SUPERFERRY

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN EA GIVES OK?

So, when the environmental assessment is completed, if the Superferry gets a green light, the protesters are going to welcome the Superferry with open arms, right?

LEGISLATORS PUTTING FORM BEFORE SUBSTANCE

The Advertiser reported that certain legislators are complaining and expressing negative feelings about the way the Superferry presents its case, which is indirectly through lobbyists and public letter-writing campaigns, rather than coming directly to them.

This seems to be a classic example of putting form before substance.

Government should make decisions solely upon the merits and risks to the public and not on the way the parties present their proposals, so long as they are legal and ethical.

It probably was not the legislators' intention, but this raises the expectation and fear they want parties to come to them as supplicants to beg favor and perhaps showing gratitude if they vote their way.

HAWAI'I'S LEGISLATORS SHOW THEIR ARROGANCE

When the state government promises businesses like the Superferry that they will be able to operate in Hawai'i, is it arrogant to assume they rely on that guarantee?

Sen. Colleen Hanabusa and the other legislators who are chastising the Superferry for not approaching them with proper humility, make it clear why Hawai'i's business climate is so awful.

These legislators believe the Superferry, business in general and anyone else who wants things done in this state should come crawling and begging, preferably with gifts in hand, to them. Talk about arrogance!

LET'S GET SMART ABOUT MESSAGE BEING SENT

Are we out of our minds? Do we really want to send a message to the world that we are closed for business and investment?

The environment is important. However, the arguments against the Superferry are without grounds. Invasive species? For crying out loud, we have ships that ply the waters of the world that frequent our waters. The whales? They are obviously important; however, Matson container ships regularly sail the Kaiwi Channel at speeds in excess of 16 knots. As a lifelong local sailor, I've seen them many times.

I could go on and on. What about SeaFlite? Where is the evidence that that operation caused any environmental impact? There has been no indication that there were any whales hurt or invasive species transported through that operation.

It's time to get smart about Hawai'i and not send the wrong message to entrepreneurs who want to bring opportunities and jobs to our islands.

SUPERFERRY IS NOW BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE

I would like to give a standing ovation to Lanny Sinkin for his precise writing (Island Voices, Oct. 11).

Finally, someone writes the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Having said that, I must state for the record that I like the Superferry. It seems like a great alternative way of travel for us, and is very appealing.

However, there is a right way and wrong way to do things. Unfortunately, Superferry chose the wrong way and has been held accountable.

Citizens should support the proper application of our laws and rules, because they should apply to everyone. Now they want to take their toys and play in another sandbox. They should abide by the rules or do exactly that, go somewhere else.

I do not think we should risk our environment to please one private company, nor should our government give special legal privileges, as they did in this case.

We have to protect Hawai'i's environment, or else private companies will ruin it for short-term profits.

As to the outer islanders, perhaps they do not want Kaua'i or Maui becoming more urban. Can we blame them for that?

DON'T BLAME MAUIANS FOR FERRY SHUTDOWN

To our friends on O'ahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island: Please don't blame the people of Maui for the shutting down of the long-awaited Superferry.

The vast majority of us are 100 percent in favor of this new option of interisland travel, and welcome all our brothers and sisters from other islands to visit and enjoy Maui.

It's only a few dozen troublemakers and their attorney friend who have done this to the people of Maui.

Hopefully, our lawmakers will put the Superferry back on course soon.

LEGISLATURE SHOULDN'T PLAY THE BLAME GAME

As a lifelong Democrat, I'm deeply disappointed in the lack of leadership shown by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, particularly the Senate, on the Superferry fiasco.

Who cares if the Lingle administration got us into this mess. Who cares if Superferry executives aren't showing the proper humility to lawmakers. It's the people of Hawai'i who will suffer if the Superferry is allowed to die through legislative inaction, and it's the people who will hold lawmakers responsible for their failure of leadership.

Rather than playing the blame game and tossing the ball to the Lingle administration to draft the necessary legislation, and criticizing the resulting proposal as not being all things to all people, the Democratic leadership needs to step up to the plate and draft a bill that adequately addresses legitimate environmental concerns while allowing the Superferry to operate — legislation they can build a consensus around and get passed.

And they need to do it now. That's what leadership is about.

MILITARY SACRIFICE

BLUE ANGELS LEADER SALUTES 'UNSUNG HERO'

Six F/A 18 Hornet aircraft — $168 million.

Food, drinks and ride tickets — $56.

Overhearing the flight leader of the Blue Angels recognizing a young military dependent for that child's sacrifice — priceless.

Kudos to Navy Cmdr. Kevin Mannix, commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team for thanking a young military dependent for requesting the commander's autograph.

The signed photo is not for the child's bedroom wall, but is being sent in a care package to the child's father, who is deployed to Iraq.

Cmdr. Mannix commended the child for making the request, and acknowledged the youngster's sacrifice, calling that child "an unsung hero."

The two days of great shows by the Blue Angels and the outstanding efforts of the staff and personnel of Marine Corps Base Hawai'i gave this parent the perfect forum to teach my two daughters a great lesson.

The freedoms we enjoy (including the ability to debate our foreign and military policies) are only possible by the service of our military men and women and the families of those in harm's way.

SPACE RACE

SPUTNIK OVERCAME GRAVITY TO GET IN ORBIT

Doug Carlson (Letters, Oct. 10) missed a big point when he criticized a space expert's assertion that Sputnik "overcame Earth's gravity" as it went into orbit, saying that statement was "somewhat misleading," and points out in his own support that it is because of Earth's gravity that it remained in orbit.

True, the satellite remained in orbit because of Earth's gravity, but the point he disparages is that Sputnik had to overcome Earth's gravity in order to get into orbit, and that is not an easy task. That difficulty was demonstrated in the initial days of the space race by the Navy's Operation Vanguard at Cape Canaveral, when in spite of lots of smoke and thunder it couldn't get satellites off the ground in numerous tries. Cape Canaveral became known thereby as Cape Carnival.

Later, the Army succeeded by utilizing the expertise of a German rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun, whom the Army had captured (illegally by an American officer, against orders, thereby preventing the Russians from getting him) at the end of World War II.

I wonder if Doug Carlson in his physics class learned the very simple equation that shows how much energy it takes to lift a satellite into orbit, e = mgh.

TRIBUTE

JOHN KELLY CHANGED PEOPLE BY EXAMPLE

Every now and then, an individual comes along who changes the world he or she lives in for the better.

And sometimes we are fortunate to witness individuals who change people by example.

John Kelly was both. It was a privilege to have known him.

JOHN KELLY HELPED TO CHANGE THE ISLANDS

Forty years ago when I was a student at McKinley High School, I marched to the state Capitol with hundreds of mostly young people demanding that the powers-that-be "Save Our Surf."

John Kelly was the tireless organizer behind SOS, and on that day he made me realize that by organizing and taking action, I could make a difference.

Margaret Mead once wrote, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have."

John was that kind of person. And we are all the better for it.