DEMAND ACTION

IT'S SHAMEFUL TO WATCH IDLY AS DARFUR SUFFERS

After an estimated 800,000 people died in the Rwandan and Bosnian genocide, we said "never again." But here we are —again.

It is estimated that 400,000 people have died in this Sudanese racial genocide since 2003, with 10,000 people dying every month.

When Americans are innocently killed, we raise our voices and act swiftly. Why are we not doing so for the people of Darfur? Is it because we can't hear their innocent voices screaming for help as they are raped and murdered at the hands of their own government?

We, as individuals, can make a difference but must take action. We must be a voice for those who have no voice. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Daniel Akaka have not supported a single piece of Senate legislation to stop this genocide.

I thank Rep. Neil Abercrombie, on the other hand, who has supported four of five House legislative efforts, but can also do more. As citizens, we must demand that our candidates and elected officials support legislation to end these atrocities and support humanitarian efforts in Darfur.

ALERTS DELAYED

EMERGENCY RESPONSE FELL FAR BELOW PAR

Despite the assurances from the governor and the various agencies about the effectiveness of their emergency response I, personally, was not pleased with the results.

Since we live in a low-lying area, my immediate concern after the the first shock was the possibility of a tsunami. I started dialing the various emergency numbers, starting with 911, followed by Civil Defense, police, etcetera, to no avail. Either they were not answering or busy.

I was able to contact the campus security at UH Manoa, who had not heard any advisories. Finally — thank goodness for Hawaiian Telcom and the only radio station on the air — I heard that there was no forecast for a tsunami.

In the meantime I could actually hear the second shock approaching and was convinced from the accounts I had heard from Indonesia that the big wave was coming. I did not hear anything from Civil Defense until two hours after the quake, and they just repeated what everybody else was saying.

If that is what we can expect from from our emergency response organizations at a time of need and then they believe that they have performed in an exemplary manner, I suggest that they close shop and let the radio stations handle the communication.

BACKUP PLAN

HECO SHOULD PROVIDE HOUSEHOLD GENERATORS

An Advertiser headline says a bulletproof system would cost each household $3,400.

Here is a suggestion for the PUC: Whereas Hawaiian Electric Co. is unable to provide either a bulletproof system or a timely recovery from a manual shutdown, HECO will provide each household a backup generator of at least 3,000 watts and an extension cord so the households can keep major and minor appliances operating on a rotational basis until the fair-weather HECO can restore power.

The beauty of this proposal is, it not only will work for major outages, but local outages as well, and it will only cost $1,000 per household, at most.

CIVIL DEFENSE

A SIMPLE ALERT WILL DO, MR. MAYOR

It seems that all the mayor's recommendations require power. Is he assuming that TV, radio and Internet access will all have the necessary equipment on the next go-round to get the info from the mayor's office to the populace?

Perhaps it would be better for Civil Defense to announce, in place of the "loud sounding siren": "An earthquake of the magnitude 6.7 hit the southwest side of the Big Island. There is no tsunami generated. Tune to KSSK for updated information."

DANGEROUS APPROACH

HIRONO'S PEACE AGENDA IGNORES WAR REALITIES

Mazie Hirono says she wants to support our troops. She wants to do so by getting better helmets, better V.A. access and care. She wants to pull them all out of Iraq by the end of 2006 and wants the defense budget made efficient by a microscopic line-by-line scrutiny like our state Department of Education has. (And we all know how well that's working out.)

She also wants to stop funding "outdated Cold War era weapons" and stop funding "expensive and unproven weapons systems" (i.e., stop maintaining our nuclear arsenal and stop development of anti-missile defense systems while North Korea and Iran expand both capabilities).

Oh, and she wants to start a Department of Peace. Why won't she support our military with expanded funding and expanded weapons systems? Why won't she support us all by wanting to fight the war on terror?

Running away from the fight and giving our troops a big hug does not make either the military or the rest of us safer. Our enemies are not going to go away because of her Department of Peace.

Opposing Bush is not a strategy, it's an emotion, and it is insufficient as an approach to the war on terror. Hers is a dangerous approach that Ed Case and Joe Leiberman wouldn't support, and neither can I.

END RELIANCE ON OIL

THIELEN HAS SOUNDED RENEWABLE ENERGY CALL

Your Oct. 18 editorial hit the right point that Hawai'i had a "wakeup call" with Sunday's earthquake and we need to focus on renewable energy.

You missed, however, that Rep. Cynthia Thielen has made renewable energy and reducing Hawai'i's reliance on oil the centerpiece of her service in the state Legislature and her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

While Senator Akaka voted to drill oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, Cynthia Thielen has long been promoting renewable energy exactly as your editorial suggests.

Hawai'i can't "hit the snooze button" on this issue, and we can do something about it by sending Cynthia Thielen to the U.S. Senate.

WEST O'AHU CAMPUS

UH SHOULD FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE AT MANOA

I am unable to comprehend why our state would spend tens of millions of dollars to start a new university in West O'ahu, when our main university in Manoa is vastly underfunded.

Why not let the community colleges continue their fine work, and invest the West O'ahu university money in UH Manoa to create a world-class institution?

A working mass-transit system would enable West O'ahu residents to access UH Manoa easily. Why have two mediocre universities when we could have one stellar one?

NEW AMENDMENT

CURB SIDEWALK ADS

I would have preferred that the Charter amendments included an item as follows:

The city shall remove all dispensers of advertisements from public sidewalks, thus improving aesthetics, reducing litter, and enhancing public safety.

INEFFECTIVE SCREEN

DECLARATION FORMS WASTE PAPER, TIME

If you've ever flown from the Mainland to Hawai'i, you should have filled out the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture Plants and Animals Declaration Form. As a frequent traveler and crew member, I've seen more incomplete forms and encountered visitors and residents who refuse to complete this form, either because they don't want to or because the state does not provide the airlines with pens or pencils.

Every single flight from the Mainland, every head of family or person entering Hawai'i needs to complete this form. Does anyone know where these forms go? If it was such an important form, wouldn't the state make it mandatory for every passenger to fill out this form and verify that the information is accurate before disembarking?

This form is ineffective, a waste of paper and trees and certainly a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Mainland-arriving passengers should be told to discard all food products before leaving the aircraft or face a fine, and there will be no exceptions if they are caught bringing in prohibited items. If traveling with an animal, see the airline representative. Most airline representatives know that an animal will be arriving anyway.

STATE BOOSTED OUTREACH

FOOD STAMP DECLINE DUE TO STRONG ECONOMY

The Advertiser article about declining participation in the federal food stamp program may have confused readers about why this significant drop occurred.

The main reasons are a strong economy and an unemployment rate that has been the lowest or among the lowest in the nation over the past three years. In other words, more people are working, incomes are rising and there is less need to apply for food stamps.

That said, the Lingle-Aiona administration wants every person who is eligible for food stamps to receive them. To achieve this, the Department of Human Services (DHS) tapped about $2 million in federal funds in 2004 to place 33 outreach workers at healthcare centers and other locations statewide so they can help needy families sign up for food stamps, health insurance and other assistance programs.

DHS has also cut bureaucratic red tape. You can download an application for food stamps and financial assistance at www.hawaii .gov/dhs. Applications will be submitted over the telephone by year's end and via the Internet shortly thereafter, thus eliminating the need for face-to-face interviews with social workers.

DHS increased outreach efforts this year after the Legislature approved our request for $1 million in funding. We will ask for an additional $300,000 next year to reach seniors.

Finally, Hawai'i is one of the top states in terms of enrolling residents, having won a federal bonus for "best program access" in 2004. Based on Census data, it was determined DHS signed up 92.4 percent of all eligible residents.