QUOTABLE
"We've explored a nation on Earth bigger than Russia. Arguably in their time, our ancestors were the greatest explorers on Earth."
Nainoa Thompson
Hokule'a navigator, discussing the ancient Hawaiians' place in the history of global exploration on the 30th anniversary of the voyaging canoe Hokule'a's trip to Tahiti
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She sent out the warnings, and I was just trying to move on."
Ann Scheller
57-year-old nurse from Mililani who was mauled by a black bear in Alaska's Berg Bay. She had somehow gotten between the mother bear and her two cubs while hiking with friends.
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After years of debate, just build the rail
There's a saying that "things go around in circles" and it seems to be true about the ongoing debate about transit.
Back in 1992, people opposed to former Mayor Fasi's light-rail project argued for more buses in bus lanes instead. Then in 2000, Mayor Harris tried Bus Rapid Transit and we heard grumbling that it wasn't going to do enough, people wouldn't ride it and buses in exclusive lanes were a bad idea.
Fast forward to 2006, and the currently proposed fixed-rail project. Now we're hearing "just do it with buses instead."
Another saying is that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again (in this case, doing nothing about traffic) and expecting a different result." So let's build rail this time and get on with it.
Keikilani Lee
Honolulu
Watada abuses concept of free speech
Ehren Watada is a disgrace to Japanese Americans. He volunteered to join the military and knew full well it could lead to a possible deployment and combat.
He is hiding behind "freedom of speech" to gain support from a minority of Americans whom the media chooses to glamorize.
He also can hide behind an attorney with fancy jargon to generate a "Watada pity party," but true Americans see right through him. Yah, only in America can we feel proud to be stupid in public and declare it "freedom of speech."
Freedom of speech was not created to condone the ability to say aloud ridiculous ideas or actions such as ignoring the overall benefit of liberating a country or burning the American flag.
Perhaps eight short years in prison is not long enough for Watada to take an honest look at himself.
Cassandra Tokoro
Kaneohe
Oppose the war? Go hug an insurgent
I was very disappointed to read a letter in your paper
on Independence Day that basically accuses the brave men and women serving in Iraq of being without honor. At the same time, I was also somewhat amused at how the hypocrisy of the left can be so apparent in such a letter.
The letter stated, "Soldiers have a responsibility to live up to a moral code, which it appears is just not being followed in Iraq. This is not to say that all soldiers serving in Iraq are without honor or ethics. However, too many are serving who have no honor or ethics, and this should stop." So are the soldiers living up to the "moral code" or aren't they?
The letter also challenged supporters of the troops and the war, which the left refers to as "chickenhawks," to show their support by enlisting and going to Iraq. Well, I lay the same challenge to those who protest this war. Prove you are against it and go to Iraq to block American coalition tanks and trucks from operating. I challenge Lt. Ehren Watada, Cindy Sheehan and their ilk to go to Iraq and drive around in a car with the words "I Hate Bush and I Am Against This War" in big letters on the sides. I challenge those who think this war is about Bush to go to Iraq, find an insurgent/terrorist and tell them that you are against the war.
Go ahead, give them a big hug and see if they care whether you're for or against the war. See how long it is before they beat you, torture you and behead you just because you're not one of them. The liberals in this country need to learn the meaning of national support and solidarity and stop demoralizing our troops.
Shawn Lathrop
Kaneohe
Trust should be used for more students
In its
June 22 editorial, the Star-Bulletin once again advocates the position that Kamehameha Schools should consider alternative ways of continuing to discriminate against non-Hawaiians now that its current admissions policy has been declared unconstitutional. Specifically, the editorial suggests that "Obviously, elimination of tuition would similarly free Kamehameha from the law's contract restrictions." The Star-Bulletin is wrong.
Federal statutory and case law is clear that private (and public) parties cannot use race or national origin as a determinative factor in contracts, including those to provide educational services and scholarships. While purely private scholarships that use race as a determinative factor have not yet been widely challenged, using them as a proxy for continuing Kamehameha's current racially discriminatory admissions policy would be transparent and likely struck down under the same law that is now being used to challenge the school's current admissions policy.
Irrespective, such a policy would almost certainly result in Kamehameha Schools having its tax-exempt status revoked. This would cost the estate hundreds of millions of dollars that could otherwise have been used to educate all of Hawaii's children. This would likely trigger lawsuits against the trustees by beneficiaries of the trust (Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian) for mismanagement of the trust's assets.
Wouldn't it be of far greater service for this valuable asset to be used to help those students most in need (e.g., orphans and indigents) irrespective of their race?
David B. Rosen
Attorney
Honolulu
Editor's note: No court has declared Kamehameha Schools' admission policy to be unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the policy in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which forbids racial discrimination in contracts. The contracts at issue are agreements to provide education in return for tuition. The Internal Revenue Service ruled in 1975 and again in 1999 that the admissions policy was not indicative of racial discrimination.
Noise-fighting cops could save the whales
I would like to congratulate the Las Vegas police officer who shot and killed a motorist who refused to turn down his stereo (Star-Bulletin, July 6).
Any chance of getting that officer transferred to the Honolulu Police Department in time for the RIMPAC 2006 exercises? He could have a whale of a time!
Rico Leffanta
Honolulu