Morale is good at UH's West Oahu campus

Regarding your April 22 article, "Years of neglect crippling UH-Manoa," I might affirm that, from a student's point of view, you correctly stated that a "dark cloud hangs over UH-Manoa."

At least it seems that way when I am there. Fewer students smile anymore or seem to be enjoying their college experience, perhaps due to low faculty morale, shrinking enrollments, budget cuts and a real lack of appreciation for the undergraduate.

If this is the case, may I suggest prospective or present college students look at another campus of higher learning, where students are genuinely friendly, cooperative and greet you with a smile? And where you are able, I believe, to obtain the best education for your dollar?

May I suggest the University of Hawaii at West Oahu?

Emery Lucas
Professional Studies Graduate
University of Hawaii-West Oahu

Naysayers destroyed Big Island economy

How bad do things have to get on the Big Island before its citizens wake up and do something? Sadly, its residents are their own worst enemy. Just in the last 10 years, at least a half dozen economic enterprises have wanted to relocate to the county. But they were rejected for one cause or another.

It's my opinion that this island's great silent majority has surrendered its sovereignty to a bunch of social engineers, cultural dictators and environmental extremists who keep the county depressed.

Perhaps they are content with the way things are, but what about the future of our children and grandchildren? What kind of lives are they going to have without jobs?

If you're willing to speak out against the strident voices of these naysayers, start by asking your elected officials to back Governor Cayetano's plan to build a prison on the Big Island. It's a start.

Art Todd
Kaneohe

"It's important to laugh at yourself. It's a sign of humility." Frank DeLima LOCAL COMEDIAN On the use of ethnic humor in his comedy routines "People come and don't expect to assimilate to Hawaii; they expect Hawaii to assimilate to America. That's unacceptable." Davianna McGregor ETHNIC STUDIES PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII On the complex history of race relations in the islands

U.S. should let NATO fight ground war

Slovodan Milosevic is an evil man. The plight of the Kosovo refugees is heart-wrenching. That said, it is also clear we are being misguided by an inept foreign policy. Wise diplomacy could have averted the current crisis.

Instead, the Clinton administration backed Milosevic into a corner by threatening to bomb if he did not agree to grant autonomy to one of his provinces and to allow foreign forces on his soil to enforce the agreement.

No leader in the world, especially a tyrant like Milosevic, would accept such a demand.

Once the bombing began, we declared our goal: to prevent ethnic cleansing and to defend the credibility of NATO. But the bombing actually accelerated the scope of ethnic cleansing. NATO's credibility is now suspect.

We have now redefined our objectives to include returning the Kosovars to their homes under the protection of an international force. This would require such troops to remain there for decades.

It is time to acknowledge that this is essentially a civil war. Since we have sided with the Kosovar Albanians, we should arm them and let them fight on their own.

If NATO insists on inserting ground forces, these troops should come from Europe, since this is primarily a European problem.

Martin Jordan
Kailua

Is Bible more important than Kosovo?

I was bewildered to see no word of the war in Kosovo in your April 15 issue until I reached the bottom of page A-7, where a headline read, "Pentagon regrets attack on Kosovo refugees." Even this article did not report in detail the horrible deaths or maimings suffered by ethnic Albanian refugees when an American pilot's split-second decision turned out to be terribly wrong.

Even though NATO forces are trying to be pristine in their choice of strategic targets, this kind of incident was inevitable. While NATO is intent on degrading Serb defenses, it is doing nothing to protect unfortunate ethnic Albanians left behind in Kosovo.

Although the Star-Bulletin did not cover this event on its front page, it did give A-1 space -- top and center -- to an article about the Bible. Christians from all walks of life, you report, can now purchase more than 3,000 types of Bibles.

Perhaps our pilots should lower their landing gear and start reading theirs.

Piilani Le Porte Bauer

Shark finning is barbaric practice

In response to Henry Okamoto's April 17 letter, House members were merely trying to revive a measure that would address the issue of shark finning, especially since some in the Senate -- including the Senate president -- have chosen to believe misinformation given to them by some who stand to profit from the practice.

This was a no-brainer bill, since 16 out of 19 U.S. coastal states and the federal government already ban the practice of cutting off a shark's fin and throwing the rest away.

Remember elephants, buffalo and rhinos, all being killed for 1 percent of their body parts? In fact, a recent national poll shows that shark finning angers the American public the most.

Bob Endreson
Hawaii Fishermen's Foundation

OHA trustees should resign en masse

Should Hawaiians really be concerned about Rice vs. Cayetano, the far-reaching lawsuit on whether non-Hawaiians have the right to vote for the trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs? This case will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall.

Time and time again, Hawaiians have been told that they are part of the problem and they never have any solutions.

However, we do have a solution. Our illustrious OHA trustees can make moot this costly legal problem by resigning en masse for the benefit of OHA and its constituents.

Then, an efficient and experienced CEO could be hired to manage OHA, with oversight by a board of directors made up of beneficiaries selected, of course, by the Hawaiian people.

The OHA trustees should search their souls and let their consciences guide their actions.

Lela M. Hubbard
Virginia A. Kepano

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