Lindsey made mistake by trying too hard

Lokelani Lindsey just doesn't get it! She forgot the age-old tradition of Bishop Estate trustees: Do nothing. Avoid making waves unless it's the wave of the majority. Just show up for meetings and special events, smile and look important. Then coast silently through your term.

Of course, nobody will remember you, but that's tradition.

Granted, Lindsey's strength and experience lie in education. But because of her overly zealous attempts to examine the academic credibility of Kamehameha Schools, she invaded another comfort zone -- the school's administration. For years, they have been writing their own ticket and nobody paid attention. Now, toes have been stepped on. Even the alumni are huhu with Lindsey.

She dared disrupt the ohana atmosphere on campus. Now, she must be removed because of her overwhelming exuberance in doing her job. She should know by now that this is the only career you can get fired from for trying too hard.

Gordon Broad
Hauula

Shame on St. Louis School for not supporting teacher

I was appalled at Rev. Mario Pariante's statement that St. Louis teacher Gerilyn Tolentino Corpuz "failed to impose proper classroom discipline" with student Tamotu "Junior" Tagoai, who is 19 years of age.

I always ranked St. Louis along with Kamehameha and possibly Punahou, but apparently Father Pariante failed to "impose proper classroom discipline" at St. Louis, or the student wouldn't be bullying a classroom teacher in the first place.

Since Tagoai did threaten Corpuz, the president should ask the student to mend his ways or suffer the consequences.

Discipline has to come from the top. If a principal won't stand behind a teacher, it's hell for the teacher.

Shame on St. Louis.

Marjorie Y. Carter

Thanks, Consolidated, for keeping theaters

Last year, I wrote to Consolidated Theatres to lament the closing of its Waikiki theaters. As a resident of Waikiki, I now want to commend its decision to renovate the theaters instead.

I also suggested in my letter to Consolidated that perhaps more diverse motion pictures would be an asset. I have been most pleased to have enjoyed showings of "You've Got Mail," "She's All That," "Prince of Egypt," "Blast From The Past," and "Message In a Bottle" during the past several weeks.

I am looking forward to more such movies in Waikiki.

June B. Humphrey

TV wrestling is bad influence on children

Since my third-grade students are into wrestling on TV, I decided to watch one of these events to see what the attraction was all about. Even though this is supposed to be fake entertainment, I was appalled at the trash being shown:

A man was handcuffed to the ring while his son was beaten up by other wrestlers.

In one match, a wrestler was lured out of the ring and into the restroom, where he was beaten unconscious by other wrestlers.

Wrestlers yelled curse words while sticking their middle fingers.

A group of wrestlers use the motto, "Suck it!," and pump their crotches toward their opponents' faces.

Please think twice about allowing children to watch this kind of program. There aren't many things that bother me more than hearing young kids -- ages 6, 7 and 8 -- yelling, "Suck it!," while pumping their crotches toward their friends.

Kevin Y. Uyeda
Mililani

QUOTABLE "We have reached a point of impasse on what is really just a business proposition. I don't have anything against Honolulu Community College, but I have no experience doing the job they want me to do." -- Fred vonAppen, fired as the University of Hawaii's football coach and now suing the university's Board of Regents for breach of contract after he was assigned to work at Honolulu Community College with what he says is a reduced salary and benefits package. "You know, Mom, I'm going to buy you a fire truck with a long ladder to bring her home (from heaven)." -- Six-year-old Dylan Lopes, whose grandmother, Stella Jensen, was killed in a Nanakuli drive-by shooting in January 1997. "At this price...I'll stop." -- Chris Ke-a of Aiea, on the $1.399-a-gallon gas at an Arco gas station in Maili. The entry of Arco, Oahu's newest gasoline company, has started talk of a gas price war.

Heco must place power lines underground

Your March 9 editorial called it legislative overkill when the Senate passed a bill requiring the undergrounding of power lines in residential areas or within 300 feet of a school or child-care facility. I disagree.

When Hawaiian Electric Co. proposed a 138-kilovolt power line next to homes in Village Park, nearby residents opposed the project. As the area's senator, I joined residents and others in speaking against the project before the Public Utilities Commission.

We were intervenors in the PUC process, with the assistance of Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, who was an attorney in private practice at the time.

Yet the PUC approved Heco's request and allowed it to install overhead power lines on unsightly 100-foot poles across the Ewa plain, next to Village Park homes and throughout Pearl City.

The PUC process favors utility companies like Heco. Therefore, unless the Legislature takes action, each application to install overhead power lines will be approved.

Heco is planning a second power line project involving 100-foot poles next to another group of Village Park homes on Kunia Road. All efforts to get Heco to underground these lines have failed.

Changes at the PUC are needed to ensure fairness and equity on this issue. SB 143 is a step in the right direction.

Sen. Brian Kanno
D-Ewa Beach-Makakilo-Village Park

Being on welfare isn't as easy as it looks

As a person who was in the welfare system for close to seven years, I would like to respond to the March 6 letter by Coreen Sentell. I have not been in the system for over a year now, but I can tell you being on welfare is not easy.

A lot of people may abuse the welfare system, but don't blame everyone for that. There are those on welfare who have to bust their butts to find a babysitter and pay for that babysitter.

So if -- as Sentell suggests -- you want welfare recipients to do volunteer work, they would have to work for free plus pay the babysitter. Granted, the system pays you back, but it takes almost two to three months before you get that money. Plus, you have to do at least 32 hours of schooling or you get kicked off welfare.

Before anyone talks about welfare recipients doing community service or anything like that, check into what the system makes them do first.

Sabrina Prince
Mililani

Bill Clinton has treated his family shamelessly

A Feb. 17 letter to the editor from Rico Leffanta spelled out that, with Hillary as our next president, we would have "two consecutive presidents whose spouse was also their true friend and companion."

Oh, puh-leez, give me a break! Could this "true friend" be the same Bill Clinton who cheated on Hillary, and then lied to her, their daughter, the nation and the world about his sordid affair with a White House intern less than half his age?

Could this "companion" be the same Bill Clinton of Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Gennifer Flowers and now Juanita Broaddrick notoriety?

If Clinton's reprehensible and immoral actions toward his spouse spell a "true friend and companion," then "Bilk" and "Hilarity" have got to be the world's worst spellers.

Wanda Kulamanu
Ellis Au

Congressional delegation supported corrupt Clinton

We now know that evidence of Juanita Broaddrick's rape by Bill Clinton was available to both Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Patsy Mink during the House impeachment hearings, and that both chose to ignore the evidence by voting not to impeach Clinton.

In addition, Abercrombie raced to the White House to show his support for our corrupt president at the Clinton post-impeachment "pep rally."

We now know that the Broaddrick story was available to the Senate during the impeachment trial, and that the House impeachment managers pleaded with senators to examine that evidence. We know that Sens. Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye chose to ignore all evidence, including Broaddrick's, when they voted to support a proven liar, perjurer and obstructor of justice, as well as an alleged rapist.

We now know that all four of our congressional representatives have sacrificed their personal integrity, the rule of law and our sacred Constitution to partisan politics and a corrupt president.

We now know how to restore the integrity of our Constitution in the next election.

Robert R. Kessler
Retired Commander, U.S. Navy

Kam swap meet should be spared shutdown

Please do not shut down the Kam Drive-in swap meet. To do so would be to lose a special part of Hawaii.

My family and I used to live on Kaonohi Street, which runs along the drive-in (and where my daughter attended her first movie as an infant!) in the early 1990s. We shopped at the swap meet on weekends, sold garage sale items, and enjoyed inexpensive shopping trips there.

When family and friends came from the mainland, we always took them to the swap meet. It is one of our fondest memories of Oahu.

Take a look around, Hawaii. Some things should be saved from the developer's bulldozer, not because they are profitable but because they are examples of the aloha spirit.

Ken Jenkins
Boise, Idaho
(Via the Internet)

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