ASIA

LET CHINA TAKE TAIWAN? THAT WOULD BE DISASTER

Thanks to Oliver Lee for his essay on the Taiwan situation (Island Voices, July 20).

Perhaps inadvertently, Mr. Lee underscores my point, which is that U.S. support for a free and democratic Taiwan appears to be dwindling and some Americans seem ready to appease China by allowing Beijing to take Taiwan by force (The Rising East, July 15).

Where we differ is on the consequences: Mr. Lee evidently thinks that it would be acceptable for China to conquer Taiwan. My contention is that it would be disastrous for the United States to show Asians that Americans are not reliable allies and are willing to abandon another democracy.

Mr. Lee contends that "the U.S. has long acknowledged that Taiwan is part of China."

That is not so. The Shanghai Communiqué of 1972, on which the U.S. position on Taiwan rests, "acknowledges" China's claim to Taiwan.

"Acknowledge" does not mean "accept." The U.S. has been agnostic on this issue, but has insisted that it be settled peaceably.

One last point: After British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain betrayed Czechoslovakia and allowed the Nazis to take it by force in 1938, Winston Churchill, who was to become Britain's wartime leader, muttered: "The government had to choose between shame and war. They chose shame and they will get war."

SIRENS

PUBLIC NEEDS LESSON ON EMERGENCY PROTOCOL

I disagree with the letter writer who criticized Page One coverage explaining how drivers should respond to an ambulance.

I was shocked recently when an ambulance came up from behind while I was driving on Ala Wai Boulevard and the cars around me sped up to get ahead of the ambulance so they wouldn't have to stop.

The ambulance driver had to do "double duty" on the siren to get these drivers to respond. Maybe two out of three cars eventually pulled over to the side of the road, and the rest kept on going trying to outrun the ambulance. There was no aloha on the road that day.

I suspect that this is a problem faced by many emergency vehicle drivers and is why the city is trying to get the word out to the public.

I live in Waikiki, where sirens are an unfortunate fact of life.

Responding to community complaints, emergency vehicles try to moderate their use of sirens. Unfortunately for this community, inconsiderate and inattentive drivers make it really tough for ambulance and fire vehicles to show aloha to the residents of Waikiki.

I agree with the letter writer that we need to be aware of what is happening in the rest of the world, but don't agree that those problems trump anything less dramatic happening at home.

Please kokua and let emergency vehicles get help to the public without unleashing a barrage of noise on the rest of us.

ACCIDENTS

UTTER NONSENSE TO SHUT MAJOR ROADS FOR SO LONG

I continue to be amazed that HPD is allowed to close major roadways so they can "conduct a thorough accident investigation, even if it causes delays."

I've done a lot of driving in many cities on the Mainland and have never run into this kind of arbitrary power.

Either they're much better at their accident investigations than police departments in the other 49 states, or they have little knowledge of how to properly investigate an accident. My guess is that it's the latter.

It will continue as long as voters and government officials do not hold the chief of police accountable for the way his accident investigators carry out their responsibilities.

I suspect that it won't be too long before we hear HPD again attempting to justify its mode of in-depth accident investigations.

It will be the same old story, we'll continue to put up with it and the cycle will start again the next time one of our major highways is shut down for "a thorough accident investigation."

This is called "a load of hooey" in some regions of the U.S. I call it utter nonsense.

TAX DOLLARS

DEM LEADERS PLAYING POLITICS WITH ECONOMY

It's apparent that Democratic legislators are now playing politics with our economy.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, House Speaker Calvin Say and House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell couldn't get to the microphone quickly enough to point out how the economy is declining.

Why would they gloat about something like that? They claim this is the reason they wouldn't work with Gov. Linda Lingle to provide real tax relief and fund innovation programs to diversify and strengthen Hawai'i's financial state.

If you look at the numbers, our economy is still very strong. True, it isn't as red hot as it was a few years ago, but this is a common trend across the nation.

Talking so negatively about our economy only has a sour effect on business, so shame on them.

These Democrats didn't deposit the funds into the state treasury in the first place — they chose to spend tax dollars on their favorite pork projects.

Voters should remember this most recent example of the Democrats' abhorrent leadership when the 2008 election rolls around.

PUBLIC SERVICE

LT. GOV. WILL CONTINUE HIS WELLNESS INITIATIVES

I would like to assure Rep. Marcus Oshiro, in response to his July 18 letter ("Candidates may not be in public-service ads"), that Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona will continue to serve the public and play an important role in improving public health and wellness and strengthening families in our community, which are core issues he has been involved with since Day 1.

The lieutenant governor has been engaged in the Healthy Hawai'i Initiative since last year, beginning with "Steptember," the campaign that highlights the benefits of active living and healthful eating. The lieutenant governor backs up his words with actions, and continues to opt for stairs instead of the elevator.

Also, the Lingle-Aiona administration passed Act 54 of 2007, which prohibits candidates from appearing in PSAs from the time they file their nomination papers until after the election.

Under Hawai'i law, Duke Aiona and all other potential candidates for office in 2010, are not even eligible to pull, let alone file, nomination papers until February 2010.

Until then, the lieutenant governor can, and should, continue to use his office to educate the public on important health and safety initiatives.

PRESIDENT BUSH

DISMAY OVER REACTION TO THREAT ASSESSMENT

I am writing to express my dismay over President Bush's reaction to the recent threat assessment from U.S. counterterrorism analysts.

The assessment found that al-Qaida has regained strength in a safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Despite this evaluation, the White House issued a statement claiming that we are making security progress in the war on terror.

This administration is in denial, and its failure to acknowledge the facts is putting the United States in danger.

The report found that al-Qaida has regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001, the year our nation was devastatingly attacked. The thought of another attack of that magnitude on U.S. soil is very upsetting to me, and I am seriously concerned that our president continues to disregard this information.

The war in Iraq should never have been authorized, never have been waged and it must end now.

WIND FARM

ARE CORPORATE PROFITS AT EXPENSE OF PUBLIC?

Why would a utility company's wind farm prices be tied to the prices of oil?

HECO's new Pakini Nui wind farm on the Big Island that operates off the investment into "a lot of good wind" is charging its customers on the price of oil when the cost of the energy source is free wind.

The reason given is that they're calculating on an "avoided cost" method, "or the cost the utility would have to pay if it were to build or generate power on its own." What? Did we just read "if?" With that reasoning, "if" we don't work then I guess we should all be paid as "if" we do work.

The Big Island has some of the best winds in the world, according to Kevin Walsh, managing director of GE Energy Financial Services, and it is "producing quite a bit of energy," according to Warren Lee, Hawaiian Electric Light Co.'s president. Yet, rates and bills are about the same.

I thought the concept of building wind farms was to lower public utility electricity expenses while using environmentally friendly resources.

Instead, it appears that we're being exploited by corporate profits at the expense of the public. Where is the responsibility to the public in this matter?

CHILD WELFARE

COMMUNITY INPUT IS NEEDED TO PROTECT KIDS

I'm writing in response to the sad story about how relatives of the Wright family tried to help them care for their 12-year-old daughter by providing food. I am also responding to the letter that felt it was inappropriate for community members to be the first eyes and ears of the child protective system.

When I was a medical social worker, I found that people waited far too long to call an ambulance. The same is true with calling Child Welfare Services. It is an organization staffed by social workers and human service professionals precisely because its first mission is to assess the situation, protect the child and help the family solve their problems so that they can resume effective parenting.

In this case, the family mistakenly assumed that the problem was lack of food. Hopefully, a professional might have been able to see that lack of food might have been an excuse, but was not at the root of the problem.

Yes, there are problems with the child protective system, not only in Hawai'i but nationwide. Child Welfare Services' negative reputation comes from the fact that much of its work cannot be shared with the public for reasons of confidentiality. We hear about their occasional failures, not their many successes.

However, no child protective agency can monitor a family forever. Not only is this impractical, but it would also be intrusive to families who have long since resolved their problems.

In cases where a family has failed to make or maintain gains, family, neighbors and friends are in the best position to make a report.

We can second-guess how this case was handled. However, as the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child." It also takes a community to protect one.