Mainland metro trains are quiet and efficient
My husband and I just returned from a mainland trip. While there we were in three cities (Portland, Ore., Minneapolis and San Francisco) that have rail systems and we made a point to experience "a ride on the rail." We asked a few questions as well.
Without question all three trains were efficient, economical, easy to understand, clean, comfortable and so much fun. (In fact, Portland's MAX is free to ride in the downtown area!) None of the trains was any louder than a big truck on the road or the sound of traffic near a freeway.
I am no expert but all I saw was an answer to the logjam on our freeways and a way out of the increasing price of gasoline. It seems to me this town is made for mass transit -- a long skinny corridor with mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. Why is it so difficult to make the decision to alleviate the traffic woes in Hawaii?
Jan Olson
Haleiwa
Mayor's actions show his concern for people
Mayor Mufi Hannemann has done, for the most part, an awesome job. He lived in Kuhio Park Terrace, and went to 'Iolani and Harvard. This is a man who is actually for the people of Oahu and the state, not like our other politicians who talk a good story but only are concerned with themselves. He knows the hardship of life coming from Kalihi, not like the others who came from Hawaii Kai, Kahala and Kailua. He's just trying to make Oahu a better place.
If and when the rail comes, it will be a great addition to our city and the Leeward Coast. The rail will take a lot of cars off the roads. He's not like the other mayor before him, Jeremy Harris, who only did beautification things that had to be removed at the taxpayers' expense.
The people on the East and Windward sides grumble about paying for the rail and say they won't use it. But unless I'm mistaken, our taxes pay for their sewer repairs, roads and other services. I thought we were all residents of Oahu and Hawaii.
We live on a small island. We are in this together.
Adrienne L. Wilson-Yamasaki
Wahiawa
De Costa does her job with great integrity
After watching the news and reading the newspapers about the controversy over the rail petition and the city clerk
(Star-Bulletin, July 16), I feel I have to voice my opinion about Denise De Costa, who I have known for more than 30 years.
I know her as Mahealani, which is her Hawaiian name. In all the years I have known her, she has always been honest. Sometimes, she was too honest and got people riled up at her.
I feel that when she read the City Charter, she interpreted it the way she felt was pono, the correct interpretation as it pertains to the special election requested.
All these people throwing stones at her are so positive they are right in how they interpret the City Charter. But she had to do her job and call it the way she felt was correct. She took an oath to uphold the Charter.
Over the years, Mahealani has done so much for our community. She has always supported the people's voice. We should be proud of her integrity in standing her ground in the face of all of her critics.
I take my hat off to you, Mahealani.
Leialoha Kaluhiwa
Heeia
Columnist failed at geopolitical analysis
Midweek columnist Bob Jones sounds very silly in every bit of his Gathering Place column in Sunday's Star-Bulletin. His silliness emanates from his silly attempt at pretending to be a serious geopolitical analyst. In so doing, he really showed himself up to be basically anti-humanist and a supporter of coldblooded imperialistic genocide and the eradication of anybody who stands in the way of American global dominance and Israel's regional hegemony. He should have realized that the eradication of millions of innocent civilians, women and children by our American and Israeli war machines, under the pretense of getting rid of one or another misquoted head of state, is not a matter to be looked at as "silly" but as crimes against humanity.
I used to read some of Jones' published articles but now I am quite convinced that he is so superficial as to warrant a boycott.
Ramsis G. Lutfy
Aiea
Media mind control keeps us apathetic
If a psycho maniac were wandering the streets -- killing our young, taking money out of our pockets and in other ways endangering the general public -- would we -- as a society -- allow him to continue this pillage simply because he held in his pocket a ticket "out of the country" dated Nov. 6? I think not.
Then why do we sit back and allow our "elected" leader to kill our young, squander our tax dollars and deny our country health care? Just because he will "probably" be voted out of office in November ... why do we just sit back and let his rampage continue? I lack the ability to sort this one out. Are we all on drugs? Perhaps it is simply the result of the planned "anesthetizing" of us all by the media -- "sleep-deep/don't think" -- mind control that has been so successfully practiced and executed on the American public for the past several decades.
I say: Get rid of the bum!
And kudos to Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) for being the only congressman with the courage to uphold our Constitution (what is left of it). Too bad he stands alone ... for shame.
Claire McGee
Newport, Ore.
University of Hawaii, 1987