Letters to the Editor

Letter critical of Israel, Sharon was in poor taste

I am dismayed that The Advertiser could publish the May 25 letter from Keith Haugen in which he calls Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "one of the leading terrorists in that part of the world" and further implies that Israel is a terrorist nation.

Israel is the only democracy in "that part of the world," and has been terrorized since Day 1.

Your policy on letters states: "The Advertiser welcomes letters in good taste on any subject." I submit that Mr. Haugen's letter is in rather poor taste and should not have been accepted for publication.

Lingle has apparently bought Israel's ruse

Gov. Lingle's trip to Israel was a success for the Israeli propaganda managers. She apparently has bought into the Israeli mythology that it is a democracy — which it is not.

Having lived in Jerusalem for four years, I have seen what Israeli "democracy" looks like. The same laws that apply to Israelis do not apply to Palestinians who live within the borders of Israel. Minority rights have no government protection whatever.

With Lingle's stated support of President Bush's na•ve Middle East policy of supporting land confiscation, enlarging illegal Israeli settlements (illegal according to international law), one can surmise the assignation of Palestinians who are "suspected" terrorists (No due process here, madam) is morally bankrupt.

Does she also support Mr. Bush's newest best friend, Ariel Sharon? Mr. Sharon is a sociopath, a man without a conscience, a man who should be in the Hague being tried for crimes against humanity, not in the White House. Yes, apparently from her remarks she has bought the whole Israeli package. A tragic mistake.

Patriotic banners, flags are everywhere

Michael Kost's statement (Letters, May 24) that he drives around O'ahu and does not see any patriotic banners and flags is very puzzling. I see them everywhere, Mr. Kost.

I see patriotic bumper stickers on about nine out of 10 cars on the road. I see stickers in the shape of yellow ribbons that say "Support our troops." I see people wearing buttons. I see stickers, banners and posters in store windows. I see American flags ostentatiously displayed in numerous locations where they are completely out of context. I see a society that is pathologically draped in the American flag. I see somebody getting very rich mass-producing these things, somewhere in Taiwan.

I think you need to look again, Mr. Kost.

We must switch over to more solar power

With gas prices soaring and no sign of an end in sight, solar power is a must in this age.

We definitely need a new source of energy, and solar power seems to be a viable alternative. It is clean, everlasting and, most of all, free.

Hawai'i should develop a solar power research park that would quicken the conversion to such an energy source as soon as possible. Currently, the burning of oil is destroying the ozone layer and the Earth, so quick conversion to solar energy is a must.

With summertime conditions lasting year-round, Hawai'i should be the solar-power capital of the universe.

Current campaign designed to save you

To Mr. Kent Sharrar and all others who fail to understand the very basic purpose of the seemingly self-explanatory "Click it or Ticket" campaign: Seatbelts save lives!

Furthermore, anyone receiving a ticket for not wearing a seatbelt can rest assured that all other infractions (i.e., no insurance, expired safety check) will be cited by the very capable and thorough officers of the Honolulu Police Department.

Chilean training ship deserved its welcome

It is unfortunate that the writer from the Washington, D.C., Policy Studies Institute felt it was necessary to criticize Gov. Lingle for extending our aloha to the Chilean training ship, the Esmeralda.

Contrary to the claims in that letter, the Esmeralda has served as a symbol of the valor and courage of the people of Chile, who fought and won their independence from Spain and Peru more than 150 years ago. Chileans share the same values as Americans do today, a love of freedom and a respect for the value of each individual.

Recognizing the Esmeralda and her crew was our state's way of saluting this Pacific Rim nation and sharing the spirit of "e komo mai."

Blame the tourists, not 'Revealed' authors

Regarding the May 23 article "Tourist 'bibles' angering Hawai'i": As a frequent tourist to Maui and enthusiastic reader of "Maui Revealed," I pose this question: Where specifically does it say in the book that tourists should ignore warnings and signs? I don't believe the authors are entirely to blame here. If tourists are breaking the rules, the tourists (not the authors) should be held accountable.

Of the many tourist books about Maui, "Maui Revealed" is the most comprehensive one. My wife and I have used the book to do things both fun and legal, from restaurants to activities. Never have we ignored postings or disobeyed the rules.

On the flip side, I also feel that the "Revealed" books separate out the good Hawai'i businesses from the bad, simply by being frank about what businesses have to offer. Tourists should be allowed to make educated choices, based on these reviews. Businesses that are so concerned about reviews are probably the same ones that don't offer the most top-notch service to tourists. I'm looking forward to purchasing and reading "O'ahu Revealed" when it comes out in October.

Ultimately, the tourists have a duty to be responsible and should use common sense. If it doesn't look right, then don't do it.

Redirect HTA budget to preserving environment

The Hawai'i Tourism Authority gets $61 million per year from taxpayers, mainly to market Hawai'i to the world. Much of the money, if not most of it, goes for promotional efforts, such as TV ads on the Mainland. To its credit, the HTA realizes that product development is also part of marketing. The HTA has a program that, for example, fosters the preservation of Hawai'i's host culture.

But the HTA is not doing nearly enough to maintain its product because it is doing nothing to preserve our uniquely beautiful environment (at least there's no indication of any environmental preservation effort on its Web site).

So although lots of money is being spent on promoting Hawai'i as a tourist destination, the product itself is being neglected. The environment enjoys an occasional victory now and then, but most people would agree that the overall quality of Hawai'i's environment has been declining for a long time. If environmental quality declines below a certain level, visitors will stop coming to Hawai'i no matter how many ads they see on TV. The long-term prospects for the environment and for tourism are ominous.

Unfortunately, the multinational corporations that own hotels in Hawai'i have their own higher priorities than what happens in the long term. They are primarily concerned with profitability, and they want to attract customers in the immediate future more than they care about preserving the environment. If in the more distant future Hawai'i's environment becomes so polluted that tourists won't come, the multinationals will simply leave Hawai'i and build hotels somewhere else.

It's up to those of us who live in Hawai'i to be stewards of the environment. The $61 million per year allocated to the HTA should be redirected to preserve the environment. The multinationals and their representatives would most likely disagree with this idea. Nevertheless, it would be good for the environment, good for the long-term prospects of tourism and good for all of us who live here and intend to stay.

First off, fix the infrastructure

The Friends of Makakilo is a community organization of Makakilo residents formed months before Castle & Cooke bought the Palehua East B property. Our clearly stated goal has always been to have a moratorium on development in Makakilo until the infrastructure to support it is in place.

Our schools are overcrowded. The elementary-age children in Castle & Cooke's development will travel six miles — past three other schools — to Barbers Point Elementary. The area's middle-school children will go to a school bulging at the seams even though it is already on multi-track. The new development's high school students will force multi-track on Kapolei High School, breaking up the academies with their outstanding programs that have made Kapolei the high school in the state with the most requests for district exception transfers.

Our roads are already backed up in every direction for hours each day. We can't get out of our shopping center because of the traffic. The freeway to town is a nightmare nine days out of 10. The 500-plus cars from Castle & Cooke's new development will go to the same places we all go, further clogging the streets, making the situation insufferably worse. Castle & Cooke has done nothing to alleviate the problems.

There is a great shortage of emergency shelter in Makakilo. Eighty percent of our current residents have no safe place to go if a hurricane strikes.

Castle & Cooke has rocketed from date of purchase to start of construction in five months and seven days. But while it has raced to begin, it has done nothing, nothing, to improve the infrastructure. Let us state the case clearly: The community doesn't want Castle & Cooke moving a clod of dirt or bringing a thing onto the property until the roads, schools, emergency shelters, etc., are there to support it.

The 'Ewa Development Plan states that the rights-of-way for major arterials should be designed as landscaped parkways or greenways, complete with a landscaped median strip, landscaped sidewalk and bikeways. Major arterials should have separate bike paths. Suggested width for major arterials, including right-of-way and planting strips, is 120 feet wide.

Makakilo Drive is one of the few, major arterial roads in 'Ewa. Castle & Cooke is planning a 78-foot width as it passes through the development. That's barely over half the width called for by the plan. Why should Makakilo not get the beautiful passageways that the plan calls for? A 78-foot-wide street is a message in concrete and asphalt that Makakilo deserves and gets less. We demand the beautiful vision for 'Ewa that is found in the development plan.

Finally, let us talk about the damage, discomfort and extra work this development will cause our people. The winds over Castle & Cooke's property are the strongest sustained winds in the state. Much of Makakilo is directly downwind of it. Because of sewer-access shortage, Castle & Cooke's development will not receive building permits for another year. Beginning excavation now will needlessly leave Makakilo residents deep in dust for many months. Our homes will be discolored, and every day we will battle this invasive dust. Castle & Cooke's offer of protective window screens is an insult to our people.

We protest any development of Palehua East B before all of these problems are addressed.