EDUCATION

CUTTING DOE BUDGET WON'T HELP STUDENTS

The Jan. 8 Island Voices column, "Giving more money to DOE not the answer," contains a common misconception.

If the Department of Education cuts its budget, where will the money come from to pay for additional classrooms to address the overflowing classrooms, or the additional teachers to correct the teacher-to-student ratio or the textbooks for students?

If students are to learn, they need adequate classroom space, teachers to help educate them and the proper equipment.

It's usually those who have never attended a public school, or had children in public schools or worked in a public school who shout: Cut DOE's budget.

This is one puzzling column — a teacher promoting cutting the DOE budget. It's one for the books.

HAWAI'I QUARTER

KING KAMEHAMEHA SHOULD BE ON OUR COIN

Regarding the final designs for the Hawai'i commemorative quarter:

A surfer, a popular landmark or a cultural dance are only a part of our state.

A more complete image is that of the King Kamehameha statue with the chain of all the islands. The reason? Hawai'i is the only state where royalty ruled. Kamehameha also united the islands.

When people study history, do they begin with landmarks, a sport, etc? They begin with its founders, leaders and such.

RECOGNITION

PAT BACON IS MUSEUM'S TRUE LIVING TREASURE

Many people have acknowledged departing Bishop Museum Director Bill Brown's accomplishments in getting the Science Learning Center built and for getting the renovation of Hawaiian Hall on its way.

These are memorable accomplishments, but what I will remember most about Dr. Brown is the fact that he recognized, like no director before him, that one of the greatest treasures in the museum is not an artifact, or a photo, or a painting, but is a living treasure: Aunty Pat Bacon.

Aunty Pat, who is in her 80s, has worked at the museum for more than 50 years and has served under five different directors. She has contributed countless translations of rare Hawaiian documents, many of which her mother, Mary Kawena Pukui, who also worked at the museum, wrote.

Aunty Pat is a quiet, unassuming woman who works diligently behind the scenes translating difficult-to-read documents that only someone with her knowledge of Hawaiian language can understand and translate well.

Bill Brown recognized her importance, and appointed her senior adviser for cultural affairs, placing her under his direct supervision.

Along with two other people, he also nominated her for the prestigious "Order of Ke Ali'i Pauahi," an honor that was long overdue.

I hope the next director will continue to recognize and honor this remarkable woman.

NEW YEAR'S

FIREWORKS POLLUTE AND CAN HURT, KILL PEOPLE

My heart sank just 10 days after the new year had begun as I took my morning walk up Wilhelmina Rise. Hundreds of pieces of paper and plastic from exploded fireworks were on the edge of many storm drains, waiting for the next rainfall to spill them into the gutter and carry them to the ocean.

On the first day of the year (in an age when we are trying to reduce our ecological footprint and minimize greenhouse gasses), we create more smoke and smog, and pollute our lands and oceans more than any other day of the year.

I am sure the hospitals also see their disproportionate share of injuries because of burns and explosions.

After midnight, I witnessed a neighborhood kid running up the road, lighting firecrackers and hitting them with a tennis racket into garages. He could have ignited an automobile or burned a house down and killed someone.

Arson is a federal offense; death by arson brings a murder charge.

Licensed professionals should be the only people allowed near these explosive devices.

AGRICULTURE

GMOS POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS FOR HAWAI'I

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are about to overrun Hawai'i's crops.

The Legislature is poised to offer up our island home as a great big lab for untested genetically modified food crops, with the urging of Gov. Linda Lingle.

There is no way to control pollination, which means that all of our open-pollinated crops will become genetically modified, with no means of turning back. Anything we grow here in Hawai'i will become GMOs after a season or two.

And if this creates monstrous long-term genetic and bacterial/viral problems?

Let the biochemical and biogenetic corporations experiment with the food supply somewhere else; where if the crops become unfit for consumption, they can truck in other food.

I urge every person, church, organization (especially farmers and Hawaiian cultural and environmental organizations) and group to stand up right now, contact your legislators and the governor, and let them know we do not want this unproven and potentially disastrous experiment here in our island home.

Let your voice be heard before it's too late. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono!

WORKERS

HALE KOA INFRINGED ON FREE-SPEECH RIGHTS

It has been almost 50 years since the march in Selma, Ala., where residents were beaten while trying to assert their First Amendment civil rights on a public sidewalk.

It is unbelievable that, 50 years later in the 21st century, workers at the Hale Koa Hotel are threatened with physical force for trying to assert those same free-speech rights on another public sidewalk.

I guess the Hale Koa management and the Army have never read U.S. history.

Thank goodness there is a federal judge who stopped the Hale Koa from repeating what happened in Selma.