'Four rooms away from our classroom, there was a sixth-grader whose father was one of those who died after being shot at the Xerox building. That boy didn't come to school the next day. He stayed at home wishing that guns were illegal.' Jack Smart Hawaii and the world
react to Tuesday’s
Xerox killings:
Fifth-grade,
Koko Head School
Via the internet
'The sad truth is there is no solution. I wish there were. But when people take it upon themselves to perform an act of violence toward others, no one is safe anywhere.' Helen Kerwin
Macedon, N.Y.
Via the internet
'One man's hateful act reverberates across the world. Blessings to the friends and families of those killed from myself and many who have never seen our quickly changing island paradise.' Julia Trahan
Honolulu resident and student at the
University of Melbourne
Victoria, Australia
Via the Internet
'Now the spectre of our national illness of unstable gun-toting killers wiping out lives in a flash has hit the Aloha State.' Eric K. Westerlund
Former Hawaii resident
Las Vegas
Via the internet
'It's tragic when something like this happens, especially in a wonderful city like Honolulu.' Daniel C. Moreno
Burlingame, Calif.
Via the internet
Headlines destroy beloved image of safe home
I am an 18-year-old from Kailua, now attending college in Tennessee. I was shocked this week after turning on my computer and reading about the murders of the Xerox employees on Oahu.My heart and prayers, of course, go out to the families and friends of the victims, and further to all kamaaina who must live knowing that such awful things are going on in their community. However, my conscience does not allow me to stop with such prayers and well-wishing.
Even in the wake of the shootings at Columbine High in Littleton, Colo., and the many other tragic murders with which we as a country face on an ongoing basis, I had subconsciously convinced myself that no such thing could ever happen in Hawaii. The headlines proved me wrong.
When my roommate, who is from a suburb of Atlanta, learned about the crime in Hawaii, she politely told me that now perhaps my bragging about the safety of my home state was no longer true.
I can honestly say that the murders make me no less proud to be from "the land where palm trees sway." But they do bring a new perspective for me.
The parents of students at Columbine High waited in dreadful anticipation last April for word as to whether their children were among those found dead. On Tuesday, the families of Xerox employees on Oahu knew that very same feeling.
No longer can we point fingers at the mainland and claim that only there is where bad things occur.
Although Honolulu doesn't have the murder rate of Atlanta (where it averages three a day, according to my roommate), that is certainly not a direction in which we wish to be headed.
I will continue to pray for my hometown and its people. My hope is that, in my next four years away at college, never again will I read such headlines about such a horrid crime in Honolulu.
Erin Parsons
University of the South
Sewanee, Tenn.
Via the Internet
Quotables
"I had a bad day.
What can I say?"Byran K. Uyesugi
CHARGED IN THE MURDER OF SEVEN COWORKERS
AT THE XEROX BUILDING ON NIMITZ HIGHWAY What he reportedly told a security guard in a downtown
office building in 1993, after being caught kicking and
denting an elevator and subsequently undergoing
anger-management counseling
"(He said) 'Sista, if you no like
die today, get your a-- out of
this room.' You don't question
a gun barrel in your face."Victoria Bart
TRIAL WITNESS Testifying against Wayman K. Kaua, on trial for
holding hostages in a Pearl City duplex and
shooting at police officers in 1998
Despite Xerox tragedy, Hawaii is still great
I was surprised to hear about the shooting in Honolulu, of all places. A year ago I had to move back to San Diego after 15 years in Hawaii. I love and miss the state.It was a great shock to hear about the shooting, since things like that just do not happen in Hawaii. Is it the economy or government regulations? My answer: neither. This seems to be a fad that started on the mainland and has somehow made its way to the middle of the Pacific.
Hawaii is still one of the best places in the world. It just had a mishap -- a reminder that we all need to take care and be aware.
Chrystiana Sailer
San Diego
Via the Internet
Prayers come from afar for seven lost lives
I feel so bad for the Xerox shooting victims and their families. This world gets worse with each passing day.Is this the future our children have to look forward to?
It seems that now we say, oh well, another mass shooting, and then we go on with our lives. Except now, every day I wake up, I lay in bed and pray to God to please keep my family safe.
Mary Ann Garron
Millville, N.J.
Via the Internet
Fire power keeps peace in the universe
Well, for once I agree with Corky's page-one cartoon (Star-Bulletin, Nov. 4). A well-armed society is a peaceful one. Consider, if everyone carried a gun, no one would shoot at anyone else for fear of being shot back at."Star Wars" is an excellent example of the Second Amendment at work. If the rebels and their allies turned in their weapons, they would all be in prison or dead. But since they had guns, they fought back and defeated the evil empire.
If Han Solo didn't have the Millennium Falcon with her awesome illegal firepower, would Luke have survived? The "Star Wars" saga is America personified. It is the story of the United States. It is the underdog taking on the big bad guy and winning. They/we would not have won any freedoms with out weapons.
Vernon Okamura
Via the Internet
Heston and NRA need to see the light
Charlton Heston, National Rifle Association president and actor, again has appeared on national television newscasts explaining why, despite seven being murdered in Honolulu and two murdered and two wounded in Seattle, people still have a right to arm themselves. Enough!In "The Ten Commandments," Heston portrayed a convincing Moses who led his people through the wilderness to freedom in the Promised Land. It is sad that he refuses to be a modern-day Moses and lead Americans from the wilderness of easy access to guns and ammunition to the Promised Land of freedom from the fear of being the next victim.
He and others like him need a burning bush experience to convert them so that more innocent people do not have to die violent, tragic and senseless deaths at the hands of gun-carrying crazies in our society.
Peter E. Van Horne
Kailua
Tragedy reminds us to keep loved ones close
I am living in Europe and I wish so bad to drive to the Xerox company in Honolulu and leave flowers, but I can't. All I can do is just say a prayer for everyone involved. I read where a son hadn't seen his father in a week and now he's gone. This tragedy should remind us in our busy lives that one of us could be gone in a second.When I was home, my family rarely said, "I love you." When I left, we realized we should have said it more, but like any family in Hawaii, you just felt it and knew the love was there.
I tell my family I love them more now than I have in my whole life time. My heart goes out to the families involved. I'm sorry for the pain they are feeling right now. And to my family, I love you. And to my uncles, aunties, cousins and my friends, I love you all.
Yvonne Vierra Criado
Rota, Spain
Via the Internet
Evil has managed to touch the islands
It is unimaginable that the cocoon of soothing Hawaii has been split open with such an evil force. The gut-wrenching and soul-searching of Hawaii residents are felt beyond the Pacific.Our deepest and most profound sorrow is with them.
C. Umphlett
Grandy, N.C.
Via the Internet
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