Kids learn bad habits by watching adults

Mahalo to Pat Bigold for his Sept. 16 column on adult drinking at youth sports events and to Sandra Lacar for her thoughtful Oct. 4 letter on role models. Friends, adults, parents, teachers, police officers, entertainers, actors, athletes, superstars: Lend me your ears.

If you drink alcohol, you can expect that your children and other youngsters who see you drinking will want to drink, too. If you smoke or use other drugs, profane and obscene language, or if you fight, abuse your spouse or children, don't be surprised if your children and others do the same thing. You are their role models.

Seeing a police officer visiting a schoolground is nice; at first glance, it's a good PR tool for law enforcement. But when you see the officer light up his cigarette, suddenly he has become a bad role model for children who have just been told by a concerned teacher that smoking is bad.

How can it be bad if the good policeman does it? And teachers, security guards or other staff members who take a smoke break at school are undoing all the good done by the teachers who care.

Think about it. Be a good example. Let's practice what we preach.

Keith Haugen
(Via the Internet)

Tourists should be able to buy sex from prostitutes

A regrettable and sad thing happened in Waikiki. A Japanese tourist was arrested for soliciting sex from a female undercover officer dressed as a prostitute.

This so-called "catch the johns" action is a product of police minds. The Japanese tourist probably would have had a good time and would have come back with more money, which we business people so desperately need.

There couldn't be a better case to illustrate the lack of leadership more exactly called idiocy of city officials responsible for this act of destruction of a $5 million advertising effort to promote Hawaii as tourist heaven.

Don't you know that prostitution existed in biblical times? Don't you know that part of the tourist attraction for single males from Japan is to have a good time? No wonder Las Vegas is booming and we are dying.

Joe Stacy

Would Christians care if cross had been a star?

Carly Shoupe must be commended for her Oct. 28 letter about the cross at Kolekole Pass, and her knowledge of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Most 14-year-olds have no idea what is written in the Constitution.

While she is correct that our Founding Fathers wrote these documents based on the idea of religious freedoms, the arguments that took place over passage of the Bill of Rights were much more about control of a tyrannical government meddling in the personal affairs of the people.

The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Having a religious symbol, Christian or not, on government land (not Army land) implies recognition or support of one religion over another.

Religious symbols on military installations belong in chapels, not on mountain sides.

Would all those Christians who are so concerned about this be as concerned if the symbol had been a Star of David or a crescent moon of Islam?

I think not. They'd probably be outraged.

Victor J. Moss
Makakilo
(Via the Internet)

Taiwanese protest was vital part of Jiang visit

On behalf of the many people in the Taiwanese community, we would like to extend our thanks to you for portraying the visit of President Jiang Zemin in an objective fashion. We realize that Taiwan is a very sensitive issue at this moment, and we are grateful that someone is willing to stand up and portray both sides of the issue.

The Advertiser made no attempt to mention the presence of the Taiwanese protesters. We thank the Star-Bulletin for picking up where the Advertiser left off, and portraying the visit of Jiang Zemin in both lights.

Perhaps one of the most important duties of a newspaper is to portray current events in as an objective manner as possible. We thank you for upholding this important principle.

Dr. Tay-ing Yang
President
Taiwanese Association of America, Hawaii Chapter

Bishop trustees damaged real estate industry

Attorney General Margery Bronster should immediately appoint a receiver for the Bishop Estate and then ask for the resignation of all its trustees. The people of Hawaii are completely fed up with the present administration of the estate. If any court action is deemed necessary, both federal and state courts should be utilized.

Being a Realtor for the past 20 years, I condemn the trustees' arrogance, total disregard for personal situations, and atrocious "take it or leave it" lease-to-fee demands that left many people in ill health or in a semi-bankrupt financial status.

It is unbelievable that a single institution like Bishop Estate could spawn such hatred and misery and also affect the entire economy of a state.

Many of the smaller fee owners copied the trustees' exorbitant fee prices and this compounded the very serious decline in the real estate industry in Hawaii.

Yes, Governor Cayetano and Attorney General Bronster, you have a very strong case against all of the trustees of the Bishop Estate. Please move swiftly!

Robert M. Lowe

Spokeswoman's mantra is very easy to remember

How long will Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate spokeswoman Elisa Yadao be able to stand the heat with a script that contains only one word: denial, denial, denial?

Don Neill
Kailua
(Via the Internet)

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Bishop Estate Archive

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