Selfish complainers endanger troop safety
The "breach of trust" that the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board refers to when talking about the Marine Corps urban training center really refers to the people of that neighborhood not acting like citizens of the United States. They are myopic in worrying only about their neighborhood and that's it (
Star-Bulletin, Sept. 1).
By even complaining about what the Marines do to train to stay alive is a "breach of trust." Aw, c'mon, Waimanalo! Time to start seeing things as citizens of a bigger country than a small spot in the country. There is a real war on. It's different in that there is no rationing of food, materials, gas and so on as in World War II, but it's just as desperate. To put it in perspective, ask a family member what it was like as a American during World War II. No one bitched about such trivial notices that the military didn't make to the public regarding their own land.
Give the Marines whatever they need to stay alive. Let them train the way they need to. Semper fidelis.
Brad Hayes
Kapolei
Anti-business rep actually helps Hawaii
The Hawaii Superferry seemed like a good idea at first to many of us on Kauai. We thought about how great it would be to just pack up our things and our car and go to the other islands. I have traveled to Tahiti and have seen how ferries like this work, but one huge difference between Tahiti and here is that there the ferries are mostly used by locals who have an absolute need to move between islands. Here it is quite different. After a while on Kauai people started talking about how, in fact, it would not be us locals who would use the ferry the most, but the tourists, and we are weary of them on Kauai. The traffic would become more horrendous than it is already, and the Superferry is so huge that the sheer numbers of people and cars would be too much for us to handle.
I am glad that there is a perception that it is difficult to start businesses in Hawaii because businesses need to realize that the laws and local sensibilities must be respected. We live on an island, not a continent. Only those who do this become welcome more easily.
Keao NeSmith
Honolulu
Who is really behind Superferry opposition?
Kauai Sen. Gary Hooser and our courts should be ashamed to support the violent anarchists who are threatening our long-awaited Hawaii Superferry. Our local ferry
starts this month. All kinds of ships ply our waters. The difference is that the Superferry is a threat to local airlines and car rental agencies, period. The courts should investigate who is behind the lawless protests, rather than punishing the Superferry.
Nancy Bey Little
Honolulu
HPD ignores crime to put cops in drag
Pathetic! Embarrassing! Wasteful! What other words can be used to describe the story I read in Saturday's Star-Bulletin about police officers dressing up in drag to entrap johns in Chinatown? How many young men do you think join the force dreaming of doing this kind of duty? "To protect and to serve"?
There are 1.2 million people in Hawaii who would like police protection from the waves of car thefts, break-ins, burglaries, vandalism and other ills we all suffer from. The fact that a couple of dozen angry folks from Kukui Street are afraid of transsexuals shouldn't be enough to misdirect the resources we depend on for protection.
Commonsense legislation was presented this past session that would have decriminalized prostitution and allowed for zoning to keep it away from residential areas. Unfortunately, this bill wasn't given a hearing, and we have to deal with more idiocy such as cops in drag.
Tracy Ryan
Chairwoman
Libertarian Party of Hawaii
China can't be trusted with consumer items
It is a bit scary to think about using any product that is imported into the United States from mainland China. The list of dangerous products that easily and recently came into the country that our population has been exposed to includes poison ingredients in toothpaste, lead-based paint in thousands of toys our children play with, a poison chemical in pet food resulting in many heartbreaking pet illnesses and deaths, 2 million chopsticks that were actually used in restaurants in China, not washed, and then repackaged and sent to us, and the list seems to keep expanding monthly. What is going on? Why are we not being protected by our national government?
I, for one, will not buy anything at all if I know it originated or has any ingredient in it from China until they get their act together. The Chinese government has to crack down on private-sector greed and mismanagement as they continue to be the fastest-expanding economy in the world.
Gary Helfand
Professor, public and justice administration
University of Hawaii-West Oahu