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Saturday, August 14, 1999

Kewalo project will create traffic nightmare

With respect to Andy Anderson's Kewalo Basin waterfront project (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 5), I have a question for him and the board members of the Hawaii Community Development Association: Have any of you driven in the area lately? What about the big problem of traffic bottlenecks?

Auwe to our state transportation director, Kazu Hayashida. How was it that there was no discussion about traffic or that this was taken into consideration when reviewing these plans?

We all know a project of this magnitude will have a bigger impact than what Hayashida is telling us.

Is all of this another "political" favor for a friend? And why did HCDA board members ignore their own staff's recommendations and approve this project?

Ed Lee

Arigato for excellent kimono photos, article

Your coverage of the 30th Annual Hakubi Kyoto Kimono School's one-day seminar at the University of Hawaii and its related programs was more than anyone connected with the program could have desired.

The beautiful front-page color photos of kimono-clad participants from Japan in both your July 27 and July 30 editions, and the accompanying detailed story by Susan Kreifels on July 30 stunned the 330 visitors in the Hakubi kimono program from Japan.

Their annual three decades of a mission of peace through the kimono culture seemed finally to be acknowledged.

Albert H. Miyasato
President, Hawaii Kimono Cultural Foundation

Quotables "When you get that extra money, the check from DHS shrinks. That's kind of scary. But any income is good. You just work your way from there." Janelle Holtz Office automation clerk with the coast guard On how the 30-year-old mother of two received assistance from the state Department of Human Services for about 14 months before being accepted into Goodwill Industries' welfare-to-work program in Hawaii and landing her full-time job "I'm in the sex business. I'm not in the dope business." Melio Pinzari Owner of an adult video parlor on hotel street Unhappy with a new ordinance that cracks down on X-rated businesses because police say they attract drug and prostitution activity

Kupau gave much to union, community

No one can deny that Walter Kupau of the Hawaii Carpenters Union had an impact on Hawaii's labor movement.

Some may only point out the bad or negative aspects of his long career, as KITV did with its recent piece on the evening news. But under Kupau's leadership, the union proved itself worthy of much higher praise.

Carpenters Union members helped underprivileged Scouts attend camp. They contributed their skills and resources to community service projects such as the Kapolei Elementary portable classrooms, which won a prestigious KOA Award from Campbell Estate for outstanding community service.

I will alway remain grateful to Walter Kupau for his leadership and will remember him for all the good that he did for our state.

Stephen Enomoto
Member, Carpenters Local 745 Kapolei
Via the Internet

Gamma Knife is cutting-edge medicine

Thank you for the informative Aug. 10 article on how doctors are using telemedicine for gamma knife treatments.

Six months ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I discovered it after reading a letter in Ann Landers' column from a woman whose husband had a decreased libido due to a lowered testosterone level.

I had my testosterone level checked on my next physical and it was low also. I had no other symptoms over the past 10 years other than a decreased sex drive, but an MRI showed that I had a slow-growing tumor affecting my pituitary.

I am fortunate that my condition has been responding favorably to new drugs on the market, and surgery is not required at this time.

I've been able to educate myself

Via the Internet via a site -- www.pituitarytumors.com -- which can be a valuable resource to patients requiring gamma knife treatments.

S.M. Lum
Seattle, Wash.
Via the Internet

Bronster was a bad attorney general

Your July 28 issue reported that GOP Chairwoman Linda Lingle "attacked" former Attorney General Margery Bronster during a speech before the Honolulu Rotary. This was not the case.

In response to a question, Lingle honestly told her audience that she could NOT consider Bronster as a potential running mate because the attorney general abused her authority by causing the state to join in an Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit against Maui County.

Federal District Judge Susan Oki Mollway apparently shared Lingle's view, because she threw out the state's case.

That wasn't the only time that Bronster used bad judgment:

Under her leadership, the Felix consent degree was fumbled, leaving taxpayers to shoulder a heavy and unnecessary burden.

Her team made the stunning legal blunder of using privileged testimony from an attorney to support an indictment against the attorney's former client, Bishop Estate trustee Richard "Dickie" Wong.

She courted the public with highly publicized but ineffective actions against the majority Bishop Estate trustees, but didn't make a dent in their defense. It was trustee Oswald Stender's legal team and the IRS that ended the majority's long charade.

Votes against Bronster's confirmation by senators like Cal Kawamoto and Colleen Hanabusa sent a clear signal: Bronster was a bad attorney general. Under the circumstances, Lingle's position sounds reasonable to me.

Greg Flick
Kaneohe

Gay Scout leaders should be welcome

In response to Janice Judd's Aug. 11 letter, I would trust a homosexual with my child before I would trust a heterosexual, since most pedophiles are heterosexual. More crimes are committed by heterosexuals than homosexuals.

Furthermore, I would gladly welcome a gay man as a Scout leader. They have much more compassion than most heterosexual men. In fact, I wish we could get some heterosexual fathers off the ballfields so more young children would not be ridiculed for missing a ball.

It's time homosexuals become a part of our children's lives. These men wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone our children.

Giovanna Marchese
Riverside, Calif.
Via the Internet

All islanders should celebrate their roots

Thank you for running Leslie Lang's Aug. 7 View Point column, "Hawaiians honor the past, look to the future."

I've always envisioned the same type of ceremony taking place in these islands, as a way of reminding us of the many winds of change over the last 400 years.

It's a relevant past that can be employed by all indigenous peoples throughout the Pacific, as they wrestle with the challenges of modernity.

John S. DelRosario Jr.
Saipan
Via the Internet

Volunteering is great way to spend summer

With Littleton still vivid, and recent news articles highlighting the "hanging out" time spent by hundreds of Hawaii's 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds this summer, I'm impressed by the example set by two stellar eighth-graders, Mia Pontes and Jazmin Martinez.

These young ladies have volunteered as gymnastics teaching assistants at the YMCA each week all year. They contribute much to the youngest students, but have also gained problem-solving, listening and tutoring skills. While "real" jobs may be years away, they'll have a head start in any career they choose.

Not everyone has the time or temperament for voluntarism. But it's a lot more productive than cruising the mall.

Melissa Pavlicek
Via the Internet

U.S. bases must be returned to Okinawa

Why is the U.S. government so adamant and recalcitrant as to demand a quid pro quo for the Futenma Air Station when there is no more land and space to relocate it on this densely populated island?

Can't President Clinton and his administration staff see that their demand for alternative land is no different from the erstwhile U.S. high commissioner's high-handed confiscation of private land at gun point, bulldozing houses and destroying farms?

So far, the U.S. hasn't answered the most fundamental question: Why must it maintain its present level of forces in Okinawa even after a possible future reunification of the two Koreas?

I don't want to be told that the current "volatile" situation involving North Korea and its rumored preparation for missile launching is the reason. What will be the U.S. government's long-term policy toward Okinawa and its future status? Will it or will it not return these military bases in the foreseeable future?

Yoshio Shimoji
Okinawa
Via the Internet

Neighbors band together to fight liquor license

As a resident of the neighborhood surrounding Gloria Bridal Services and one who is opposed to its application for a liquor license, I'd like to make the following observations:

This is not its first unsuccessful application. A previous attempt was withdrawn in early 1998 when public testimony made it appear that the Honolulu Liquor Commission vote would go against it.

People who live in the area are not obligated to place Gloria Bridal's commercial success over the peaceful enjoyment of their homes.

While Gloria Bridal Service lists its address as 3050 Monsarrat (a busy avenue lined with commercial establishments), its entry driveway opens to Kaunaoa and its exit to Kanaina, both residential streets. There is no opening onto Monsarrat. Limousines and mini-buses are often parked or idling in front of houses throughout the day.

Once granted, the liquor license allows the serving of liquor until 2 a.m. There are no enforceable restrictions on the business activities of the licensee so long as the requirements of the license are met. This opens up the possibility of virtually any kind of liquor-related operation, excluding those involving live entertainment.

Once Gloria Bridal gets a liquor license, there's nothing to stop it from expanding or altering its operations to take full advantage of liquor sales, regardless of any repercussions to public safety or tranquility. The only way for the neighborhood to avert this risk is to band together and lobby for denial of the license.

This we have done. Would anyone do less for his or her own neighborhood?

Elden Yoshida
Via the Internet

Suyat did much for Asians, Pacific Islanders

Thanks to Mary Adamski for her fine tribute to Stan Suyat in your July 29 issue. Stan and I met as members of AAGEN in 1995. I came to D.C. to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission as counsel to the commissioner while Stan was working in the Peace Corps.

In 1996, I was elected to chair the AAGEN and Stan volunteered to run our mentoring committee. This was indicative of Stan's commitment to helping the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community in what we call the "Beltway."

Stan was always available to speak to groups regarding career decisions, glass ceiling issues, motivational issues and management principles. He also found time to mentor many of the aspiring younger people and helped whenever he could with guidance or recommendations.

Raynor Tsuneyoshi
Vice Chairman Asian American Government Executives Network Washington, D.C.
Via the Internet

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