Letters to the Editor
Wednesday, July 10, 1996

Money spent on evictions
could have aided homeless

I often wonder how our government leaders make decisions. A questionable example was how money was spent to evict Makua Valley residents.

On June 18, the day of infamy at Makua, Department of Land and Natural Resources officials, sheriffs, police officers, a fire truck and crew, an ambulance and attendants, a helicopter and crew, two marine patrol boats and crews, etc., were at the scene, evicting 16 people.

Wow, we must have had a large reserve of revenues to accommodate this army to evict the Makua residents.

Our Makua residents and others are still hurting from Hawaii's high cost of living. Why weren't these reserve revenues - that paid this eviction army - channeled instead into improving living conditions for the homeless?

Glennell Dano
Kaneohe


Democrats and media
have destroyed this great nation

When the Democratic Party said that the Republican Party will take food away from the school children to starve them and will take Medicare away from senior citizens, that is sure a Communist way of talking.

The Democratic Party is not the only one to blame. The media are partly to blame, too. I thought the media were supposed to be neutral, but they are so one-sided. It seems that they got whatever they wanted when the Democratic Party was in power.

The Democratic Party forgot that the money it spent was the people's money. Democratic politicians spent so much that they got the country $3 trillion in debt.

Even after getting the country so deeply into debt, lots of people are still supporting the Democratic Party. They must be crazy or brainwashed. They sure are not using their common sense.

Lorenzo E. Arancon


Ballots must be destroyed
in Native Hawaiian vote

What's wrong with the Native Hawaiian vote? First of all, this vote and the entire process from which it evolved was initiated by the Hawaii state Legislature. It makes no sense that an exercise of kanaka maoli self-determination would start with the very entity that continues to oppress and control our people, our lands and our natural resources.

It makes no sense that the state claims to support our right to exercise self-determination through this process, while evicting us from our lands and denying us access to the natural resources we need to survive.

It makes no sense that we are being rushed into a process that many of us are not ready for. Our people need time and space to understand our history, participate in the present and prepare for the future.

Our struggle must be our own, free from government control and interference. While the journey may be long and painful, we need to claim ownership of our inherent rights by refusing to allow the suppression of these rights by the state and federal governments.

If we are to be a free and self-sufficient people once again, we must look to ourselves for answers in order to end government wardship in our homeland.

We can do this by refusing to participate in the Native Hawaiian vote, voicing our opposition to it and destroying any ballots we receive.

Kapuananialiiokama Kalai


Manoa has been home
to Salvation Army for years

With respect to concerns expressed by neighbors of the Salvation Army's headquarters in Manoa regarding program site changes (Star-Bulletin, July 4), the public should be aware that the army has responsibly operated effective social programs at its historic site for nearly a century.

As a past chairman and longtime volunteer with the advisory board, and as a Manoa area resident myself, it has been my experience that the Army's dedicated officers and staff are very sensitive to community needs and would respond immediately to any problem brought to their attention.

At last Wednesday's meeting of the Manoa Neighborhood Board, I felt badly that none of the other residents or elected officials bothered to address the tremendous good that the Salvation Army has done.

Surely, we should pull together as a community, to support people and programs that combat the social decay and personal turmoil now confronting so many of our fellow humans. Isn't the challenge we all face not somehow tied to the ancient commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself?"

The Salvation Army's programs, designed to help women and men in need through love, discipline and faith, are among the most effective in the world today.

In my view, we are most fortunate to have this wonderful organization "in our backyard."

Ken Harding


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