Helicopters noisy, but reassuring

Patrick Bullard of Kahala writes that his peace and serenity is rudely and repeatedly interrupted by the sound of military helicopters flying overhead (”;Military helicopters shatter weekend peace,”; Star-Bulletin, May 4).

I suppose it's a matter of perspective. I have lived next to Bellows Air Force Station for 20 years. To me, the sound of military helos is a heart-warming and reassuring sound.

Whether it's the high-pitched hum of a Coast Guard Dolphin flying by or the deep-throated purr of Marine Corps or Navy Chinooks or Sea Stallions, I am always reminded that America's finest young men and women, who have dedicated themselves to defending and protecting me with their lives, are overhead.

To me, it's the sound of Guardian Angels flying by. It's the sound of my freedom.

Use talents to help America

As a disabled senior citizen, I am honored to respond to President Obama's request to volunteer to help in my community by doing what I know to do best. This challenge, which has activated millions of regular Americans to do the same, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of signatures and calls to Congress in support of President Obama's budget.

I give free teacher and parent reading workshops in my Makaha condo, sharing strategies I have used for over 40 years, which bring children out of the darkness of reading failure into the love of reading and writing success.

I challenge other seniors to use your talents by learning more about being a part of the recovery of a strong America. No matter what health issues you have, no matter how confined you are, I know how much help you can be to others by sharing what you do best, to restore the well-being of your community.

Civil union vote looks ugly

Presented with the chance to do something right for the state and a group of its underserved citizens, our senators approved an ugly last-minute amendment to the civil union bill that effectively killed this issue for another two years.

The red-shirts in the gallery cheered at the thought that they were going to be able to punish gays and lesbians for another couple of years by denying them the rights that they themselves freely enjoy.

This fight on the part of the far right has never been about protecting marriage or families or children. It has only been about the refusal of a small-minded group of so-called Christians to share the rights they enjoy with a group of people they consider to be beneath contempt. And now, thanks to our weak senators, they have succeeded.

I am so embarrassed to be a part of this state right now, a feeling that should be shared by every citizen with a conscience.

Act 221 means longevity

In your article “;Bill tightening tech tax credits close to approval”; (Star-Bulletin, May 7), it states that “;Act 221 mostly has been criticized as a boon for the film and television industry, allowing productions to claim the credits after setting up shop in Hawaii for only a short time.”;

Our film and television production company, TalkStory Productions LLC, has been doing business in Hawaii for the last six years as a Qualified High-Tech Business (QHTB).

We have completed two seasons of a cable channel series, two movies for a cable network, and have just completed a theatrical film to be distributed by a major studio.

Please do not confuse us with the benefits of Act 88, a very different program that allows studios and others to do a single project, which could be short term. It is completely different with its own set of incentives. Companies that benefit from Act 221 are here in Hawaii for the long haul.