THECAB

ALOHA NUI LOA TO WONDERFUL DRIVERS

My husband and I have been coming to Hawai'i for 20 years. We own a condo here and support the local community while we are here for four months each year from the end of November to the end of March.

Over the years we have noticed a great difference in the aloha spirit to visitors. We do hear an odd aloha and mahalo but things have really changed.

Today we found that the real spirit does exist when we went shopping and had a "big load" and took TheCab home. The driver had a nice, new "fully loaded" van and like a real Canadian dummy I didn't take the number down or note his name.

When we got to our destination he asked us what the Canadian dollar difference was to the U.S. dollar and I told him I thought it was about 22 cents. As usual I gave him a tip which he handed back to me and said that he would not accept it considering the difference.

I would gladly have given him double for his wonderful attitude and if I had a brain in my head would have given him a big hug.

He is the second TheCab owner who has done me a favor over the 20 years. The other one helped me with a bad foot problem I had.

God bless them both and to both aloha nui loa.

We will be back next November, God willing.

DONNIS THOMPSON

DREAMS SURPASSED BECAUSE OF TRAILBLAZER

I pay tribute to an island pioneer who believed that despite gender lines, excelling in athletics was limitless. Dr. Donnis Thompson was a behind-the-scenes trailblazer in the field of sports legislation, as well as a strategic administrator, and a champ in the eyes of women athletes. It is because of Dr. Thompson that former female athletes such as myself are able to surpass our educational dreams, pursue our aspirations, and give back to our communities. Her leadership and vision eliminated sports division and discrimination and encouraged athletic unity and gender equality.

As the first director of women's athletics at the University of Hawai'i, Dr. Thompson was a motivation behind Patsy T. Mink's Equal Opportunity in Education Act (Title IX) legislation that paved the way to break down gender barriers. The passage of that landmark educational act gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams, earning a college scholarship as a Wahine basketball player at the University of Hawai'i and pursuing a career as an educator, administrator, coach and currently in public service. Dr. Thompson's dream was that our athletic abilities extend beyond the playing fields to professional arenas, and she played a pivotal role in propelling me into reaching new heights. Today I am grateful as I reflect on the many opportunities that have been afforded to me by pioneers such as Dr. Thompson.

Dr. Donnis Thompson, I along with former and current Island female athletes pay tribute to your legacy as a role model and an advocate for women's sports. Thank you for defining our roles in athletics and having taught us how to play magnificent games in life.

RAIL TRANSIT

CITY SHOULD REALIZE PROJECT IS A MISTAKE

The overwhelming number of responses to the draft environmental impact statement for the rail project call for the city to reconsider its proposed heavy rail overhead rail system. The city has always maintained that it wanted to work with the community and its varied professional and community associations. Now is the time for these concerns to be addressed and for the city to realize that the proposed system will not solve traffic problems, will be far too much of a tax burden on taxpayers and completely destroy the urban character of Honolulu.

The draft EIS did not give fair or adequate coverage to the alternative systems, namely bus rapid transit, high occupancy lanes or a light rail system at grade. The Phoenix and Charlotte rail lines are at grade and are fraudulently praised in the city's Web site, inferring that these are the types of projects that Honolulu will receive. Nothing could be further from the truth, for those systems could be built at half the cost and completed in half the time of the proposed overhead rail. No city in America is building the overhead rail but many are solving their transit problems by embracing light rail at grade or the other alternatives. Perhaps the city will listen now and pull the plug on this ill conceived project.

CORKY TRINIDAD

VOID LEFT IN LOCAL EDITORIAL CARTOONING

With the tragic death of Corky, Honolulu newspapers have no local editorial cartoonist. There are many talented local cartoonists that should be approached to fill the open spots.

LEGISLATURE INVOCATION

PRAYERS OUGHT NOT BE RELIGIOUSLY EXCLUSIVE

Each day that the Legislature is in session begins with an invocation by local clergy. Feb. 12, Lincoln's birthday, and Charles Darwin's birthday. But, as one observer commented, "Today the 'invocation' turned into a Jesus Rally complete with cute story before the invocation that just extended his time to pray against HB444 (relating to civil unions) that was being heard."

I, too, used to be occasionally invited to do those invocations; however, not for many years now. I'm apparently too controversial. That being that I think such public prayers ought not be sectarian exercises in religious exclusivity.

We are not all Christian! A part of the wonderful diversity of Hawai'i is the many religious traditions represented here. The All Believers Network, our local interfaith dialog group, has folk from 13 different religious heritages.

To "invoke" means to call forth. What spirit is called forth by such exclusionary prayer? It certainly is neither pono nor aloha.