"Maybe Jeremy can connect with them on a personal level and at least make them feel that someone is listening," I thought. If Harris could steer just one of those boys away from a future of crystal meth, crime and violence, our community would reap untold benefits.

The mayor had a chance to listen to people with real problems, but he chose to lecture them. Maybe he thought he was standing up for our police officers.

He might have better served the HPD and all of us, however, if he had just listened and not lectured. Mayor Harris had a chance to do something, but I guess it was beyond him.

S. Pike

Attention should be paid! Mayor Harris is doing a fair job and I have hopes that he'll get better. However, he should know that no one on this island has forgotten the mess that John Waihee succeeded in leaving.

Our previous governor hired 14,000 more employees and used up all our surplus in fine and dandy projects that sounded good for all of us, but which in reality only benefitted the "in" crowd and good ol' boys.

This kind of networking from former political campaigns is the kiss of death for Harris. We have all had our fill of cut budgets in schools, the university, libraries and social services.

Mayor Harris had better be more judicious in his selection of his volunteers or - God help us all - we could get Frank Fasi back.

Elsie D. Hollingsworth
Pearl City

Shaq and many other athletes are just moving to other teams for money. I mean, money is so non-essential to life. Happiness is what really matters, but all these stars go shopping for the highest bidder.

Whatever happened to loyalty to one team? It seems like half of the players in organized sports switch teams from year to year. Loyalty used to be numero uno on a player's list; now it is at the bottom.

Many players in professional sports grow up with the dream to play in the NBA or NFL and to make a lot of money. However, this dream often gets warped beyond reasonable doubt. For instance, Juwan Howard signing with the Miami Heat for a seven-year contract worth over $98 million is ridiculous.

Money is now the most important issue. This affects how I look up to these stars. I only see the greed in their eyes.

Ian Kusao
Our Redeemer School

There is nothing they can do, especially in the short amount of time they have, to help correct the wrongs just reported to them.

Therefore, whether it's your paper or another company or organization, let's offer solutions.

Solutions - like a fax-back form, an e-mail location, a homepage and/or an audio response system that would dispense exact addresses and phone numbers of whom to call to voice an immediate opinion and/or accept qualified input that could later be forwarded to the parties involved.

Reporters/writers would have to submit information on solutions needed for this task. At the end of every story and elsewhere boldly, would be the ways listed to reach solutions.

That's it. I'm sure you can read into this all the great advantages for the organization that does this. It might prevent that snapping sound you hear so often, as normal, peaceful and responsible Dr. Jekylls turn into shooters, bombers and anarchists.

Stephen A. Geimer