Posted on: Monday, March 7, 2005

Letters to the Editor

No need for special treatment upon exit

All too typical is the letter written by reader and lawyer William Brady stating that released prisoners should be given a ride back to prison to collect belongings, be directed to a homeless shelter or given a loan. All compliments of the state whose laws the prisoner violated.

Forget the fact the prisoner has already sucked up resources ranging from police, the judicial system and the substantial costs of imprisoning the inmate. The fact the prisoner actually did some time dictates he or she has used these public-paid resources numerous times.

Why stop there? Let's provide the former felons with taxpayer-paid food until they can get it together. We'll start a program of jobs just for former prisoners! We can buy them some friends so they can learn to socialize outside of prison.

There is no "spirit of the settlement" as Brady refers to. There are laws and penalties for breaking them as dictated by the society we live in. Before and above that, there are choices, decisions and consequences for all of us.

Seems to me a prisoner has lots of time to plan how to get a ride back to prison after being released at the courthouse.

Ferry's nice, but we need more lanes, too

We applaud the Hannemann administration's proposed Kalaeloa-to-Honolulu Harbor ferry system and its efforts to coordinate its bus services with the ferry system. Transportation success comes with the implementation of not only one but an array of transportation initiatives.

A traffic frustration we face daily — not only during morning peak periods, but now during all times of the day and even on weekends — is the "Fort Shafter backup." We have here a situation of severely missing freeway capacity where nine town-bound H-1 freeway lanes merge back into Moanalua Freeway's meager three lanes. The backup promises to only get worse in the years ahead.

We would like to see the state Department of Transportation add missing freeway lanes from the Ke'ehi Interchange to downtown and Kaka'ako. This could consist of a viaduct from Ke'ehi Interchange and over Sand Island, a short tunnel beneath Honolulu Harbor and resurfacing at Fort Armstrong, and connection into Downtown/Kaka'ako via a South Street/Punchbowl Street couplet that "free-crosses" Ala Moana Boulevard with an underpass. Waikiki-bound motorists would also benefit from this natural "Kalihi/Iwilei/Downtown Bypass" with a connection back into Ala Moana Boulevard.

Imagine four more freeway lanes (two in each direction) going all the way from the Ke'ehi Interchange to downtown and Kaka'ako! Going home, you catch a freeway right out of Punchbowl Street.

UH dorm drinking: Let community speak

Some thoughts about UH and alcohol: In my time at the dorms, marijuana use was more prevalent than alcohol use. And the lieutenant governor's assertion that alcohol is a gateway drug is ridiculous. If it was true, most of the adult population would be using heavy drugs, since 65 percent of them had alcohol in the past month.

While alcohol poisoning is a real if rare problem, drunk driving is a daily threat to UH students. One reason is the lack of alternatives to driving. A solution could be to use the shuttles that ferry students across campus during the day to run dorm-Puck's Alley-Restaurant Row-Aloha Tower routes at night.

Another reason is that without a retail source of alcohol, students get drunk and then drive to buy more beer.

And most of the fights I saw in my days involved at least one non-dorm, non-UH person. Enrolled students are cautious about getting expelled.

We need a community advisory group to come up with some logical, sound ideas.

Foreign visitors would help with rail

Hawai'i, like Japan, is a group of islands formed by volcanic action that left a large percentage of livable area along the coastlines. This geographic layout is suitable for a rail line running from the west side of O'ahu through the densest portions of our island, eventually on to Hawai'i Kai, with future spurs running up the center of O'ahu to Mililani and over to the Windward side.

What seems to have been left out of the debate concerning the cost of rail is the fact that millions of tourists visit O'ahu every year. Those from both Japan and Europe are light years ahead of us on rail, and both cultures already have and use rail extensively in their everyday lives.

While visiting O'ahu, they, too, would be paying the excise tax and cost of ridership, thus helping us locals defray the cost of this much-needed means of travel.

Hey, our Kailua bus is also important

It was Valentine's Day and I was looking forward to getting to work on time. I was up and dressed in plenty of time to catch my scheduled 6:34 a.m. No. 56 bus at 'Aikahi in Kailua. It never came!

Normally I don't get upset or call to complain when the bus is late, even if it is a special day. But this wasn't the first time the bus didn't come. I have sat at the bus stop early in the morning for over 30 minutes on numerous occasions along with other regular riders waiting for a bus that never comes. This time my chocolate started to boil, so I called TheBus.

I can't believe what I was told! Our bus driver is pulled off and put on another route when important or "priority" routes are short on drivers. Kailua riders are not important?

I am a longtime daily bus rider and am offended by this treatment. I have complete respect for our drivers. However, what are their supervisors doing? Tell them to go drive the important routes when a driver calls in sick. I want to get to work on time every day.

Do an EIS while project is progressing

An EIS study on the Superferry can be conducted while the project is getting started. The Superferry won't be up and running until 2007, and that is plenty of time to work out any unforeseen problems. Otherwise, we could lose the federal money, and this alternative means of transportation would not become a reality.

I believe special-interest groups that are anti-growth or involved in boat clubs, competing cargo ship companies, airlines and car rental companies, etc., are trying to block this.

As for whales, check with the city officials in Alaska and ask them how they deal with this potential problem.

Bandmaster brings with him spirit of excellence

The recent decision to not renew the contract of Royal Hawaiian bandmaster Aaron Mahi has drawn criticism from some corners. However, the talk about Mayor Mufi Hannemann's decision has overshadowed the fact that an outstanding music director has been appointed.

Michael Nakasone has been a fixture in the community for four decades. His bands are among the most acclaimed in the nation and in the world.

Mayor Hannemann made it clear that he wanted to choose a person who will be able to build upon the foundation laid down by former bandmasters, including Aaron Mahi, whose service we are all grateful for. The candidates were screened and interviewed through an exhaustive process.

In the final "cut," Mike Nakasone and Clarke Bright stood above the rest. I have known both of these fine gentlemen for many years. These men have very similar character traits. They are both excellent musicians, compassionate, visionary and, above all, they are both outstanding human beings. Either would do an outstanding job as the new bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band. Both have my deepest respect and affection.

As Mayor Hannemann mentioned, Clarke Bright, who is part-Hawaiian, was his first choice. When Mr. Bright decided to pull out of the selection process, Mr. Nakasone was appointed to the post. The selection process is over, and now we need to focus on supporting him and the band.

What he brings as a professional band director is the accolades and respect of band directors nationally and internationally. I was at the performance in 1990 at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic when his band received a thunderous standing ovation with seven curtain calls from 2,500 fellow band directors. This is but one example of this man's abilities.

Mr. Nakasone is also quite aware of what role the Royal Hawaiian Band plays in our community. He has shared his vision for the band with me, and I am confident he will bring new life to the band.

If the measure of a teacher's value is in the lives he has positively affected, it would be difficult to find an equal.

We have such a unique and historical band created by Kamehameha III. No other state has such a priceless treasure as this band. Let us rally behind our new bandmaster, who brings with him a spirit of excellence and vision to improve upon this great institution.

House dragging its feet on bribery

Hawai'i's bribery law is far too weak and far too lenient.

A public servant who accepts, for example, a million-dollar bribe faces only five years in jail — the same sentence faced by someone who shoplifts $301. We have no felony criminal statute that prohibits large monetary "gifts" to a public servant after an official act that benefits the giver, such as a legislative vote or the awarding of a contract. And we have no felony statute that prohibits large "gifts" from the regulated to regulators.

For the past three legislative sessions, the administration and the Hawai'i Law Enforcement Coalition (the attorney general, the four county prosecutors, the four county police chiefs and the U.S. attorney) have asked the Legislature to fix Hawai'i's bribery law because it is nothing short of a disgrace. We want the current maximum bribery penalty increased from five to 10 years, and we want the holes in the current law filled with two new felony provisions.

In 2004, the state Senate passed our bill 25 to 0 — but in the state House, the bill never even made it out of committee. Toward the end of the 2004 session, the House minority made a motion to bring the Senate bill to the House floor for a vote, but this was voted down overwhelmingly.

This year, the House Judiciary Committee killed the bill after a hearing. The questions at the hearing indicated that some representatives thought the gift portion of the bill was not inclusive enough (two years ago, some House members complained it was too strict). But of course, even if that were true, it couldn't possibly be a reason to kill the other two parts of the bill, or even a reason to kill the gift part (as opposed to amending it).

The only conclusion we can draw is that many in the state House believe that our very lenient bribery law is just fine, and that it is a good thing that Hawai'i is such a bribe-friendly state. We just can't figure exactly why they feel that way.

The House can still pass our bribery bill — House Bill 568 — this year, but only if one-third of the House votes to recall the bill from the Judiciary Committee, and a majority of the House votes to pass it. If you want the House to do this, you can call House Speaker Calvin Say at 586-6100, or House Judiciary Committee Chair Sylvia Luke at 586-8530.

Hawai'i's citizens may also want to ask their own state House representatives two questions: (1) Are you pleased that Hawai'i has such a weak bribery law, and (2) If not, what are you willing to do about it?

Hawai'i's famous aloha should not extend to having such lenient laws dealing with corrupt public officials.