Letters to the Editor
Thursday, June 20, 1996

Luke's photos informed,
entertained, inspired

I was given a camera when I was about 12 years old. And one of my heroes was Terry Luke, the longtime Star-Bulletin photographer who died Sunday. Each photograph in the evening paper put me in a different place and different time.

Not only did he share with us his insight into people and places, but he shared with us moments of wonder, moments of awe, moments of sorrow, and moments of joy. He inspired many of us to see more than meets the eye with his artistry. My love of photography helped pay my way through college and graduate schools.

Although Terry Luke will be sorely missed, his life has forever touched ours and his photographs will be with us as long as we have eyes to see.

The Rev. Frank A. Chong
Executive Director
Waikiki Health Center
Mililani


Democrats are preferable to life
under Republicans

Diane Chang's June 17 column, "A guide to understanding the Democrats," seemed very clever at first glance. But surely a senior editor should know that the reason the Democrats have "been running this town for 40 years" is that the people of Hawaii, in an open democratic process, selected them for that task.

Many of us remember what it was like before 1954 under Republican rule. I remember waiting for my father on payday during the election season. He had to listen to campaign harangues from Republican politicians before he could get his pay check from Hawaiian Electric.

My father-in-law was required by the sugar plantation which employed him to attend Republican political rallies.

The late Willie Crozier gave sworn testimony in federal court that, when he was running as a Democrat for the federal office of delegate to Congress in 1936, the Republican sheriff of Kauai met him at the dock in Nawiliwili to tell him he would be arrested if he attempted to make any political speeches on the island.

Perhaps others have better stories than these. Chang might check with them for a fuller understanding of 50 years of Republican benevolence.

Robert L.R. Miller


Sympathy, advice go out to
mother of slain teen

I read with sadness the story of a mother defending the reputation of her son, who was shot by a police officer on June 7. I'm sorry that this mother should have to experience such pain. How tragic for any mother to experience the loss of a child.

But respect for our police officers is desperately needed. Without the support of the community, these kinds of incidents will occur again.

We need to instill in our children a positive regard for these officers. This begins at home. If these young adults were taught to respect our laws, this incident might not have occurred.

Had this boy obeyed the law and pulled over peacefully to be cited for driving without a license, not to mention a stolen car, such a tragedy could have been avoided.

Winifred N. Barr


Don't penalize parents for
misbehavior of kids

The June 14 letter by Julie Anderson disturbs me. She assumes that parents of minors are doing nothing to combat delinquency. She needs to realize there are both good and bad parents and those who fall in between.

Locking up parents for the crimes of their children is not going to do any good. That would only give the teens more opportunity to participate in their delinquent behaviors.

As a parent of three children, I can tell you that it is possible for a law-abiding parent to have a troubled teen as I do.

I thank the Honolulu Police Department for helping me to find ways to counteract her out-of-control behavior. Currently, she has a record for runaway and truancy which, if she stays out of trouble, will disappear when she is 18 years old.

We are trying to help her realize that she is responsible for her actions. If she had been the one in the car that had been shot at by police, I could not hold it against the officers.

Linda Pennington
Waipahu


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