Too much homework spoils students' school breaks

Many teachers assign an excessive amount of homework and crucial reports and projects to be done during school breaks. Once given these time-consuming assignments, many students are stuck at home or at the library researching and writing their reports instead of enjoying their breaks.

I understand that teachers want to keep their students' brains in the "groove of things," but it is unreasonable to assign such excessive work.

On numerous occasions I have had to pass up going to the beach or shopping center because I needed to work on or complete reports and projects.

Not only do these assignments affect my schedule, they also affect my parents' schedule. They're the ones who must drive me to the library to access resources and to help me obtain other sources of information.

We should be able to enjoy our break with our friends and family, and not have to stay home trying to complete these assignments.

Leah Taylor
Mililani High School
Mililani

Hawaii is being trashed by so many

Seeing the land of Hawaii torn up and trashed just makes me cry. Having to look at the islands being trashed by our own civilization, especially Hawaiians, just breaks my heart.

As I watch bulldozers tear up the green land that was once used to harvest food, I get scared that there will be nothing left for me or my children.

Contractors bring bulldozers and dump trucks, dig up the land and ship it out. I also see people dumping their trash anywhere they want. Hawaiian students trash a beautiful campus that a princess gave them. People trash their own backyards. This must stop. The helpful and caring hands of others must help to keep this island clean and pure, so the next generation may understand what we were all about.

Robert K. Aiwohi
Nanakuli

A plea for the return of stolen photographs

This was our first holiday without my mother. She was taken from us quickly and there was no chance to say goodbye. All we have left are mementos such as photographs.

I had selected the most precious slides of my mother and brought them to Honolulu to share with my family over Thanksgiving dinner. But on Nov. 25, those precious photos were stolen from my car.

The car was in the parking lot across from the zoo and near Waikiki Beach. There were three packages of prints and slides with "Mission Country Processing Center" on the cover of the envelopes. All three packages were inside a brown paper bag.

The photographs are priceless to our family. Can you please help us? I am offering a $150 reward for the return of these photos - no questions asked. Please contact Dotty at 808-842-9178 or mail them to P.O. Box 555, Goleta, Calif. 93116.

Stephanie Stark
Goleta, Calif.

Protesters at Charley's are in the minority

Please help us correct the record. The few protesters complaining about Charley's Taxi do not represent the majority (more than 300) of us. It's embarrassing that they call themselves Charley's drivers since they are just trying to get publicity.

If you want to know the truth, many of them didn't meet the high standards we have in treating passengers. All drivers can make a living if they make the effort to move around to different stands and use all the programs. They will have a tough time if they don't show initiative and just wait in line at the hotels for business.

If they don't like the rules at Charley's, they should join another company. Don't spoil our best reputation. We are the favorite of kamaaina.

Henry Ching
Earl Klok
Kimo Nagatori
John Vasper
Michael Sester
Arnold Wong

Great men like Clinton like great sex

The Republicans' insensitive attack on President Clinton will not be forgotten in two years. It will be a lifetime. They are demoralizing the very nature of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Great men, with great wisdom and great vision, have great appetites for great sex. Some have it; most do not! Sex is a private matter; denial is a privilege. The Oval Office is not a sanctuary for chastity. Neither is a private office nor a bedroom.

Don't use the Oval Office as hallowed ground for impeachment. Who cares? No ground is hallowed for sex and procreation. We are mere animals under the natural law.

Jane Watanabe
Pearl City

Mink, Abercrombie should vote to impeach

How can our congressional delegation vote against the impeachment of our president? Is Clinton being excused and considered "not guilty" because he is a Democrat?

Clinton violated a trust. Everybody, including Clinton, knows that he is guilty as charged. Our representatives should put aside party positions and vote to impeach Clinton.

He should then resign so that the country can be saved from a long, expensive trial.

Aki Kakazu
Mililani

H-3 only helps small percentage of people

The newspapers' constant fawning over the H-3 freeway makes me sick.

Why don't you talk to some of the many thousands of residents who live in new homes in Central and Leeward Oahu and who are forced to use the H-1 during rush hour?

The state spent over a billion dollars to slightly improve the quality of life for a tiny percentage of the people at the expense of everyone else.

Jeffrey Shockey
Kailua

Yoshida is incompetent as UH athletic director

From the UH tennis courts, I glanced at the new woman's softball stadium and could tell right off that it's too high to be usable. Where was Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida when the stadium was being built? Didn't he ever stroll out and take a look?

How did he get to be athletic director anyway? Apparently, not because of competence.

R.C. Johnson

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.