TRIBUTE

AUNTIE NONA BEAMER TYPIFIED ALOHA SPIRIT

When I was many years younger, my friend, Marvin, and I went to see a parade in downtown Minneapolis. Guests on the reviewing stand included a small delegation from Hawai'i, honoring the Islands' new status as the 50th state.

Proudly wearing an aloha shirt, I looked up as we walked under the reviewing stand. At the same time, a lovely lady wearing a mu'umu'u looked down.

We waved at each other and she asked if I was from Hawai'i. Upon hearing my "yes," she promptly waved us up to join her. When we arrived, she gave each of us a warm hug and shared her lei with us.

She insisted that we remain there to view the parade. We felt like VIPs! She kindly introduced us to the mayor and other guests.

Later, when we joined our friends, Marvin told them how my lovely friend had allowed us a prime view of the parade. I told everyone that was the first time I had ever met Auntie Nona Beamer, and her warmth and graciousness typified the aloha spirit. How lucky I was to have met her.

'HOLE IN MY HEART'

EVERY DAY, A LITTLE MORE OF HAWAI'I IS LOST

Every day it seems like we lose a little more Hawai'i, and it's making me sad.

I feel like I've been walking on broken glass longer than the rail system will stretch, and I've cried more tears than all the water that's left in Waiahole.

I tried hoping for help from some kind of hero, but even the Superferry let me down.

There's a hole in my heart the size of Arakawa's.

My nerves are shot like Makua Valley, and I feel more trashed than Waimanalo Gulch.

HAWAI'I TOURISM

WHERE THERE IS A NEED, AIRLINES WILL STEP IN

Recent airline shutdowns have cost about 2,500 jobs that we know about and unknown ancillary positions that we don't know about, such as catering, laundry, fuel production and delivery.

What we learned in college was that where there is a need, somebody or some company will provide a solution.

As it applies to Hawai'i, there will be a continuing need to bring business persons, vacationers, conventiongoers, transiting travelers and students to and from Hawai'i.

Some airline or airlines will fill that need. We will continue to need and have modern airports, hotels, ground transportation and those great meals at affordable prices.

Great airlines have come and gone in the past (Pan American, for example) and our tourism industry did not disappear.

Our job now will be to keep Hawai'i beautiful, neat, clean and affordable so that our visitors will continue to choose Hawai'i as they have done for many years in the past.

HONOLULU SYMPHONY

DRESS RULES NEEDED FOR CONCERT LEI PRESENTERS

The April 12 presentation of the Faure and Durufle Requiems by the Honolulu Symphony was spectacular. Not often does an audience enjoy such a faultless performance.

However, one extremely discordant (pun appropriate) note occurred to tarnish an otherwise perfect evening: Whoever is in charge of the lei presenters who appeared at the end of the concert must set down and enforce some rules about tasteful and appropriate garb on the stage.

The very revealing shorts and ratty jeans were unsuitable and disrespectful of the tone and compositions of this concert.

GLOBAL WARMING

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY, DROP ANIMAL PRODUCTS

When Al Gore's and Leonardo DiCaprio's dramatic documentaries alerted us to the devastating impacts of global warming, many people went through the ritual of switching from incandescent light bulbs to the compact fluorescent variety.

Unfortunately, in the case of global warming, good intentions and switching light bulbs are not good enough.

The most powerful individual lifestyle solution was suggested in a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The report found that meat production accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. That's more than automobiles.

Carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures and by combustion of fossil fuels to operate farm machinery, trucks, refrigeration equipment, factory farms and slaughterhouses. The much more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are released from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal waste cesspools.

Moreover, animal agriculture contributes more pollutants to our waterways than all other human activities combined. Principal sources are animal wastes, soil particles, minerals, crop debris, fertilizers and pesticides from feed croplands. It is also the driving force in worldwide deforestation and wildlife habitat destruction.

The annual observance of Earth Day next Tuesday provides an excellent opportunity for every one of us to help save our planet by dropping animal products from our diet.

BALLOT QUESTION

SPREAD THE WORD, IT'S TIME FOR A CONCON

Mark Spengler's letter (April 15) on the attempted "torpedoing" of the ConCon vote is worth attention.

The problem is that the people who should pay attention haven't read the letter. The question of whether to hold a ConCon is a sophisticated one. The debate about it will be held in media never visited by most of those who will vote "no" on the question in November. Actually, they won't vote on the question at all because they have no interest in the question.

And the blanks on their ballots will count as "no" votes.

It is the responsibility of those of us who know it's time for a ConCon to spread the word as much as we can. We should discuss the issue with our friends and family members.

If we are employers, we should discuss it with our employees and incorporate it in our newsletters.

We should bring it up at social gatherings. We should use Internet message boards and chat rooms. We should bring it up in casual e-mail correspondences.

In these pages, valuable and powerful as they may be, we are merely humming to the organist.

LOW-INTEREST LOANS

NO SURPRISES FOR MAUI TAXPAYERS IN WRITE-OFF

Let's see, Maui County loaned $310,364 for low-interest home repairs years ago; $163,180 is still owed.

Now, Maui wished to possibly write off the loans because it would be an unpleasant "surprise" for the debtors.

No surprise for the Maui taxpayers, however. They have lots of money — and how about those naive folks who paid off their loans? They're getting something from Maui County, too.

TRANSIT

SPENDING MONEY ON NEW SYSTEM IS NUTS

Much of our conversations about rapid transit have focused on the need of having transit alternatives for commuters coming from the west side of the island. What has been glibly passed over is that alternatives are already being offered but only being lightly utilized.

Examples are the light use of the HOV lane. Or even the light use of the carpool lane. There are more cheaters in the carpool lane than legitimate users. Nor has the TheBoat been fully utilized. Ridership is increasing, but it's the tourists who are contributing to the increase.

You can offer many alternatives, but unless the commuters are willing to change their mindset the construction of any alternative system, including rapid transit, will be a waste of money.

Sure, rapid transit will have its users, but many of those users are current bus riders or boat riders who will change modes. To spend this much money simply to offer an alternative that will be lightly used is nuts.

TRAFFIC

COST OF GAS REMINDS US DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE

The recent spike in gas prices and the evident daunting effect to the community make me chuckle.

This effect may be positive. For instance, there are too many cars on the road. Kids graduate from high school and parents purchase them a car. The majority of households own multiple cars, which amount to multiple traffic nightmares.

The high cost of gas reminds us that driving is a privilege.

Owning a vehicle comes with a high cost of responsibility and foresight.

The high cost of gas most definitely will have an impact on our traffic and environmental issues.

GUN CONTROL

RIGHT-TO-CARRY LAWS REDUCE SOME CRIMES

I would like to offer several follow-up questions from the editorial on April 14 regarding the need for gun control.

First, I would like to point out that historically any nondemocratically elected government that has designs on totalitarianism or fascism takes guns away from law-abiding citizens.

Next, no gun-control law against law-abiding citizens curbs the access to, or usage of, guns by criminals.

And lastly, states with right- to-carry laws have significant and demonstrative reductions in certain types of violent and property crimes.

Now, as my follow-up questions, I ask the editorial board in all their wisdom to answer me this: How many gun crimes were committed in Hawai'i over the past 50 years by the legal owners of the gun?

Conversely, of those crimes involving guns over the past 50 years in Hawai'i, how many of the criminals acquired their guns through illegal means?

Lastly, if you were a witness to a brutal and heinous crime, do you think the victim would prefer you call the police and wait or pull out a gun and subdue the attacker?

Just something for the editorial board to think about.