REMEMBRANCE

GROWING UP IN THE '50S, WITH KRAUSS' COLUMN

Back in the 1950s, my family lived on Coconut Avenue at the foot of Diamond Head. Breakfast on school days was a comfortable ritual. Dad would sit sipping his coffee and reading excerpts from The Advertiser, including bits from Bob Krauss' column, "In One Ear," to Mother as she stood in the kitchen fixing our food. The radio would be on — always tuned to "Aku."

In 1957, in response to complaints from Waikiki residents about the proliferation of streetside vendors, Bob and his pal Kini Popo organized a march down Kalakaua Avenue to investigate the situation. A ragtag army of about 200 trailed in their wake, including two seventh-graders, me and my best friend, Danny Eubanks. Our picture was printed on the front page of The Advertiser the next morning. Those were the days ... a wonderful time to grow up in Honolulu.

FOOTBALL

UH FANS COULD LEARN FROM ALABAMA FANS

I just returned from the Alabama vs. UH football game. We arrived at the campus at 11:30 a.m. for the 6 p.m. kickoff.

My group found, and stayed at, the student union to escape the terrible humidity. We remained there till 4:30 p.m. before heading for the stadium.

Many Alabama fans came by to wish us the best. The harshest comment I heard was the fast-food clerk wishing us a good game but hoping that Alabama wins the game. Others in our party were invited to join Alabama tailgate parties.

The only booing heard was for calls by the officials. UH, both players and fans, were never booed. I wish our Aloha Stadium fans would behave the same way. We always talk about our aloha spirit and then boo the opposition.

More of us should travel and experience aloha treatment elsewhere.

SENATE RACE

CASE WAS CLEAR WINNER IN AUG. 31 TV DEBATE

There was a clear winner in the Senate debate Aug. 31. It was Rep. Ed Case.

I was sorry to see Sen. Dan Akaka fumble around for words. He has a long record of service in the Senate. I expected him to articulate his position without constantly referring to notes. At times, Akaka seemed to answer a different question from the one that was asked.

If Senator Akaka is unable to articulate what his position is on various issues, how will he do it on the fast-paced environment of the Senate floor?

If Senator Akaka can't even get the bill named after him passed, how is he going to pass other legislation that affects this state?

SENATORS SHOULD THINK OF FUTURE OF HAWAI'I

I was the one at the Hawai'i Publishers Association luncheon last month who asked Sen. Dan Akaka when we should start the change. He said we need experience in the Senate while President Bush is in office, and that Rep. Neil Abercrombie is getting that experience.

The senator did not answer my question. First, the senator has no right to say who his successor will be. Second, it does not matter how long Rep. Abercrombie is in the House. When he goes to the Senate he will start at the bottom and will get seniority only when the length of time he is there goes beyond others.

The state of Hawai'i will be in sorry shape if we do not start planning for the future now. Both Sen. Akaka and Sen. Daniel Inouye will not be there forever, and their terms are only two years apart. We will be at the bottom of the food chain for federal dollars when they leave. Both senators need to be thinking of Hawai'i's future.

RAIL

CITY WILL RECOMMEND NO-FRILLS TRANSIT SYSTEM

There has been much discussion regarding the overall cost of a transit system in light of Mayor Mufi Hannemann's commitment to an overall price tag of about $3 billion for rail transit (in 2006 dollars).

Currently, engineers are designing a full system that would cover the entire city corridor. Such a system would cost about $4 billion.

Given the Hannemann administration's prudent financial philosophy, Honolulu's current economic reality and previous public representations that a rail system would cost approximately $3 billion, the decision has been made to stay with that price tag. This means we will be recommending a basic, no-frills system that meets most needs in the most cost-effective manner.

In the face of the massive, islandwide gridlock experienced by O'ahu residents last week, the City and County of Honolulu is committed to finding traffic solutions that are effective and cost-efficient. We are proceeding as quickly as possible to bring the public relief and alternatives to commuting in cars.

TRAFFIC TIE-UP

HUSBAND RESCUED STALLED H-1 MOTORIST

I was in one of those stalled cars on the side of the road on Moanalua Freeway Sept. 5.

I left town at 8:30 p.m., and my car stalled at 10:40. It was 12:45 a.m. by the time my husband was able to rescue me.

After checking my car, he found that it had overheated and the battery was dead. We went to Wal-Mart to purchase a new battery. By the time we were on our way home at 4:30 a.m., the H-1 Freeway had opened and we got to see the damaged pedestrian overpass.

Needless to say, I didn't go to work the next day, but caught up on some much-needed sleep! This was the most horrible traffic experience I've been in. But I'm so grateful to my knight-in-shining-armor husband for rescuing me.

DARFUR

NEW PEACE INITIATIVE IN ERITREA HOLDS PROMISE

As a soon-to-be resident of the Horn of Africa, and one of the first westerners to write about Darfur, I urge those who are concerned about the situation there to support the new peace initiative being undertaken in Asmara, Eritrea.

Intervention in the Horn of Africa, as in the disastrous Somalia attempt in the early 1990s, has never accomplished anything other than worsening the situation. The Somalis have finally managed to begin the process of stabilizing their country. Now, the Sudanese people, from both the Darfur resistance and the new coalition government, with the ongoing mediation of the Eritreans, are beginning the process of finding a permanent solution to the Darfur crisis. Sending armed forces from outside Sudan will only destroy any hope to peacefully solve the problems in Darfur.

Darfur has a lot of oil yet to be exploited, and this fact may explain the cynicism many in the Horn of Africa feel motivates the call for outside intervention.

Give peace a chance, and support the efforts of the Eritrean government. It made the critical difference in Somalia and holds great promise for Sudan as well.

HOUSING

PUBLIC POLICY SHOULD AIM AT SELF-SUFFICIENCY

The editorial "Perpetuity key to public housing sale" (Aug. 27) by its very title suggests that The Advertiser editorial writer foresees perfectly a large body of needy people feeding off the body politic forever.

It's as if that is something to be desired and thus guaranteed perpetually. How depressing. Why not be looking toward making every individual productive, self-sufficient, independent and paying rent or buying where they desire?

That should be the goal. To lock poverty into perpetuity in a contract is hardly good public policy.

But it does lock in place big intrusive government and all that feed upon it. Maybe that's the desired end result.

If so, say so.

DEVELOPMENT

PRESERVATION LAND MUST BE MAINTAINED

Certain areas of Hawai'i are zoned "preservation" for a good reason.

Developers need to respect the basic vocabulary and intent in these land-use ordinances.

Areas that are zoned "preservation" must not be circumvented, as is happening near the Ka Iwi shoreline. There are also developers who think they have the right to build high-density subdivisions on land that is zoned "agriculture."

What would happen to Hawai'i if all these developers are allowed to circumvent these zoning designations that are in place to protect Hawai'i's scenic and open spaces?

Hawai'i is under tremendous pressure from developers who are eager to exploit Hawai'i's limited scenic and shoreline resources. There is a growing grassroots movement (www .DefendOahuCoalition.org) that wants its voice to be heard regarding this development frenzy.

Henry Eng is the director of the Department of Planning and Permitting, not the Department of Permitting and Permitting. His job is to represent the interests of Hawai'i's people first, not developers.

PRESERVATION LAND NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED

The residents of Ha'iku Village in Kane'ohe can identify with those in Hawai'i Kai who are concerned about the development of land set aside for preservation.

The fate of the two-acre "Triangle Park" parcel at Ha'iku and Kahuhipa roads is in the hands of the City Council right now as it decides on Bill 55.

Unfortunately, Henry Eng, city director of planning and permitting, has approved plans for development of the land. All that is left is for the City Council to approve the rezoning.

The city is playing fast and loose with O'ahu's preservation land. This land should be the most difficult zoning to downgrade. We can't let parcels like this one and others around the island get whittled away to developers.

Our open space and green buffers, as well as parks, scenic views and natural landscapes, have been designated as preservation land for a good reason.

Once they're rezoned, we can never get that undeveloped land back. We have to think beyond ourselves and preserve these spaces for future generations. We must insist that city officials respect the intent of preservation zoning and the guidelines for sustainable communities that have been set forth.

Maybe we can't fault developers from eyeing these preserved lands and wanting to exploit them, but we CAN fault city officials who approve the plans and zoning requests of the developers.

Hawai'i Kai, keep your eyes on Triangle Park in Kane'ohe. If Bill 55 is approved by the City Council, it will set a precedent for all preserved land on O'ahu.

We all may want to look around and see where the P-2 land is in our own community. With the way things are looking, it could be up for grabs as well.