Doctors, lawyers also support Junior League

The Junior League of Honolulu takes exception to an artist's remark in the April 3 feature story "We're still here."

Like many nonprofit organizations, the JLH uses fund raising to partially pay for its many community projects. We respect and work to achieve mutually beneficial relationships with donors, including accepting artwork on consignment. Pegge Hopper, Peggy Chun, Betty Hay Freeland, Susan Szabo and Tara Boone are among the artists who have given generously to the JLH.

The artist quoted in the article said similar requests are not made of doctors and lawyers. To the contrary, the JLH receives support from these and other service professionals.

The JLH represents 500 women who are committed to developing the potential of women and improving our communities. We donate our time, expertise and passion to many causes that make a positive impact in our community. We serve on boards of other nonprofit organizations -- culture and arts, service, educational and business. Our mission has far more integrity than this unfortunate comment relates.

Republicans found filibusters very useful

This letter is in response to Howard Leung's letter to the editor concerning the filibuster process ("Killing filibuster will restore order," Letters, April 7). Perhaps Mr. Leung is too young to remember that Republicans have been masters in using the filibuster for their own political agenda for many years. It is OK to oppose the filibuster process, but at least have valid reasons for doing so. Mr. Leung's reasons are laughable.

State health officials aren't doing their jobs

For a long time the state Health Department has not been doing its job of protecting island citizens against threats to their health. Two cases in point:

» A dengue fever epidemic had been raging for years in the South Pacific, yet the Health Department took no steps to quarantine sick airline passengers coming from that area. The result was the first dengue outbreak in Hawaii in nearly 50 years. Luckily, no one died, but the outcome could have been worse. It will be much worse if the predicted bird flu pandemic occurs and the department fails to quarantine sick airline passengers arriving from Asia.

» The Health Department has downplayed the threat of vog to Big Island residents, particularly in the Kau district directly downwind of the volcano. University of Hawaii resources were not even used to study the problem. A mainland university discovered that vog contains 30 times the amount of poisonous gases and particulate matter considered safe to breathe by the EPA. Thousands of Big Island residents run the risk of reducing their lifespan by years or decades because the Health Department has not warned them to move.

It is past time for top officials of the Health Department to start doing their jobs or resign and let qualified public health experts assume leadership before a health disaster overwhelms the residents of Hawaii.

If only we'd listened to candidate Fasi

Ahh ... so Mayor Fasi was right. The last time our former mayor ran for office he talked about the tremendous amount of debt the city was incurring under Jeremy Harris to the detriment of basic city services. He talked about the city's crumbling infrastructure. He talked about how we would suffer when the bills came due. Of course, at the time, the press was not enamored with Fasi and his statements went unheard unless you listened to him in person.

In a speech I attended during that same political season, Mayor Harris produced slick charts and colorful pictures to explain how no mayor in the past was able to accomplish so much with so little. He proudly pointed out that if not for his amazing "vision" and ability to create efficiencies in government never before seen, Honolulu would be strapped for cash because of plummeting tax revenues.

He was our hero.

Well, the year 2000 was a long time ago (politically) ... but now, at least we know who was telling the truth.

Sparse parade crowd disrespects culture

There was dismal attendance at the Prince Kuhio Day parade in Waikiki, in comparison to the Honolulu Festival parade several weeks ago. It was an insult to the Hawaiian host culture.

Akaka bill will not bring justice to Hawaiians

The Akaka bill -- will it pass? Likely. A hundred years ago the Congress of the United States of America, deciding there was a need for a foothold in the Pacific, authorized the invasion, occupation and overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii. Never mind that Hawaii was a sovereign nation; the United States wanted the foothold and took it.

This action was an illegal act, which demands an accounting.

The Akaka bill provides for monetary compensation and segregated status, which, if accepted, could bring a form of legal closure. While acceptance may be considered an economic windfall, it is certainly not justice.

I say to the people who represent these islands, if you persist in believing that money is more valuable than justice, or that segregated status is a worthy substitute for nationhood, you are not being true to Hawaii and, as important, and with vastly greater consequences for the future, not true to America.

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