Tourist takes spirit of aloha back home

I am fortunate enough to be visiting Oahu for business and pleasure. Everywhere I turn I am greeted by smiling faces and prompt, courteous service.

I met Eloise and Wayne one evening while they were sitting enjoying a peaceful moment in the Outrigger Waikiki lobby. Eloise was wearing a beautiful ginger lei that I admired. She took it off and placed it on me and said, "This is for you in the spirit of aloha."

I doubt I will ever see Eloise or Wayne again, but they have left a lasting memory. When I return home, I will take the spirit of aloha to promote it in my town. Thank you, Hawaii, for your island beauty and your beautiful people.

Cry for help was treated frivolously

Regarding your Nov. 26 article about how the public failed to report the alleged child rape at Beretania Community Park, a week ago at the Kaneohe Shopping Center a girl was screaming "help" and "rape."

I ran into one store, yelling, "Call the police. A girl is screaming for help and 'rape.'" One clerk said, "Only the supervisor can authorize an outside call. He's on break now and doesn't like to be disturbed."

I ran to the next store and asked again. The reply: "Why don't you call on a cell phone?" I didn't have one, so I ran to the next store. The response -- a blank stare. Running out the door to the next store, I told a lady holding a cell phone and she called the police.

Now, why did this all happen? When the American Civil Liberties Union demanded that the Ten Commandments be removed from all schools, what is left to teach the kids right from wrong? The solution -- put back the Ten Commandments and have all classrooms spend one hour a week on each of them.

Perhaps that will help reduce one rape a week, and also teach kids how to honor their fathers and mothers without axing them to death.

How can you tell if you're a liberal?

You know you're a liberal if:

» You scream at the thought of bipartisan support because it involves agreeing with a Republican.

» Your kids have hyphenated first and last names.

» You oppose the death penalty for serial killers and terrorists, but support the slaughter of unwanted children.

» You support diversity, as long as others agree with you.

» You support PETA, but still eat meat and wear fur.

» You want to protest something, but don't know what.

» You don't mind everyone else contributing four months of their salary to the government. You're only sorry it can't be more.

» You believe everyone else is responsible for you but you.

» You refuse to admit that Oscar the Grouch lives in a trash can because he "chooses" to.

Maybe GOP can save Hawaii's schools

We cannot hope to see any real improvement in Hawaii schools under the Reinventing Education Act passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature in 2004. The state Board of Education failed to implement the few modest requirements of that law as enacted.

When will our leaders realize that Hawaii's children are being continually shortchanged on a critical need -- a good education? Maybe when we have a Republican-controlled Legislature.

Bottled sea water nothing to cry about

Hawaiian sea water must not be sold, cry some outraged souls ("Belly up to the bottled-water bar," Star-Bulletin, Nov. 18). There's no such thing as exclusively Hawaiian sea water! The ocean circulates. What's here today is gone tomorrow. Some examples:

» The messages in bottles that travel thousands of miles before coming ashore.

» Years ago, hollow glass balls formerly used as floats by Japanese fishermen would come ashore on Waikiki Beach.

» Some years back, Atlantic Coast ocean monitoring stations began finding bits of some strange fibrous material. Tracing ocean currents back, it was found to be toilet paper from Cuba.

» About 20 years ago, canned "Hawaiian" air was actually being sold. There's no such thing as exclusively Hawaiian air, either. What's here now is gone the next minute, part of the winds that circle the Earth.

Fads come and go. One around 20 years ago was bars of soap in the shape of a microphone to make happy the ones who like to sing in the shower (but not the listeners!).

Silliness abounds.