MAKUA

TIME FOR ARMY TO START COMPLYING WITH LAW

If Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon is concerned about limits on training at Makua and the requirement to consider alternate locations for the Stryker brigade ("Stryker brigade, Makua key, Mixon says," Jan. 29), he shouldn't blame Native Hawaiians and environmentalists.

Instead, he should take responsibility for the Army's stubborn refusal to comply with the laws Congress established to protect Hawai'i's cultural and biological treasures. Courts don't issue injunctions unless the defendant has violated the law.

Mixon's rhetoric about the need to train at Makua cannot stand up to the facts. Due to the Army's failure to complete the required environmental review, only 26 live-fire exercises have occurred at Makua in the past nine years, with no rounds fired since June 2004.

During that time, Hawai'i's units have successfully deployed to combat numerous times, receiving the training they need elsewhere.

As for the Stryker brigade, after years of claiming Hawai'i is the only place the Army could meet its objectives, the Army's draft alternatives analysis (required by the same court orders about which Mixon complains) found Alaska and Colorado would serve equally well, with far less environmental damage.

Another recent Army study concluded Strykers could be stationed at four additional locations (two in Washington state and one each in Texas and New Mexico), again with less harm to the environment.

In our democracy, everyone must play by the rules, including the military. It's time for the Army to stop complaining about the laws, and start complying with them.

TIPPING

SERVICE MEMBERS PUT LIVES ON THE LINE FOR US

After reading the Feb. 6 letter by Andrew Millbrooke regarding the military not tipping enough, I debated responding.

However, maybe Mr. Millbrooke needs to see the other side of the coin.

First, does Mr. Millbrooke know where the word tip comes from? Let me help, the word "tip" means "to ensure promptness."

Second, tipping is optional, not mandatory.

Third, be happy with whatever you receive on the table, and remember that the military put their lives on the line for you.

How dare you complain. Maybe Mr. Millbrooke should trade his plate of nachos in for a rifle.

NO CUSTOMER SHOULD FEEL OBLIGATED TO TIP

Poor tipping is not limited to military personnel as Andrew Millbrooke (Letters, Feb. 6) tries to portray.

His argument sounds more like sour grapes or, more likely, a political statement.

One thing else he may consider, is it his service or attitude that is leaving him with only $1 on the table? I almost always leave a 20 percent tip, but never do I feel obligated to do so.

No one in the service industry should shame their customers into feeling they are obligated to do something that is voluntary. It is not a server's constitutional right to receive a tip, even though some feel like customers "owe" them.

I would suggest he get into a different job, where he doesn't have to rely on tips.

ULEHAWA

SERVICE PROVIDERS TOLD OF BEACH PARK CLEANUP

With all due respect to Will Hoover, who usually does an excellent job of reporting on local issues, we need to set the record straight regarding the homeless on Ulehawa Beach Park (Jan. 16).

While he wrote that service providers were not notified, in fact the city contacted providers the week before it was announced to the public on Dec. 26, a full month and a half before the work was slated to begin.

Then, on Jan. 10, providers were contacted via e-mail by the Department of Community Services about the pending cleanup and asked to send a representative to a meeting. That was followed up by a phone call the next day and a planning meeting on Jan. 18 at Onelauena Transitional Shelter. The Department of Community Services has been diligent in its efforts to successfully provide a safe and timely means of assisting the homeless at Ulehawa.

The Honolulu Community Action Program has enjoyed a long partnership with the city, through the Department of Community Services, in addressing the many woes that affect O'ahu. The department considers recommendations of providers, respects our expertise and involves us in discussions on issues that will affect our clients.

With Ulehawa, the department's advance notice gave us time to mobilize and assist persons living on the beach, helped reduce the risk of further upheaval to our homeless population, and allowed for a smoother transition to other services and sites.

PEDESTRIANS

ELDERS MUST BE WARNED ABOUT TRAFFIC DANGERS

It's time we teach our elderly loved ones that though they feel pedestrians have the right of way, things have changed.

Autos are bigger, faster and there are more of them on the roads today than when they were younger. The pace of life is also faster.

Our elders need to face the fact they have reached the age where the body slows down, even if the mind remains alert. My parents and my in-laws were of this mindset. All encountered their share of close calls.

At an early age, my children were taught the basics: Use the crosswalk, look four ways, check for car blinkers and make eye contact with the driver(s) before crossing. Later I added: Never hold their grandparent's hand when crossing the street but rather their clothing; and pull them back if need be, let them go if you must.

After witnessing my mother in one of these close encounters, I gave her this scenario: Let us say the driver tried to stop but hit you anyway. And you didn't die, but you lost both of your legs and broke your strong arm. Do you know how to use a wheelchair? How will you get to your doctor appointments? Who will be available to pick you up should you fall? Use the bathroom? Shop? You are going to need assistance with everyday concerns. Perhaps 24/7 care. There goes your savings. Possibly the house may have to go toward expenses, depending how long you live. Are you getting the picture?

'ELI STONE'

IRRESPONSIBLE TO LINK VACCINES AND AUTISM

The American Academy of Pediatrics Hawai'i chapter is disappointed that ABC (KITV-4) chose to air the premiere of "Eli Stone" on Jan. 31.

The American Academy of Pediatrics had requested that ABC cancel the opening episode, as it leaves the audiences with the destructive idea that vaccines cause autism.

We agree with Dr. Renee R. Jenkins, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, that a television show that perpetuates the myth that vaccines cause autism is the height of reckless irresponsibility. Vaccines are the single-most powerful, cost-effective public health intervention ever developed and no scientific link exists between vaccines and autism.

We regret that ABC has chosen to perpetuate yet another theory that is contrary to the best scientific evidence and could lead the public to fear and doubt the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

In Hawai'i, many communicable diseases, e.g. measles, Haemophilus meningitis, polio, are now uncommon or nonexistent as a result of vigorous vaccination programs.

In underdeveloped countries, where vaccines are not as available, this is not the case.

In 2002, the World Health Organization estimated that 1.4 million deaths among children under 5 years were due to diseases that could have been prevented by routine vaccination. This represents 14 percent of global total mortality in children under 5 years of age.

CURBSIDE RECYCLING

PILOT PROGRAM DATA WILL SHAPE ISLANDWIDE PLAN

The Jan. 29 letter from Meaghan Sheehan and Devan Rosen is indicative of how much interest there is in the outcome of the curbside recycling pilot program.

With the start of the new curbside programs in Mililani and Hawai'i Kai, people seem to be falling into two categories — those who are participating in the pilot and those who want to know when it will come to their neighborhood.

As much as Mayor Mufi Hannemann is pressing us to move curbside recycling forward quickly, he also demands that we do it right to ensure its success. The data and input from the two pilot communities are essential in determining the final structure of the program we will expand islandwide.

A preliminary evaluation of the data gathered during the two-month transition period and four months of full operation, January through April, will be presented to the City Council in June.

So far, we have observed a gradual increase in recycling bin setout rates with a jump following the elimination of the second refuse day; very clean mixed recyclables with low levels of contamination (under 4 percent); and clean green waste with minimal amounts of bagged material.

Out of 20,000 participating homes in Mililani and Hawai'i Kai, approximately 150 have requested an additional gray bin to accommodate high volumes of non-recyclable refuse. Of the 12,000 households in Mililani, approximately 400 have opted to pay for additional refuse pickup service. We have distributed 270 additional green bins for excess green waste, and a few households have asked for an additional blue bin.

There seems to be consensus on the need to expand the curbside recycling program to help reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill. How we structure and deliver the program will determine its success and its sustainability. We ask for a bit more patience as we work through the final nuts and bolts of a new collection system that promises to be both effective and efficient.