The problem isn't his Samoan ancestry
Regarding Mayor Mufi Hannemann's comments about people feeling intimidated by his Polynesian ancestry
(Star-Bulletin, July 4): No, Mr. Mayor, it is your German heritage that scares people.
Shelly Brown
Honolulu
Wimbledon winner a champ in many ways
Rafael Nadal. What a man! After winning the Wimbledon tennis title in a grueling match that lasted almost five hours, he said, "I am very happy for me but sorry for him (his opponent, Roger Federer) because he deserved this title, too." What a loving heart! What a great example for the rest of us.
Bertram J. Wong
Honolulu
Will we have permits for all beach activities?
When are the learned lawmakers going to spend their time on more important business? The article about the "needed permit" for beach weddings is a joke
("Business Briefs," Star-Bulletin, July 3). Are there going to be beach patrols? Which would mean a salaried person patrolling all beaches where weddings are held.
Should permits be issued for the weekend parties that are there all day, sometimes into the night and overnight? A lot of these parties have beer. Then these people get in their cars and drive home. What about the boats taking up space on the beach? What about the people who walk their dogs every day not on leashes? What about the tour buses dropping off their clients for a swim and lunch? What about people using the beach as a public bathroom, drug exchange and volleyball court?
The beaches can be used by everyone. If the city has to have the beach permits for weddings, they may consider having a question as to where they are having the wedding on the license application. If it is being performed on a beach, a charge can be made and a permit issued.
Andrea Peters
Waimanalo
Able homeless should work for their keep
"New attitude needed to help the homeless" was the headline of a letter written by Jack Telaneus
(Star-Bulletin, July 4). He mentioned some good suggestions as to how we might help the homeless get to be in a better situation, by negotiating with the federal government about renting Army barracks, which have been abandoned or are not in use. He also mentioned charitable organizations encouraging the employable homeless to find jobs rather than giving them hand-outs.
Some of the homeless might be in their predicament by dire circumstances, but some others (perhaps the majority) might be there because of apathy and nonchalance, who might be enjoying their carefree lifestyles.
So, as Telaneus says, during his Depression baby days in the Midwest, he understood the general rule of those days: "If you don't work, you don't eat." In Hawaii, we would say, "if you no work, you no eat"!
In standard English or pidgin, they mean the same thing.
Tetsuji Ono
Hilo
If he's so bad, why did voters elect him twice?
For some years now I have marveled at the President Bush haters and wondered how it must feel to have that much hate, but rarely in my 86 years have I seen or read an example of pure hate of one person for another than a letter to the editor in the
July 5 Star-Bulletin called "It's amazing people will still support Bush" by a Mr. Rick Lloyd.
Lloyd can't get it through his head that enough citizens of the U.S. think highly enough of President Bush that he was elected to two terms. Though his ratings are low they are still higher than the Democratic do-nothing Congress.
Claiming that President Bush lied us into the war shows just how uninformed Lloyd is, as it is well known that most countries in the world and their leaders all believed that WMDs were in the mix and the safety of the people of America came first in Bush's mind, choosing to fight the war in Iraq rather than New York.
Liberals' claims of incompetence on Bush's part in spite of the education he has had and the advisers he has listened to, make most educated persons aware that a statement like that is just a sign of immaturity and they give it the credence it rightfully deserves. Letters like this must not go unanswered lest the public be tempted to believe them. It is just Mr. Lloyd's opinion, as this is just mine.
Don McDiarmid Jr.
Kailua
Old Glory did fly at King's Alley on Fourth
In response to
Karyn Abe's July 6 letter to the editor regarding no American flag being displayed at King's Village (formerly King's Alley), a huge American flag was indeed flown high atop the clock tower. The American flag is always proudly displayed at King's Village and can be seen from a distance.
Albert Keliikuloa
Honolulu