Required on cars for very good reason

I keep wondering how long the majority of us here in Hawai'i are going to have to be subjected to the egocentric actions of the few. I am talking about people who have defied the concept of a car muffler and have installed devices on their cars to make them make enough noise to be heard for city blocks.

I live on the Ala Wai, and the constant demonstration of some people's disregard for others races by at an ever increasing rate. One wonders what making all that noise does for the ego of the driver, but I certainly know that the noise is irritating this person more frequently every day.

It all started when we were subjected to the music boom boxes. Now it seems we have to hear not only their music but also the car itself. Will these "It's all about me" persons ever be required to respect the rights of others?

One person helped to make it happen

Now that the era of the Kaimuki-Kapahulu-Waikiki Trolley is ending, I want to thank Ginny Meade for her hard work, dedication and perseverance in helping make the idea of a regional trolley a reality.

that wouldn't have happened without the hard work and perseverance of one person, Ginny Meade. She alone did most of the legwork. She persisted, even when things looked bad.

In the four years that the Kaimuki-Kapahulu-Waikiki Trolley operated, Ginny Meade continually met with city officials, the operators of the trolley, businesses and the affected communities. When there were problems, Ginny was there to help solve them. She is a dedicated volunteer who worked hard to implement an idea and worked harder to keep the trolley operating.

Although the trolley has shut down, the objective continues. The trolley route is now city bus route 303.

Shortage of diamonds affects team practice

I'm a concerned parent who has a son who plays baseball for a Waipahu team that can't find a park to practice at.

Our coach was first told that we could practice at the Hans L'Orange field, but when we were ready to start they told him that it could not be used for practices, only games. We can't use the Waipahu District Park because it is under renovation, and the only other park we could use is a small diamond on Managers Drive. On that field our 14- and 15-year-olds cannot do any batting because it's so small, and the way that diamond faces, the ball would surely hit the houses in the area.

I'd like to know why, with all of our taxpayers' money used for the Central O'ahu Regional Park, that we are not allowed to even practice there. (Circumstances the way they are, we should be allowed to practice at a decent field.)

Today, to top everything off, we get to that field to practice on our regular practice day and find another, younger baseball team using the field that we thought was ours to use on our practice days.

We did e-mail Duke Bainum for some help and were told that he forwarded the e-mail to Nestor Garcia; that was about two weeks ago, and we have not gotten any response.

Please help us here in Waipahu in any possible way, so our boys can at least have a decent field to practice at.

O'ahu's full of rudeness

Rude people — they're everywhere you go. These are the types of rude people I really dislike:

1. People who cut in front of you in a line, whether it be at a store, waiting to get on the bus, etc.

2. People you let go when you are driving and don't wave to say thanks.

3. People who don't hold the door open for you when entering a place.

4. People who don't thank you when you do something nice for them.

5. People who don't say sorry when they accidentally hit you when you are sitting on the bus, waiting in line, etc.

6. People who don't let you go when you are trying to change lanes or enter the freeway.

7. People who cut you off when you are driving.

8. People who make a reckless move when they are changing lanes, so it seems like they are going to hit you.

9. People who don't respond when you ask them a question or greet them.

10. People who don't smile back when you smile at them.

I have experienced the above while living on O'ahu. I hope people reading this will see what I dislike and have more aloha spirit. I think this island lacks the aloha spirit the most!

Our beaches are paying the price

I notice a disturbing trend as I sit in traffic or drive slowly in town. Too many cigarette smokers simply toss their butts out the car window. As a surfer and swimmer, I want these smokers to know that our Islands are too small for tossed cigarettes; they end up in storm drains and eventually wash into our nearshore waters and onto our beaches. Using the car's ash tray is a simple way for smokers to care for our Islands.

Blocking storm drains a bad idea

Every day I drive along Nimitz and see the storm drains blocked by sandbags and orange devices which I assume are there to absorb fluids such as oil.

The orange absorbers were a bad idea since they fill with dust and other debris and become clogged. When it rains they block the water flow until the force of the water moves them (potentially into the drain).

Then someone got the bright idea to hold the ends in place with sandbags. Now the flow of water is further restricted, causing flooding along the side of the street and into the sidewalk areas made for wheelchairs.

Hopefully the next step is to get rid of this as a bad idea and eyesore. If it is felt that there is a need for keeping these fluids from the ocean, then do what they do for vessels which are potential polluters: Place floating absorbers where the drains flow into the ocean.

View of Camp Pendleton wasn't grounded in reality

Wayne Pearce's comments on having the Stryker brigade based at Camp Pendleton (Letters, Sept. 27) are misleading and inaccurate.

Yes, Pendleton is a Marine Corps base and quite beautiful and pristine compared to the surrounding and encroaching populace. That's because the Marine Corps has become its guardian and steward. A massive environmental commitment has been in place for decades. One can only imagine the real estate agents who would love to obtain this coast land and "develop" it like most of the surrounding area: wall-to-wall cities.

The base was established in 1942 and is the largest Marine Corps base. The primary reason why the brigade will not be afforded access to it on a permanent basis is very simple. The training areas are limited and not hospitable to the kind of maneuvering and firing it would like to use. There are numerous restrictions on base. There are also numerous units that wait for their turn to use the ranges.

The reason Wayne does not see training is accurate. The highway (I-5) cuts through the base on its western perimeter close to the coastline. Training is very rare near this conduit for obvious reasons, although the Marines and sailors practice amphibious warfare to include special operations.

Inland, out of sight of the highway, they conduct all types of operations to include air, parachuting, live fire of most weapons (air, tanks, artillery, etc.). It is already super busy there and you have troops all over doing infantry related matters.

I know that Wayne and others think it is simple. It truly is not. Most bases play host to the other services when and if they can. Remember, there have been several base closings resulting in more pressure on the military, especially when the operational commitment has soared. They try their best to be environmentally correct and fantastic neighbors.

Distraction from needs at home

According to a recent Advertiser editorial ("Third year in a row, more live in poverty," Aug. 28), the number of Americans living in a state of poverty has risen each year President George W. Bush has been in office. Tellingly, that number fell seven out of the eight years during Clinton's presidency. See anything wrong with this? I do. I feel that Bush is spending our government's money foolishly and should start utilizing it wisely.

First of all, I have noticed that President Bush seems to be focusing a lot of his time on the war in Iraq. A substantial amount of our money is being used to help fund our military troops and their important needs. Why are we fighting Iraq anyway? What did they ever do to us? I assertively know that our nation's hard-earned money can be used in more important ways besides warfare. President Bush desperately needs to reconsider his actions. Having our military deployed to Iraq seems like a big waste of money and time.

Instead of military use, we could use our money to further our educational system, perhaps by lowering the cost of tuition around the nation, or by creating more affordable schools and colleges. If people of the U.S. cannot afford a good quality education for their children, then what will the future hold for them? Without an excellent educational system, the future of America will be uncertain.

Reduced tuition costs are only part of a more valuable use of American money for its citizens. A reduction in taxes could significantly help people remove themselves from poverty. Even if the tax cutback is of the smallest measure, it will greatly help out in the long run.

President Bush could also help create more jobs available to the common citizen. I feel that there is a lack of job opportunities in our country. If more jobs become available, the greater the chance would be of people getting out of poverty.

Our president needs to start attending to the needs of every single citizen in the United States. He needs to make sure that our government budget is well kept and our spending is prudent. He needs to focus his attention more on America rather than Iraq. I firmly believe that these suggestions will help the less fortunate portion of our country. It could strengthen our economy and help secure a strong future for America.

If President Bush would just use his head and start thinking like a president rather than a war leader, the number of people living in poverty would most likely be lower than it is today.