Tour boats, please stay away from whales
It's the time of year when the whales make their way back to Hawaiian waters. As I sat on the rocks yesterday and watched in amazement these beautiful creatures enjoying their morning, one tour boat after another sped out of Ko Olina Harbor and headed directly to this playful pod. I was not happy about them disturbing the whales and not sure what the whales thought, but "scared" would be a good word.
Tour operators: Let's give these creatures a break and stay at a safe distance and keep the speed down. The whales and I would appreciate it.
George Meyer
Kapolei
Ala Wai Harbor trash is embarrassing
I've just laid aside my
Dec. 12 Star-Bulletin to write this, hoping somehow to amplify the voice of letter writer Colleen Bista. She's tired of the trash that gives Hawaii "a black eye."
So am I. In fact, I'm more than tired of seeing floating garbage-bergs of disgusting trash of all kinds in the Ala Wai Harbor. Have you seen this? Plenty of visitors have, including many of the marathon runners. Again -- disgusting, filthy and embarrassing. No amount of urging and prodding by myself has succeeded in motivating state boating officials to effectively clean up this long-standing environmental disgrace. Why?
At a harbor meeting, when I tried to address this issue, the boating administrator was not at all interested in hearing ideas. Why?
Why not take a stroll around the harbor -- then begin asking "why?" yourself about the perpetual existence of this offensive "black eye."
Les Parsons
Ala Wai boater
Honolulu
It wasn't so bad under Clinton, was it?
Remember how good it was just a few years ago when we had a moderate left-leaning president named Bill Clinton in charge? Remember how we had the support of the whole world after 9/11, as articulated so beautifully in the French newspaper Le Monde's headline "We are all Americans"? Why are we so offended by the United Nations, Ted Kennedy, "Happy Holidays," the French, tree huggers and PBS, and not by our own leadership's responsibility for increased poverty, exploding dept, lagging on the rebuilding after Katrina, attention to environmental concerns and, most egregious of all, the deceit behind the decision to rush to war in Iraq?
Ah, but hope springs eternal. America, bring back the Clintons to the White House in '08!
Daniel Laraway
Honolulu
Activist was no victim of U.S. Vietnam policy
The Associated Press article about baby boomers in the Sunday Star-Bulletin included two photos of antiwar activist Ron Kovic. Just to set the record straight, Kovic was not an innocent victim of U.S. government policy as portrayed in Oliver Stone's movie "Born on the Fourth of July." He was actually wounded on his second tour in Vietnam, an assignment he repeatedly requested.
Kovic, who became a celebrated icon for the antiwar movement, still appears to have a knack for attracting attention. That he continues to be presented as a spokesman for his generation speaks volumes about persistent media bias.
Peter Caldwell, MD
Honolulu
Former medical officer
2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines
Vietnam, 1966-'67
Hawaii residents need housing not tax cuts
According to an article in the
Star Bulletin on Oct. 11, the state of Hawaii has a $632.6 million surplus but can't find a way to put that money to fix the
760 empty public housing units. In the last legislative session, the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii asked for $10 million to cover repairs and maintenance at housing complexes. The agency got $2 million for this year and $3 million for 2006.
The governor talks of using the surplus for education and tax cuts. I agree with money for education, but not tax cuts. Just because our president feels tax cuts during wartime is good, doesn't mean Hawaii needs to follow that lead. Eighteen thousand families are on a waiting list for public housing and the governor wants to put more money in the pockets of those with homes to live in? I understand that next year is an election year for our governor and tax cuts are a huge way for politicians to win votes.
When are the elected officials going to stop being indifferent to the problems of this state and actually do what they are elected to do, which is look out for the people of this state?
Ted Obringer
Honolulu