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Roundabout will lead to more driving danger

Appalling decisions by local politicians and bureaucrats have determined that a European roundabout is necessary to "calm" traffic.

However, the Makiki roundabout sits on an incline. Hence, there is a tendency for traffic to accelerate.

Cars now flow directly into the path of what was once a loading zone, causing abrupt braking and flared tempers.

The most terrifying scenario is the driver swerving to clear the roundabout and literally careening into the pedestrian crosswalks. While observing past crews and police working the area, I've seen livid drivers speed up, not slow down, as they pass.

This disregard leads me to pray that, while most drivers may slow down for a chunk of concrete, heaven help the poor human just trying to cross the street.

There already has been one collision attributed to this roundabout. This massive, costly monster is an accident waiting to happen.

Maureen B. Ko

Traffic circles are dangerous

The roundabout in Makiki is poorly designed, dangerous and expensive. For every one problem it solves, 10 are created.

I can't figure out why Mayor Harris is so excited about these roundabouts. Did he take a trip to England or something?

If your neighborhood is scheduled to get one of these jokes, fight it. Order up four stop signs, get them installed in one afternoon, and tell the mayor and the neighborhood board to go away.

Steve Purnell

Kamehameha the Great supported statehood

I was born and raised on Kauai, as was my mother. I have no Hawaiian blood but I consider Hawaii to be my beloved home. I have many Hawaiian friends.

I still remember some articles I read in Hawaiian history books back in high school. What I remembered most was Kamehameha -- how he was a great chief, warrior and king.

One thing he wished for the most during his last years was this: He did not want to be annexed by the United States, he did not want to become a territory of the United States, but he DID want to become a state of the United States.

Lester Forrest

Leave board intact until solution is found

While the voting method of creating the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board of trustees is now considered flawed, the whole intention, spirit and purpose of the governing body remains. Hawaii's leadership needs to respect and honor that.

The immediate and hasty call by Governor Cayetano to expel the current trustees in favor of a personally appointed board casts dubious light on his intentions regarding his personal power and his intentions for Hawaii's people. This has also unnecessarily put in question the quality of the defense in Rice vs. Cayetano, casting yet another poor light on the structure of our government systems.

The heart of our community embraces democracy. Leave the elected OHA board intact. Hopefully, the Hawaiian community itself will come up with the best solution to the Supreme Court decision. Give them a chance.

Rep. Chris Halford (R)
11th District

Quotables "There are different ways to protests and they don't all have to lead to arrests. We want to emphasize the non-violent part." Vicky Holt Takamine KUMU HULA AND PRESIDENT OF THE `ILIO`ULAOKALANI COALITION As Hawaiian groups met to strategize acts of civil disobedience after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Rice vs. Cayetano and the governor's positon that Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees were illegally elected and must be replaced "I turned around and there was this dude in my face." Marquette Alexander SENIOR CENTER ON THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII BASKETBALL TEAM Who wound up in a fist fight with Fresno State fans after playing the Bulldogs on the road. The Rainbows lost, 79-69, and were heading toward the locker room when fan violence broke out in Selland Arena

Hawaii proposes the weirdest ideas

I have three comments about Sen. Rod Tam's proposal to grant nap periods to state employees.

First, those who advocate such a benefit have not explained how a short nap of 10 minutes can refresh an employee. Someone who starts a nap will have a hard time getting up after just 10 minutes, what with the languid Hawaii climate. If anything, employees may become cranky; then there goes productivity.

Second, why should taxpayers support a law that benefits a select group? Given economic conditions, the money could be better spent in areas contributing to the welfare of all people.

Lastly, the allowance of naps falls into the purview of work conditions. Shouldn't this be negotiated by labor and management? Shouldn't management at least have a say?

As a former Hawaii resident, I am proud of my birth state. But I'm having a hard time defending this place as being progressive when it engages in provincial antics such as nap and snack bills, and the preservation of pidgin English.

A.K. "Bud" Ho
Napa, Calif.

Elephants deserve as much respect as whales

Every day, thousands of whale watchers worldwide delight in a harmless glimpse of the largest sea mammals, free and thriving in their protected sanctuaries. When will we afford such respect to the largest mammals on land?

Captive elephants enslaved in circuses spend most of their abbreviated lives in shackles, shuttled about in constraining boxes like so much merchandise, denied natural social groups and mental stimulation.

Juvenile elephants are chained immobile, and "broken" with ax handles and ankus hooks, for a lifetime of slavery and stupid tricks performed based on fear. Is it any wonder they sometimes rebel?

Tyke's 1994 Honolulu rampage was not an isolated incident. Hundreds of spectators have been injured, and each year a trainer is killed by an elephant in this country, making elephant training three times more hazardous than coal mining.

The spectacle of such magnificent and sensitive creatures forced to perform unnatural tricks for human entertainment is a barbaric anachronism.

R. Elton Johnson III

NRA has no credibility in gun-happy society

At this point I don't really care what the National Rifle Association wants. We need gun control and we need it now.

All citizens must speak up. This country is at war! Speak up now before your family is hit.

Roger A. Hutchings

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