Baker & Taylor lawsuit is reminder of fiasco
State librarian Bart Kane must have been smiling in his foxhole when the Bishop Estate investigation took over the headlines.The recent spate of lawsuits brought by Baker & Taylor against Kane, the library system, and the state should serve to remind the public of the problems that commanded headlines until they became old news, courtesy of the Bishop Estate.
The Board of Education gave Kane six months to show improvement in his management of the library system, but that management continues to generate problems for Hawaii's taxpayers.
By now, the only way Kane can show proper leadership is to be the first in what should be a series of resignations by prominent figures who have violated the public trust.
Dan Binkley
Waimanalo
Veterans deserve special treatment all year long
With our recent celebration of Veterans Day, we thanked all veterans of all wars for putting their lives on the line to keep America free. Why not thank and remember them for more than one day, and put our money where our mouth is?How about offering free meals from restaurants, gifts from stores, etc., for veterans on Veterans Day, but also offer free coffee, reduced rents and reductions on other services throughout the year to show our thanks and appreciation for our veterans so they really know we care.
Please, let's start this in Hawaii. Everybody, let's do our part to get this important ball rolling.
Barbara Jessee
Kaneohe
Bill Balfour is doing great job as parks chief
As a longtime resident of Waikiki, I have written several letters to the editor complaining about the poor job the city does in maintaining our Waikiki beach parks.This time I am writing to say that since newly appointed Parks Director Bill Balfour has been on the job, I have seen great improvement in this area.
At a time when the city is embroiled in the Ewa Villages scandal, the appointment of Balfour and the good job that he is doing is a bright spot in our city government.
I just hope the city can keep him on.
John S. Pritchett
Lindsey will be next to join 'winning team'
The open alliance of trustees Gerard Jervis and Oswald Stender is great news for the Bishop Estate. Your newspaper said that, in doing this, Jervis departed from his history of being a team player. Actually, he has just decided to join the winning team -- one that includes the governor, the attorney general, the beneficiaries of the trust and the general public.Next, we should see the moral regeneration of Lokelani Lindsey. It is true that, so far, Lokelani has shown no such capacity. But I believe that she possesses it.
For one thing, she is a woman and, as has been noticed by those who love them, women are the true change artists among us. Nothing can change as fast and as far as a woman.
Another reason is that here is a woman who has not yet lived up to her name. Lokelani, the beautiful Maui rose, is the epitome of a lovely feminine name. Fresh, wild, fragrant, intimate and warm, the Lokelani flower freely blesses us all, both with its thorns, and with its beauty and fragrance.
Let us say a little prayer for Lokelani, that she may show the fragrant flower that we love. We wait patiently. Or perhaps we should throw some chicken manure for fertilizer, to stimulate her beautiful inner nature to appear.
Mike Pettingill
Kailua
Poor performance at Maili shows need for phonics
I am horrified that 73 percent of third-graders at Maili Elementary read at a level below the national average, as SAT results indicate (Nov. 5, "Four-day week at Maili school is under fire"). If we were speaking of the weather instead of reading, the governor would be buzzing out to the school by helicopter, calling in the National Guard and demanding emergency aid from the federal government.Let me submit to you, however, that this disgraceful state of affairs at Maili Elementary is not entirely a result of its bizarre four-day schedule.
You can be sure that teachers are using "whole language," guess-the-word methods, with the barest minimum of time spent on phonics drills and skill-building.
If only someone would care enough to teach these precious children correctly, their reading tests would soar.
The leadership of that school needs to be removed at once so that someone can be brought in who cares passionately for these children, and who will require a phonics-heavy reading curriculum, with a tiny side order of whole language thrown in for balance.
Bonnie Kidd
Kapolei
Missouri association wants to moor ship in right spot
The Oct. 25 Insight commentary, "Blueprint for battle," stated that the USS Missouri will be placed adjacent to Ford Island for a limited time, and then the ship will move closer to the Arizona Memorial.This is incorrect. Plans call for the battleship to be temporarily moored at pier F-5, 1,000 feet from the Arizona Memorial and adjacent to Ford Island for three years. The Missouri will then be moved to its permanent location at piers F-2 and 3, which are also adjacent to Ford Island and nearly 7/10 of a mile away from the Arizona Memorial.
The commentary also stated that members of the USS Missouri Memorial Association "understandably want their shop anchored as close as possible" to the Arizona Memorial.
While the association has always desired to locate the Missouri in Pearl Harbor, due to a longtime relationship between the harbor and the battleship, our board of directors has continually focused on locating a site which is an appropriate distance between the two memorials, not as close to the Arizona as possible.
Adrianne N. Greenlees
Director, Fundraising & Marketing
USS Missouri Memorial Association
Hawaii elects candidates based on their ethnicity
Wouldn't it be nice if we could elect people because of their qualifications instead of their race? I refer to the contest for lieutenant governor.In this contest, some people feel that the Republican candidate for l.g. should be of another ethnicity than gubernatorial candidate Linda Lingle. Thus Kioni Dudley, who appears to be Caucasian (he is part Native American), is to be ignored as Lingle's running mate because of his race.
Dudley has a distinguished career in teaching and politics. He deserves Lingle's consideration.
Maybe Hawaii isn't ready to elect people on a color-neutral basis. Voting for Dudley would send a message that we are ready to improve.
Mark Terry
Bishop Estate Archive
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