Don't laud trustee for doing her job

Testimony by "Hannie" Anderson at the trial of Lokelani Lindsey, Bishop Estate trustee, was downright comical. The estate is the richest educational trust in the nation. But according to Anderson the school gym was dilapidated, the tile swimming pool was "all bus' up," and the volleyball team's uniforms had "stay junk." And the gym roof "leaked like a bugga."

Anderson then prevailed on her good friend of 35 years, Lindsey, to help in remedying some of these problems because she says the trustee, and I quote, "has a habit of being generous." This is profound stuff, brah!

So Lindsey got on somebody's case and now the gym roof "no leak," the swimming pool "can swim" and the team's uniforms "no mo' pukas!"

"How come" Anderson had to prevail on Lindsey's "habit of being generous," when the responsibility for providing the best possible facilities for Kamehameha Schools was Lindsey's in the first place?

Rod Ferreira
Kamehameha Schools, Class of 1952
Kamuela, Hawaii

Lawyer must clarify whom he's representing

If Bill McCorriston's legal fees were being paid out of the personal funds of Bishop Estate trustees, it would be appropriate for him to be defending their personal interests. But that's not the case. According to court filings, the McCorriston firm billed the estate nearly $1.5 million for the 15-month period ending December 1998.

Accordingly, McCorriston is supposed to be defending the interests of the trust and its beneficiaries, not the individual trustees.

McCorriston has argued that there is no conflict. But the master and probate judge have found "actual, apparent, adverse and material conflicts."

McCorriston must explain why he keeps responding to criticism of the trustees as if it were criticism of the trust or its beneficiaries.

Gladys Brandt,Walter Heen,
Samuel P. King, Randall Roth
"Broken Trust" authors

Trustees' huge salaries should finance education

How can Bishop Estate trustees live with themselves, knowing that their huge salaries are causing families to lose their homes because they cannot afford the outrageous lease rents?

As a homeowner who purchased my fee at an inflated price, it makes me sick that I am working hard to support the trustees' lifestyles. Do they care that 1,800 children applied for kindergarten at Kamehameha for 80 available slots?

The trustees should serve voluntarily, as trustees do at other charitable organizations.

Dottie Sunio
Pearl City
Via the Internet

Accountability is lacking at Bishop Estate

It will take more than resignation and removal to fix the broken circle at the Bishop Estate. It will take accountability. The estate needs a system of checks and balances. Even if new trustees are sworn in, they must be held accountable.

A trustee's job entails putting the students first. In this time of turmoil and crisis, let's show support for the students at Kamehameha. That was Princess Pauahi's intent.

Lisa Noelani Robbins
Kamehameha Schools,
Class of 1985 Hampton, Va.
Via the Internet

Bishop Estate Archive

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"Our youth no longer have a clue about the struggle for equal rights and civil rights." Allicyn Hikida Tasaka Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women On the perpetuation of discrimination based on gender and race "Every day that goes by is another day for the children to suffer." Cynthia Quinn Special assistant to theattorney general On the impact of the Bishop Estate scandal on the students of Kamehameha Schools

How does Kosovo threaten U.S. security?

Kosovo is a part of the American military's obligation? Why? It's not a U.S. state or a territory, and we don't even have an invitation to their bloody war.

Please tell me how sending American forces into that fray is defending "national security."

The Kosovo people were embroiled with each other before anyone knew there was an America. Our involvement there will lead us into another Vietnam situation where more than 55,000 Americans left for home in body bags. That wasn't our territory either. We thought then we were saving our country from the communists. In Vietnam we lost it all.

If we can't resolve the Kosovo stupidity without our soldiers and airmen dying, believing that our forces will stop their conflict is looking at "blue sky."

Somewhere people are making money and political power from it. And Clinton wants our men to help pay by putting their lives on the line. When do we ever learn?

Four years ago Clinton said our men and women would be out of Bosnia in a year. They're still there. How long do we intend to be global policemen?

Ray Thiele
Kailua

President's moral authority is tested

President Clinton's address while the bombing was hitting targets in Kosovo was frightening. Even more frightening were his words, "...moral imperative."

He now needs to define most of his word choices because he does not seem to have the same understanding as the average American. His speechwriters should also be very careful with their word choice after Clinton defined oral sex. It would be most interesting how he describes "moral imperative."

Carolyn Martinez Golojuch
Makakilo

War won't make us forget Clinton abuses

Here we go again -- American blood for Europe's problems! It's said Milosevic thrives on crises: So does Clinton. A war is a dandy way to bury Monica, but how sad American boys will have to die to create amnesia.

Once again, Democrats are taking us into a war -- World War I, II, Korea, Vietnam -- spilling precious American blood. We realize Clinton is deeply concerned about his legacy, but I doubt it will be what he expects.

He has assaulted the Constitution, brought shame to the office of the presidency with perversion, taxes us more highly than any president, and hands out small "goodies" to special interest groups of larger voter blocs, and now sends our men into danger with no plan to disengage.

But, of course, we know he is less an American than he is a globalist and ultimately aims to redistribute our wealth. Can't we find him a playmate to keep him out of mischief?

Janice Judd

Greg Pai is not good appointee to PUC

Governor Cayetano has again sent to the Senate for confirmation the nomination of Greg Pai to the Public Utilities Commission. This is the second time that Pai, an economist, has been offered up as an appointee to the PUC.

In the past, Cayetano said at least one PUC commissioner should have a strong background in telecommunications and business. Yet since making that commitment, he has appointed Rae Loui, who has no background in telecommunications.

Pai's former employer was First Hawaiian Bank. Its chief executive officer is Walter Dods Jr., a member of GTE Hawaiian Tel's board of directors. Also, HawTel President Warren Haruki is a board member of First Hawaiian. This situation creates a bad perception.

I urge the governor to keep his word and to appoint someone with a strong telecommunications and business background to the PUC.

George M. Waialeale

UH school helps keep community healthy

The board of the Society of Public Health Education-Hawaii extends our strong support to the University of Hawaii School of Public Health.

SOPHE is an organization of more than 100 members that promotes and contributes to the advancement of health through encouraging study, improving practices and elevating standards in the field of public health education.

Many of our members attended the UH School of Public Health. The program is well grounded in theory but speaks to pragmatic, "real-world" practice.

Hawaii is one of the top states in the nation in many health criteria, such as water quality and other environmental concerns, life expectancy, seat belt use and immunization status of our children.

This is due in part to the efforts of UH School of Public Health graduates and the involvement of its faculty in community concerns.

Terry Visperas
President, SOPHE Hawaii

Editor's note: Other letters in support of the school were also received by Jean Evans, Sonja Evensen, Tasha Florez, Wesley Lum, Milly Tanabe and Carol Sudder.

If wrestling bothers you, don't watch it

In his March 12 letter, Kevin Uyeda said TV wrestling was a bad influence on children.He cited violent and obscene content in these programs. Might I point out that these shows are labeled TV14, and are not suitable for younger children in the first place.

Professional wrestling is no longer "family" entertainment, and the content reflects that. However, the two major promotions (WCW and WWF) are catering to an older audience that can distinguish between real and staged violence.

Just because it's there, that doesn't mean you have to watch it. If it's "trash" to you, change the channel.

Lawton Mak
Via the Internet

Nobody ever died from playing with fireworks

Burning firecrackers, like burning the American flag, should come under the heading of freedom of speech. It is only done on special occasions and no one has ever died from the experience.

On the other hand, since lots of people die from cigarette smoke, maybe they should outlaw smoking.

Song Kim
Via the Internet

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