Posted on: Friday, March 19, 2004

Letters to the Editor

State, most restaurants working to kick smoking

The article in the Feb. 15 Honolulu Advertiser reported that several restaurants have been avoiding the Honolulu workplace and Maui restaurant smoking bans by allowing customers to smoke at their own risk. In spite of the few who are opposed to the law, an overwhelming majority of restaurants are in compliance and uphold the law.

Smoke-free restaurant ordinances are intended to protect customers and employees from the hazardous effects of secondhand smoke. Significant exposure to secondhand smoke is three to five times as great in restaurants as compared to the typical workplace without smoking restrictions. Waiters and waitresses are therefore more likely to suffer the debilitating effects of illness caused by exposure to secondhand smoke than other workers.

The state Department of Health and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i have worked closely together to help businesses successfully implement smoke-free workplaces. Creation of smoke-free workplaces is a positive advancement in caring for the health and well-being of employees and the public. To do anything less shows not only a disregard for the law but also a disregard for the health of employees and the public.

It's sad homosexuality has had to be covered up

My heart goes out to Mr. Richard Chamberlain (Letters, March 18), as it always has.

I lived in Hollywood from 1967 until 1989 and "we all knew" he was gay. The gay underground buzz just accepted him. But the world was constructed such that he felt he had to continue to live in a secret world. A secret life that was not fun for him, surely. A painful hell. And why? Some powerful force created Adam and Eve and also created Adam and Steve.

Is it not sad that there are people in the world making up a group that says it stands for "God is love" and yet makes it come out "God is hate" to the point that a good man has to lie on an hourly basis or feel that his entire career may go into the dumpster and perhaps worse?

Preschool program help must continue

The state's commitment to the preschool program must continue because of the acknowledged need and benefits of preschool experience for our children.

I was disappointed to read in James Gonser's March 16 article that the state is cutting back on the program. As lieutenant governor, I led a coordinated effort to provide preschool opportunities for needy children through the Pre-Plus Program. This unique public/private partnership brought together many agencies, such as the departments of Education, Accounting and General Services and Human Services, the county and organizations such as the Good Beginnings Alliance and private preschool providers.

One person from my office coordinated the interdepartmental, city/state and private-sector partners' effort to get this program started. She did a tremendous job dealing with the multiple issues that arose before and during construction. After I left office in December 2002, the Pre-Plus coordinator also went elsewhere.

The article describes the difficulties with construction involving multiple agencies where communication is key. It would certainly help if a person at the highest level of the executive branch were in charge, especially during what is still the early stages of the program.

The issue with Pre-Plus is not about pointing fingers at anyone, but to get on with it. The problems focused on by the article appear to be readily resolved. There are Pre-Plus schools that are open and operating and more are to come. Let's not lose sight of the fact that these preschools are helping our youngsters prepare for school success.

Forget media events and focus on schools

I must commend Joseph Theroux, principal of Keaukaha Elementary School, for having the courage to present his concerns in the form of an open letter to Gov. Lingle. Imagine if every school principal did what Mr. Theroux did? Principals have true power in numbers, and I encourage others to do the same.

I felt his frustration and can only imagine the magnitude of his staff's daily frustrations with not only class issues, but others that become school-related problems.

I was also disappointed that our governor's scheduling director chose to trivialize Mr. Theroux's cry for real help. Rather than have true face-to-face visits with our schools, the visits so far have been media events. Mr. Theroux does not want a "dog and pony show," as our governor has staged. I believe he wants real assistance, for real problems. Having children sing to our governor or having her read to a class just won't cut it. When I saw this on the news, I asked myself, "So what, for what, for whom?"

Gov. Lingle, how about leaving the media, Cabinet and your staff at home the next time you visit a school? Have the principal gather whoever he feels needs to be there for an open and frank discussion of the true needs of their school. This would show our citizens that you are truly concerned about educating our keiki. By providing leadership in this manner, both you and the school will be held accountable for future success and shortcomings.

Protect our children; encourage helmet use

I live in a new neighborhood in 'Ewa Beach; the streets are narrow and filled with many houses. Signs are posted in my neighborhood saying "Slow 5 mph, children playing." Yes, there are many children playing on bikes and scooters. Often they pull in front of cars or are inattentive to vehicles that are going the prescribed speed limit or below it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children wear bicycle helmets at all times, starting with the first time they get on a bicycle to learn to ride. About 400 children and adolescents die a year nationwide riding bicycles, the majority from collisions with automobiles. Over 400,000 children visit the emergency room due to bicycle injuries. Something as simple as wearing a helmet can help prevent some of these devastating accidents and injuries.

This helmet can also be worn when children are playing other sports such as rollerblading, skateboarding and riding a scooter. Please get the word out to parents that being head smart by wearing a bicycle safety helmet can protect our children from harm in their own neighborhoods and driveways.

Treat Rusti as what he is: a special specimen

Imagine a team of reporters coming across a town where its largest and strongest child has been confined in a cage the size of a closet for the past seven years, held in solitary confinement for no crime, only for curiosity's sake.

This has been the fate of Rusti the orangutan, an intelligent refugee "Man of the Forest," imprisoned at the Honolulu Zoo. Because public officials keep passing responsibility back and forth, placing liability before compassion, he has suffered what in human terms would be "cruel and unusual" confinement.

It's a few years past the time for Honolulu, with all its riches and development dollars, to work out a humane future for Rusti. Perhaps it would expedite the issue to treat him as an ambassador of the last of his endangered species, and one of our closest "wild" cousins. Maybe a VIP suite is in order?

And don't forget the banyan!

Let's get to the bottom of Iraq War intelligence

With all of the high-profile investigations and court cases going on recently in this country, it is amazing that important issues go unchecked in the media.

While Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant and Scott Peterson mop up so much of the cable news industry's time, it seems that little is left for the most important issue facing our nation:

What are the facts behind President Bush's alleged manipulation of intelligence to justify the Iraq War?

With the anniversary of the Iraq War and subsequent occupation upon us, Americans should call for Congress to censure George Bush and further investigate his role in using shoddy intelligence to support an ill-conceived and tragic war.

Using GPS to track speeders a bad idea

Forget George Orwell. Hawai'i has a new Big Brother and his name is Paul Staples (Letters, March 15). His idea to use GPS to track speeders and other motoring outlaws is ridiculous.

One problem, at least with Staples' solution, is that the orbiting satellites keep track of the car, but not the driver. Suppose Joe Aloha lends his car to son Mike Aloha and Mike likes to drive, um, above the speed limit. Guess who gets hit: Joe, not Mike. This, by the way, was one of the systemic problems plaguing the van cams.

It bothers me when I read Staples' and other letters in the newspapers that so many people seem to be willing to submit to quasi-totalitarian, police-state measures like GPS or bringing back the van cams. Next thing you know, some other person will advocate banning "high"-horsepower engines, installing speed limiters in all cars, or — and why not get right to the heart of the matter — getting rid of all cars in the state. (This way, no one will complain about the cost of gasoline.) Still others advocate silly and costly duplication of public services like a state highway patrol.

Have any of these well-intentioned people bothered to check the bottom line? At the risk of sounding cruel, not that many people die on Hawai'i roads. Yet these stories always make the headlines, especially when it involves "speeding," so it sounds as if we're in the midst of some kind of epidemic. We're not. And maybe the "public" wouldn't be so hot and bothered if the cops worked faster to clear crash scenes and allow traffic to flow, instead of clogging up the roads all day.

While any loss of life is tragic, there is no law, no technological device — in short, nothing — that will prevent a single death from ever occurring on our roads. Driving is inherently dangerous, whether one is "speeding" or not. Either get used to it or start taking the bus.

A heartwarming day at Farrington High School

On Friday, Feb. 17, 50 members of Farrington High School's Class of 1954 celebrated our 50th reunion at the school. Most of us had not set foot in those hallways since our graduation.

The enthusiastic welcome with lei and name tags (with our senior class photos) by students in charge of the program, and the warm aloha from Principal Catherine Payne, told us we were in for a very special day.

We were briefed on the school's history from its earliest beginnings and updated on the additions to the school campus. We were entertained by Island Harmony — the Halau Kupa Hawai'i putting on an outstanding performance. The adviser stated that students participating need a 2.0 grade-point average to take part, but all the students had 3.0 GPAs or better. A delicious lunch was prepared and served to us by the halau, together with a "fashion show" of school logo merchandise available in their Gov Shop.

Farrington High School's motto was, for us alumni, and is, for today's students, "Enter to Learn; Go Forth to Serve." These young people certainly have entered to learn and will definitely go forth to serve — they were delightful, enthusiastic, personable and so eager to show the Class of '54 a great time. It was a mutual admiration society.

Too often, we focus on the negative actions of teens in our community; on this day, we witnessed the positive things they are doing. We were so proud of this particular group of students, their advisers and their principal. Despite the inclement weather, our hearts and spirits were warm — not only because our classmates were able to renew old friendships, but because of what we experienced at our alma mater. We felt so special and so proud to be alumni of Farrington High.

We thank the school for a truly heartwarming and wonderful day.

Education story was overplayed

I must question The Advertiser's decision to run a front-page "story" about Gov. Lingle's outreach to the Building Industry Association (BIA) of Hawai'i ("Trade group asked to endorse education reform," March 14).

Since when is it news for a governor to seek support for an initiative, especially one as important as education reform? As the article itself pointed out: "Politicians routinely reach out for help from allies and community groups on public-policy issues."

You also write in your March 14 issue ("Bills that are alive or failing at the Capitol") that "failing bills can be revived, measures can be rewritten and lawmakers can change their minds. Lobbying and public participation can change the direction of any of these measures."

Yes, Gov. Lingle is doing all she can to improve public education for the sake of our children and the state itself. Yes, she is seeking support in the community from individuals and organizations, including the BIA. And yes, education reform wouldn't be the hottest topic in Hawai'i if Gov. Lingle hadn't made it her highest priority.

The Advertiser story sought to turn the democratic process into something sinister, by employing a "gotcha" tone and mixing in editorial comments that should have been confined to the opinion page, if there at all. The Hawai'i State Ethics Commission was even drawn into the article in what appeared to be a "fishing expedition" for possible ethical violations. That effort was baseless and had no legitimate place in the story.

To the extent a front-page story on the political process of education reform was warranted, the story was extremely one-sided. For example, it largely ignored Superintendent Pat Hamamoto's hiring of "public-relations consultants" to prepare her for her January "state of the schools" speech and for her March 27 education summit. While the governor reaching out to the BIA was front-page news and the lead story on your Web site, the superintendent's apparent decision to use public funds for consultants because she "did not want her remarks to come across as 'education speak' " merited only one paragraph buried at the end of the story.

It's important for all of us to have a voice in the education reform debate, but let's keep the public discussion — including news reports — centered on the merits of the different education proposals and what will benefit our students, rather than trying to create stories that don't serve the public well.