DANGER

DON'T SELL SEA WATER

Selling Hawai'i's sea water is a no-no. To read that our precious sea water is being sold for commercial profit is very disheartening and needs some soul-searching.

Taking Hawai'i's sea water could eventually cause enviromental danger to shorelines and also to seaweed, fish, crab and so on.

Sea water is in this world for many special reasons; selling it is not one of them.

GOLF CUT

ANOTHER WIE FAILURE

"Michelle Wie missed the cut, again."

So what's new?

NEWS CONFERENCE

MICHELLE WIE LETTER CRITICS MISUNDERSTOOD

After reading the numerous responses to my letter to the editor concerning Michelle Wie's first professional news conference, I feel compelled to respond. The criticism began when I wrote that her news conference appeared to lack "total integrity."

When Michelle was asked what was the greatest value to turning pro, her reply was that it enabled her to give back to the community. Was that answer the absolute truth? All of the respondents to my letter seemed to miss or ignore the significance of the word "greatest." Giving back to the community is truly a lofty and valuable goal, but is it the greatest value to her turning pro?

There also was much criticism of my comment that "15-year-olds normally don't give back to the community, for that is something more meaningfully reserved for adults." Several respondents inferred from this sentence that I felt teenagers shouldn't give back to the community. My focus in writing that sentence was on the words "give back." Those two words are used so often today that they are quickly becoming trite and valueless. Why are we not simply teaching our young people "to give"?

Another criticism of my letter had to do with my suggestion that "the worthwhile $500,000 contribution to Katrina victims would have been better to be given in the future, when it would then have been viewed as coming more from her and not her sponsors, Nike and Sony." Everyone, including myself, agrees that Michelle's intentions were pure. Even with the best of intentions in this case, however, I do believe that because this was such an important and inspirational gesture for our young, and not an integral part of this news conference, it should have had its very own future news conference.

IRAQ

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR TERRORISTS, NOT US

Is The Advertiser opposed to our troops winning the war? The latest editorial position ("Time running out for Bush on Iraq," Nov. 17) certainly appears to encourage the public to turn against the war.

What you should have said was "time is running out for terrorists in Iraq." Not only is that statement true, but it would demonstrate proud support for the efforts of Hawai'i's own 29th Brigade.

Our troops continue to improve Iraq's security, train its forces and rebuild its infrastructure. The Iraqi people continue to achieve unprecedented political milestones on the way to a stable democracy. Iraq is becoming a beacon of freedom in the Middle East, and we are doing it with far fewer casualties than in any other war in history. Why does The Advertiser insist on hiding the good news from Iraq, while trumpeting the bad?

What's the strategy for victory? Just read Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Oct. 19. The Advertiser could provide a valuable service for its readers by publishing these remarks in full.

The terrorists are trying to break our will. Is The Advertiser trying as well?

BILLBOARD BAN

USING PUBLIC SPACES FOR ADVERTISING SHAMEFUL

Shame, shame on the city and state for even thinking of selling wall space on public structures.

Are they so desperate for money? Don't we have enough graffiti marring the landscape without them adding to the blight?

It's a sad day in Hawai'i when city officials sidestep Hawai'i's billboard ban just to make a buck. Maybe tax dollars should go to The Outdoor Circle to monitor against shenanigans like this.

KAKA'AKO

DEVELOPMENT WOULD OPEN UP MORE SPACE

This letter is in response to Barbara Downs of Manoa (Letters, Nov. 17), decrying the development of Kaka'ako to save "open" and "green" space. What open/green space? Kaka'ako is mostly warehouses and dive bars.

Should we house people on the North Shore or (gulp) Ms. Downs' Manoa to save "pristine" Kaka'ako? Anyone who thinks that more housing in urban Ho-nolulu is "clearly not needed" should be sentenced to a week of commuting from 'Ewa Beach to downtown and back. If this "clearly not needed" housing produces a glut in that area that makes housing in Honolulu more affordable for young families starting out, all the better.

To not develop the area between downtown and Waikiki is simply wrong from an economic and environmental perspective. And unless and until Hawai'i gains independence or institutes a "Soylent Green" or "Logan's Run" type of solution to population control, housing needs to be built.

Additionally, from what I have seen, there will be far more green and open spaces in Kaka'ako after A&B's plans are implemented than before.

High-rises are a heck of a lot better alternative to suburban sprawl from one end of the island to the other. We should be realistic and concentrate on saving the areas that are worth saving like West O'ahu, the Ka Iwi coast, the North Shore and Neighbor Islands.

We can live with fewer warehouses and bars.