Hawaiians deserve to be recognized as indigenous

The July 28 letter by Thurston Twigg-Smith is, as he says, "admittedly biased," to put it mildly. Regarding Hawaiian recognition, the letter fails to note the unique situation Hawaiians find themselves in today, where despite acknowledgement by the U.S. government of its complicity in the overthrow of the legitimate government of the independent nation of Hawai'i in 1893, nevertheless, there has never been a binding recognition of Hawaiians as an indigenous people deserving of at least the recognition Native Americans and Native Alaskans enjoy today.

The article cited in the Twigg-Smith letter does not mention the Arakaki v. OHA lawsuit now pending in the courts. In that case, the likes of Mr. Twigg-Smith are suing OHA and arguing that Hawaiians, despite their indigenous character and roots, are no more and no less than any other nationality in Hawai'i and should be given no more benefits, despite their historically depressed conditions resulting from their near annihilation as a people after the arrival of foreigners to their lands and the illegal overthrow of their country.

The lawsuit threatens to eliminate the term "Native Hawaiian" from any reference in the laws of the land to include the Hawaiian Homes Act, the state Constitution, federal grants and laws, etc., thereby erasing a whole people from legal existence.

The article further fails to recognize the substantial bipartisan support in Congress and in Hawai'i for the bill and the fact that one U.S. senator can unjustly a nation deny. Though there are Hawaiians who demand complete removal from the United States and return to the monarchy of 1893, their arguments are founded on international law and support by the United Nations, which is analogous to a house built on sand.

In sum, Hawaiians deserve to be recognized as an indigenous people, and Hawai'i deserves to remain Hawai'i, not become California West.

Ala Wai Boulevard project is a mistake

I see another snafu coming with the upcoming city project for Ala Wai Boulevard.

We have it in Kaimuki. "Build-outs" in Kaimuki removed parking stalls and made it harder to get into remaining stalls. During the construction, it was a pain to drive or even walk through that portion of town. We needed more parking, not less.

Now I hear a parking structure is being planned in the existing municipal parking. It's like putting the cart before the horse. Maybe the structure should have been built first.

Does this sound familiar? According to reports, it looks as if the same sequence of events will happen for Ala Wai/Waikiki.

We need to know who the elected officials are who approved financing for these projects.

Why disenfranchise majority of citizens?

So, let me see if I understand your rationale in the July 27 editorial regarding same-sex marriages: You want to take this issue away from elected representatives who answer directly to the will of the people and place that same issue in the hands of appointed, liberal, activist, elitist judges who answer to no one. We already know how they are going to rule.

Whatever happened to "of the people, by the people and for the people"? Shouldn't the will of the electorate supercede the edicts of a few appointed intellectual eggheads with lifetime appointments who don't live in the real world as we know it? They act as if we are poor, misguided souls who need "guidance" and they are perfectly willing to force their will on us.

I think your philosophy is less suited for Hawai'i and more akin to Russia of the '60s or modern-day Iran.

How can Kane'ohe get a Bark Park, too?

My husband and I, with our dog, were driving near Diamond Head when we came across the Bark Park. We have had our dog for only one month and had no idea these parks existed. Mikey had a ball with all the neat dogs, all the nice people. We came from Kane'ohe.

Why do we not have a Bark Park? I want one! In Kane'ohe! With all the vacant land in Kane'ohe, why do we not have a Bark Park? Whom can I talk to, whom can I go to about this? Does anyone else in Kane'ohe want a Bark Park?

Can anyone help?

Deep-ocean water bottling boon for state

From their lofty perch in Manoa, Clark C.K. Liu and Philip Moravcik are "amused" by the deep-ocean water bottling operations at the state's Keahole Point facility (Letters, July 27). I work at the Keahole Point facility, and I'm impressed by those same operations.

Liu and Moravcik argue unconvincingly for "further research and development of OTEC and other DOW applications" at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority (NELHA) facility. Truth is, those are mature technologies.

True believers in OTEC have been waving their arms for years, but whenever it comes to applying the technology in the real world, they come up short.

For years, the OTEC crowd had every opportunity to lease land and buy deep-ocean water at the Keahole Point facility to produce electricity. But they never did. Actions speak louder than words, and the state is realizing a return on the investment at Keahole Point because of the commitment of the water bottlers and others at the facility.

Congratulations to all the hard-working, productive tenants at the state's NELHA facility at Keahole Point. They are truly contributing to our state.

Honolulu Zoo parking is on first-come basis

Regarding parking at the Honolulu Zoo: What's the difference between the zoo parking and any other on-street parking? Answer: None! They both have parking meters that allow users (taxpayers) to park there for a certain period of time, regardless of their destination.

If they want it to be a dedicated parking lot, remove the parking meters, then hire a parking lot attendant. If you desire a parking stall, just follow this simple rule of thumb: come early. There are a lot of red flags and questions that pop up when people suggest ideas like this one.

Balking-pilot incident is a closed matter

A Hawaiian Airlines captain's decision not to fly a San Francisco trip with the airline's bankruptcy trustee aboard naturally raises a question about a flight crew's authority (Advertiser, June 26).

There are extensive federal regulations on a flight crew's responsibility to accommodate passengers and to ensure an aircraft is operated safely. Further, an airline's individual flight operations manual spells out the policies and practices that a company and its employees must follow to ensure those conditions are met.

However, the circumstances of the incident involving the San Francisco-bound pilot are clearly unique. At the time, any comment on the pilot's action should have more appropriately resided with the airline. Since the passenger left the aircraft, and because no safety-of-flight issues arose, the Federal Aviation Administration considers the matter closed.

Federal Aviation Administration State leases

Why would farmers give up after winning?

I am responding to the July 27 article about property taxes for farmers.

It said that the state of Hawai'i refused to allow its farmer tenants to dedicate their property to farming for a 10-year period because of concerns that the tenants would give up farming and the state would have to pay a penalty.

I am a Waiahole Valley farmer on a 55-year lease from the state. It took Waiahole tenants more than 20 years to obtain our long-term leases. It took thousands of hours of negotiation by people who truly cared about preserving our essential agricultural lands and watershed to persuade the state to issue long-term farm leases. Under the terms of the lease, if I am not actively engaged in agriculture, I will lose the land and my home. Waiahole Valley has been designated by the state as an agricultural park and must be used for agricultural purposes.

We fought for more than 20 years for the right to stay and farm this land. Why would we stop farming now that we have finally achieved our goal?

Mink laid foundation for positive changes

Her legacy continues. Thank you, Congresswoman Patsy Mink.

Because she took the time and interest for the care and treatment of the kids at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility, positive changes are continuing.

The child and adolescent division at the Department of Health has a family court liaison who provides assessment and mental health treatment services to our kids at the detention home and HYCF. Services are being developed in Hilo.

Taking the blinders off and facing and addressing the fact that incarceration is no place for our mentally ill are positive steps. To those who stepped up to the plate to help, thank you.

Others still ready to go

George Dela Santos' July 27 letter, "Mahalo to precious few politicians in uniform," does not consider those of us who served our country in uniform for many years and are now retired. My fellow Republican Guy Ontai is a retired Army officer, and I retired from the Marine Corps after 25 years. We remain subject to recall and are ready to go today.