Case against trees doesn't measure up

If Carol Kauliakamoa (Letters, Aug. 31) had her way, probably all of our forests would be cut down because evil things can hide there and they block the way of "progress." Let me try to answer her point by point:

• Whose SUV ran a red light? Was she there — or in it? What kind of newly planted tree has enough foliage to block a red light? Could it have been a tree that's been there for 50-plus years?
• How did she know about a rental car going the wrong way because the signs were hidden by trees? Can she point out the hidden signage to the proper authorities?
• Ala Moana Boulevard has lanes measuring 10 feet, and they don't have trucks and buses knocking each other's mirrors off.
• Why do the residents of Waikiki have no place to park? Interchange Waikiki with Kaimuki, Iwilei, Kalihi, Makiki, etc. There are places to park. We just have too many cars.
• HECO customers have lost power in just about every part of Honolulu at one time or another due to fallen branches.
• A visitor was robbed in Waikiki by someone hiding behind the "dark area" created by a newly planted skinny coconut tree? She's got to be kidding!

Her crowning line calls Jeremy Harris the "most destructive and uncaring mayor we ever had, and all the good he's ever done has now been erased by his planting of trees." My goodness, Joyce Kilmer and Johnny Appleseed are turning in their graves.

For your information, the farsightedness of Mayor Harris is being praised by many of Hawai'i's leaders, and long after he's left office, Hawai'i's citizens will be benefiting from the fruits of his idealism.

Sacrifice of whales for defense is a joke

Thank you for the excellent coverage on the Navy's admission that its sonar was active during the mass stranding of hundreds of whales in Hanalei Bay.

The sad part of all this is that the sacrifice of whales and other creatures of the sea for the advertised sake of national defense is a big joke, a joke created by scientists and engineers enamored of the challenge of high technology and enabled to play with their tricks with the help of the military-industrial-university technology complex. Using active sonar to look for an enemy submarine is like turning on a searchlight on yourself in a dark night to tell your adversaries: "Hey, I'm here!"

The real application is in communication, of course. This was exactly what the opponents said of the University of California at San Diego ATOC project in which a powerful low-frequency active sonar was planted just outside Hanalei Bay in the mid-'90s; that its true purpose was long-range communications, a supposition that was later proved to be true when UCSD moved into the second phase of its research, during which the purpose had changed from looking for signs of global warming to improving long-range communication. The opponents of ATOC at that time said the project, by a university, was just a fig leaf for some eventual military application.

It is ironic that what started out outside Hanalei Bay in 1995, ostensibly to detect global warming, would end up herding hundreds of whales into Hanalei Bay nine years later. Isn't science wonderful?!

Ice battle must indeed be double-pronged

Dave Shapiro's Sept. 1 column on the battle against ice was on target.

Ice is a tough problem that requires us to step outside the box and address the problem in more comprehensive terms than we have in the past. A purely punitive, lock-'em-up approach may put users behind bars, but it doesn't get at the root of the problem.

That's what legislators heard from those with firsthand experience of ice in their communities and in their families. It's also why last session we passed legislation that gets tough on dealers and hard-core users, but also funds new prevention and treatment programs.

In matters of public health, we don't just treat outbreaks of dangerous diseases; we go after root causes and try to prevent outbreaks from happening. We address both cause and effect. That's what needs to be done with ice if we truly want to be effective.

I believe the answer is what Dave Shapiro suggests — less stridency about superiority of one approach over another and more cooperation in developing the working relationships and tools that will do the most good in stopping the growth of ice use. That means doing three things well: keeping people from becoming ice addicts in the first place, helping current addicts who want to clean up their lives, and putting away the dealers and hard-core users who prey on society.

Let the tailgater pass and you're better off

There have been many letters and articles on the subject of tailgating. A variety of opinions of what the law is or what is right has been expressed. But I haven't seen one with the following suggestion.

One of the strongest human impulses is self-preservation. Consideration of this impulse could save your life in any tailgating situation. Think about it.

Would you rather have some nut who is angry with you, and getting more so by the second, tailgating you at high speed? He just might not be able to stop if, for some reason, you have to brake in an emergency. He will also be looking for any opportunity to pass you, perhaps dangerously. Or would you rather just move over and let him pass?

Remember, while he is behind you, he is in control (if not out of control). After you have let him pass, you are in control once again.

There should be aloha for cruise ship, not criticism

Having the phone ring off the hook concerning all the news about the Pride of Aloha and the challenges NCL America faces entering its new venture in the state of Hawai'i, I feel compelled to comment on those trying to harm this company's image.

NCL America has great potential to help build our economy by providing more jobs to our citizens, more tourism and more state income.

"Is it true what they are saying in the newspapers and on TV?" That's what people want to know.

I've had the occasion to board the ship each week for the past two months, an outsider looking in. I've met the sanitation worker up to the captain and have spoken with many passengers. The ship is certainly bustling with energy. There are many people of outstanding character and intestinal fortitude employed by NCL, and I'm in awe of their courage and drive to "weather the storm" of this start-up operation.

Yes, there are adjustments to be made to accommodate becoming an American-flag ship, but tell me, where is the aloha and kokua for NCL, which made a billion-dollar investment to come to this state and take this attack in the media? Where are the kudos for the opportunities NCL will provide our kama'aina and business owners? Where is the support on this venture that will help to ensure the future of a thriving Hawai'i economy?

I've been an HR professional for over 20 years. Hawai'i has certainly been a learning experience these past 10. The challenges here are unparalleled and incalculable compared to the Mainland. As an employer, I'm faced with densities of poor and liberal work ethics, constrictive hiring laws, crippling tax obligations and radical cultural differences, yet I've succeeded in forging ahead, building my own company, one happy customer at a time.

I support NCL's endeavors 100 percent! The ship's crew members and staff are awesome. There is no time in this life to dwell on unpleasant things or of the comments of the self-serving, the scorned or even the rightfully wronged. We learn, we then move forward, and forward we shall all go.

Discovering what education is

I'm still enrolled in school as a lifelong student. Why? Because I need to understand what education is theoretically.

As I sat with my head down on the desk in my Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies 768 class with a migraine headache and a sore stomach, ready to black out at any second, my erudite professor, Dr. E. Barbara Klemm, asked us to ponder on familiar vocabulary words. "Education" was one of the words to think about.

I continued to sit with my head down, ruminating about education and wondering if I really knew what it meant. With two other classmates, we needed to come up with an answer. I guess I really couldn't think straight due to my ill condition, so I couldn't come up with an answer summed up in one or two sentences. However, as I continued to ruminate, my colleagues were chatting away. At least I knew they were thinking. Then I decided to put my head up. For I knew I needed to participate on the first day of class.

Dr. Klemm walked on over to the chalkboard and wrote down the adjective form of "education," which is "educative," perhaps thinking we could come up with an ideal definition. I finally picked up my pen and decided to write a poem with my nebulous mind at work. And this is what I developed for "education," followed by a brief explanation:

Early Death Universal Content Accumulation Time Individual Ownership New.

As Early as this world was formed, I'm sure someone was getting an education in whatever aspect of evolution this world may have been created (I think Adam and Eve had a fruitful education). One takes their education to the Deathbed when the time comes. Education is Universal, whether it's formal or informal. Education Content (discipline) is decided upon an individual's interest(s). Accumulation of education comes with time. One may gain an education during various stages or Times in life. Every Individual is entitled to an education. One has Ownership over his education. Every experience of education is New upon learning.

After I presented my convoluted definition of "education" due to my still-hazy mind, Dr. Klemm explained there is really no right or wrong answer of the word because of the perspective one may have that is influenced by one's developed knowledge or education of what education is.

Thus, as a third-year teacher in public school and an unclassified post-graduate student, I continue to look at my students with my new definition of "education" knowing that there is really no right or wrong answer. I'll be happy if my students can finish school with a developed idea of what their education is all about from their own perspective as I have developed my own in Dr. Klemm's class.