If it's safe, why doesn't the mayor jump in?
The other night I heard the mayor say he was ready to swim at any beach that doesn't have a sign because
he has been assured it is safe. Well, Mayor, get your suit on and come to Waimanalo. There were no signs here for the duration of rain, stream outlets and sewers leaking.
The mayor also said that someone has to be living under a rock if they don't know the water is polluted. There are people landing on this island for the first time and the first thing they do is hit the beach. I could stand in my living room the other day and see the water getting darker and darker. That people were telling the mayor that the beaches with no signs are safe is ludicrous.
Andrea M. Peters
Waimanalo
Don't judge disabled by their appearance
Dieter Thate's
April 11 letter to the editor criticizing the use of handicap permits by those who are able to walk, carry bags and are young shows a lack of understanding for those who might, by all appearances, be "normal" and "healthy," but who suffer from some type of disability.
For example, those who suffer from fibromyalgia, a chronic disease, might appear "normal" and "healthy." What people don't see is their chronic pain and fatigue. A person with Systemic Lupus Erythamatosis also can appear "normal" and "healthy," but must watch their activities and their exposure to the sun and germs. Limited outside exposure and walking distance can help control that.
I have suffered from those conditions since I was 15 years old, and for the past 11 years I have experienced my share of frustration at being discriminated against when I use a handicapped parking stall, with my doctor-issued placard, simply because I am young and look healthy. While I do agree that some people do abuse the placards, it is not fair to generalize about those who might not look disabled as abusers of the system.
Tracy H. Okubo
Makiki
Ham and lamb send hypocritical message
I can't help but point out the glaring conceptual contradiction in your April 12 feature article "
Lam and ham for Easter." In the first paragraph the writer stated, "Easter is the province of two classic centerpieces: ham and lamb. Both dishes symbolize springtime and the emergence of new life."
Really? New life?
Isn't this an irony that a celebration supposedly extolling new life, rebirth and resurrection, lambs and pigs are mercilessly slaughtered for the holiday feast? How can we forget about the adorable pig "Babe," which was such a hit, both in book and movie form? How could one want to eat his brothers and sisters after this? Or prey upon a poor innocent lamb (literally)?
Wouldn't it be more appropriate and compassionate to celebrate this holiday with papayas and the first mangos of the season, our own native fruits, full of fragrance and the elixir of life?
Eva Uran
Kaneohe
Rid public places of smoke -- period
Our priorities on health issues are very much off base. The real killers are the smokers. They still pollute our clean air and kill about 500,000 souls every year. This fact will not change until our silent majority inform our leaders (city and state) that we need to remove this cancer from our everyday life. Until all public property -- indoors and outdoors -- is smoke free, it will not be healthy.
Alvin Wong
Pearl City
Don't confuse legal, illegal fundraising
Rich Figel (
Letters, April 3) would have us believe that Governor Lingle's legal fundraising is somehow morally equivalent to the Hawaii Democratic Party's illegal attempt to break campaign finance laws. He says, "I can't defend the Democrats for trying to exploit loopholes. But they admitted what they did was questionable and returned the money. Lingle should do so as well."
Does Mr. Figel appreciate the profound difference between loopholes and felonies? Is he saying that raising money on the mainland, in full compliance with all campaign financing laws, is questionable? If so, why did he -- an "independent-minded voter" -- fail to indict our Democratic congressional delegates for their extensive mainland campaign contributions?
Is Figel saying that fully complying with the law is "questionable" when done by politicians you don't like, but OK when done by politicians you support?
I doubt that he speaks for the overwhelming majority of honorable, decent Hawaii Democrats who do understand the difference between obeying laws and breaking them -- the difference between right and wrong -- the Democrats who must be feeling "so shame" at the Hawaii Democratic Party's "questionable" behavior.
Jim Henshaw
Kailua
Voters of Hawaii helped create OHA
George Berish (
Letters, April 7) missed many important facts concerning the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Understanding how and why OHA was created will shed light on its unique standing in Hawaii and why some refer to it as the "fourth arm of government."
OHA was created out of the state Constitutional Convention of 1978. It was the voters of the state, both Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian alike, who recognized a fiduciary responsibility to the original inhabitants of these islands we all now call home.
The Admissions Act of 1959 recognized this obligation as well when it "ceded" prior crown and government lands of the Hawaiian kingdom to the state of Hawaii with the caveat that revenues from these lands constitute a trust for five purposes, one of which is the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians. This fiduciary duty has been recognized by the Territory of Hawaii, U.S. Congress, U.S. federal courts, the state of Hawaii and finally the residents of Hawaii who ratified the 1978 Con Con's decision to create OHA.
For more information on the creation of OHA, go to www.oha.org and click on "About OHA."
Clyde Namuo
Administrator
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Chaminade shines with 'Pippin' production
Bravo to Chaminade University for its captivating production of "Pippin." The musical was a delight to the eyes and ears, and captured the stylized artistry that made the show a hit on Broadway. What a pleasure to finally watch a college production that actually uses college performers. The cast's youthful enthusiasm was matched by some well-chosen veterans in key roles. Add some wonderful singing voices, clever choreography and terrific backdrops that even seem to be looking at you, and you've got a show to be proud of.
I also appreciated the fact that this was not a sugar-coated version of the original production. "Pippin" is a cautionary tale of a young man who never seems satisfied with life and might lose everything. This was a well-directed show where everyone learned how to make an entrance and left the stage with the audience wanting more.
I'm just sorry they had such a short run because they could have given the rest of Honolulu theater a run for their money.
Richard MacPherson
Kailua
Dig a little deeper for rail, sewage solutions
Our two latest and greatest problems are sewage and rail transportation. My suggestion is that we combine the two with the simplest operation possible:
» Put them side by side underground, where one has to go and the other should go.
» Bore holes down through the deepest of the current potholes for access to both.
» Provide circular staircases up through the current manholes (or is that "personholes"?) for exits.
» Sign up the City Council and state House and Senate members to punch water/sewer bills as tickets for train passage.
Don Neill
Kaneohe