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Letters
to the Editor

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Saturday, September 30, 2000

Nakano doesn't deserve so many BOE votes

My disappointment with this past Saturday's primary election was not the confusion of ballots. My problem was with the voters.

Voting for people before educating yourself about their backgrounds and opinions, especially when it's readily available through newspapers and the Internet, is simply "lolo." It would be better not to vote at all.

Would you hire a worker without a resume or recommendation? But you did.

State Board of Education candidate Ron Nakano got the largest number of votes in the Leeward District. Yet he never submitted any kind of information about himself or his goals, even when free editorial space was offered in publications like the Star-Bulletin (Insight section, Sept. 16; Election Special, Sept. 19).

Consistently not responding to questions about one's stances on the issues is an outright refusal to work. And he never showed up for any of the debates, either. Nakano's message to the electorate is clear: "Ha, ha, ha! Joke's on you. I can win, without saying or doing a darn thing!"

Louella Vidinha
Waipahu

Noncitizens should be allowed to vote, too

The heavy-handed treatment of suspected noncitizen voter registrants by the city clerk's office was uncalled for. While the law certainly permits the city to conduct investigations into voter eligibility, it also provides that voters have an opportunity to be heard.

The city clerk mistakenly misconstrues "the opportunity to be heard" to mean intimidation and threats of criminal prosecution infringing on protected constitutional rights.

Instead of threatening letters and tactics of intimidation, the City Charter should be amended to permit legal permanent residents, otherwise qualified, to vote in city elections.

After all, immigrants pay taxes, own businesses and contribute to our community through volunteer work in the schools, churches, youth athletic programs and many other charitable causes. Let's welcome immigrants as equal partners in local government.

Pat McManaman
Chief Executive Officer
Na Loio/Immigrant Rights and
Public Interest Legal Center

Abercrombie's clout felt in Congress

Kudos to U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie for getting legislation passed to provide federal recognition of Hawaiian rights, and for pulling off the political coup of the century for Hawaiians.

While some insiders thought that Sens. Daniel Inouye and Dan Akaka might collectively have sufficient clout and good will to get the bill passed in the Senate, few believed that the 435-member House of Representatives would vote for passage of the bill.

Not only did Abercrombie get the landmark bill passed, he got it through by unanimous vote. He also did it before the Senate acted, which will make Inouye's and Akaka's efforts that much easier.

John H. Radcliffe

Hawaiians at heart don't deserve abuse

Thank you for printing Keith Haugen's excellent Sept. 27 rebuttal of the Trask sisters in a letter to the editor.

I arrived here 53 years ago with no plans to make it permanent. Within six months, I had fallen in love with the people, the food and the aloha spirit, and vowed to never leave. There was no hate, vituperation or discrimination. I felt that I belonged.

A handful of hate-mongers now accuse me, the governor and others who really feel Hawaiian of being the enemy of anyone of Hawaiian ancestry. I believe the vast majority of Hawaiians feel like Haugen and me.

George Mason

Cayetano was out of line with comment

Haunani-Kay Trask was absolutely right to criticize Governor Cayetano for claiming that he has "always felt Hawaiian." Her critics miss the point: the highly charged political context within which the governor made that claim.

Cayetano is engaged in a strident public campaign to malign and remove from power any Hawaiian leader who opposes his efforts to deprive future generations of Hawaiians from receiving what is due them under the Admissions Act.

To most Hawaiians, this means Cayetano is blatantly trying to steal their land and birthright.

For Cayetano then to say that he has "always felt Hawaiian" is like Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York asserting that he has "always felt African American" while simultaneously assassinating the character of the latest black victim of New York police brutality.

Shane Pale

Bad decisions have jinxed UH football team

See what happens when you try to steal the University of Hawaii's football team name and colors? Restore the Rainbows and all will be pono.

Paul Haberstroh
Hilo

Other workers deserve pay raises, too

Do bus drivers play a more important role in society than police officers, firefighters and teachers (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 25)? Hopefully, the powers-that-be will see this discrepancy and prove to everyone just how important these three groups are to a functional society.

Jason Tittle
Mililani

Heco expansion is expensive, unnecessary

I take great umbrage with your Sept. 27 article on Hawaiian Electric Co.'s submission of the revised final impact statement for its proposed Kamoku-Pukele138-kv project. What wasn't mentioned in your story was that:

The proposed 20 steel poles on Waahila Ridge (between Palolo and Manoa valleys in St. Louis Heights) would be as high as 120 feet, more than twice the height of the existing wood poles and many times more enormous in girth.

The community has opposed this line for more than 20 years.

Heco estimates the cost will be $31 million but doesn't refute that the real cost will probably be closer to $100 million over the 50-year life of the line.

Do we really want to saddle ourselves and our next generation with a huge financial burden for technology that is already obsolete? This is not just about the Manoa, St. Louis Heights and Palolo areas. Heco rate-payers will be paying for this enormous expenditure when there is no proven immediate need for this project.

Mary M. Cooke

Quotables "I don't feel I've done anything wrong (or) benefited in any way." Rene Mansho HONOLULU CITY COUNCILWOMAN Being investigated by the state Campaign Spending Commission and the city Ethics Commission for allegedly improper use of her campaign funds and government position to promote Aloha Boat Days "There (isn't) a better tribute to my twin sister than to have all those wonderful and brave men guarding her." Mary Dianne Wagner Kreigh TWIN OF NANCY WAGNER, WHO DIED AT AGE 2 IN 1937 Nancy Wagner's ashes went down with the USS Utah when it was sunk by Japanese fighter planes on Dec. 7, 1941. The twins' dad, Chief Yeoman Albert Wagner, was assigned to the ship and was unable to retrieve Nancy's urn before the Utah sank. Fifty-eight sailors lost their lives.

Female athletes shouldn't flaunt sex appeal

I was appalled by your Sept. 23 Insight article, "Olympic girls! girls! girls!," which addressed the issue of female athletes disrobing in public to garner public attention.

Any Olympian must exhibit exceptional athletic abilities and qualities such as courage, determination and perseverance. Why can't these women athletes see that people can admire them without soliciting sexual attention?

As a female high school student, I no longer hold these female athletes in esteem as role models since they have cheapened themselves and our gender. Is this all women are good for? Has our society become so demoralized that we value sexiness over achievements? If so, something is definitely wrong.

Jennifer Ching
Pearl City

Mainland recruiting isn't discriminatory

Unions have been a blessing in promoting worker safety and appropriate compensation. But sometimes they get a little whiney and can go too far. Case in point: Ben Toyama's blatherings in your Sept. 27 issue about Pearl Harbor's executive decisions on managerial hiring.

Toyama's position about "mainland recruiting" has merit only if the openings are being filled through the exclusion of local workers. However, my hunch is that local workers have as fair a shot as anyone. Gee, maybe selections are actually based on experience, education and competency. Now there's a thought.

Pearl Harbor should continue to seek qualified personnel locally and from across the nation. Toyama should focus on union basics and be happy that the federal government's employment practices don't discriminate with a "must be a legal resident of any state BUT Hawaii."

Raymond Heath

Brush with death leads to appreciating life

"In a way, I'm glad it happened because life would have just walked by me." I can certainly relate to that comment made by transplant patient Alvin Nishimura (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 14).

After open heart surgery five years ago, I have a new awareness about how small the so-called big things in life are to some people -- like losing a job, having a home burn down, why can't I buy that new car, etc.

Wake up, folks, and smell the breath that expands your lungs, the legs you are able to walk on, the eyes and ears that allow you to see your loved ones, the rising and setting of the sun. It may sound trite but those who have an "attitude" should try walking in a survivor's shoes.

I know what you're saying, Alvin.

Beth Cutting
Kahaluu

Why must tourists pay medical bills?

Channel 2 News featured a story earlier this month about the Nasagawa family, whose members were hit by an out-of-control car as they waited at a bus stop on Kamehameha Highway near Aloha Stadium. The family, visiting here from Japan, lost their mother in the accident, and the children and father were hospitalized with minor and serious injuries.

What struck me as absurd and quite disturbing came at the end of the story. An address was flashed on the screen so donations could be sent to help the Nasagawas defray their medical costs on Oahu.

A tourist family visits this country. They are at a bus stop, minding their own business, when a vehicle runs into them, killing one and injuring the rest. Yet they are responsible for the medical bills?

What about the driver? Why isn't the state absorbing the cost? Is this how we treat visitors? This is not aloha.

James Roller

Demand unannounced visits at residential care homes

For two years there has been an ongoing controversy between adult residential care providers and consumer advocates on the subject of unannounced annual inspections.

The Department of Health administrative rules have been in the process of clarification and updating by a task force with representatives of various care-home groups, state departments of Health and Human Services, nonprofit health groups and consumer representatives.

Care-home provider reps do not want unannounced annual inspections for relicensing purposes. Their position is that this is an invasion of privacy in their "homes," even though inspections are done with the well-being of the residents as the first priority, and there is no necessity of entering their "private quarters."

Furthermore, state rules for nursing homes require these "unannounced" visits as do other relicensing rules such as restaurants, liquor establishments and others.

We are all aware of the publicity regarding resident deaths and prosecution of a few care-home operators. However, most aren't aware of the several hundred reports of delinquent patient care received each year. (Unlicensed homes are not legal.)

If and when investigated, not all of these reports would show delinquency on the part of these approximately 600 dedicated providers. They should be applauded for filling a position in our long-term care needs.

But quality of care and resident safety should be paramount in protecting vulnerable elders. At this time, your kokua is needed for unannounced inspections. Contact the director of the state Department of Health, Bruce Anderson. These administrative rules are still open to consumer input.

Ruth Dias Willenborg
Consumer Advocate
AARP Hawaii Legislative Committee

This is wrong time for UH autonomy

There are not one but two poison pills in the ballot proposition relating to autonomy for the University of Hawaii.

The first is that the autonomy can be taken back by the Legislature on issues of "statewide concern." The other poison pill -- the lethal one -- is the timing of the ballot proposition. It comes at a time of lack of support for the university.

The proposition is for autonomy for the UH administration, not the faculty. President Kenneth Mortimer resigned because he was set up and shot at. If the administration had the power to increase tuition, Mortimer would have lingered.

Autonomy can be meaningful only if and when UH is on the upswing. Even with the frozen tuition, enrollment has declined.

At least discussion on the ballot proposition might have the beneficial effect of alerting voters to the dire consequences of continuing to neglect UH.

Richard Thompson

Kuhio Beach public restrooms close too early

After spending $14.2 million to dress up Kuhio Beach, why is the city now closing the new beach restrooms at 10 p.m.? Where does Mayor Harris think the thousands of people in the area are going to "go" after eating a large evening dinner and the urge calls? Talk about being inhospitable and out of touch with the needs of the public.

On Kalakaua between Kaiulani and Kapahulu avenues, there were nine easily accessible restrooms across the street from the beach. However, in the past 25 years, all nine have been either locked or turned into hotel lobby jewelry stores or fast-food restaurants with no public restrooms.

Recently two ladies went over to the beach after attending a Waikiki Neighborhood Board meeting, but were turned away from using a new restroom at 9:40 p.m. It was already closed and the floor was flooded with water.

When I asked the Waikiki beach boys what they thought about the closing time for the restrooms, they said it stinks -- literally! They must be careful in the morning as there are mounds of feces all around their beach desks and equipment. Others report the stench of urine along the beach walls and by the palm trees.

R. Rodman

Democratic machine destroyed marine animals

It is common knowledge among those in Hawaii who respect the ocean and its special marine animals that we have been sold out by the Democratic machine, both locally and nationally.

Starting in the early 1990s, East Coast and Gulf longliners were allowed to open shop in Honolulu. Sharkfinning affected approximately 800,000 sharks, which were inhumanely finned and tossed back into the ocean to die.

Longline boats destroyed countless seabirds, dolphins and turtles, including the prehistoric dinosaur of the ocean, the endangered leatherback turtle. Scientists estimate they are within five years of extinction.

These acts were done in the name of greed, political-insider deals and conflicts of interest. To see pictures of these atrocities, go to http://www.envirowatch.org.

This fiasco is a prime example of a Democratic government machine that is too large, out of control and therefore inefficient to perform. When you go to the polls on Nov. 7, remember that the Democrats bear the responsibility for not protecting our Pacific Ocean environment.

Was this part of the Clinton-Gore free trade agreement with China? If Al Gore is the best we can do to protect our ocean environment, we're in serious trouble.

Bart Cahoon

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