SUVs only as unsafe as their drivers

I fail to understand exactly what Jackson Eames (Letters, Monday) is trying to say about police officers using SUVs. He apparently has no idea what police work is about. SUVs can carry a lot more police equipment and are much more versatile than sedans.

SUVs are only dangerous when the person behind the wheel operates them in such a manner that is detrimental to self and others. Same as with any sedan. If SUVs are such dangerous vehicles, why then have they been around for so many years?

Failing to vote is to forget our legacy

As an 18-year-old, eager to be able to vote this year, I am deeply troubled by the turnout our state had for the primary on Saturday.

After everything that our forefathers did to earn us our freedom, and after all the blood shed during the civil rights movement to earn minorities the right to vote, and after the battle fought by Susan B. Anthony and the like to earn women the right to vote, I can't understand for the life of me why so few take the opportunity to vote, a right that is not given to so many others. We enjoy a freedom like no other country on the planet. Not to take advantage of this is to spit on the American flag, and everything that this great country stands for.

I recently attended a seminar for disabled voters and learned that Hawai'i is the first state in the nation to use technology that enables the deaf and blind to cast private ballots. So much is also being done in our state to allow easy access for those of us in wheelchairs, that there is absolutely no reason why eligible voters should not vote. Your voice does count.

Time is of the essence in reopening park

Before UH administrators decided to shut out the public, Lyon Arboretum was a very special site for many tourists, adult citizens and thousands of school children. The abrupt closure on Aug. 27 has unnecessarily deprived Hawai'i's visitors and residents of a high-quality experience free of entry charges, which is quite rare on O'ahu today.

Lyon Arboretum has always been understaffed and fully dependent on public volunteers to clear fallen debris and keep up the botanical collections. Currently only employees are allowed entry, and they are not at all enough to oversee the health of Lyon's large number of living specimens. Among these collections are a broad assortment of the most endangered native Hawaiian plants.

With the arboretum's resource value now in active decay, time is critically short. This treasured place should be opened up to the public again without any further delay or excuses.

There's no rushing fatality investigations

Whenever a traffic fatality occurs on a freeway, HPD will treat the area like a crime scene. Investigators will shut down lanes of a freeway and secure the area from public access as they would a murder scene.

They will then begin the investigation process meticulously, as they try to take the measurements inch by inch, and recover every trace of evidence from the scene — from the wreckage to body parts and debris. There are also safety factors involved. Hazardous materials such as spilled gasoline, battery acid and other chemicals must be removed from the freeway.

These efforts might take hours to complete, causing "inconve-niences" to some of us who commute using the freeway. We might be late for work, miss appointments, or maybe even miss a flight.

It is easy to get impatient at these times and ask, "Why can't they just open up one lane or more to allow traffic flow while they continue with their slow investigations?"

The fact is, HPD does try to open up at least a lane to facilitate traffic, as soon as it is deemed safe and clear.

However, even this may take some time. What a lot of people don't realize is, once a traffic fatality occurs on a freeway, it is treated as a crime scene because someone has just lost his or her life, and investigators need to find out the cause of death — what really happened. Was it caused by vehicle malfunction, driving under influence, negligence or even manslaughter?

A professional and thorough investigation needs to take place before the cause of death can be determined accurately.

Bottom line is, if it were your relative or loved one involved in the fatal accident, wouldn't you want a thorough investigation done?

Shipping out youthful offenders is detrimental

I am outraged that the state has decided to export our female children at the Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility to Utah. Sharon Agnew, the executive director of the Office of Youth Services, would like us to believe that shipping our children thousands of miles away from their homes is in their best interest, and that this transfer is a "temporary" solution to ease overcrowding at HYCF. The people of Hawai'i must reject these absurd conclusions and demand that our children be placed in alternative community programs at home.

Contrary to Director Agnew's claims, shipping our children to Utah is not in their best interest. Nor is this transfer "the most compassionate and thought-out plan." The truth is that upon hearing the news of the transfer, two girls allegedly attempted to kill themselves. By transferring our children to Utah, we are sending the wrong message that we are giving up on these children, and that other people should take care of our "problems." We are also separating children from their loved ones and other community support who are instrumental to helping these youth turn their lives around.

Second, if history is any lesson, we must not believe that this transfer is a "temporary" solution to overcrowding at the youth prison. In the mid-1990s, the Department of Public Safety claimed that shipping a handful of adult inmates to the Mainland was a "temporary" solution to overcrowding in Hawai'i's prisons. Today, we have approximately 1,400 inmates in out-of-state prisons.

Despite a Department of Public Safety 2002 study showing that there is a 90 percent recidivism rate for Hawai'i parolees from Mainland prisons, compared with a rate of between 47 percent and 57 percent for Hawai'i parolees incarcerated locally, the state continues to export more adult men and women prisoners each year — even though the evidence shows that these transfers make our communities less safe. Let's not make the same mistake with our youth!

Please contact your elected representatives and demand that we take care of our keiki at home, and find alternative placements within our community.

Why VFW-PAC supports him

The nation's veterans and military personnel need strong representation in Congress. That's why Veterans of Foreign Wars members created their own political action committee, the VFW-PAC. It endorses candidates committed to a solid national defense and full funding for programs that support military families, veterans and retirees.

For Hawai'i's 1st congressional district, the choice was clear: VFW-PAC endorses Rep. Neil Abercrombie. When it comes to our national security and those who put their lives on the line, Abercrombie's hard work and dedication stand out. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, he forms an effective partnership with Sen. Dan Inouye and the rest of the Hawai'i delegation.

There are many reasons for VFW-PAC's endorsement of Rep. Abercrombie.

Here are a few:

• He voted to provide badly needed equipment for troops in Iraq — like improved body armor and better protection for Humvees.

• He supported increased military pay and housing allowances.

• He is a champion of quality military family housing, securing nearly 3,000 units on O'ahu.

• He authored the Tricare for Life bill, which provides military retirees with the health coverage they were promised when they first enlisted.

• He has consistently supported increases in GI education benefits and home loan guarantees.

• He is a leader in the fight against the "Disabled Veterans Tax," which reduces military retiree pensions if the retiree also qualifies for VA disability benefits.

• He is fighting to eliminate the "Military Widows Tax," which cuts the benefits of surviving spouses of deceased military retirees when the spouse turns 62.

• He is working to shield veterans health programs from cuts proposed by the current administration.

• He pays special attention to the National Guard and Reserves, fighting to ensure they have the equipment, training and support to carry out their assigned mission.

VFW-PAC's endorsement decisions are not based on spin or political opportunism, but rather what is best for veterans, service members and national security. By any measure, Neil Abercrombie comes through on every count. That's why VFW-PAC supports his re-election to Congress.

Be careful what you wish for, Mufi

How refreshing indeed it would be watching both candidates debating hand in hand. Who knows? If it works, they could set an excellent example for the upcoming Bush-Kerry presidential debates as well.

But somehow I fear Mr. Hannemann got mixed up with another body part in Italian. Instead of "mano a mano" (hand in hand), he probably meant "faccia a faccia" (face to face): far less refreshing than "mano a mano," but more likely.