Brave Akaka voted against Patriot Act

Sen. Daniel Akaka was one of only 10 senators with the guts to vote against the Patriot Act. Rep. Ed Case was one of the sheep that went along with the majority and voted for this abomination. Who to vote for in September? Simple! Akaka!

Case stood up against corrupt trustees

Listen up all you Hawaiians, malihinis, hapa haoles, kamaainas, braddahs, sistahs, tutu kane and tutu wahine:

Read "Broken Trust" (by Randall Roth and Samuel P. King) and find out who were the true friends of Hawaii nei when Kamehameha Schools was under attack by its own trustees. Learn that Ed Case (then a state representative) gets an A-plus for trying to legally protect Hawaii's keiki, while Senator Akaka gets a D-minus for siding with the old trustees. Was this due to cronyism or just plain bad judgment? You decide.

There's a better plan for the 'Blue Pond'

The proposal from Alexander & Baldwin to construct more high-rises in Kakaako Makai is nothing more than another land grab. Kewalo Basin was a place for the "Hawaiian at heart" for many years and never a dump. I have spent many of my 87 years living and working in Kakaako. I still live in the area and have seen the recent development of Kakaako with its high-rise monstrosities that block most of the tradewinds.

Kewalo Basin should be: cleaned out; relocate all boats to the Keehi and Honolulu Harbor areas; remove all the piers; the harbor entrance should be blocked at the land's end with boulders to regulate the water flow; construct a low bridge mauka of the boulder dam for pedestrians; create a small sand beach along the Diamond Head side of the existing channel for turtles and monk seals; create a walkway along the shore from Ala Moana to the Honolulu Harbor; low-profile (two stories maximum) "local" shops and restaurants as well as a walkway linking the entire area together should also be constructed. The Falls of Clyde sailing ship should be relocated to the mauka-ewa corner of Kewalo Basin, where the fresh water outflow from springs would keep the ship in brackish water.

Kewalo Basin should be stocked with local fishes to view, and fishing tournaments for children can be at held periodic intervals. With the clean-up of the harbor, the basin can again truly be called what it used to be in my "small-kid days," Blue Pond.

We cannot sweep away our homeless problem

Earlier this week a homeless man in San Francisco was savagely beaten by four men while he slept on his little spot he called home. About two months before, another elderly, defenseless, homeless man was brutally beaten and died as a result.

Here in Hawaii, we seem to treat our homeless better. We "sweep" them. I always thought sweeping was for kitchen floors, not human beings. Where do we put them -- in the dust pan? Do we really think this solves the problem? Homelessness is not a crime, nor is poverty, yet I wonder if we "sweep" them because we only want to see the pretty side of life, or don't want to come face to face with the negative trickle-down effects of affluenza.

Homelessness is a result of many factors, and I believe, given the right set of circumstances, any one of us could be in that situation. Mother Teresa must be shuddering up there in heaven.

Bush should not get away with lying

A new videotape shows officials warning President Bush that Hurricane Katrina posed a serious threat to New Orleans and its levees (Star-Bulletin, March 2). The National Hurricane Center director expresses "very, very grave concern" and "the great potential for large loss of life."

Yet three days after Katrina destroyed most of the city, Bush appeared on television and said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

In the aftermath of Katrina, more than 1,300 people have been killed, 2,300 are missing, thousands of survivors are homeless, the Gulf Coast region is still a mess and Bush's new budget pretends Katrina never happened.

Bush needs to be held accountable. But first Congress must see that Bush's failure and dishonesty have been exposed and the public has had enough.

I encourage Hawaii residents to express their outrage by writing letters to the media and contacting their members of Congress. We mustn't allow Bush to keep ignoring Katrina victims.

Join runners on track toward better health

Last March I attended the free Honolulu Marathon Clinic and it changed my life. Through the excellent instruction from cardiologist Jack Scaff and his trained staff of marathoners, I was not only able to finish the Honolulu Marathon, but developed a deep love of running. I also met a lot of great new friends interested in improving their health. During the training my health drastically improved with the removal of the middle aged 40 pound tire that graced my midsection. I feel great!

The clinic stresses slow, recreational running. Those interested in getting in shape and making new friends should attend the first meeting at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow at Kapiolani Park, at 3833 Paki Ave.