Coach should turn deaf ear to critics
I must disagree with Eric Joseph (
Letters, Nov. 14) when he states that most people are unhappy with University of Hawaii football coach June Jones. To call him underachieving is ridiculous -- three bowl appearances in five years, Timmy Chang the all-time yards leader in the NCAA, more than 50 local players on the roster annually, 11 players in the NFL and games on ESPN every year.
Coach Jones, please ignore the critics. You have many fans in the islands.
Roland Bezemer
Ewa
Lawmakers negative about youth prison
It's great that lawmakers are finally waking up to abuses at the state's youth prison (
Star-Bulletin, Nov. 9). Why did it take so long for them to get involved? I'll bet the poor conditions were in place long before Governor Lingle took office. Were they just waiting for the right time to hold these hearings?
From the bullying tone of Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, it seems that she wants ongoing progress to fail. She implies that administrators are lying about moving ahead when she states, "We'll see whether or not it's true." Weren't they subpoenaed to testify under oath? Hanabusa forgets that she should be working for the good of the state, not her political party. She and certain others are good at throwing stones when they're on the outside looking in. They don't seem to want any progress by the Lingle administration.
Why don't they run for governor? They seem to think they could do a better job. I guess throwing stones is more fun.
A.K. Carroll
Kailua
Exercise your brain -- figure out Medicare
I am following with interest the confusion and frustration that recipients of the new Medicare and drug plans are experiencing. I am pretty sure that Congress and the president, in their infinite wisdom, took into careful consideration the importance of aging people to keep their minds as active as possible, solving problems and puzzles and otherwise exercising the left sides of their brains, as a means to fend off Alzheimer's and dementia.
The recipients might end up with a lot less coverage than they expected, but I bet the new demographics will show a decline in these two mental disorders.
Dave Ashworth
Kapolei
Some lies are more harmful than others
Otto Cleveland (
Letters, Nov. 10) commenting on Wendy Pollitt's letter diverts the issue of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney's lying to a partisan level that is unproductive. Like children in a playground, just because someone else did it, that doesn't make it right. What former President Clinton did is of the past. We need to deal with the present.
While I have never been a cheerleader for Clinton either, his lies concerned a much different subject, which outed no CIA operatives, nor instigated any attacks on a country of no threat to us, killing thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians.
Karen Murray
Honolulu
Someone should give Mr. Kam an award
This is by Ilea Beddow (11 years old) and Jessica Tuquero (10 years old) to Eric Kam, or Mr. Kam, a fifth-grade teacher at
Kuhio Elementary on King Street. Jessica is in Mr. Kam's class this year, and Ilea was in his class last school year.
We think Mr. Kam should be written about in the Star-Bulletin because: for me, Jessica, being in his class is a great experience. I think he should be written about because he makes education fun! I think most likely some teachers don't have that much enthusiasm. He can ... I mean, DOES make learning fun, by making jokes, group activities and discussions, and fun examples.
Now for me, Ilea, I was in his class last year and I wanted him to be written about because honestly he was and will always be my fave teacher. I say this because he actually does make learning FUN! Well, I don't know if there's any way to explain this but he's just a fun and interesting teacher. I'm really glad to have been in his class. I don't have any regrets being in his class at all! To me he's not a regular teacher ... well, not in a bad way but like a special teacher. He really changed my life not by being just a new teacher to me but by being in my life at all. I think he's one of my best friends. I could talk to him about anything.
We would like to say congratulations on his engagement and give him our best wishes. We also would like to say Happy Late Birthday. We also wanted to say, "He deserves an award, there's no saying why he shouldn't get one. Well, that's what we think." Thank you.
Ilea Beddow Jessica Tuquero
Honolulu