Today's children will miss Liberty House

Although I am only 21 years old it is sad to know that my kids won't know what Liberty House is. They won't be able to experience the feeling of ripping off the wrapping paper to find the familiar Liberty House box. Once you saw the box you automatically expected something good inside and if you didn't enjoy it you knew that it would be no problem to return it and get something you wanted without any hassles.

A trip to Liberty House was a special treat. You knew you would be shown respect and would leave feeling satisfied. The sales assistants were not pushy and actually showed that they cared and wanted to send you on your way totally satisfied.

It is sad that after 150 years Liberty House will no longer be on the sides of buildings. It would be one thing to add Macy's name to Liberty House but to just take down the whole name is another. I do realize the plus side of the takeover. But after going to the mainland for school, i realize that Hawaii is becoming more and more like the mainland. Pretty soon you won't need to save up and take those special trips to experience the "mainland;" it is going go be right next door.

Hawaii traditions are being lost left and right. The Liberty House name is something that I expected to be there and look forward to seeing. I came home wanted to escape the mainland but it seems like I won't be able to escape it any more. What's next? Vegas 10 feet away?

Jennifer-Ann Doi
Mililani

Scouts' silence caused unbalanced PBS show

I read with interest Robert Rossow's letter in the June 23 Star-Bulletin. I, too, watched the "P.O.V." show titled "Scout's Honor," but I must disagree with his claim the PBS program was biased.

The show stated that scouting representatives would not consent to be interviewed. The Scouts had an opportunity, and they missed it.

Rossow's letter seems to be little more than a rant, based on his claim that homosexuality is an "alternative lifestyle" and that gay men would be inappropriate role models. Who would honestly choose to be gay knowing he'd be ridiculed as a lousy role model by someone like Rossow?

I urge Rossow to visit a service by "Dignity," the gay Catholic group, or see how gays and lesbians are good role models at the Church of the Crossroads or any number of other churches in Honolulu.

Rossow's allegations are nothing more than a old canard. If he's upset that free speech "means you hear both sides of the story," perhaps he should write to the Scout administrators and complain about their refusal to be interviewed for the "P.O.V." documentary.

Douglas A. Clark

[Quotables] "We need to be able to understand not only who we're not, but who we are." Evan Dobelle, New University of Hawaii president, on his first day on the job saying that his top priority is to increase morale at the 10 campuses in the UH system. "The need for blood never stops, and community support is needed to keep the blood supply at a safe level." Robyn Yim, Blood Bank of Hawaii president, asking the public to take the time during this holiday week to donate blood.

Desoto's plan would detract from zoo

As a former docent at the Honolulu Zoo for eight years, I am very familiar with just how much the city has put into building the African Savannah and how much it is currently putting into the new Elephant Encounter.

I am also aware that most of the paying visitors who come into the zoo do so because they have found it quite by accident while walking in Waikiki, close to their hotels. Many visitors find the 42 acres too much ground to cover, and give up before they see all the wonders that our zoo has to offer.

Does Councilman John De Soto think we're all so foolish that we can't see his plan to put a zoo at Kalaeloa is just another pork barrel deal to benefit his district, and the heck with the rest of us? Does he actually believe that spending millions of dollars to relocate our lovely zoo so far from a natural tourism area is actually going to lure people out there? Better yet, does he think that the residents of the Leeward area alone will be able to support this "World Class Zoo"?

I think our zoo is in the perfect location and is just the right size for our island state. Any moneys that are available should be used to increase the staff, bring in the best new animals we can get, and continue on the path that Ken Redman has set over the past 12-plus years. The Honolulu Zoo is world-class, Hawaiian style.

Marijane Carlos

Hang up those cell phones and drive

It happened -- the same scenario (with slight variations) for the third time this week. I was in the middle lane behind a car doing 40 mph with the blinker on for several minutes. When I changed lanes to pass, I noticed a woman, cigarette in her left hand, right hand on the wheel, cell phone balanced on her right shoulder, chatting away.

The previous instance was similar. I slowed to allow a car to merge, but it never moved. Another person, talking on the phone, oblivious to the fact that her blinker was on, my courtesy or anyone else on the road for that matter.

This is becoming a common occurrence and is a very dangerous practice. The penalty for talking on the phone while driving a vehicle should be equal to that of a DUI. To quote a bumper sticker I saw on the mainland recently: "Hang up and drive!"

Lisa Wiley

Two kids brighten up the greens

It could have been the summer solstice that brought golf's "Girls of Summer" into a "League of their Own." Two 11-year-old girls in Hawaii put a dramatic end to the golf cliches that booming drives belonged to flat-bellied young men and that one-chipping and one-putting belonged to the seasoned veteran.

Good luck in your future play, Stephanie Kono and Michelle Wie!

Richard Y. Will

Landfill hampers success of Kapolei

Imagine for a moment that a landfill is located next to the convention center in Waikiki for the next 12 years to greet both tourists and residents alike with unwelcome flies, odor and trash. Ignore the fact that the convention center and Waikiki are important economic engines of this state.

Unimaginable? Well, it has been a reality for residents and visitors at Ko Olina Resort and Kapolei for several years. The Waimanalo landfill is not a simple "not in my backyard" case because the landfill has been in Kapolei's backyard for the last 12 years.

Kapolei residents should no longer be expected to suffer littered roadways and unsightly views. It is time to recognize that Kapolei is an area of major investment, not only by private companies but by the state and city governments as well. To ignore Kapolei's potential as an important economic engine is unimaginable.

If the landfill has to stay, the problems associated with the landfill must be addressed. If the measures to resolve the concerns carry a cost, then maybe that is the price residents in other communities pay for keeping the landfill out of their backyards.

Dave Rae
Manager, Public Affairs
Estate of James Campbell

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