Is there bias against mainland halaus?

Year after year as I watch the Merrie Monarch Festival, things have changed. Before there was a specific judge, or judges, who would mainly evaluate things like language, technical movements and so forth. Now you have eight judges judging all aspects of the hula. It's very disappointing to see the mainland halaus come down and work so hard and go home empty handed; they work just as hard as our local halaus who only have to travel to another island.

These halaus are representing what we all try to keep close to our hearts, the Hawaiian culture. These mainland halaus are just as much Hawaiian as you and I. Maybe that's why we don't see any halaus from Japan any more. As someone told me, maybe the judges only want to keep the awards in Hawaii, which is wrong!

When kumus start to feel the animosity between the mainland and local halaus, we just might see the numbers of participants diminish.

Kindness can ease pain of unemployment

So much attention is focused on Aloha Airlines, ATA and other businesses that are folding or deciding to close. The greatest challenge to continued growth and development is right before us -- it is our people, the citizens of Hawaii. We make it happen, and we make it fail.

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the displaced employees of Aloha, ATA and others affected by the closures; however, there are others needing assistance from state, county, federal or private enterprises. Hey agencies, we are still here!

Give us all a chance and help Hawaii prosper. Restore our faith in government by restoring our dignity, and that is something that we all must partake in.

Next time you see someone needing help, lend a hand, open a door, offer to help. A smile goes much further and makes that person's life much brighter. You might just be that person's shining star for that one moment in time.

Hawaii mourns loss of friendly airlines

The very sad demise of two longtime airlines -- our friends -- is quite troubling. If "Aloha means goodbye," then "ATA means aloha to all."

May God help and bless all those who are affected. Aloha!

No excuse for driving while intoxicated

Attorney Paul Cunney's rationalization of Gerard Jervis's DUI status is infuriating (Star-Bulletin, April 8), and requires a comment about public safety. His claim is that this misbehaving citizen was justified in endangering others while allegedly drunk, including any pedestrians and drivers in Lanikai. Jervis is accused of engaging in a car chase through a neighborhood at night and causing an auto to crash. In pressing a claim of family defense, the attorney overlooks the impact of drunkenness on judgment, the biggest argument for having a DUI law. Just how was Jervis defending his family in this case? There are several things that should warn Cunney off this tack, but no.

Let me drive something myself, a point: this is National Alcohol Awareness Month.

Apologizing invites lawsuits nowadays

Many are calling for the four St. Louis School students to apologize for throwing eggs at various homes in Lanikai. However, they cannot do that even if they sincerely wanted to.

Were they to apologize, it would be considered an admission of guilt, and the residents of Lanikai would turn and use that to sue the heck out of the students, their families and St. Louis itself. They would ruin the lives of these students to make an example out of them, and send the message that Lanikai is not to be messed with.

It is sad that our society is at the point where one cannot say "I'm sorry" without suffering consequences. Honesty and integrity result only in getting sued.

Some in Legislature fear a ConCon

Some Democrats in the Legislature are trying to torpedo the constitutional convention vote before it even leaves the dock. Witness what occurred last week at the Capitol: Rep. Della Au Bellati introduced a measure establishing a task force to determine the cost of a potential ConCon using members of the private sector and heads of relevant government agencies. Rep. Kirk Caldwell introduced and won a vote mandating the Legislative Reference Bureau estimate the cost. Since when is the LRB equipped for such a task?

Polls have shown when the cost of a ConCon exceeds $10 million, citizens tend to discount its value weighed against potential benefits -- and they are many. There are multitudinous ways to plan and account financially for a ConCon -- the cost of which could easily be saved by streamlining government functions. Beware those against a ConCon creating a Cadillac budget.

We get to vote only once every 10 years for a ConCon and we haven't had one for 30 years. What is the Legislature afraid of? That the people might want to directly make changes to Hawaii's most important legal document, resulting in some dramatic improvements to state government?