How can kids be racist when they embrace black culture?
I would like to comment on the racism situation on Iao Intermediate School on Maui.What is going on here? The students should take a good look at themselves in the mirror and wonder, who am I trying to look like?
I would tell all the kids in Hawaii, a popolo, or black man!
All the kids idolize black athletes and musicians. They all wear oversize pants, listen to music by black artists in their cars, wear their baseball caps backwards, and try to imitate the walk.
C'mon! This is not Hawaiian-style here!
If they want to beat up blacks, I think they should start beating each other.
All I can say is: Stop watching too much TV. We live in the most beautiful environment in the world, and we should all act as if we do.
Ed Tomasu
(Via the Internet)
Hawaiian students need to show respect to get respect
I attended last week's commencement at UH and noticed that the Hawaiian students who opened the ceremonies with a chant purposely chose not to rise for the "Star-Spangled Banner," but did for "Hawaii Ponoi."It's a shame that these students chose to make a political statement where one wasn't called for. This was a graduation ceremony. Apparently, they did learn one thing: how to offend.
It's fine for these people to want Hawaiian sovereignty, but to openly disrespect the national anthem -- which is to say, America -- is something else. How can the rest of us respect any kind of Hawaiian nation when its advocates display such a lack of class? I would remind these people that until that day comes, this is the University of Hawaii, in the state of Hawaii, within the United States of America.
James Ko
(Via the Internet)Social issues can't wait while economy is 'fixed'
I am dismayed by the attitudes of Senate President Mizuguchi and new House Speaker Calvin Say, both of whom say that they prefer not to address controversial social issues until they (or somebody) can "fix" Hawaii's poor economy.I am tempted to ask why both of these gentlemen, given their lofty positions, have not already provided the fix. Why have they been holding back? Do they also plan to fix the economies of Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other Asian countries on which Hawaii depends so heavily?
And while we are waiting for the fix, do these two gentlemen propose that we continue to spend dwindling resources hunting down and arresting sick people for using marijuana as medicine?
It is time for our elected officials to quit turning their backs on serious social issues because they are controversial. Fixing the economy is obviously beyond their capacity or they would have done so already. Changing social policy to make it more humane and less costly is something they can do if they have the will.
The time for action is now.
Donald M. Topping
President
Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii
(Via the Internet)
Maybe hula gets better ratings among Catholics
Why must the Vatican get involved with our sacred hulas? The only reason I can come up with is that it will compete with the "drag show" the pope puts on during his religious ramblings.Oh, sorry, that's right, we Hawaiians are heathens, running around naked...
Glenn Matsuki
Los Angeles, Calif.
(Via the Internet)
To oust or not to oust
Republicans are thumbing their noses at electorate
By inflicting a full-blown constitutional crisis upon our country in callous disregard of the wishes of an overwhelming majority of the American people, congressional Republicans have proven themselves incapable of governing responsibly.Their vengeful and partisan impeachment of President Clinton defied even the most basic of democratic concepts inherent in our Constitution.
If one needs proof of that, look at what several of the so-called "GOP moderates" are saying. In the face of widespread public anger, they now beg the Senate to not interpret their votes for impeachment as a desire to remove President Clinton from office.
If that is indeed true, they are themselves guilty of a grievous breach of their own constitutional responsibilities, and therefore unfit to hold their own offices!
It is not Clinton's almost farcical sexual antics that pose the gravest threat to our democratic values, but rather the intolerance of "Moral McCarthyists" who comprise the far right of the Republican Party.
Their clear unwillingness to respect the electorate's decisions in the last two presidential elections, fueled by an irrational hatred of President and Mrs. Clinton, has led us to the brink of a political meltdown in their warped pursuit of a very un-American agenda.
Donald Koelper
(Via the Internet)
Dirty tricks, defamation may be Democrats' undoing
The impeachment imbroglio has revealed the motivation behind the demonization of Newt Gingrich and Ken Starr, the White House's possession of FBI files on its "enemies," and the defamation of Paula Jones, Kathleen Wiley, Linda Tripp and even Monica Lewinsky.It explains the "Borking" of one's enemies, hiring private detectives to investigate Republicans' private lives and then leaking the results.
It drives James Carville to hysteria and motivates Al Gore's statement that Republicans want to kill old people and destroy our environment.
Professor Alan Dershowitz confessed to Geraldo Rivera: "A vote against impeachment is not a vote for Bill Clinton, it is a vote against bigotry. It's a vote against fundamentalism...against anti-environmentalism...against the Right to Life movement.
"It's a vote against the radical right. This is truly (the) first battle in a great culture war," said Dershowitz. "And if this president is impeached, it will be a great victory for the forces of evil, evil, genuine evil...to vote for impeachment is to vote to give [the Republican] party over to the mad dogs of radicalism."
The question left hanging is, having indulged in the "politics of personal destruction," has the Democratic Party destroyed itself?
Carol White
Time to lobby Senate to stop impeachment
The "train wreck" of the Republican Party impeaching the president in the U.S. House needs to be understood. This is the result of the seduction of the GOP by its own radical right, including the religious radical right.This element is extreme, vindictive and irreconcilable. The major effect of the Clinton presidency has been to break the stranglehold of this radical rightist minority on the entirety of American politics. Unlike all others, Clinton has been able to survive and govern without being intimidated by them.
The Senate is unlikely to convict the president, because of the greater experience and stateliness of its members, and because the Republican Party does not have the votes to do it. But public opinion is critical in this process. The Republicans are not yet listening. So what are we going to do about this?
Write. Talk. Lobby. Advertise. Publish. And when the time comes, please, vote your conscience and the candidates of your choice. We do have government by the people. It's not perfect, and it doesn't always do what we want it to do. But it's the only government we've got.
Keolo Pettingill
Waipahu
Impeachment would stun our founding fathers
The last thing the president should do is resign. Indeed, we can only hope that the Senate promptly relegates the House impeachment to its rightful place -- the dust bin of history.The House did the very thing our founding fathers sought to avoid: It allowed naked partisanship to dictate the impeachment of an elected president.
We should not turn a blind eye to the president's wrongful conduct. But censure is appropriate. It should be tough but quick. Then Congress should do as the president has properly done and tend to the nation's business.
Al Lynde
Akaka and Inouye must come to rescue of Clinton
These are dark days for America. The president-haters are so crazed with blood-lust that they're willing to cripple the greatest nation on Earth to satiate their ghoulish appetites. Moderates cower before the frenzied minority and roll over like whimpering dogs.These zealots are more destructive than terrorists. Terrorists bomb only planes or buildings, while these wild radicals rain toxins on us all from sea to sea.
I call on Hawaii Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka to bring up all their power and cast back these barbarians at the gate until they're safely in their cages, harmlessly drooling venom on their own cage floors.
Howard C. Wiig
What Clinton, chicken have in common...
Question: Why did President Clinton go to the Middle East? (Read: Why did the chicken cross the road?)To pay lip service to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and top Israeli officials on what he must do to save his presidency. (Read: To save his okole.)
Robert A. Hiatt
Scandal news could be used for higher (lower?) purpose
With all the hullabaloo (road apples) on TV from Washington lately, I switched to the Disney Channel in search of better entertainment and found it a different, almost opposite in tone, so I switched again to the discovery channel and found it better watching in many ways.How many trees it took to make the newsprint to tell the impeachment story I don't know, but at least it can be recycled.
If the hullabaloo could be converted to fertilizer it would make our countryside very green.
Chester W. Chaffee
Pearl City
Honolulu should look before leaping into light-rail
For most of the past 11 years I have called Honolulu home with Portland, Ore., my second home. I have seen Portland's light-rail system from conception to its present state. It looks good from the freeways but has never attained the ridership that was projected.The development and construction cost is only the very tip of the iceberg. What really drives the cost to area residents is the operating expenses. Most of the operating costs are offset by a tax on business and apparently only subsidizes by the riders. The Metro employees are unionized, highly paid and are difficult to dicipline.
Honolulu really needs more government workers and higher taxes on business like they need a hole in the head. It does seem that every time that Hawaii experiences a recession "the powers that be" come up with some major construction project to put the construction industry back to work. Just look at H-3, one of the most expensive pieces of concrete in the world, if not the most expensive.
Look well before you leap. Check the operating costs and how they are to be paid. Vancouver, Wash., had a shot at joining the Portland system but soundly turned it down. Good luck.
Joseph R. Smith
Vancouver, Wash.
(Via the Internet)
It takes too long on Oahu to investigate accidents
Although the HPD is usually confronted with traffic crashes that are "manini" compared to those on the mainland, where jack-knifed trucks get mangled with several other vehicles, it takes hours instead of minutes to deal with incidents.An incident on Kalanianaole Highway on Dec. 12 prompted me to write this letter. It was reported that at about 1:30 p.m. a car veered into a moped about half a mile east of Aina Koa Street.
At 2:30 p.m. I joined the queue, which had extended for more than a mile on H-1 freeway. It took 28 minutes to drive 1.5 miles. At the crash site, I saw a smashed moped, a car on the shoulder and at least six police vehicles.
Most streets around Kahala Mall were jammed. Waialae Avenue was gridlocked and the off-ramp was overflowing onto the freeway, creating a hazardous situation. At 4:30 p.m., police were still investigating and the queue on H-1 had reached Kokohead Avenue.
I estimate that this three-hour traffic "management" incident trapped more than 9,000 vehicles and more than 12,000 motorists. It caused more than 6,000 people hours of delay, increased the risk for secondary accidents, and resulted in more than 1,500 gallons of additional fuel consumption.
The mayor and the chief of police must remove the archaic and inefficient procedures for incident management and give our officers the education and training needed to get in step with contemporary national practice.
Panos D. Prevedouros
Associate Professor of
Civil Engineering-Transportation
Graduate Program Chairman
University of Hawaii-Manoa
(Via the Internet)
Charley's Taxi is example of good corporate citizen
Rather than protest its high professional standards and fair pricing policies, independent contractor drivers should be proud to be associated with Charley's Taxi.Not only does it insist on quality service for its customers, it sincerely cares for the long-term future and well-being of all its employees and independent contractors.
It is a kamaaina company deeply concerned for our community. This was demonstrated when, without being asked, Charley's President Dale Evans approached me soon after the formation of VASH to offer complimentary taxi service to any visitor victimized by crime and other adversities.
This compassion and aloha has helped change the attitude of dozens of victimized visitors towards Hawaii and its citizens -- from an extremely negative one to a positive one.
Hopefully, those few disgruntled drivers will come to recognize how critically important high standards and aloha for our visitors and local clients, as demonstrated by Charley's, is to their future and that of their families.
Darrell Large
President and Executive Director
Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii
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