Letters
to the Editor

Write a Letter to the Editor

Saturday, April 17, 1999

America's Cup would be good investment

The headline of your April 13 article read, "Regatta may cost state $3 million." It should have read, "$3 million investment could bring state $10 billion."

Hawaii has already made one wise investment with the Miss Universe Pageant. It paid off! And so will this effort to bring the America's Cup to Hawaii.

Yet Rep. Dennis Arakaki criticized funding this venture. He said he'd rather see the money used for "other needs in health and human services."

In 20 years, I have yet to seesubstantial investment in such programs. And what about our education system?

Arakaki also complained about the $3.3 million investment in the Miss Universe Pageant, but it brought us millions in return. What kind of programs has he been successfully funding to help the community?

Janet Lee Davis

Don't penalize good teens for bad drivers

As I approach the age of 15, I am getting excited about obtaining my driver's permit and my driver's license. One concern I have is that the government might raise the age or change the format of getting a license, like making a minor wait a year to get a license after obtaining a permit.

I understand why this might be considered, because of accidents involving young drivers. But why does everyone have to suffer? Also, what about a teen with a single parent or a disabled parent? He or she can't afford to wait the extra year to get a license.

It's not fair for people like me, who are willing to take the time and be a safe driver. Just make the consequences harsher for those who break the law.

Justin Arucan
Grade 9, Mililani High School

Quotables "Oh, how hard is this really? I have this incredible view from a great hotel talking to someone who's interested in me. You could probably wake me up at midnight for this." Rosemary Clooney Singer/actress Enjoying the view from the Halekulani hotel during a telephone interview about her shows with the Honolulu Symphony "I frankly don't see a $10 million value by placing a logo on a sail." Ben Cayetano Governor Not keen on supporting a group promising the state $10 million in publicity if it comes up with $3 million in state money for an island entry in the America's Cup yacht race

Lawmakers ignore cries for fireworks ban

I have obtained on a petition the names of hundreds of people, who desperately want a ban on fireworks. I have written letters to the editor and have spent many hours at legislative hearings, giving testimony on HB 1237 and SB 680.

Legislators have heard so much testimony for a ban, but they have no intention of doing anything other than for the merchants and big money.

What an insult to the police department, fire department, American Lung Association, medical associations and the public! What a waste of everyone's time, money and paper!

Lawmakers are in effect thumbing their noses at everyone! This is irresponsible legislating.

Suzanne Teller

Something's fishy at the Legislature

As a retired fisherman and fishery biologist, I am appalled at the audacity of some House members. They are trying to revive a bill that was killed by the Senate, by attaching the "shark fin bill" to SB 1089 SD1 HD1.

Don't these lawmakers know that state government has no jurisdiction over interstate commerce or international trade? If the bill passes, no fish can be imported into Hawaii unless the out-of-state fisherman first obtains a Hawaii commercial marine license.

Henry Okamoto
Fishery biologist

Hawaii residents should hang loose

I haven't visited your beautiful islands for many years, but have been reading the Star-Bulletin on the Internet. It's great. Things have not changed that much --everybody's complaining.

I hope that, from time to time, the people of the islands stop to smell the flowers. Such a beautiful place, crowded and all.

Dean Raymond
Casco, Maine Via the Internet

Tojo's granddaughter's visit was insulting

Diane Chang's poignant column of April 2 rightly questions the campaign by Hideki Tojo's granddaughter to recast him as a mere patriot, someone forced into the war with the United States and seeking only to free Asia from Western colonialism.

As an American in Japan, I can assure Yuko Tojo Iwanami that many Japanese in the "old country," are distressed by the recent rise of retrogressive, neo-rightist intellectuals like her.

Had she confined her Hawaii visit to a remembrance of the war dead on both sides, it could have been taken as a sincere gesture toward mutual atonement. Unfortunately, she tied her message to the movie "Pride," an egregious whitewash that has been protested by the Chinese and South Korean governments, and which is embarrassing to many Indians.

Having seen that film in Tokyo, the soundest rebuttal would be to show it uncut in theaters throughout the United States. There is not a word in it about Japan's Asian victims or the Tojo-led military's destruction of Japan's pre-war democracy. The plot hinges on a hyped-up caricature of the Tokyo war crimes trial and the fancy that Japanese youths died for the central ideal of liberating India. Come, now!

Ivan P. Hall
Kanagawa, Japan

Recycling facility did great things for Hawaii

The announced closing of Unisyn's organic recycling facility in Waimanalo is disappointing. I toured it recently and saw 35 tons of left over and spoiled food from restaurants, hotels and grocery stores turned into organic compost, irrigation water and more than enough methane gas to power the Unisyn operation.

Without Unisyn, 35 tons of organic waste and 35 tons of green waste will end up in landfills every day. The waste will still generate methane, which will go into the atmosphere and add to global pollution.

Gary Gill of the state Health Department should pass out noseplugs or do whatever he has to in order to keep Unisyn running. Help it expand rather than hasten its demise.

Don Child
Via the Internet

'Kill Haole Day' is an island tradition

I personally witnessed "Kill Haole Day" as a Caucasian living in Ewa Beach in the 1960s.My husband experienced it at Waipahu High in the '70s.

No matter what the schools superintendent or principals think, the "tradition" exists to this day. Where did students learn about it? From their parents andfriends. And where did their parents learn about it? From their parents and friends.

It is hard to break tradition.Hopefully, with the passage of time and a better education in our schools and at home, "Kill Haole Day" will become a thing of the past. This is something the older generation should talk story about so the younger generation can learn to respect others.

Teri Morris Wertman
Valencia, Calif.

Via the Internet

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes
Legislature Bills

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.