All politicians should search out the truth

It's good that Steve Holmes wants to get down to the truth with what happened in regards to Andy Mirikitani. He should be able to make comments on the case.

Maybe he would like to comment on some other pressing issues in regard to the City Council and its members; like what college did he graduate from? Or rather, did he graduate from college? He should search for the truth in all City Council matters.

And never throw stones from a glass house.

Charles W. Santiago Jr.
Wahiawa

Editorial was fair on Velzyland

Thank you for your fair June 23 editorial on Velzyland. It is not often an editorial makes an honest effort to explain both sides of a difficult and complex situation, and this you did. I can relate to the tenants who will be vacated from this property. Having a 19-acre backyard on the beach is hard to loose.

However difficult the issue, the facts are important. Velzyland is private property with at least a half dozen signs posted throughout the acreage with warnings like Keep Out, Kapu, No Trespassing. These signs are honored by all except those who live there or those who have been trespassing over the years. The world-famous Velzy surfing site is not legally accessible to the public and/or the surfers today. The surfers park illegally on Kamehameha Highway and trespass over private land to get to the beach.

The developer is providing the following agreement to open up the Kaunala Beach and Velzy surfing site legally for the public for the first time. They are dedicating a public right-of-way from Kamehameha Highway to the beach. They are dedicating 64,396 square feet of land for a park on the Kahuku end of the parcel.

In addition, the developer is paying for a paved road that will get surfers out to a "jumping-off" location. Once this road is constructed, the city is committed to building a parking lot and restroom facilities. We have agreed to provide the land at no cost for a bikeway along the 1,800 feet of our frontage on the highway.

Altogether, the developer is dedicating or public use 78,872 square feet of land and an estimated $100,000 for road improvements. This will make Kaunala Beach/Velzy legally open to the public at no cost to the taxpayer.

D.G. "Andy" Anderson

[Quotables] "I get pumped just loading the bulls into the chutes." Bud Gibson, Former bull rider and owner of New Town and Country Stables in Waimanalo, where the Fourth of July Rodeo will be revived for the first time in more than a decade. "If you don't ask, the answer is always no, so every day I ask." Mazie Hirono, Lieutenant governor and 2002 gubernatorial candidate, on how she raises money for her campaign against chief opponent Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris.

Teenagers five years apart are not peers

For those who have difficulty grasping the true picture of the real world in judging the issue of sexual consent, I would like to point out the following facts: Children who begin school in the first grade at the age stated by law will turn 14 between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of their eighth-grade year. At the earliest, they will turn 19 seven months after they have graduated.

At virtually every school in Hawaii, eighth grade is intermediate/middle school. At some schools, ninth grade is intermediate school. An intermediate school student and a student who is no longer in secondary school are not peers.

Ruth Yong
Waimanalo

Relocating transit hub sounds fishy

Regarding the June 28 story, "City scraps Aiea transit hub:"

Isn't the purpose of transit systems to move people in a more efficient manner? Heavy traffic in an area means people need or want to get in and out of that area. Those are the very areas that need the transit centers. Moving the transit center from the Pearlridge area to the Aloha Stadium is plain stupid.

The stadium has traffic only during football games, Pearlridge has traffic all the time. I can see it now, some contractor, preferably someone whose family has contributed to someone's campaign fund, will get to do the stadium transit hub.

The football tailgaters find it inconvenient to carry the barbecue and coolers on the bus, so another contributing contractor gets a juicy job converting the bus bike carriers to barbecue racks and another contributor gets to build the locker and storage facilities for the coolers and barbecues.

After millions of misspent funds, there will be a $250,000 study awarded to some contributing consultant to decide where the new Aiea transit center should be.

Gerrit Pang

Jury system is a gift from the Founders

Although I have celebrated my 73rd birthday, until recently I have never been asked to participate in a jury pool in the courts of Hawaii.

Then I was summoned to the First Circuit Court to participate in the process jurisprudence. Of the 12 members selected for jury duty, I was the last person picked. Even though this was my first experience on a jury, all you need to make a decision in a case is to have a solid and good life experience, and lots of practical common sense.

I was also pleasantly surprised when the jury entered the courtroom, all members of the court, including the judge, stood up for us, presumably to honor us and show respect for our commitment as jury members.

Appearing in court to render a verdict on the defendant is an awesome responsibility. The fate of the defendant hangs in the balance and the responsibility in making an impartial decision on the verdict lies with the members of the Jury.

In spite of the letter of the law, I believe there is always room for the expression of love, compassion and mercy. My court experience has taught me a great lesson in life, about how important it is to serve as a jury member. It is a vital responsibility as a citizen.

I thank the Founding Fathers of our great country who devised such a wonderful system of jurisprudence, considered the best in the world.

Albert Wong

Teach drivers to practice safe celling

Let's go slowly before we pass another restrictive law -- this time to ban the use of cellular phones by motorists. Statistics do not support claims that use of a telephone is any worse than the dozens of other things that motorists do that distract them while driving. New York lawmakers might be wrong. Education might be the answer.

When it was estimated that 35 percent of all motor vehicle accidents involved smoking (smoking, dropping lit cigarettes, looking for a lighter or ashtray, lighting cigarettes, putting out cigarettes or throwing cigarettes out the window), no one sought to ban smoking while driving.

And what about those who open mail, read, write, eat, drink, shave, put on makeup, put in CDs or cassettes, turn on the radio or television while driving? Or how about those who drive with music so loud that they cannot even hear sirens or horns?

Maybe we should ban all of those things. Perhaps we should ban drive-thru windows at fast food places, since they contribute to the distraction.

I think a better solution might be to educate our drivers.

We don't need another law. We need to teach our drivers how to drive safely.

Keith Haugen

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