EARTHQUAKE

CRITICAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATED SLOWLY

Am I the only O'ahu resident wondering why it took until after 10 a.m. for O'ahu Civil Defense to interrupt radio stations to notify us about the earthquake? It wasn't until about 8 a.m. when KSSK came on live to announce what was going on. If I hadn't called police soon after the power went out, I would have worried for 45 minutes wondering what was happening.

What if a tsunami were generated and we needed to evacuate? That's 45 minutes of lost time.

RADIO BULLETINS NEEDED FOR ALERTS ON TSUNAMIS

Sunday's earthquake demonstrated how vulnerable and helpless we are as citizens to make informed decisions about a tsunami's threat without timely information.

The only two radio stations I could capture on my transistor radio here on the North Shore continued music programming for the first 90 minutes after the earthquake, with no news. One wonders why we don't have access to the scientific data on earthquakes straight from the U.S. Geological Service or the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center through automated emergency radio bulletins like on the Mainland for tornadoes. The need is no less urgent.

The present system of delayed notification through the political prism of the bureaucracy will doubtless come far too late to save ourselves from a local tsunami.

No wonder people inundate the 911 phone system for information in an emergency.

SCHOOLS

SAD TRUTH FOR TEACHERS — PAY LEVELS TOO LOW

I am a special-education teacher at an elementary school and I find it disheartening that another teacher is accused of selling crystal methamphetamine. I was also recently shocked to meet another teacher who works nightly as a "dancer."

Ideally, a teacher should be a role model for students. We should all be positive contributors toward society, as that is what we want our students to one day become. Selling "ice" and "dancing" would not be examples of something positive, in my opinion. I do think, however, that there is a sad, underlying truth.

When asking why these teachers may be partaking in these actions, there is a fairly simple answer — money. I was recruited to teach in Hawai'i and with the move, I took a pay cut of at least $15,000. At one point, I worked at a restaurant after school just to make ends meet.

Currently, I teach after-school programs and am beginning to work at a college. My choices are more moral than some, but in essence all examples show that teachers aren't earning enough.

With bus drivers making more money than most teachers, maybe the state should think about a change.

TEACH CHILDREN TO DEAL WELL WITH ARGUMENTS

I was a bit shocked at some of the comments made in the Oct. 11 article on local school safety. Throughout the article, phrases like "generally safe," "most often I feel safe" and "isolated incidents" suggest that violence is not a serious problem, which is true nine times out of 10. Yet, I wonder about that one time in 10. It only takes one gun, one person, one moment to end a life.

I am proud of local educators, mentors and law enforcement for the steps they are taking to keep our keiki safe. But, please remember that even "isolated incidents" are incidents and they can have severe consequences.

As a mother and social work student, I urge us all to listen to our children, be active in their schools, and teach them how to deal with arguments and volatile emotions in a healthy way.

By mentoring one life at a time, we are one step closer to avoiding that one-time "incident."

ELECTION 2006

LINGLE SHOWS CONCERN FOR ALL HAWAI'I PEOPLE

Gov. Linda Lingle has consistently shown her concern for all the people of Hawai'i. She knows that as governor she is governor for everyone, not just those who voted for her or who agree with her policies. She does not use any "exclusionary" criteria.

Randy Iwase stated that "an Iwase Democrat is someone born in Hawai'i." That is not only a tremendous insult to people who came from somewhere else and made Hawai'i their home, but it excludes a large portion of the population. If Mr. Iwase were governor, he apparently would be governor only to "Iwase Democrats."

We are fortunate to have Governor Lingle with her tremendous compassion and her embodiment of "e komo mai." Everyone is welcome. Everyone is included. Every one of us matters to her. She is a great governor, and we need to give her another term in office so she can continue her work on behalf of all of us.

IWASE SHOWED HEART, CONVICTION IN DEBATE

Randy Iwase has been taking a lot of flak for his response to the debate question of who is an Iwase Democrat.

I have known Randy for more than six years. I have Mainland-born and foreign-born friends and family. I know for a fact that Randy respects all people, whether they are local-born or not. I believe that Randy construed the question as it applied to himself. He was describing Randy Iwase the Democrat, who is local-born, and not the typical Iwase Democrat, who may or may not be local-born. In my opinion, the question was poorly phrased.

Randy's performance in the debate was not flawless, but to me, that was a plus. He came across as a real person. He was engaged. Randy showed heart, enthusiasm and conviction. His opponent, on the other hand, delivered a staid, detached and robotic performance. She sounded more like a bored waitress giving me the daily specials.

Randy is passionate about solving the problems of this state. Let's give him our vote!

GOVERNOR A HYPOCRITE FOR HER SUPPORT OF WAR

Gov. Linda Lingle is a hypocrite. During the gubernatorial debate, Lingle said that sitting down with mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children and grandparents of the Hawai'i soldiers lost in the war on terror has been the toughest part of her job.

Yet Lingle, a Bush friend and follower, supports his plan to remain in Iraq indefinitely, resulting in more casualties and more troop rotations.

How dare Lingle say that she will never put her party above what she thinks is right for the people, while she blindly supports Bush's unending war in Iraq.

How can Lingle say that she cares about our military families and soldiers when she chooses to keep them there?

Hawai'i needs a governor who demands our troops be brought home now.

IRAQ WAR

BRITISH GENERAL MERITS THE HIGHEST OF REGARD

No matter what you think of the war in Iraq, I hold British Gen. Richard Dannatt in the highest regard.

When he made his statement about the war, he was still on active duty. He has something to lose. Any army should be proud to have him within its ranks. He did his duty as he saw fit.

DEVELOPMENT

OFFICIALS NEED TO BETTER EXPLAIN KAWELA STANDS

The developers behind the expansion at Kawela Bay have been granted a tentative permit to continue their master plan of building four additional hotels. During this time there have been numerous protests questioning the need for this development, the impact it will have on the North Shore and future ramifications.

Although there is little community support for this development, we have seen very few of our elected leaders explain their position. Moreover, officials must explain to the public what obligations they are bound to concerning the 20-year-old agreement and obsolete environmental impact statement with the developers.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann talks about how Hawai'i is such a special place; however, I have not seen any action on his part regarding this development. The same could be said for members of the City Council.

It would be nice if the public were more informed as to their positions on this issue, or better yet their support to block this expansion at Kawela Bay.

The North Shore is used by all of us, and the lack of acknowledgement and support by our leaders is an indication that they are not listening to their constituents.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

TREATMENT MUST BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

The recent arrest of a school-teacher on drug charges has set off a firestorm of rhetoric by the usual suspects. Indignant politicians are quick to suggest mandatory drug testing be the law of the land, and Hawai'i State Teachers Association leaders are in denial about drug use in the ranks.

Teachers must come to terms with a sad fact: There is drug use in your ranks! Drug abuse probably reflects the same percentages found in the general public. Drug abuse knows no socioeconomic or professional boundaries.

Mandatory testing alone is not the answer. If the underlying drug abuse or dependency is not dealt with through treatment, the result will be a worsening of the status quo. Incarcerated drug addicts will do their time and come out of prison still drug addicts, only with more criminal skills!

PARENTS WANT TO KNOW THEIR CHILDREN ARE SAFE

I am a parent of two children who are enrolled in public schools. It scares me to know that we have a teacher who was arrested for selling drugs.

How many teachers are selling or doing drugs in our state? We'll never know unless we have drug tests implemented for our teachers and administrators!

As a parent, I want to know that the teachers and administrators who are with my children five days a week and seven hours a day are coherent and not on illegal substances.

Why are we still considering not drug-testing our teachers and administrators? Is it just because of the teacher shortage? Are we really that desperate?