Posted on: Thursday, March 18, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Truancy, ill behavior must not be allowed

While spending the last two months on the Big Island to decide on relocating, I noticed frustration at every level concerning Hawai'i's schools. I spent 30 years teaching at the high school level and offer the following observations as a starting point.

On any given day of the week, upward of 100 teens could be observed at the beaches or movies. If students aren't in school, no learning can take place. Since there is no clout in Hawai'i's truancy laws, one cannot blame the police for not bothering with truants.

The use of profanity in public by undisciplined teens is rampant in Hawai'i. This is indicative of a society that does not value personal responsibility for one's actions. Based on personal conversations with residents, it also seems to be evidence that this same behavior goes on in the schools.

Until educators demand the presence of students and civilized behavior by them, Hawai'i's schools will continue to falter and be of value only to those students who recognize the prudence in conforming to society's expectations. Truancy must be punished; parents must be included in that punishment. Behavior not consistent with civility must be discouraged and punished, if necessary.

Teens respond to guidelines and respect adults who draw lines in the sand. They need more positive role models in adults and fewer teachers who want to be popular so badly that they allow any behavior.

Let's do what we can in the war against drugs

I'll be first to admit that when there was a TV commercial or ad in the newspaper about drugs in the community, I didn't pay attention. I've never known anyone with a drug problem and therefore didn't think drugs would ever affect my life or my family's.

On June 26 of last year, it did. My husband interrupted a burglar in our home on Punchbowl when he returned home from work. He was shot in the chest at point-blank range and critically wounded. Many items, not high in value but very meaningful to me, were taken from our home and cannot be replaced. The burglar was high on drugs and very likely was stealing to pay for his habit. He was only 17 years old.

It took something like this to make me realize how drugs affect everyone, not just the people who take them but everyone around them: their families, friends, co-workers and even people they don't even know — the victims they prey upon to feed their habit.

Most people think of property crimes as not serious. When weapons are used, it's potentially fatal. There are more property crimes reported every year. If we don't take the problem of drug abuse very seriously, its negative impact will spread throughout our community and hurt all of us in some way.

I'm hoping we all will do our part to win in the war against drugs. Ask your legislators to support stiffer sentences for people who make illicit drugs and for repeat drug offenders. There should also be more money spent on drug education in schools to warn young ones about the problems of drug abuse. Let's do what we can to keep drugs from ruining our beautiful state.

Pothole-filler crews are doing a good job

In light of the recent heavy rains here on O'ahu, which naturally create severe potholes and hazardous driving conditions, I've noticed a marked improvement in the repair efforts from the pothole-filler crews, which has perhaps often gone unnoticed or even been taken for granted.

To those who perform this essential duty day in and day out, know that your commendable efforts have not gone unrecognized. Keep up the good work and remember to be careful out there while on the side streets and freeways. Good job.

New York task force opposed euthanasia

Regarding your March 15 editorial "Suicide bill: Weary of the post-mortems": The best "balanced" information on the subject of physician-assisted suicide comes from the New York governor's task force, which studied this issue for more than seven years.

Despite strong sentiment for physician-assisted suicide among some of the 25 task-force members, they unanimously recommended against it. You can read their well-reasoned report "When Death Is Sought" at www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/provider/death.htm or buy it in book form.

I agree with the findings of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law when it says "(T)hat the practice (of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia) can be ethically appropriate in extraordinary cases, but that legalizing it would pose serious and insurmountable risks of mistake and abuse that would greatly outweigh any benefit that might be achieved. Those risks center on the likelihood that many individuals would request suicide assistance because of improper medical care, unrecognized lack of decision-making capacity, or coercion, not because of a voluntary, settled commitment to die."

Confiscating cars makes perfect sense

The terrible problem we have in Hawai'i with racers can be pretty much resolved with the use of common sense. It seems to me that the tragedy could be almost totally ended if the authorities simply seized the cars of persons driving with reckless abandon.

I'm unsure of the legalities with this proposition, but is it not the case that an individual arrested and charged with reckless endangerment with a firearm has this firearm confiscated?

In exactly the same way, shouldn't the potential weapon of a racer be confiscated? If such were the case, I wager that after a few of these reckless drivers had their precious automobiles seized, the racing culture would turn its hobby to a legal and safe venue like Hawaii Raceway Park.

Isn't that common sense?

Real food, cold beer might save theater

I'm saddened to hear that Wallace is ending its dollar theater experiment at the Kailua Cinemas.

With the glut of screens on O'ahu, it's inevitable that theaters will either have to get creative or go the way of the dodo. I still think there's a lot of potential for the Kailua Cinemas site.

In Austin, there's a theater chain called the Alamo Drafthouse. It shows first-run and art-house movies, but also serves real food and cold beer — a true theater/restaurant hybrid. If this idea can work anywhere in Hawai'i, it can work on the Windward side.

Please use alternative pest-control methods

I was filled with mixed emotions as I read Tuesday's article about the blight of snails on taro crops. I certainly empathize with the taro farmers who are struggling to control this pest. I urge all horticulturists, scientists and natural resource planners to come to their aid.

However, I was equally concerned about the potential for grave ecological repercussions that invariably follow the use of pesticides.

Studies have shown that broad-range pesticides used to attack a specific pest in a diverse ecology bring dubious results, at best.

While taro farming is a Hawaiian tradition, let us not forget that the ultimate resting place for pesticides is always our soils along riverbanks and our shorelines at the ocean. Who knows what negative effects this will have on our unique forest and reef ecosystems? Not to mention the negative human health effects that pesticides have proved to have.

And let us not forget that Hawai'i is home to a number of native snails, those which we should treasure and take care not to harm. I urge all involved to seek alternative pest-control methods.

'Gas cap' bill means long lines at pump

Get ready for lines at gasoline pumps if Senate Bill 3193, the "gas cap" bill, is passed.

Chevron is a private company, and as a private company, it can sell its oil anywhere. Owners of Chevron and other oil companies take a large risk to provide us with a reliable source of gasoline. We need to allow them the flexibility to price their own products. Would you like the Legislature telling you what price you could charge for your house or your work?

Everyone should think about what would happen if there were an oil shortage and Chevron decided to sell the limited oil they have in every other state without a price cap. Sen. Ron Menor and his other price-cap advocates may have to walk to the Capitol from Mililani. Unfortunately, if we do not stop this "gas cap" nonsense, we will be in long gas lines or walking as well.

Call your representatives and demand they repeal the "gas cap" bill. The bill is a disaster waiting to happen.

Self-defense is a right

Everyone has a human right of self-defense and should be allowed to bear arms. Especially here in Hawai'i.

The police know they can get away with shooting anyone they want to. The people of Hawai'i have a right to defend themselves against criminals and an uncontrollable police force.

Same-sex marriage won't erode our morals

Thomas Herndon wrote on March 6 that allowing same-sex marriage would "further erode the moral fabric of America."

I have been in a same-sex relationship for 28 years. The sacredness of this relationship has taught me to open my heart to love and my mind to truth and maturity. Learning to love another person more than myself has been an astonishing liberation. Where is the immorality in this? I have a hunch that Christ would be pleased.

Pauahi rec center welcomes all

Your March 8 editorial titled "Pauahi rec center must welcome all" was quite a bit off the mark. Your implication that Unity House has free use of a city facility and that it denies use of that facility to non-Unity House members is simply not true.

First of all, more than half of the 4,000-plus senior citizens who use the center are not related to Unity House in any manner whatsoever. There is absolutely no requirement that attendees of the center be affiliated with Unity House. Everyone who meets the requirements of the city to use the center is welcome.

The few examples you mentioned of people being turned away are easy to explain, if someone had taken the time to ask. For example, the individual who complained to the neighborhood board that he was "denied admission" had been turned away from a dance class because he was not registered, as required by the city. If he just completes the registration form, he is eligible for the class. The elderly woman who was "refused entry" simply had an argument with someone in the Lanakila Meals on Wheels program because she was bringing in outside food. After a discussion, she was allowed to eat inside with the Meals on Wheels participants.

Also, Unity House is certainly not getting something for free from the city. In fact, taxpayers save money thanks to Unity House's involvement. Our agreement to manage the Pauahi Rec Center is on a month-to-month basis with the city. There is no "grandfathered in" deal and we receive no funds from the city. But we do maintain and clean the facility and we do pay for certified instructors and offer free classes to senior citizens in such things as CPR training, dance and aerobics.

Since we assumed management of the center about 10 years ago, attendance has more than doubled and, again, approximately half of the people taking those classes are not related to Unity House in any way. In addition, we invite all of the center attendees, regardless of their relationship to Unity House, to our annual Thanksgiving dinner as our guests.

Unity House does share the center with Lanakila Meals on Wheels. But we have no jurisdiction over that program, which reports directly to the city.

Finally, the front door does have a sign that posts the center's hours of operations. An older sign had the Unity House name and logo, but that was removed some time ago.