Ayau is a victim of religious persecution

The arrest of Eddie Ayau, of Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawai'i Nei, is likened to an act of religious persecution for practicing ones' spiritual calling and beliefs. Auwe!

Auwe that those who applaud this act further perpetuate divisiveness that is devastating to the kanaka maoli. Pray that our descendants don't only know us through a museum display.

Shame on these same folks who believe themselves above the desire and intent of our ancestors, who condone stealing from our ancestors! These same people preach Hawaiian values while they condone thoughts opposite that of kanaka maoli.' Auwe!

Hui's disrespect invites criticism

All Hui Malama members involved with the reburial of Hawaiian artifacts should be thrown into prison ("Hui Malama leader in jail," Star-Bulletin, Dec. 27). How dare they disrespect their ancestors by stealing what belongs to the Hawaiians. Who appointed them "God" of all Hawaiian artifacts and the protocol that goes with it? They have a reputation of being "bullies" in the Hawaiian community and have created an entity to receive federal money. They do "charge" people for their services, and their attorney, unfortunately, knows nothing of the people and the group he represents.

They are wolves in sheeps clothing. Their words say one thing, but their intent is of a darker nature. What comes around goes around, and it is coming around for Hui Malama. This is what they justly deserve. You cannot treat others with disrespect and expect to be respected. Mahalo to La'akea Suganuma, Na Lei Alii Kawananakoa and Judge David Ezra for their attempts to get to the truth. This is one Hawaiian who applauds their effort.

Mid-block crosswalks need more visibility

Crosswalk safety needs to go beyond the driver. Other areas of concern are crosswalk location and lighting standards.

Drivers expect crosswalks at street corners; it's the crosswalks between the street corners that can cause problems. How many drivers have honestly failed to see these crosswalks because they were not expecting them? Yes, there are signs, but with Hawaii's proliferation of street signage, crosswalk signs no longer stand out.

Was the deadly crosswalk in Kaneohe (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 23) illuminated as well as street corner crosswalks? Is there a state illumination standard for crosswalks? Did this crosswalk meet the standard? If not, why not? If the crosswalk is under-illuminated, how can a driver clearly see a pedestrian who might be wearing dark clothing?

Wide white-striped crosswalks are not that visible at night when you add distractions such as car headlights in drivers' eyes, illuminated building signage, heavy rains, poorly draining streets and rain on the windshield. What about coming up with a colored reflector standard to put in the street designating a crosswalk? Would a red, raised reflector system work as well as imbedded street lighting that was tried before?

Let's fix all the problems and prevent tragic deaths such as William Kobashigawa's.

Pedestrians should follow laws, too

Recently the governor called for increased penalties for vehicle operators violating the recently enacted pedestrian laws (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 26). While I agree that pedestrian injuries and fatalities have increased this year, only a small percentage have occurred within crosswalks where the laws apply. Even some of those involved pedestrians who were in violation of the pedestrian laws. So why direct changes only toward the drivers? Pedestrians more flagrantly violate the laws each day than vehicle operators.

Actually, increasing penalties will have little or no effect unless there is strict and emphasized proactive enforcement of the pedestrian laws as pertain to both vehicle operators AND pedestrians. Instead of increasing already significant penalties, perhaps legislators should relook at the existing laws and attach amendments to them forbidding discretionary enforcement, making strict enforcement mandatory on all law enforcement agencies.