griffin please cite his source of this information? Other writers have reported that the military is now substantially made up of rural whites and urban minorities.

President has already 'fumbled' away the war

"Fumble words, but not war," read Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker's defense Feb. 13 of President Bush's handling of Iraq. We wish!

She concluded that the U.S. must "see Iraq through. ... It is reassuring that Bush, self-defined 'war president' and commander-in-chief, is not confused on this point." True, he's "not confused." But what he thinks is irrelevant.

Perhaps the only drum the Democrats should beat (it's increasingly bulletproof!) is that by the time the war had started, the president had already created the one massive "fumble" that cannot be undone. From the beginning, this doomed his efforts; he went in precipitously, heedlessly, arrogantly and on his own; his misnomer, "coalition forces," evokes only ridicule. Worse, he's created a rationale for the world's greatest long-term threat: a Muslim/Christian religious world war.

Military force might well have proved necessary to remove a man who had to be removed. But we never tried patience, diplomacy and less arrogance, probably all we needed to have made this the United Nations' war. That war had a chance; Mr. Bush's war hasn't.

Only overwhelmingly unified world opinion can help now. But can this president undergo such a conversion? We do hope, and some also pray.

Outing investors would scare investment away

I respectfully disagree with your Feb. 7 editorial on Act 221 in which you advance the proposal of making public the names of businesses claiming high-tech credits under the law.

As Bill Spencer indicated in a column he published on ThinkTechHawaii.com, this proposal reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how Act 221 works. Businesses do not get tax credits under Act 221; investors do.

There is a longstanding policy in this state of keeping taxpayer information private. Are we now to set that aside so we can do some intensive reporting on the people who would make investments under Act 221? The prospect is actually quite chilling.

While it would certainly be useful for the tax office to publicly share the statistical information it must have about the tax base of the tech industry, it is neither appropriate nor consistent with traditional policy to disclose information about the returns or affairs of individual taxpayers. Remember, there are dozens of tax credits available to taxpayers under Hawai'i law. Where would we draw the line? What or who would be next?

In Hawai'i as elsewhere, personal taxpayer information has been treated as highly confidential and disclosure as a criminal act. Do we want to change that? This would be a drastic change in policy.

There is no policy reason to justify the distinction and public identification of Act 221 taxpayers. In fact, there is every reason not to make that distinction. It would not help investment in tech to spotlight those who would claim the statutory credit. Rather it would scare investors away and further undermine or destroy the intended benefit of the act.

Last year, on top of so many other efforts to gut the act, the tax office indicated that all Act 221 returns would be audited. Investors, both here and on the Mainland, don't like being audited, they don't like statutory uncertainty, and they certainly don't like having their investments and tax returns publicized. We should let them file their returns in peace. Scaring investors has only one undeniable effect — to discourage their investment in tech.

We've got to focus on diversifying the economy and building a tech industry before it's too late. Last year's hubbub over Act 221 did not increase tech investment in Hawai'i. This year, everyone is recognizing that Act 221 is a good thing and we should move past controversy over it. In fact, we have never given it a chance to work. We should extend it to 2010, as included in the administration's current bill, and leave it alone.

U.S. should drop its ban on Cambodian adoptions

Thank you so much for Vicki Viotti's thoughtful and balanced article "Families assured on adoptions" (Feb. 3). The National Inquirer, People magazine and several other media sources seem to relish portraying our government's halting of adoptions from Cambodia as another American victory over the evils in foreign lands.

I founded and manage, with the support of the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise, an e-mail foster parent program in Cambodia, am online with the kids and orphanage staff each day and visit the country and kids each year. Our 75 foster parents here sponsor and regularly e-mail with their foster kids (who are too old for adoption).

The number of destitute children and babies in this traumatized post-Pol Pot land is in the hundreds of thousands and growing. During my last visit in November, I visited one of the orphanages the much-maligned Kaua'i resident Lauryn Galindo had previously been finding adoptive parents for and supporting. Sadly, due to the U.S. adoption ban, the many children there have now grown too old to be adoptable and now face even bleaker futures as the orphanage now doesn't receive funds from Galindo and prospective parents to operate.

Yes, the potential for adoption abuse does exist. I am sure that of the 700 or so adoptions Galindo has facilitated over the past 12 years, we can dig out some unintended discrepancies. I am sure there are others involved in adoptions who have only selfish intentions in mind.

I am also sure that if not for Galindo, other well-intending people like her and the foster parents who now provide loving homes for these children, most of them would now either be suffering extreme malnutrition, neglect or abuse or be dead.

As Viotti's article points out, the 3-year-old ban, with no end in sight, is harsh punishment for these babies born into crushing poverty with little hope for a decent future as well as for the loving families here who yearn to adopt them.

Isn't it time our State Department set humane and workable criteria for Cambodian adoptions and allow them to resume?