It's sad but true -- we need war planes

A letter to the editor on Sunday talked about the roar of the Thunderbirds over Manoa. I also heard the F-16s streak by. It reminded me of being in Dallas on Sept. 11, and hearing the F-16s patrol overhead in case there were further terrorist attacks.

Rather than shed tears over the production of these planes, we should cry because we have a need for these weapons. The reality is that there are those in the world who want to harm us.

Nonsmoking rules now common in Japan, too

David Crowley imagines "millions of angry Japanese smokers" (Gathering Place, Sept. 18). But things have changed since Crowley grew up there. Recognizing the burden upon others, smokers in Japan are accepting countless new restrictions in public and private places. In recent travels from Okinawa to Hokkaido, I've seen extraordinary cooperation and no evident anger.

Crowley misses other points. Our new law directly affects all Japanese visitors, including delighted nonsmoking families with children and elderly, just as it is celebrated by the vast majority of Hawaii residents.

There is no evidence of "millions in lost revenue." Japanese tourism began falling off several years ago. What's more, my studies indicate Japanese arrivals began improving last fall.

While the "Smoking with Aloha" slogan may have been poorly selected, Hawaii Tourism Japan's aim was right on. For example, misimpressions surely arose when Sports Nippon headlined Hawaii becoming "completely nonsmoking" and reported, "You won't even be able to smoke on the beach."

In the meanwhile, I hope Star-Bulletin readers will not fall into misimpressions created by Crowley's unfounded reports.

Campus cops need power to fight crime

As a new student at Hawaii Pacific University, and also new in Hawaii, I was shocked after reading "Campus police force could enforce laws" ("Our Opinion," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 17).

If the security officers on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus lack police powers, how can they then be expected to prevent more burglaries from happening? Many freshmen are young and have little experience of life. Moving from home to a new town, state or even country and hearing about this lack of safety on campus must be very frightening.

Either security officers should have the powers that they are expected to perform, such as being armed and making arrests, or off-duty police officers should patrol at nighttime. Students need to feel safe.

Students shouldn't have to suffer because of unresolved concerns between the university and police. A lack of security is almost like enticing new, and perhaps even worse, crimes.

Don't create law to save Superferry

I wonder, would our governor also consider a new law to "save" Hawaii residents who are in need of help in paying their debts, as she is for the Superferry folks (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 15)?

Her stated willingness to disregard the court's decision by creating a new law is frightening. This is not a land of dictatorship.

Let none of us forget that she, and the legislators, were elected to malama the residents, not big business and special interests. Apparently, they have forgotten this important fact.

Please do not allow them to get away with undermining the supreme law of our lands by passing a law to circumvent the decisions of the court.

Radical elements could kill economy

Are the radical protesters on Kauai just out to stop the Superferry or are they opposed to progress in general? Once they destroy the economy of the island, you won't need to worry about too many visitors. You will need to worry about the departure of productive people who make Kauai a desirable place to live.

There certainly must be concern that the tourist business, which is a mainstay of the economy, will suffer a decline when people all over the world realize they are not welcome on Kauai.

Why can't the good people of Kauai determine the legitimacy of the so-called environmental protests and take appropriate action if necessary? If sensible people don't get involved, the activists will prevail.

Regardless of views, why can't we express our opinions in an orderly, civilized manner instead of punishing innocent people and endangering the economy that supports us?