NEW ROLE

SPACE EXPLORATION GOOD MOVE FOR HAWAI'I

Former Gov. George Ariyoshi's article in your paper on Nov. 12 is an excellent suggestion which should be followed by policy makers and private industry for making Hawai'i an important participant in Asia's space exploration.

I have also been associated with JUSTSAP (Japan-U.S. Technology and Space Applications Program) since its inception, and it has attracted both NASA scientists and NAXA (Japan's counterpart to NASA). Looking back at history, Gov. John Waihee had appointed a space czar, Adm. Thomas Hayward, for this goal, and Arthur Little Consultants were asked to report on its feasibility.

They recommended the space technology center be at South Point on the Big Island for its proximity to the equator.

The Japanese government was willing to fund the project because their satellites launched from Kyushu Island were landing in the ocean. However this proposal got mired in political contention and Hawai'i lost a golden opportunity of increasing its technology base and employment opportunities. Gov. Ariyoshi's vision to revive it needs serious consideration.

RAIL TRANSIT

RAIL OPTION GOOD FOR ENVIRONMENT, KEIKI

Children and developing fetuses are not "little adults" when it comes to their interactions with the environment. In fact, they may be more sensitive to pollution than adults because their body systems are still developing and are not able to detoxify the chemicals as easily.

The unique biology of children makes them more easily harmed by air pollution. Children sick from asthma or diabetes often result in adults taking time off work for caregiving or for visits to the clinic/emergency room. These result in higher societal costs. Do we feel good about exposing our children to air pollution and making them vulnerable to chronic diseases?

In Hawai'i, where 'ohana is No. 1, how can we leave our children a congested, overdeveloped, polluted island? Everything we do now, every policy we vote for, influences what our children and their children inherit. We have a chance to establish infrastructure that will improve air quality and positively affect our children's health, now and in the future.

We must support a rail system for the sake of our 'ohana. Otherwise, the costs are too great.

LET THE PEOPLE OF O'AHU DECIDE ON RAIL SYSTEM

There are provisions within the City Charter to put important questions before the public and that is exactly what should be done with the question of building or not building the proposed rail transit system.

Presently, only the mayor and the city council's nine members have had their say on this and not all of them are in agreement. Yet they are racing ahead with both the choice of a system and its route without the consent of the people — and without a full disclosure as to the exact costs of the rights of way for land along its route or the cost of land at the proposed terminals, or even what these terminals may include such as parking, security, city services, rental spaces, or any of the other incidental construction and operating costs associated with this project.

When questioned on these items, their stock answer is that they are hoping for private-sector involvement, or federal government funds, or other vague responses with no real dollar figures attached.

That is a recipe for disaster.

If a referendum were held to ask the question of O'ahu voters, the city would get a clear and definitive answer — either an agreement to proceed and build the rail system or a resounding no.

Either way, the public would have had the opportunity to take a position on the most expensive venture the city has or ever will embark on.

It's only fair that the city have a referendum before moving forward, as it is the people who will have to make up the shortfall that is sure to occur with the present proposal.

To do otherwise should result in the recall of the mayor and those council members who proceed without the consent of the people.

SPEEDERS

DON'T LET INDIVIDUALS SET OUR SPEED LIMITS

A recent letter writer suggests that speed limits should be set at whatever the individual motorists determines to be "safe and prudent."

Clearly this would cause even more carnage than we now have on our roadways. The person who suggests this must realize that every person behind the wheel would have their own interpretation of what is safe and prudent.

This ranks up there with the suggestion that speed limits be set at whatever the individual automobile can handle. That determination would have also been made by the individual motorist.

AKAKA BILL

ASK CITIZENS FOR THEIR VIEWS ON AKAKA BILL

Sen. Daniel Akaka says he will introduce his bill in the new Congress and hopes to have it passed. He seems to have the support of the rest of our congressional delegation, the governor, mayor and other politicians, as well as The Honolulu Advertiser.

But how about all of us citizens and taxpayers? We have never been asked what we think about it. And we have never seen the latest version of the bill.

Hawai'i is supposed to be a democracy. This means the citizens tell the the politicians what they want. So if Sen. Akaka is interested in getting his bill passed, he should start by informing the citizens of all the ins and outs of his bill so it can be studied, discussed and eventually voted upon by the citizens. Otherwise it will probably be in the courts for years to come.

EXPAND THEBUS

CREATE DEDICATED BUS LANES, FREE RIDES FOR ALL

I believe for any transit system to really be effective it must be cheaper, faster and almost as available and convenient as the alternative(s).

I agree with the Nov. 1 letter to the editor by Patti M. Inada that said an expanded and subsidized bus system is a solution, but take it a step further. TheBus should be free to all and totally subsidized by an increase in gasoline taxes and increased parking rates.

TheBus must be faster than the alternative and cannot be tied up in the traffic created by those who choose to do their own driving. There should be lanes specifically designated for use by TheBus, not only on the freeways but also on streets with two or more lanes in one direction.

TheBus should run 24/7 and no one should have to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus. Shuttle buses could run up and down the valleys and ridges and lower neighborhoods taking passengers to and from transit centers/major stops along our main east/west corridors.

The buses should be modified to accommodate passengers with surfboards and possibly other bulky items.

A fixed rail system could operate in conjunction with enhanced bus service if it is a cost effective accompaniment and does not end up, as usual, costing a lot more than originally forecast.

Regardless, an expanded bus system could be up and running much sooner than a fixed rail system.

LT. EHREN WATADA

GET REAL: WATADA DID THE WRONG THING

There seems to be some misunderstanding about Lt. Ehren Watada's place in the minds of some of the public. For those who think that the lieutenant did the correct thing in his personal decisionmaking regarding the legality of the war in Iraq, would they also believe that it will be OK for police officers to decide by what he/she "feels in their heart" whether the laws they are supposed to enforce are legal or not ?

Also, would it be OK for employees of the government to decide after achieving employment that the location where they are being placed is unlawful and they can decide where they should be working?

I think the employee would be fired and the policeman would face jail time. What do you think?

SOUTH KOREA

POSITIONS A REFLECTION OF DEMOCRACY AT WORK

Rather than help "ease the friction between South Korea and the U.S.," (Richard Halloran, Nov. 5) the U.S. and Japan drafted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 against North Korea has increased tension between the two. The U.S. wanted to use the resolution to legitimize the Proliferation Security Initiative — a coalition of the willing designed to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction through air and sea interdiction if necessary.

The U.S. is pressuring South Korea to join this extra-U.N. initiative and help interdict North Korean ships. But not only has South Korea declined entreaties by U.S. secretaries of state and defense Rice and Rumsfeld, it apparently discouraged even a visit by PSI architect, U.S. U.N. Ambassador John Bolton.

South Korea is concerned that if a North Korean cargo ship escorted by North Korean naval vessels is confronted by South Korean naval vessels, a clash is almost certain. And South Korea is also concerned that if it interdicted a North Korean vessel — or if it allows the United States to do so in its waters — North Korea may attack Seoul.

North Korea has indicated it would consider such an interdiction a violation of the armistice ending the Korea War and do just that. Given the vulnerability of Seoul to attack, South Korea does not want to call North Korea's bluff.

The U.S. also publicly pushed for South Korea to abandon its support of the Kaesong Industrial estate located in North Korea and the Mount Kumgang tourist project, which provide hard cash to the throttled North Korean economy. But South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun vowed to maintain these projects, arguing that they expose North Korea to a market economy and are in the interest of peace.

Halloran seems disappointed that the democratically elected government of South Korea has become self-confident and independent-minded. Alas, this is the way of effective democracies. They respond to the will of the people.