BULKY ITEMS

ENFORCEMENT NEEDED ON SIDEWALK EYESORES

I am a member of the McCully/Mo'ili'ili Neighborhood Board, and every month for the past four months I have walked the entire neighborhood board area anotating all the properties with bulky items on the curb one week after the regularly scheduled bulky item pickup. On average there are 107 properties that are in violation of the city's bulky item rules. This New Year's Eve and New Year's Day when I did my walk, I found over 200 violators.

These items will now sit on our curbs for three weeks until the next bulky item pickup. When will the people of this community go look at the city's Web site (www.opala.org) and find out when their neighborhood's scheduled pickup is? The pickup is the third Monday of every month. It takes about three days for the city to pick up all the bulky items, but they are not supposed to be placed on the curb until the night before the pickup. These items create health and safety issues for all members of our community.

The elected officials of this city need to enact penalties and enforcement policies to deal with this blight on our city.

FIREWORKS

ENFORCEMENT LACKING ON ILLEGAL AERIALS

This year, like last year and the year before, there is flagrant use of illegal aerial fireworks in my community.

I live in the Montecito/Tuscany development in 'Ewa Beach. I see and hear more aerial fireworks than the less-spectacular legal variety. These displays are visible for miles. I have complained in the past and even called 911 to no avail.

Our neighborhood board recently put up fliers saying that HPD and the board will be enforcing the rules on illegal fireworks and yet they are being set off all night, even right in front of the house of one of the board members.

If there are any injuries or fires as a result of these illegal aerials, HPD and the local neighborhood board will be as much to blame as the perpetrators who launch the fireworks with impunity. Way to go.

GAZA CONFLICT

RALLY OUTSIDE OBAMA HOME MISREPRESENTED

As one of the vets who gathered outside Obama's Kailua checkpoint raising awareness of the torrential bloodshed in Gaza, I need to clarify some of the misrepresentative reporting by local media, interestingly absent there.

We weren't necessarily "pro-Palestinian"; we're pro-peace calling for a just, fair resolution as responsible global citizens, considering the role U.S. foreign policy and tax dollars fund the atrocities. We weren't protesting Obama; we were joining millions globally that day in solidarity for justice. We weren't trying to spoil Obama's vacation; we're conscientious of countless civilians and soldiers who don't get vacations from war. While Obama isn't president yet, he's issued statements on other international misfortunes and lining his cabinet with some pro-Zionists and Dubya leftovers. It behooves the next world leader to not turn a blind eye, let alone a biased one. I hope Obama's ignoring of concerned citizens won't be routine in office.

IMAGINE AMERICA IN ISRAEL'S SITUATION

This letter is for everyone who is so quick to blame Israel for the problems in the Middle East and especially Gaza. First I will tell you I am not Jewish.

Try thinking of this situation from a completely new perspective. Southern California at one time was part of Mexico. Now open your minds and imagine 500 rockets last week coming from inside Mexican towns that border the United States into southern California cities. U.S. citizens, men, women, children, running for bomb shelters daily. Terrorists sending rockets at us!

How long do you think it would take our government to react to terrorists shooting rockets at us? Would the world news media condemn us also if we did not tolerate the rockets but went in to "take care of the problem"? Yes — I think the world would condemn us also.

I hear on the news that about 8,000 rockets have been shot into Israel in one year. I would have said "enough is enough" long ago. I wonder what language we here in Hawai'i might be speaking if after the Pearl Harbor attack our United States government had tried to "negotiate peace" with Japan?

OBAMA MUST HALT SIEGE ON PALESTINIANS

The island of Maui is five times as big (728 square miles) as the Gaza strip (146 square miles). Israel has those million and a half Palestinians locked up in there, deprived of water, electricity, sewage treatment, food and is pounding noncombatants with American-built and American-paid-for missiles and bombs, maiming thousands and killing hundreds of Palestinians. Egypt crazily locks the few crossings also.

The Obama administration should negotiate the end to this horror. Obama further should support the Arab League's proposal to recognize Israel. Both the U.S. and Israel are in clear violation of international law by denying the Palestinians medicine, food and access to the rest of the world.

The Palestinians of Gaza are a shameful blot on American diplomatic history. The International Criminal Court should investigate whether the Israeli military and civilian people responsible for the siege should be indicted.