Letters
to the Editor

Write a Letter to the Editor

Saturday, December 11, 1999

Dickie Wong was 'shoved from grace'

I just read Richard Borreca's astonishing Dec. 8 column on my ex-son-in-law, Dickie Wong and his "fall from grace." Yes, he fell -- after literally thousands of biased, slanderous, negative and untrue stories in both Honolulu daily newspapers over the past two years.

The members of the ill-informed "Broken Trust" group finally achieved their goal. They should be called "Broken Will" because they have probably caused the future plundering of the estate and all its lands.

Who wouldn't fall after Governor Cayetano allowed his $1-per-year lackey, Margery Bronster, to spend $10 million of taxpayer money to legally torture and harass the trustees.

This wonderful man who has served his entire life for the good of these islands and its people has not "fallen from grace," but was "shoved from grace" by all of you who were jealous of his salary. Shame on you!

Sadly, I welcome developer Andy Anderson to the long list of victims of this administration. He now knows, first hand, what I am talking about here. Someday, I pray that he will help our state, as he vowed to do.

The Rev. Beverly R. Bates-Stone

Henry Peters isn't worthy of being quoted

Why is the media giving ex-Bishop Estate Trustee Henry Peters so much coverage on his remarks and opinions on matters involving the estate? He has been temporarily removed as a trustee. Therefore, he is NOT a spokes-man for the estate.

Since the probate court, Internal Revenue Service and interim trustees are recognized as parties involved in the affairs of the estate right now, Peters should butt out.

He should save his remarks for court. And the press should ignore him.

H.T. Chang

Quotables "Justice looks at and listens to the bias and prejudice in the United States, especially here in Hawaii." Carolyn Golojuch President of the local chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Upset with the state Supreme Court ruling that bars gay and lesbian couples from getting marriage licenses in Hawaii "They would bring any charge they could. If they could charge him with shoplifting, they would." Eric Seitz Attorney for Richard "Dickie" Wong, former Bishop Estate trustee Calling the indictment of Wong on perjury charges a "vindictive" move

Felix's contributions have been many

Before we get out our pitchforks and torches to run John Henry Felix out of town, we should take a look at his contributions:

Ten years ago, Felix had the courage to introduce the city's lease-to-fee conversion law and incur the wrath of the then-omnipotent Bishop Estate trustees.
When the "powers" decided that Honolulu needed a tax increase for an overbuilt, underutilized, monstrosity of a transit system, Felix derailed it.
When the fire department was shown to be rife with corruption, political favoritism and suspicious promotions, Felix introduced legislation to create the Fire Commission.
After Felix was successful in passing a law to bring sanity to our fireworks regulations, the "powers" had the state Legislature pass a law to preempt his work.

From preservation of Mt. Olomana to the Ka Iwi Shoreline and Hanauma Bay, protecting shoreline access in Kailua and Hawaii Kai, term limits, banning smoking in workplaces, glass recycling, and ensuring that fire trucks and police cars carry defibrillators to save lives, John Henry Felix has led the way. How quickly people forget!

Francisco Figueiredo

Felix should stand fast on wedding issue

The recent hubbub over symbolic wedding ceremonies being held at City Councilman John Henry Felix's house is ironic.

Here's a man who has devoted his life to public service and his good works are being excoriated. For what? Because one or two of his nosy, NIMBY neighbors don't like how he uses his private property.

This property has been used for weddings for over 25 years by two previous owners, with nary a peep from neighbors, the media or city bureaucrats. One must conclude that it has suddenly become an issue simply because Felix now owns the property.

Since when does public service strip a person of his or her property rights?

I urge Felix to stand by his principles and to fight City Hall on this issue. Or he should sue the city for neglecting, over the last two years, to enforce what it now claims has always been the law.

Ken Wong

Not feeding feral cats doesn't solve problem

The state Department of Health proposal prohibiting the feeding of feral cats in public places needs more consideration.

Everyone agrees that feral cats should not live in public places. The proposal suggests that, simply by not feeding them, they will go away.

The reality is, however, that the majority of these cats will find enough food by scavanging, hunting and begging. They will continue to stay where they are.

The Humane Society has a Trap/Neuter/Return Program that is effective in reducing the feral cat population by natural attrition. Other major cities have used this approach with success.

The majority of people who see a cat crying for food, regardless of the law, will feed it. The best way to rid public places of unwanted cats is through aggressive sterilization.

Linda Vannatta

Buying stamps can help fight breast cancer

I made my annual holiday pilgrimage to the post office this weekend. As usual, the lines were long, which left me longing for a book I left at home. I was forced to literally "read the writing on the wall." A simple poster stood out: Stamp Out Breast Cancer.

The program is simple. You buy an $8 sheet of 20 first-class stamps, yielding a $2.40 surplus that is sent to two mainland research centers.

Many of us are financially challenged this year. But we are compelled to do something, anything, to help fight this disease. Believe it or not, $2.40 from postal customers nationwide can make a difference.

The text on the stamp says it all: "Fund the Fight. Find a Cure."

Carrie O'Connor

Conference didn't back missile defense plan

There is an inaccurate statement in A.A. Smyser's Nov. 11 column, in which he reported on a missile defense conference in Honolulu. The commission, headed by Donald Rumsfeld, assessed the ballistic missile threat to the United States and issued its report on July 15, 1998.

It did not study and did not recommend going ahead with a national missile defense system. In fact, one of the members of this commission, Richard Garwin, wrote an op-ed piece in the July 28 New York Times indicating why he believed that a national missile defense was not an appropriate response to the threat.

This misunderstanding might have been avoided if the conference had examined the serious scientific and technical issues associated with proposed missile defense systems.

Michael Jones
Kaneohe
Via the Internet

Young writer expressed ideals well

Thank you for introducing us to Rant & Rave writer Joon Yee Kim in Tuesday's Star-Bulletin. This 16-year-old demonstrated more adult maturity and common sense than I was able to find in the remainder of the entire newspaper.

Kim does herself, her family, teachers and this entire community proud. Such a positive view point, condemning the endless publicity about cheap sexuality and the media's aiding and abetting thereof, must be applauded. You have done the community a service by granting her a bully pulpit.

Hang in there, Joon Yee! It is young folks like you, willing to "rant and rave," who can make this city a place worth living in the future.

Dennis R. Meyer, M.D.
Via the Internet

Road rage is common occurrence in Hawaii

I have been driving in Hawaii for more than 17 years and have seen many disturbing acts of rage on our streets and highways. Fortunately, I have not witnessed any serious or violent events; however, they are clearly represented in the papers.

All you have to do is run a topic search on road rage on the Star-Bulletin Web site and you can see all the articles that come up. You'd be amazed at all the cases.

Unfortunately, road rage is here in Hawaii. We need to educate our current and especially our future drivers about it.

T. Kuniyoshi
Student, Kapiolani Community College
Via the Internet

Pain of Dec. 7 losses is palpable at memorial

I wasn't born yet when the horrible events of Dec. 7, 1941, happened to our country. When I was growing up it was only a date that I learned about in history class.

It wasn't until February of this year that I finally got to see the USS Arizona. It moved me very deeply. I don't think any of my parents' family members were at Pearl Harbor that day, but the spirit of those who were lost touched me when I visited their ship. I know I will never forget that day; the memorial touched me that much.

May God bless those who gave their lives so I could live free, and may he watch over those families who lost love ones during the attack.

Terri Whitman
Sacramento, Calif.
Via the Internet

Sowell disregards important facts on autism

In his Nov. 6 syndicated column, Thomas Sowell writes about his concerns regarding the diagnosing of autism. He makes a criticism of public education: "School districts, especially, often have lower-level personnel evaluating children with the aid of checklists."

Of course, Sowell never mentions that the Individual with Disabilities Education Act sets the criteria that need to be followed by every state. This legislation is strongly influenced by a special needs lobby and mandated by our Congress.

These are the laws. One result, the Felix class action lawsuit in Hawaii, has created an elaborate bureaucracy just to create a paper trail to satisfy lawyers and a judge.

And while Sowell is equally quick to condemn professionals in their diagnostic judgments, he fails to mention any parents of autistic children who hire lawyers threatening to sue if their demands for extensive services are not met.

Jim Wolfe
Via the Internet

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

---

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.