Pali overpass would keep pedestrians safer

I have to agree with Lloyd P. Ignacio's letter of Dec. 10 regarding another traffic light on the Pali. I think his idea of a pedestrian skywalk near Jack Lane is excellent because even if a traffic light is installed there, someone will ultimately run it and we will still end up with more injuries and fatalities.

The skywalk would be easier to build than an underground tunnel and probably much safer at night for folks using it.

Robert "Rabbett" Abbett
Kailua
Via the Internet

Stop the hyperbole in longline debate

Judge David Ezra's ruling to close off portions of ocean waters in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands to longline swordfishing in order to protect endangered sea turtles has led to a flurry of competing claims about the perceived impact this will have on Hawaii's local economy.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources urges the National Marine Fisheries Service to expedite the completion of the EIS so policies regulating the longlining industry can be based on real-life science and reason, not emotion.

We need to understand the full range of possibilities and the full range of impacts longline fishing has on sea turtle populations in order to make good decisions. And the sooner we have the information we need, the sooner we can make better decisions without being clouded by allegations and competing "truths."

Timothy E. Johns
Chairperson
State Department of Land and Natural Resources

Quotables "He really did want to open his own shoe store. I'm kinda glad he didn't." Emmett Yoshioka Diamond head theater musical director Speaking about his father, Harry Yoshioka (pictured above), owner of Harry's Music in Kaimuki since 1946, who originally intended to sell shoes for a living. Harry Yoshioka died Monday at age 90. "He was able to convince people to do the right thing." Mardie Lane Volcanoes NationaL Park Ranger Expressing her feeling that fellow ranger Steve Makuakane-Jarrell, if given a chance, could have dealt effectively with his attacker at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park on the Big Island. Jarrell was found dead Sunday from gunshot wounds.

Prison won't change Holt's personality

It's too convenient to blame Milton Holt's problems on drugs. Holt was always used to consuming everything in life in the spirit of immediate self-gratification.

Drugs was just one of those things; it sure wasn't the cause. For anyone who believes otherwise, you're just being manipulated so that when he declares himself clean and sober you'll think the basic individual has changed -- until he's caught again doing something else. Then we'll be subjected to tales of painful relapses. Believe me, this isn't the last time you'll have heard of Milton Holt!

Kevin Gagan
Mililani
Via the Internet

New plan for Hanauma is marked improvement

The Hanauma Bay proposed improvements: a can of worms or ideal project? Neither! Just a well thought-out compromise.

There has been tremendous positive change from the city's original to the current improvement plan. This is now apparent in the newly revised drawings, which show trees in the upper parking lot to shade cars and a well-concealed educational center with some space for administrative support.

This important natural resource needs all of our support.

Mike Klein

Public health courses must be saved

As graduates of the University of Hawaii School of Public Health, we are distressed by the decision to fold public health into the University of Hawaii School of Medicine, which puts the field at risk of being oriented heavily toward the medical model.

We are currently at a Canadian university, steering a large five-year project to strengthen community health training in Mozambique, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

We credit our master's programs in international health and health education, respectively, with consolidating our developing country experience and increasing our skills and knowledge.

We strongly urge your state to retain the community-oriented programs that the School of Public Health offered, namely international health, health education, maternal child health, as well as other key areas of planning, administration and occupational health.

Gerri and Murray Dickson
Saskatchewan, Canada
Via the Internet

SUV is the only vehicle for me

Apparently the Sierra Club of Hawaii feels that sports utility vehicles are one of the major environmental threats facing mankind ("Group says SUVs, Hawaii don't mix," Star-Bulletin, Nov. 27). As a lifelong conservationist/environmentalist, I am saddened that we no longer share the same environmental concerns and priorities.

I have owned a variety of compact cars and trucks. I have bicycle-commuted when practical. And I still ride TheBus to work more than half of every month when circumstances permit. But at this stage of my life, my transportation needs and priorities have changed.

My requirements are simple.

1. I need large enough passenger space to comfortably accommodate my 6-foot-1, 2XL-size frame. I have spent enough of my life rapping my head and knees getting in and out of compact passenger cars. And I have spent too many hours with my shoulders and elbows painfully pinched.
2. I need enough cargo space to transport my gear, some lumber, or a couple of pieces of furniture.
3. I need a rugged enough suspension and enough ground clearance to negotiate our local potholes, dips, cracks, waves, steel plates and Hawaiian-style speed bumps that are two or three times higher than federal highway safety standards.
4. I need enough power and traction to pull my 17-foot boat up a slippery ramp, and to drive up the incredibly steep grades we have here in Hawaii nei.
5. I need enough passenger cab integrity to offer reasonable protection to the occupants. My wife was nearly killed some years ago when her VW was hit broadside by a car running a red light. I'll never own or ride in a compact unibody car again.

As far as I can tell, the only type of vehicle that meets my needs is a SUV. And it is the only type of vehicle I will ever buy again.

To those who would arrogantly presume to dictate which vehicle I may own I say: Get a grip on reality. If you wish to lobby for better uniform safety, emission and fuel-efficiency standards, fine. I really don't care what sort of vehicle you prefer. And I care even less what you think about my choice of transportation.

To those who are intimidated by larger vehicles around them on the highway: You have two choices. Get over it. Or get a bigger vehicle. I have no intention of giving up my truck. And from the look of traffic, I don't think anyone else will either.

The bottom line is SUVs are rapidly becoming the most popular type of vehicle in America because they are fairly sturdy, comfortable, versatile and practical. And they are here to stay.

Gary F. Anderson
Waimanalo
Via the Internet

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