Self-victimization, bad choices led to beating
The
alleged beating of a young, haole couple by a local family is disgusting. Increased hatred and bitterness against haoles and non-locals mars the genuine beauty and goodness of people. This has nothing to do with race, but everything to do with ignorance and self-victimization. Non-locals and those who love the American flag are scapegoats for frustrated locals who should make better personal choices: Live clean. Study well. Work hard. Make no excuses. This is how we bring honor and pride to our culture. I wish Godspeed and full recovery to the young, military couple.
Keonaona Russell
Culver City, Calif.
How can people watch others get beaten?
I am speechless about the
beating at the Waikele shopping mall parking lot. I am a very frequent visitor to Oahu -- my son is stationed there.
I could never imagine just standing by and watching anyone beat someone like that. I have a whole new outlook on Hawaii. If nothing else, someone should have screamed or threw something. Just get the attention of the attacker and run.
I am a small person who has interfered in an attack before, and would take a beating before just standing there and watching something like this.
I think I will stay in Ohio where we help each other.
Cindy Locke
Columbus, Ohio
We teach children to use violence
It is with surprising sadness that I've read the reactions people have had regarding the recent
beating of a couple in Waikele.
Sad, of course, because it is horrible and should never have happened. Yet, I'm surprised that so many are amazed that it did happen. Sure, our society says violence is wrong, but lip service is the only attention it receives. Almost every facet of our society shows us violence is the answer.
Fox's drama "24" shows that torture works, and works well. We kill people to show that killing people is wrong. We violently attacked a country that did nothing to us, are preparing to bomb another country that has done nothing to us and our government doesn't talk with those it perceives as enemies. Yet we're amazed by a beating? Maybe it was pre-emptive.
We buy our children toy shaving kits and Easy-Bake Ovens so they will learn to be like us. They play house and doctor so they can pretend to be us. Why are we so amazed when they copy our violence as well? When adults stop acting like children, our children will start acting like adults.
Frank Brockerman
Honolulu
Makua use opponents hurt Hawaiian troops
The
Feb. 25 story about the Army's water and archeological survey failed to note that the findings were negligible in both.
However, instead of being pleased, comments from Earthjustice attorney David Henkin and Hui O Malama Makua's William Aila Jr. were negatively desperate in content and tone. Both questioned the area, the manner, the absence of, and so on, of the tests. Henkin's argument concerned contamination of the environment, never mind that we have a daily, constant parade of trucks coming into Waianae to dump their waste. Aila's argument was about contamination of sacred ground, never mind that dumpsites are also sacred according to old Hawaiian cultural beliefs.
What angered Waianae's Hawaiian VFW members at the hearing was their disregard for the sacred lives of our soldiers who will be put in harm's way when they deploy to Iraq later this year, and Aila's chant in Hawaiian praying our military leaders fall so that people may rise (his translation).
Our soldiers have offered their lives for our freedom and we of the VFW believe Makua is a small price to pay in exchange. We hope the public will join us in supporting them.
Rocky Naeole Shermiah Iaea Jr.
Bill Punini Prescott
VFW Post 849
Waianae
Reflectors would make crossings more visible
With the number of
pedestrian deaths here on Oahu increasing at an alarming rate, isn't it time we made crosswalk lines more visible by putting reflectors or reflective tape on them? It might save precious lives.
If it's feasible, let's just do it!
Ruth Isaak-Lyle
Honolulu