Why not use nuclear subs for power supply?
We have all the risks of nuclear power in Hawaii but none of the benefits. Currently we are paying about 46 cents per kilowatt-hour compared to only about 6 cents in California, which they think is high.
After the last hurricane, when Kauai was without power, one ship plugged into the Kauai grid was able to power up the entire island - no problem. With all the nuclear vessels idle in Pearl Harbor, with all the risk, why not plug in and power up our grid? We support the military; the military should support us in exchange. Why blindly suffer risk and not access the benefit of power while these ships sit idle?
It might only be a temporary stopgap solution but every day that we save money and save oil that saves the planet. When the ships need to sail the high seas, Hawaiian Electric Co. can power up and drain our budget as usual.
Go Green!
Myron Berney
Honolulu
We need alternative energy - and oil
I strongly agree with those who advocate expanding alternate sources of energy. We must maximally sustain that effort. That being said, we Americans will require millions of barrels of oil a day for the next 20 to 40 years and beyond. As we develop alternative sources of energy along with vehicles that use various alternative fuels (ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen) we need to expand our own sources of oil. By so doing we can virtually eliminate the need for foreign oil. This will reduce our payments to foreign entities by trillions of dollars reducing our staggering balance of payments deficit.
Even if some of us can weather high-priced gas, it is likely many among our extended families cannot. We all need to encourage our representatives in Congress to adopt aggressive policies of environmentally sensitive oil and natural gas exploration.
Gene Daniel
Honolulu
Police are patrolling Oahu’s problem parks
I fully agree with the headline of your July 8 editorial
("Beach closings will be inadequate without enforcement") and your enthusiasm for the parks patrol that Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced earlier this year, but I need to clarify a few points.
The enforcement that you advocate has already begun, and the city has been quite successful at turning around troubled parks because of a coordinated effort by police, parks officials and others.
The police department's parks detail was formed in April, and works with parks staff and regular beat officers to ensure that problems are addressed and new night closures are properly enforced.
Though this approach might not be highly visible to those who do not frequent formerly troubled parks at night, I assure you that it is achieving results. Since April, the parks detail has made 34 arrests for outstanding warrants and new offenses, issued more than 1,300 citations for vehicle violations and more than 100 for parking violations, and cleared out nearly 30 illegally parked vehicles.
Refurbished parks that are closed at night will not be allowed to slide back into trouble. As the editorial noted, additional night closures will take effect soon to deter criminal activity and protect public health and public facilities. These closures will be strictly enforced so that our parks remain safe, clean and welcoming during operating hours, just as Mayor Hannemann has insisted from the outset.
Lester K.C. Chang
Director, Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation
Bus officials aren’t honest about filth
In your
July 3 "Kokua Line" column about foul-smelling bus seats, TheBus spokeswoman is being less than forthright or truthful in her claim regarding the cleaning of the bus fleet.
While I live in Makaha, I refuse to ride route C CountryExpress, which should be renamed route S SkankExpress for the same reasons the rider in the article complained of. The route C always smells like okole and underarm body funk. The bus is filthy. The floors are dirt-caked and sticky, the light fixture areas are never cleaned and are covered with a soot-like dust, and the windows are filthy. You also have all types of urine-soaked, fecal-encrusted bums riding in the same seats the working public has to sit in - not to mention if there are sick individuals on the bus coughing and hacking away, and there is no way to open the windows or get some fresh air inside.
Additionally, the reason why TheBus has no complaints about the homeless riding the bus is because the company will not take complaints about homeless riders. If you attempt to make a complaint, the customer service department will simply state that the bus does not discriminate and will not take the complaint - end of story.
The rider on Bus 784 (and the bus drivers he refers to) are not imagining anything. I would suggest that bus company executives and their spokeswoman get off their cans and start riding and see for themselves instead of denying that there is a problem.
Anita G. Diaz
Makaha
Councilman responds to his community
During the past eight years I have alerted City Councilman Rod Tam's office to the existence of hundreds of dangerous conditions in our community. These dangerous conditions (road deficiencies, traffic sign malfunctions, sidewalk dangers and more) threatened the public.
In each case Tam's office assisted in getting the dangerous conditions promptly eliminated or corrected. Due to the actions of Tam and his staff, many serious injuries to the public were prevented.
Joseph Zuiker
Honolulu
Women need to act against their harassers
Mahalo to the several Honolulu police officers who assisted me in Waikiki Tuesday evening. I was scheduled to participate in a candidate forum at the Waikiki Neighborhood Board. During the event, the officers needed to enforce a protective order (TRO) involving a person at the forum. The officers conducted their business with a minimum of disruption to the meeting, while maintaining my safety.
From personal experience, I strongly urge women who are subjected to repeated threatening or harassing behavior, in the workplace or at home, to utilize the protective order system. The system is designed to be supportive to victims, while protecting the rights of all parties.
There are too many recent incidents of violence in Hawaii. Be safe.
Anne Stevens
Candidate, House District 23