CITY BUSES

SENIOR-SEATING RULES SHOULD BE ENFORCED

Recently I was on a city bus when every seat was taken. As usual, many riders who are not seniors were sitting in the seniors/handicapped seats.

I watched several struggling older people get on the bus. A few younger people offered them seats — not in the senior section but farther back.

One very elderly gentleman boarded with his wife, stood in front of a young boy, probably about 10 years old, who was sitting in the senior-seating section. He gestured to him to give up his seat so his very frail wife could sit down. The child did.

I have visited Honolulu with my 81-year-old mother several times in the past three years because my niece was a student at the University of Hawai'i.

Traveling with a senior citizen creates a distinct awareness of the lack of accommodations made for them.

My mother had a fall on a crowded bus last summer. It was at that point that the bus driver got up and instructed everyone who was in the senior seats without being qualified to be there to stand up and let the seniors sit down. The damage was done at that point, and my mother had a rough couple of days recovering from that fall.

If riders can't read the signs, then the bus driver has an obligation to vigorously and emphatically enforce the rules.

AKAKA BILL

POLLS SHOW MAJORITY SUPPORT RECOGNITION

Paul DeSilva of Hilo claims Congresswoman Mazie Hirono is "telling a fib" in saying that most people in Hawai'i oppose the Akaka bill (Letters, July 20). He must have missed The Hono-lulu Advertiser's 2006 poll, which found 63 percent of respondents supported a recognized Hawaiian entity.

That was well more than double the 27 percent who opposed. (10 percent in The Advertiser poll didn't know). Those numbers track with other polls conducted by credible pollsters over the years, which found that most people in Hawai'i support the measure.

Perhaps DeSilva is hanging with the Grassroots Institute of Hawai'i types who conduct "push polls" as part of the institute's effort to defeat Hawaiian recognition. These automated calls, with their bias and offensive questions, are designed to trigger hang-ups from supporters of Hawaiian recognition. The hang-ups aren't counted in the final tally.

Those who stick around to listen to the automated survey are fed scare stories about secession, land grabs and gambling, none of which will come with the passage of federal recognition. Those are the "fibs" being told. The truth is that most people in Hawai'i want fairness and justice for Native Hawaiians.

STRONG SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION

Every credible poll conducted by The Advertiser and others since 2000 show the majority of Hawai'i residents support federal recognition for Native Hawaiians.

The most vocal critic of Native Hawaiian programs, the Grassroot Institute and its member, Tom MacDonald, are writing letters again taking information out of context to create a false impression. He excerpts a portion of a 2003 poll to claim non-Hawaiians don't support federal recognition (Letters, July 23).

That's not the case. The poll taken in July 2003 by Ward Research found strong support for federal recognition and the Akaka bill among both Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians: 86 percent of Hawaiians supported the bill, while 78 percent of non-Hawaiians supported it.

And it concludes: "Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians share a common belief that Hawaiians have a right to self-determination as a distinct people."

Mr. MacDonald is a member of Grassroot's "board of scholars." He is also among a group of conservative appointees to the Hawai'i advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a move apparently designed to stack the local commission against the Akaka bill and other Native Hawaiian programs.

Let's remember that the Akaka bill is part of the process of reconciliation outlined in the Public Apology Law that was passed by Congress in 1993. We, both Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians, are seeking justice and fairness.

TRAFFIC

HB 1549 WOULD SPEED ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS

The Honolulu Police Department's vehicular homicide detail investigates traffic accidents that involve a fatality on O'ahu's roadways. Removing bodies from roadside areas must be done with respect, diligence and precision. This is why compromises are not an option during an accident investigation. The clock is not a factor, but collecting evidence is.

That is where House Bill 1549, which I introduced, comes in.

To minimize the amount of time lanes are closed for an investigation, the vehicular homicide detail should be equipped with the latest technology and tools to reconstruct the accident scene to preserve as much information as possible.

HB 1549 provided the funds to replace a 1995 Chevy Blazer used to mobilize resources at the accident scene and purchase digital photo cameras and computer software.

At the very least, the bill calls for the indemnification of HPD so a body can be moved before the medical examiner makes any pronouncements. This alone can save everyone valuable time without compromising the investigation.

The House has passed this bill. Please help me convince the Senate Ways and Means Committee to hear this bill next session.

MAKUA

ARMY IS A FINE ONE TO TALK ABOUT DESECRATION

This is a response to the July 22 article about the Army's denial of kanaka maoli's cultural visits to Makua Valley.

They stated that "non-lineal descendants disapproved of the visits" because they felt that visits would "desecrate sacred land."

Is this the same Army that has been using the valley for target practice? Is that all it can pull out of its hat of excuses?

Last time I checked, it was trying to roll in the Strykers.

I cannot say any more, due to my dumbfoundedness.

ADVISORY GROUP

RIGHTS PANEL ADDITIONS NOW GIVE SOME BALANCE

Your editorial about a new civil rights panel complains "at least five (out of 17) have vocally campaigned or filed lawsuits against federal recognition for Native Hawaiians."

You echo the leftist fear that this is "an attempt to 'stack the deck' against affirmative action and similar programs." I sure hope so.

At least now the panel has five out of 17 to provide some balance. The stacked old civil rights panel under Charlie Maxwell had every member supporting the Akaka bill, and Hawaiian racial supremacy in general.

Their topsy-turvy theory of civil rights was shown in a lengthy official report from hearings in September 2000.

The report said the 7-2 Supreme Court decision in Rice v. Cayetano violated the "civil rights" of ethnic Hawaiians to have racially exclusionary institutions. The report therefore supported the Akaka bill as a remedy, plus a "right" for ethnic Hawaiians to force total secession of Hawai'i from America. Crazy. Totally stacked.

Hawai'i, beware of a dangerous future. Read a recent book: "Hawaiian Apartheid: Racial Separatism and Ethnic Nationalism in the Aloha State" — a print-on-demand book (use Google).

I hope the new civil rights panel will help rescue us.

PARKING PRIVILEGE

HANDICAP CONDITION MAY NOT BE OBVIOUS

I'd like to comment on Joe Carini's July 19 letter about handicap stalls.

There is such a thing as a "hidden" disability. Just because an individual who uses a handicap placard is not in a wheelchair does not mean the individual doesn't qualify for a placard and the benefit of parking closer to an entrance.

I have one for my young son who has Down syndrome and concurrent medical concerns.

I have wondered what others think when I park in the handicap stall.

I know my son needs the benefit of the handicap stall, and I appreciate the folks who worked hard at the Legislature to get such measures passed.

POLITICS

GOP STONEWALLING IMPORTANT LEGISLATION

The all-nighter in the Senate last week highlighted Republican stonewalling of important legislation.

It is like reading a dark comedy when you look at the bills blocked by the current crop of Republicans: cheaper drug prices for the elderly, minimum wage for the working poor, ethics reform in their own chamber, cleaning up the environment and, worst of all, peace.

Senate Republicans want the Democrats to own this war, but the American people aren't stupid, and partisan politics is killing our loved ones and innocent Iraqis.

I am proud of Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka for continuing the fight to bring our troops home from this illegal and ill-conceived occupation of Iraq.

And I hope and pray that the Senate Republicans get the message, or get out.

TRANSPORTATION

CITY MEETING NEED FOR EFFICIENT, SAFE SYSTEM

We were pleased to read that you agree with the use of a multi-modal approach to resolving traffic problems and getting people out of their cars and onto mass transit (Editorials, July 20).

It was irresponsible, however, to characterize the city's efforts in this area as "erring on the side of caution" and imply that the city has assumed any role except that of a "full partner."

The Mililani Transit Center and the two new circulator shuttle services are part of our bus service improvement plan for Central O'ahu.

In addition to more circulator services, we plan to introduce routes connecting Central O'ahu (Mililani/Wahiawa) with Wai-pahu and Kapolei. The Mililani facility is also one of four transit centers that the Hannemann administration is planning and building for Wai'anae, Kalihi, and Wahiawa.

Our concept of operations is to provide circulator buses that serve the community and meet at a transit center. From there, riders may transfer to another circulator or a trunk route. Eventually, the Mililani center will serve as a major hub for our planned light rail system.

We have always stated that a multi-modal approach is what we must do in order to deal with our traffic problems.

Further, we believe that our islandwide plan for safe, efficient and cost-effective public-transit services meets your stipulation for "easier and more efficient" transit service in Mililani.

MAINLAND TOURNAMENT

GIRLS TEAM FROM ISLE BASKETBALL CLUB WINS

We recently came back from a national basketball tournament in Las Vegas, where our older girls (13-15 years old) team won the championship for the second year in a row.

We also had a younger girls team (12-13 years old) that took 4th place, playing in a much older girls division. All of these girls are from the 808 Basketball Club from a clinic at Roosevelt.

I would like to give big praise to the coaches, Hinano Higa, Clint Chikamori and Tad Fujiwara, for a job well done.

The girls on the team are: Jordan Kealoha, Kelcie Namba, Shauni Watanabe, Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo, Kirsten Liana, Kaui Kuehu, Mikela Thoemmes, Kayla Fuataga, Shana Kawakami, Darcey Goulsby, Dejah Faasoa, Letisha Faasoa, Abcde Furuta-Harada and Joshy Noga.

LANDSCAPE

CUTTING OF ALBIZZIA TREES ON H-2 MOURNED

I am saddened and horrified at the brutal cutting of the albizzia trees along H-2 Freeway.

If the intent is to lighten the tree-trimming workload of the Department of Transportation, it has certainly succeeded.

Although albizzia trees are invasive, they have enhanced the appearance of a busy highway by providing shade and a gentle pathway to Central O'ahu and the North Shore.

The butchering of at least 40 trees is unsightly — and they won't grow back in my lifetime.