Letters to the Editor
ASTRONAUT
HOW MUCH MORE COULD ONIZUKA HAVE DONE?
I have long wanted to pay a special tribute to Ellison Onizuka since we grew up as neighbors in Kona.
Even if 20 years have passed, the memory of the Challenger disaster is still as horrifying and painful to bear as if it just happened today. I have flashbacks of him being kolohe as a kid and his mother chasing him around. Those were wonderful memories during our childhood, and little did we know back then that he was destined for greatness.
Despite all of his contributions in his relatively short life, one has to wonder how much more he could have done. Would he have continued on as an astronaut or in some other capacity in space exploration? Would he eventually go into politics because of his prominence? We will never know.
One thing we know for sure is that he would have continued to give hope and inspiration to the younger generation's dreams, to reach for the stars as he once did as a child in the coffee fields of Kona. I suppose that would be his most lasting contribution to his legacy.
Sally Ann Abe TakashimaWaipahu
GET INVOLVED
THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR TRANSIT SOLUTIONS
Ten years ago, our major challenge during the morning commute was to negotiate a particularly bad section of pavement as we drove on the H-1 through the Pearl City area.
Now our new challenge is to wake up at 4 a.m. in order to hit the H-1 Makakilo on-ramp no later than 5:15 a.m..
Not 5:20 a.m., not 5:25 a.m., but at or before 5:15 a.m. It's the magical door that opens to the morning madness, starting at the H-1/H-2 interchange.
Strict adherence to this regimen rewards you with a 30-minute commute into downtown Honolulu — an effortless journey down the H-1.
Get in early, leave early? Doesn't work anymore. Just like smog-free days in Los Angeles, you can count the number of days when the drive home to Makakilo takes less than one hour — it usually averages 90 minutes and sometimes two hours.
Does the Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project ring a bell? Do you understand the concept of fixed guideways, TSM, or "managed lanes" alternatives? These are all transit solutions being investigated for O'ahu right now.
And although they will not be a panacea for all of our traffic problems, we all need to support the effort to investigate these alternatives, provide our input as a community and remain focused on finding a solution.
In fact, start by visiting the Web site www.honolulutransit.org and educate yourself.
Paul FetherlandMakakilo
PARTNERSHIP
HULA SHOW PROVIDES GLIMPSES OF HAWAI'I
Regarding the Nov. 30 letter from Rick Lamontagne of Waikele in which he decries the decline of Hawaiian music and shows in Waikiki: I am happy to make one correction.
Mr. Lamontagne wrote "The hula mound next to the Duke Kahanamoku statue has performances only once a week." In fact, the Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting & Hula Shows at the hula mound are presented every night, 6-7 p.m. (6:30-7:30 p.m. February-October), weather permitting.
The program features some of Hawai'i's best musicians and singers, along with authentic Hawaiian hula by award-winning dancers and hula halau.
The program is in its second decade, thanks to a successful public-private partnership between the city and the Waikiki Improvement Association, with support from the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa. The all-Hawaiian hula show is free, and enjoyed by both visitor and kama'aina alike.
Marnie WeeksCoordinator, Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting and Hula Shows, City and County of Honolulu
BIOTECHNOLOGY
UH PROFESSOR'S VIEWS ON GMOS WELCOME
Consumers of non-genetically modified organisms (GMO) and organic foods are glad to have Dr. Hector Valenzuela of UH discuss biotechnology. He is experienced in permaculture, organic production and local agriculture. If not him, who in the education community will speak to the other side of this issue?
The biotech companies develop GMO food crops for profit, design their own research for submission to the FDA and, as we learned recently, are mostly abandoned by the USDA to monitor the safety of their own field tests. They have fought against labeling of GMOs in food so that allergic or adverse reactions cannot be tracked, yet turn around and claim that there has never been an adverse reaction.
Thanks to intellectually honest researchers, there is no doubt that GMOs contaminate. Transgenic papaya has contaminated local stocks, and it is still rejected by Japan. This is much more disturbing than a university professor speaking his conscience.
Merle InouyeHilo
WORTHWHILE
DARE HELPS SHIELD CHILDREN FROM DRUGS
I strongly disagree with Ms. Pamela Lichty's views regarding the DARE program (Jan. 27). I observed a DARE class and graduation and have never seen an instructor more skilled at presenting material in such an engaging manner.
Students were obviously excited about their DARE graduation, as they prepared signs and skits and inundated their instructor with lei.
The fact that the instructor was a police officer did not appear to intimidate the students in any way. Rather, I saw many high-fives shared between students and instructor.
The DARE program is one means of providing information and tools to students, enabling them to make informed choices about their lives. It does not purport to be the "great answer."
It takes a village to raise a child. DARE instructors simply want to be a part of the "village" that positively affects children's lives.
Isn't it a worthwhile investment if the DARE program helps just one student from each class across the state avoid drugs and violence? What if that "one child" just happens to be yours?
Renee S. NakamuraWaipahu
KAPOLEI
NEW INTERCHANGE PLAN OPENS UP QUESTIONS
I note a proposal for a new interchange intended to reduce a very bad traffic problem in Kapolei. I believe the Campbell Estate, in its usual generous fashion as a supporter of the community, is providing the land. With a lack of specifics, other than location in the vicinity of the Kapolei Zippy's and the Theater Complex, a few questions remain:
I favor the new interchange, and any improvements that will safely expedite traffic movement into and out of the Kapo-lei/Makakilo area.
B.G. JudsonKapolei
SAFETY, TAXES
'KUPUNA CAUCUS' TO FIGHT FOR ISSUES AFFECTING SENIORS
Mike Markrich's commentary ("Hawai'i will face a senior-care crisis," Jan. 29) is correct. As the aging population grows, it is essential that senior citizens be properly represented at the Legislature.
As Markrich pointed out, young adults "on the go" dread the thought of lengthening the time of traffic lights so elders can cross the road, but it is critical that life-saving issues such as this one are taken seriously.
Pedestrian safety is just one of several important concerns for seniors that may have less significance to our younger population, but should be given as much consideration as other bills this session.
To help fight for our seniors, several of us created a legislative "Kupuna Caucus" that will address the issues facing our seniors. The caucus' creation was inspired by the Silver Legislature, in which seniors discussed their important needs in a two-day mock legislative session.
Now with the creation of the Kupuna Caucus, we look forward to hearing suggestions from the public about possible future senior-care legislation and other bills we can support this session.
An example of a bill we will support this year that will help our seniors is House Bill 2862. This bill would establish the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief Act that would assist low-income seniors and disabled persons with the burden of high property taxes.
With the passage of this bill, the state would give grants to those whose real property taxes exceed specified percentages of their income.
It has become clear that high property taxes are a huge concern for residents, especially for elders on fixed incomes. This legislation would help those seniors who own property valued far more than it was worth when it was purchased years ago.
The initiatives in HB 2862 should be implemented before our seniors receive this year's property tax bill in the mail — as one of many ways we can show that our seniors matter.
Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, Rep. Dennis Arakaki, Rep. Cynthia ThielenHonolulu
MERCURY
FISH DANGER ADVISORIES NEEDED
New Food and Drug Administration data are bad news for 'ahi poke lovers because bigeye tuna (one of the species sold as 'ahi) is full of mercury. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that mothers, women who intend to become pregnant and keiki should avoid.
The good news is that Hawai'i can protect the public by requiring advisories wherever seafood is sold.
The FDA warns women and children: Do not eat swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel. Women and children are warned to limit tuna consumption, too. New FDA data show that bigeye tuna have mercury levels nearly as high as king mackerel.
Hawai'i's women are at high risk of harming the development of their babies. Last year, a study showed that 17 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander women have mercury levels over what the EPA considers safe, and nearly one-third exceed what expert physicians consider safe. Another study showed that women in coastal areas had twice as much mercury.
California law requires supermarkets and restaurants to post mercury-in-seafood warnings. Illinois also introduced a bill to require warnings because of California's successful law. The national trend is growing. Now, some major grocers, like Safeway, have begun to post signs nationwide because of concerns about protecting customers.
Another supermarket, Wild Oats, started posting signs nationwide in 2003. Wild Oats learned that consumers confidently buy more fish when they have the warnings instead of avoiding fish. Hawai'i families should have the right to know so they can make healthier choices, too.
Warning signs are a common-sense solution to protect Islanders and visitors. Whenever Portuguese men-of-war invade our beaches, public health warning signs go up immediately. Why can't we do the same in our stores when we know mercury is a health risk? Nobody wants to poison his or her children with mercury from fish anymore than they want their kids to get stung by a man-of-war.
Warnings for pregnant women are required for cigarettes and alcohol because direct warnings are a cheap, easy and effective health education tool.
If Hawai'i wants to keep its reputation as the "Health State," then the Legislature should act to protect our families from mercury in 'ahi, shutome and other high-mercury seafood. The state is doing a lot toward that goal, but now it is time for legislators to require supermarkets and restaurants to do their part.
Let's be akamai and protect our precious keiki by providing mercury-in-seafood warnings to families. In the meantime, Hawai'i seafood lovers should go to http://GotMercury.org, a simple online mercury-in-fish calculator that shows you how you and your family can safely enjoy seafood.
Eli SaddlerPublic health specialist, GotMercury.org
