Letters to the Editor
HAWAIIANS MUST NOW UNITE ON AKAKA BILL
The 9th federal appeals court rendered a grave injustice to the Hawaiian people by striking down the Hawaiians-first admission policy at the Kamehameha Schools.
It is time for members of the Hawaiian community to unite and put aside their differences on the Akaka bill. We kanaka maoli should realize that with the passing of the Akaka bill, we would be recognized as a sovereign nation, like the Native American Indian tribes nationwide.
As a Native Hawaiian nation within the nation of the U.S. government, the Kamehameha Schools could be brought under the protective umbrella of this sovereign entity. This sovereignty would give us kanaka maoli protection from outside intrusions into all of our Native Hawaiian affairs.
Steven T. Kalani Burke | Kamehameha Schools Class of 1959, Pearl City
WHY THIS INTRUSION INTO HAWAIIAN CULTURE?
I am saddened by the ruling of the appeals judges with regard to John Doe v. Kamehameha Schools. I am a haole and have lived here since the late '60s. I have been blessed with good fortune along the way and have tried to repay this beautiful state for the bounty it has bestowed on me.
I look at the many haoles living here, and most have done well. There are many homes in the million-dollar range owned by haoles, purchased with money earned here.
I don't understand that given all the blessings they have gotten here, why they feel they have to intrude into the last bastion of Hawaiian culture in Hawai'i. What is it in the haole culture that drives such greed that they will try anything to get to a place where they are not wanted?
Fred R. Boll | Mililani
MANY HAWAIIANS ALSO WEREN'T ACCEPTED
What a sad day! I'm disappointed with the court's decision against Kamehameha Schools.
When I was a child and teenager, my parents applied to Kamehameha for me for all open grades. The open grades are kindergarten, fourth, seventh and ninth. My parents and I submitted all the necessary paperwork that was requested by Kamehameha. Yes, I'm Hawaiian with Hawaiian blood.
When all the paperwork and exams were said and done, I was disappointed because I was not accepted. However, I never thought "Oh, let's get a lawyer and take Kamehameha Schools to court because I'm a sore loser." Never!
Unfortunately, John Doe and the lawyers who represented him are all lacking in judgment. Do they think they are the only people to be denied acceptance to Kamehameha Schools? There are many, many Hawaiians who took the exam, did well and were still not accepted into Kamehameha Schools. John Doe, we live in a world where you have choices and options. You could have enrolled in another private school. Why are you being a "bully" and picking on the school for the Hawaiian people?
John Doe, shame on you and your family!
K. Naki | Kahalu'u
IS HAWAIIAN PLIGHT THE REWARD FOR LOVE?
Once again the Hawaiian people have received a slap in the face, when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the exclusive Kamehameha Schools policy of admitting only Native Hawaiians.
Again a proud people must turn the other cheek to the continued indifference of the leaders of this great country who profess a belief in God and justice, yet ignore the long-suffering plight and the justice due to the Hawaiian people.
How long, oh God, how long must we wait to be recognized for who we are and what was done?
Would it have been better for us had we shed blood against our first aggressors as the Native Americans did, instead of welcoming them with the spirit of aloha? Is our plight the reward for love?
If Hawaiian and American blood stained the lands of our ancestors, would Hawai'i still be a sovereign country or would we at least have a sovereign nation on Hawaiian land where a school exclusively for children of Hawaiian ancestry would be our inalienable right?
In this new millennium when our country is bringing justice and social order to distant lands through the sacrifice of the blood of our sons and daughters, isn't it time to bring justice to the Hawaiian people by the stroke of a pen?
How long, oh Lord, how long!
Lance Monlux | Wailuku, Maui
ADMISSION SHOULD BE FOR ORPHANS AND NEEDY
We shouldn't be seeing any parents in Mercedes and BMWs dropping their children off at Kamehameha Schools every morning. Princess Pauahi Bishop's trust states that her assets are to be used to support and educate orphans and other indigent (poor) children, giving preference to those of Hawaiian blood.
This has always seemed clear to me; she wanted to provide a first-rate education for those children in Hawai'i who would benefit the most. If you bring up the bottom of society, the entire society gets raised.
Those who are the poorest are the ones who drop out of school and get low-paying jobs. Hawaiians who can afford to send their children to the other private schools and to college, who can provide enrichment experiences for their children, and who have two parents earning incomes are "stealing" from their poorer fellow Hawaiians when it comes to Kamehameha Schools admission.
When those Hawaiians stop applying their children to Kamehameha and the trustees drop their admissions criteria and follow the terms of the trust 100 percent, then real justice will be given to those Hawaiians whose rights have been trampled from past injustices.
Libby Tomar | Kailua
JUST SOCIETY MEANS JUSTICE FOR HAWAIIANS
I am sad and ashamed of the American justice system after reading the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down the Kamehameha Schools admission policy preference for Hawaiian students.
We can and will argue over the merits of each side's arguments and the majority and dissenting opinions, but there can be no denial of the hurt and insult inflicted on Hawaiians by the court. This challenge targets the Kamehameha Schools, a uniquely Hawaiian institution. Kamehameha Schools is a symbolic and real asset for a native people dispossessed of land, colonized and robbed of their inherent right to self-governance.
It is particularly disturbing that the court turned civil rights law on its head to render this injustice. Our courts have failed us in the past, upholding separate but equal, the Japanese-American internment and theft of native lands. Our progress toward a just society has not been inevitable, but the fruit of painful struggle in the courts, on the streets, and in the halls of Congress and state houses.
Those of us who love justice must stand with Hawaiians and decry this injustice. Here in Hawai'i, we cannot have a just society without justice for Hawaiians.
Bill Hoshijo | Executive director, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission (Submitted as an individual, not in official capacity)
IT'S BETTER TO END HOSTILITY OF EXCLUSION
The reaction to the Kamehameha Schools' court decision, as reported by this newspaper and on TV, indicates a policy of exclusion rather than integration. The reaction seems to reflect what happened to the early Irish in Boston, i.e., "Irish need not apply."
If Kamehameha is truly a private school, whose teaching reflects Hawaiian history, culture and values, then why not set it up like a private school with full scholarships for those who pass the Hawaiian ancestry test? Anyone else who wishes to have their children experience this education would have to pay the tuition that all other parents have to pay in private schools.
Although this decision may have been a disappointment to some, it should be evaluated in the light of stated Hawaiian values of good will and the spirit of aloha. What other purpose is there to withdrawing behind the ramparts than to create tension and hostility between races and cultures? This leads to the ultimate outcome: an atmosphere of increasing hostility from all sides, just the opposite of one of the core values of the Hawaiian culture.
Paul Tyksinski | Kane'ohe
WE HAWAIIANS CANNOT PREVAIL WITHOUT UNITY
I was so upset and sickened when I heard about the court's ruling against Kamehameha Schools' Native Hawaiian admissions policy. Do private wills hold any value anymore?
After witnessing the decline and displacement of her people, Princess Pauahi Bishop set aside her own money in hopes that Native Hawaiian children would be educated for years to come. Her dream came true, and Kamehameha Schools has become one of the most elite schools in the nation.
I don't blame non-Hawaiians for wanting their children to receive an education comparable to that offered at Kamehameha, but I question the legality of allowing everyone and anyone to benefit from the private wishes, private money and private estate of a Native Hawaiian princess.
Now that everyone will be allowed to attend Kamehameha Schools, how long will it be before someone objects to the teaching of Native Hawaiian language, culture, chants and history? How far have we come when Native Hawaiians still have to fight for what is rightfully theirs?
Rather than arguing over the different approaches to sovereignty, the Akaka bill, etc., we Hawaiians need to unite as one to defend that which is ours. The longer we spend divided, the more we will lose.
Keala Kaopuiki-Santos | Kihei, Maui
REWRITE ADMISSIONS POLICY TO THWART LAWS
I was born and educated here in Honolulu, and am not of Hawaiian ancestry, but I can only feel disgust at the selfish, overbearing attitude of those who feel they can only be satisfied if they usurp the tradition and dignity of an institution that bases its mission and existence on the privilege of supporting children of Hawaiian descent.
I believe that many, if not all, locally born but not blooded, Hawai'i residents feel the same way I do.
I will gladly support Kamehameha in rewriting its admission policy so that the criteria to admit students would preclude any non-Hawaiians without breaking any of the so-called laws that allow for such lawsuits. It can be done.
C. Yoza | Honolulu
GIVE TUITION AID
It is a shame that the court spits on the will of the princess. If Kamehameha has to let non-Hawaiians in, it should charge $25,000 for tuition and give $23,000 tuition aid scholarships to Hawaiians from an education foundation fund, which I believe can give racial preferences.
Craig Watase | Niu Valley
SCHOLARSHIP ANSWER
Since Kamehameha is privately owned, could it, for example, start charging comparable tuition fees for all and then give full scholarships to every Native Hawaiian who is admitted?
Irene Curren | Palolo
BICYCLISTS
SKATEBOARDERS SHOULD SHARE PARK WITH US
Where am I supposed to ride my specialized 20-inch bicycle? Every person who buys a bicycle will have to pay $15 to the city. Any citation because of no headlights while riding at night is at least $70.There have been eight skateboard parks made especially for skateboarders. How come? Skateboarders don't pay anything, yet they get a nice place to skate. With all the money bicycles bring in, why can't they share the park with bicyclists? At least we pay our way. I don't mean a bike lane that is a block long, either. I want equal time to use the bike park; after all, bicycles paid for it.
Who do I have to call to get action?
David Cansana | 'Ewa Beach
RAIL TRANSIT
LET'S NOT GET BURIED IN AVALANCHE OF TAXES
Michael Lauck's condescending response (July 26) to Kainoa Kaumeheiwa-Rego's letter deserves comment. While Kaumeheiwa-Rego questions the benefit of a rail system to the county as a whole, Lauck mistakenly believes that offering an alternative (at any cost) to only a portion of the residents of this county is the way to go. Never mind that it will be a system that starts out with good intentions in Leeward O'ahu but has a terminus far from where commuters want to go.And he further disregards the obvious massive and never-ending subsidies this "alternative" will demand from our budget in the future.
Mr. Lauck needs to further realize that those of us who oppose rail are in favor of alternatives that will be flexible to meet the shifting demands of the future while at the same time not burying us in an avalanche of new taxes. In other words, sensible alternatives that won't require the substantial tax increase we are now faced with.
This substantial increase has already been recognized as only the first increment of what will eventually be a 25 percent increase. I'm sure Mr. Lauck wouldn't buy a pig in a poke with his own money, so why should public money be treated any differently?
Bill Nelson | Hale'iwa
AUDITS
HEALTHY GOVERNMENT TRIES TO CUT COSTS
Rep. Colleen Meyer was right on target with her letter ("State must look at privatization," July 21), but her statements did not go far enough.Every state and city agency has an obligation to look at itself; that's what auditing is about. It should always be looked at for privatization except those state and city agencies such as police, fire, civil defense, water, the courts and tax departments.
If private industry can do the job better and at less cost to the government, then it should be determined if it will work. That is a win-win situation for the state and city, but most of all for the people of Hawai'i — after all, that's whom they all work for. This is not to say there are not other programs to study.
The state should set the standards and accept bids for all agency services. This is not to say that state employees will lose jobs; what it says is the state and city have a fiduciary duty to the people to properly manage the government. The state will still be needed to manage the privatization of those other operations. We will just have to do it better.
As we all know now, Pearl Harbor shipyard was on the block for cost, and if it does not improve, then the BRAC Commission will be back. So maybe we need a GRAC Commission — Government Realignment Commission. A healthy government looks at itself every three to five years in order to save money, just like a business does.
Bill Littell | Waikiki
