Highest Hawaiian should apologize

It took a U.S. president to apologize to Americans of Japanese Ancestry for "damage control" during World War II, plus a gratuity of $20,000 to each affected citizen to rectify that deplorable situation.

Now comes an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee, Mililani Trask, who has called Sen. Daniel K. Inouye a "one-armed bandit." Therefore, an apology should not necessarily come from Trask, but from the highest officeholder or leader of the Hawaiians.

Who will stand up this time and offer the apology? May God bless you, whoever you are.

Benjamin Dacalano Jacobe Jr.
Aiea

Who made Trask spokeswoman?

The more I hear and read the utterances of Mililani Trask, the more I'm convinced that there is no connection between her mouth and her brain. Case in point, her latest referral to U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye as a "one-armed bandit."

She says, "I make no apologies for being a proud Hawaiian." Well then, I would tell Empress Trask that proud Hawaiians are not arrogant and obnoxious. Who appointed her the mouthpiece of Hawaiian people, anyway?

Art Todd
Kaneohe

Quotables "I never had any interest in the mainland (but) we opened at 11 a.m. and, by 5 p.m., we had to close. We'd run out of food." Eddie Flores Owner of L&L Drive-Inn, with 49 locations in Hawaii Taking his "local food" restaurants to the mainland with a successful opening at a food court in West Covina, Calif. "It's a three-step process. The first thing is getting into the store. Then there's paying for your stuff. After that, it's getting to your car and out of the parking lot. If you can get past them all, you're OK." Steven Ogata Forty-three-year-old Makiki resident On the three stages of Christmas shopping

New millennium doesn't start until 2001

Any series of events begins with the number one. The day a person assumes the duties of a new position is the first day on the job. The day school begins after vacation is the first day of school.

There are 10 years in a decade -- count 'em: 1, 2, 3...8, 9, 10. Then the next decade starts with the eleventh year.

There are 100 years in a century -- 1, 2, 3...98, 99, 100. The next century begins with the year 101.

There are 1,000 years in a millennium -- count 'em, if you have the patience: 1, 2, 3...998, 999, 1000. And the next millennium begins with 1001, 1002, 1003...1998, 1999, 2000, ending Dec. 31, 2000.

Thus, the new millennium will begin on Jan. 1, 2001.

Louis H. Trigg
Pearl City

Governor's position on Hanalei is clear

For nearly two decades, a bitter battle over commercial boating has raged in Hanalei on Kauai's North Shore. In an effort to resolve the divisive issue, Governor Cayetano stepped forward and articulated his vision for the Hanalei River, which was recently named an American Heritage River by President Clinton.

The governor's position is clear: He favors moving commercial boating out of the Hanalei Estuary and into recognized harbors. The governor asked Mike Wilson, then chairman of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, to urge the Board of Land and Natural Resources to develop rules to bring the controversy to an end.

Since then, the board and department have been taking appropriate action to end the controversy. DLNR is acting well within its legal capacity not to renew permits. Current administrative rules call for anywhere between 0-15 permits, and they are issued annually by the department. Adverse court rulings notwithstanding, we will proceed to resolve this issue.

Timothy E. Johns
Chairman, State Department of Land and Natural Resources

Mink, other women rally behind CEDAW

Congratulations to Patsy Mink and the other congresswomen who went before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to request a hearing on the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). They were escorted off the premises at the order of Sen. Jesse Helms, who admonished them to "act like ladies."

Although the U.S. was instrumental in getting CEDAW passed by the U.N. and signed it on 1979, we still have not ratified the convention. Signing such a document usually means an intent to ratify. Unfortunately, Helms has refused to schedule a hearing on it.

During its 1999 session, the Hawaii Legislature adopted a concurrent resolution urging that the U.S. Senate ratify the convention and support its continuing goals.

Thanks, Patsy, for taking the initiative to bring it to the country's attention.

Florence Kelley
Kaneohe

Turn convention center into gambling complex

Everyone knows that the Hawaii Convention Center is a white elephant that has been sucking dry the citizens of Hawaii.

We should sell it to casino developers and legalize gambling so Hawaii can compete with other tourist destinations that already allow it.

The land under the site should be returned to Hawaiians, so they could collect the lease rent. The price of the building should be $1 billion so the state can profit from the sale.

Anyone wishing to obtain a gambling license would have to pay a premium of $25 million. Each year, license renewal fees could be $5 million.

The state would then have plenty of money to deal with any social problems that might surface.

Russell Grisham

Young is exemplary Chevron dealer

It is very disturbing to learn that Frank Young has become a "target" of Chevron Corp.

In July, a cousin, nephew and I were visiting Oahu. En route to Hanauma Bay, our car began to overheat.

After driving around Honolulu, I found a Shell service station but its employees wouldn't even look at my car. They said I would have to leave it for the day.

Fortunately, when I left that station, I went the right way because I found Frank Young. The service at his station was excellent! Frank personally checked the car, obtained and installed the part and had us back on the road in no time.

What is Chevron thinking? Perhaps it isn't! We need more people of Frank Young's caliber in the service industry. In this day and age, they are few and far between.

Betty Gillian
McCormick, S.C.
Via the Internet

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

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