HPD, 911 did great job with Tantalus slayings
Our great fortune in
being survivors of the
Tantalus killings on Thursday is just sinking in. My wife, Francine, and I are very grateful for the calls of support from all of our friends. We are also grateful for the fine police work that resulted in the capture of the suspect.
As I was on my way home the evening of the slaying-robbery, I noticed that the police were stationed at the bottom of Tantalus Drive. I had no idea why. Evidently, upon first word of the shootings at the Round Top lookout, the police positioned themselves so as to be able to intercept anyone coming from the Round Top lookout crime scene, the dead end on the Round Top end of the Round Top-Tantalus loop. That was a quick thinking, an excellent strategic move. It paid off when Francine and I were able to free ourselves and call 911 to report the robbery with a description of the car taken by the suspect.
It took us about seven minutes after the suspect left our house to make that call, leaving only another seven minutes for the suspect to get beyond where the police had positioned themselves. During that critical seven minutes, the 911 personnel were able to get the description of our vehicle to the officers stationed below. Without that great communication and coordination, the suspect would have been long gone. As a result the suspect was apprehended and all Honolulu is safer.
This was a job well done by our Honolulu Police Department.
Joseph Gedan
Honolulu
Hawaii does not need another Wal-Mart
Thank you for the
June 28 article concerning the Kapolei Neighborhood Board's objection to a Wal-Mart for that area. I support the board's position. Oahu is overbuilt now. There is absolutely nothing appealing about another Wal-Mart being built in that area or any other area in these islands. Hawaii is rapidly destroying what was appealing about visiting with its destruction of unique local businesses, the open spaces and the monstrous traffic because the number of cars is not limited. Where is the common sense?
Pat Blair
Kailua
Put soda machines back in schools
While I attended school in the past, I was always taught the way to prevent dehydration is to drink fluids. We all have a choice as to what liquids we want to consume. The soda vending machines provide a variety of flavors to satisfy our taste buds at that moment.
The recent removal of the soda machines from our schools due to the sugar levels in the soda does a disservice to our students who spend many hours on campus. Even a class on nutrition would permit us to have one can of soda a day.
We should be giving students a choice of flavors besides water. Not only would the students be satisfied, but the much-needed revenue from the sale of the beverage would help the athletic functions, as well. Instead of taking choices away from students, we should be educating them on how to become wise consumers.
Jennifer Nomura
Kailua
Unlike Iraq, N. Korea really is a threat
The George W. Bush White House justified the war in Iraq with allegations that the Middle Eastern country had weapons of mass destruction. There was no credible estimate of Iraq's capabilities, no real knowledge of their intentions (Bush said Saddam Hussein had some ties to al-Qaida), and the supposed weapons were never actually found.
Reports surfaced that North Korea was aiming for Hawaii last Tuesday when they fired their Taepodong-2 missile. The United States, including the mainstream media, knows exactly what the Taepodong-2 can do. A real weapon of mass destruction was unsuccessfully fired at our country.
Whether there was a warhead on the missile or not, it shows the North Koreans are directly threatening the United States, if not trying to imminently attack us. Will Washington drop its laid-back attitude toward North Korea, or will it remain gun-shy because our troops are already fighting a less justified war elsewhere?
Thomas Raymond
Honolulu