---

Caucasians experience profiling in Hawaii

I could not agree more with Ohana Foley's "Gathering Place" essay on racial profiling (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 22). Having received two tickets from Ho-nolulu police for "driving while haole" since moving here four years ago, I believe racial profiling is a problem on Oahu.

I was raised in East Texas and being pulled over for DWB --"driving while black" -- was always a joke.

Not so funny anymore.

Where was coverage of 9/11 anniversary?

The recent forgery scandal involving CBS News gives me pause to ponder. Can the media be trusted? Take, for instance, the recent coverage, or lack thereof, of the anniversary of 9/11. There was very little in the media to commemorate this day. However, I will bet money that next year they will run marathon showings of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11."

So this year, I went to my local library to rent the original version, simply entitled "9/11." It is the documentary by two French brothers who were shadowing New York firefighters around Manhattan that day and captured history. They got it all: the only existing image of the jet that hit the first tower, the screaming of the planes' engines, the loud crash of the planes hitting the buildings, the thunderous explosions that followed, the sounds of bodies falling.

The brothers were caught in the tornado of darkness as both buildings fell. They captured the shocked faces of the firefighters, some of whom were about to die. This is truth documented without agenda. I wonder why this version of "9/11" was not aired on Sept. 11. Can it be that the media prefer that the public get their truth from a fat man with a megaphone?

The terrorists themselves have rightly stated that Americans have short memories. Please remember, America, what happened on Tuesday, Sept. 11th, 2001. But in case you forget, just turn on the nightly news for the latest beheading. They are still killing Americans, just now one by one.

HPD recruits police environment, too

The recruits of the Honolulu Police Academy merit a big community mahalo for the amazing job they did last week in removing tons of heavy debris from the Diamond Head rocks of Magic Island. It took lots of muscle and teamwork.

Leaving Jewish homes intact would aid peace

Recent reports about the $200,000-$350,000 compensation being offered to the Jewish settlers being asked to leave Gaza and West Bank settlements point the way out of the festering tragedy there.

"Buying peace" by leaving the houses as a form of compensation for some of the Palestinian refugees would be a good use of the billions in annual aid we send Israel. Not only would it start to pull Israel out of its sad status as a virtual pariah in the international community due to human rights violations, but among Muslims it would start to restore trust in the United States and reduce the appeal of extremist Islamic terrorism.

For the sake of the whole world, let's hope that this is the beginning of an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the root cause of Palestinian terrorism and Israel's international isolation. But let's also hope that the settlers today do not destroy the buildings as they leave, unlike the Jewish settlers in the Sinai did after the Camp David peace agreement 26 years ago.

Gov does right by both women and the budget

As Hawaii's first woman governor, Linda Lingle has not only pushed key legislation on women's issues, but is leading the state by example. She has appointed a significant number of women to government positions with real authority, and has done so without considering their politics.

I didn't expect a position in her administration because I am nonpartisan and had worked for the previous administration. Nevertheless, she gave me an opportunity to be a leader in state government and appointed me to the position of Deputy Director of Taxation.

My experience in the Lingle administration leads me to believe that any assertion that Governor Lingle would sacrifice women's rights for political retaliation is a red herring.

I know that every budget decision the governor makes is based on careful consideration of how to balance competing fiscal needs and ensure that revenues from taxpayers match expenses.

---

BACK TO TOP
|

[ BRAINSTORM! ] Planting an idea The first and last thing visitors see as they encounter Hawaii -- other than security personnel instructing them to take off their shoes -- is the elevated freeway by Honolulu's airport. Accordingly, when it was built, it was designed to be attractive, including a meandering garden running down the center of the lower level, and, up top, set between the elevated concourses, large planter boxes. The idea was to plant wonderful hanging gardens that would delight visitor and resident alike, and for a while, they did. But the state Department of Transportation is focused these days on potholes, not on making the roads look pretty. The elevated gardens have become choked with weeds and debris. So fire up those brain cells. What other use could these midair garden plots be used for? Thematic displays? Lei stands? Minimum-security prisons? Foosball diamonds? Storage for giant downtown Christmas ornaments? Headquarters for our newly reduced National Guard? A place for all the dirt from Castle Junction? Instead of offshore gambling, elevated gambling? Send us your ideas about what should be done with these highly visible, weed-racked lots. E-mail your ideas and solutions -- please include your name and address -- by Oct. 20 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or fax to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750 Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813