Letters to the Editor
RECYCLING
HOW CAN HAWAI'I BE BEHIND ST. LOUIS?
As a newcomer to O'ahu, I never in my wildest dreams would think that my former home, conservative-leaning St. Louis, would have weekly curbside pickup of recyclable materials while this island does not.
Recycling there was optional — and cost a whopping $25 a year to register for it — but here we already have in place the bins, a finite amount of land and the impression that Hawai'i of all places would be leading the country in recycling and in general cleaner living to maintain the beauty of the Islands.
Heck, given the size of these containers, recycling could even be on a biweekly basis, saving fuel and labor and minimizing traffic. Or is thinking like that off-limits here?
Bob ThompsonKane'ohe
CHANGE WAYS
FUEL WILL GET SCARCER, REGARDLESS OF GAS CAP
I am sympathetic to Brian Kimata and all of our small-business owners here on O'ahu, but it should be clear to everyone that gas prices will be going up significantly in the next five to 10 years with or without a gas cap.
We need to start rethinking our commuter culture. We need to recognize that the freedom our cars once provided has now become a major liability to our sustainability as an island community, and as a country at large.
Whether or not there are more natural disasters in the Gulf of Mexico, or more man-made ones in the Persian Gulf, the price of oil will continue to rise. Blaming the gas cap or oil companies won't solve the bigger problem. There simply isn't enough oil left to sustain our current rate of consumption.
The sooner we get out of our cars, reduce our daily energy usage and start designing communities that aren't based on the outdated model of the automobile commuter, the sooner small businesses like Mr. Kimata's, indeed our whole island community, will begin to thrive again.
Greg PuppioneMakiki
HANAUMA BAY
THANK YOU FOR HELP AS TRAGEDY UNFOLDED
As we sadly leave the beautiful island of O'ahu and fly our beloved dad back home to New Zealand, we want to publicly thank everyone who helped us through these last few days.
We don't know all the names, only the faces, but "thank you" to the people on the beach at Hanauma Bay last Saturday who stepped out of the crowd and offered their help in the tragedy. Special thanks to:
Thank you, and God bless you all!
Prudence Gee and Gordon SaleNew Zealand
HAWAI'I KAI
ORGANIZATION LACKING FOR TRIATHLON TRAFFIC
The letters from Doug Vincent and State Infante regarding the inconvenience the triathlon caused Hawai'i Kai residents were so true.
It took us 18 minutes to turn out of Mariner's Cove onto Lunalilo Home Road. There were 10 police officers, volunteers and various others standing in the center of Lunalilo and Hawai'i Kai Drive, and it didn't seem as if there was any organization. The officers had to look up past Kamiloiki School to see if any bikers were coming down the hill and gauge how many cars could get through the intersection. Instead of letting the Kalama traffic through the intersection, then Mariner's Village, then Mariner's Cove, everyone had to wait for the Kalama traffic.
Perhaps they should have had someone stationed at the top near Kalama to notify the officers at the bottom of the hill via cell phone or walkie-talkie if bikers were coming instead of waiting until they were visible from the bottom of the hill. We witnessed on a few occasions where drivers didn't understand whether they were to stop or proceed through the intersection, nearly causing accidents.
By contrast, the police portion for last year's JAL race, which the city paid for, went like clockwork. In that race I counted 20 police officers down the length of Lunalilo Home Road.
Lane WoodallHawai'i Kai
MICHELLE WIE
JOURNALIST'S UNTIMELY MOVE UNFORGIVABLE
Ronald Reagan gave the world a fitting statement when he officially welcomed Sandra Day O'Connor "to take her place in history" as the first woman ever to sit on the Supreme Court. That is the same feeling I had when I watched, along with thousands, as Michelle Wie rightfully took her place in golf history as one of the youngest female golfers to turn pro and place a respectable fourth in her debut rounds at the Samsung World Championships.
Boy, weren't we all so proud of her? Then to be disqualified by a rules infraction.
I agree that the rules are the rules and it is forgivable that Michelle Wie (she is only 16) thought she had done the correct thing in the ball drop. But to have a senior writer with Sports Illustrated, Michael Bamberger (he is older than 16 and experienced to no end), wait so long to challenge her drop to a rules official is unforgivable.
Michelle's signing her card cast a shadow over her perfect day. Mr. Bamberger, instead of creating a stir and heartache for all, could have spoken sooner and her card could have been correctly marked before she signed it. The rules are the rules — or doesn't that sell magazines? Don't worry, I will never buy another Sports Illustrated magazine, not even the swimsuit edition, and that is the rule to me.
Laughlin M. TanakaPearl City
