Riding rail is only fix for congestion
Now that all private and public schools are back in session, it's obvious that the traffic problem is not as simple as staggering class times at the University of Hawaii. The City Council's suggestions
to have UH-Manoa classes start before or after rush hour are good, but that won't be the solution to traffic congestion.
There is a better fix, and that is the mass transit that has been approved by the mayor and Council. Some people now question whether we need a new mass transit system, and suggest more buses instead of a rail system. We have buses now, and buses just sit along side all the cars and take up space, causing more congestion. Who hasn't been frustrated while stuck behind a slow moving city bus during rush hour? Buses aren't the solution either.
Rail is the solution. If we had rail, we wouldn't have to be stuck in traffic. We would have a choice. We could take the train instead.
Lei Matsuura
Honolulu
Building rail system is a healthy choice
Recent letters question the cost of the city's fixed guideway transit project. But there should be much more to the debate than dollars and cents. We have to think globally, not provincially.
First, there are many good environmental and health reasons for building a rail project in Honolulu, and for us to use it frequently. Rail will reduce the amount of pollution from automobiles and buses and reduce our fossil fuel consumption. We will have cleaner air, cleaner water and a cleaner island because of it.
Second, using rail transit or any mode of transportation other than the private automobile is good for your health. Walking, including to and from transit stations and bus stops, and bicycling are good ways to exercise.
Many clinical studies point to the dangers of obesity, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Much of this is due to lack of exercise and poor diet.
Regardless of the current tendency to increase our car usage, it's time to change for the better. Like smoking and other unhealthy habits, just because we do it doesn't mean it's good for us.
So, leave your car in the garage, and walk or take public transit. We'll all be healthier for it.
Sarah Ashmore
Kapolei
Cartoonist misses mark on spying
Regarding
Corky's editorial cartoon on Aug. 17: Yes, there is domestic spying on people who wish to kill us. Thank God somebody got the message -- evidently, Corky didn't.
Polly Grigg
Honolulu
Friendship trumps all for Inouye
Regarding the story "
Inouye not shy about mingling with embattled Alaska senator," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 18:
Someone needs to remind Sen. Dan Inouye -- currently undercutting his own party's chances in Alaska with his public support for beleaguered GOP Sen. Ted Stevens, who's neck-deep in a serious federal corruption probe -- that most people are inclined to judge their fellow men by the company they keep.
No doubt, there are many in Alaska who no more appreciate Inouye's comments about his friend's well-publicized legal troubles, than we in Hawaii would if the shoe was on the other foot and Stevens came here to do the same.
Stevens' political fate is for his own constituents to decide, as is Inouye's here in the islands. The legal fate of Stevens' and his son, Ben, are now for federal prosecutors and courts to resolve. Inouye's public statements could well be misinterpreted as an attempt by a highly regarded public official to influence a potential pool of Alaska jurors.
I admire Inouye's dogged sense of loyalty to his longtime colleague and friend, but that personal relationship must not supercede his primary responsibility to represent the people of Hawaii. And part of that obligation is to not embarrass us publicly before the rest of the country by prematurely vouching for the honor and integrity of a man who may yet prove to be a walking RICO violation.
Donald Koelper
Honolulu
Mention Watada as little as possible
I'm a Laupahoehoe High '71 grad and served 30-plus years in the Army.
I have a lot of heartaches when I read about Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada in your paper ("No double jeopardy for Watada," Star-Bulletin, July 8). As a veteran, I feel he should not be mentioned at all. Maybe just tell us what sentence he receives once they've court martialed him.
Conrad Cablay
Army civilian employee
Grafenwoehr, Germany