Don't vilify Garcia for police misdeeds

What crime has Alex Garcia, chairman of the SHOPO Oahu chapter, committed that he is now being asked to step down? For trying to save the good name of the Honolulu Police Department because it is his duty to do so?

It is clear that he has incurred the wrath of those who want to protect the unpleasant status quo. As a member of the union, Garcia has the right to sound off and to remain firm on his stand whichever big fish the ax falls upon.

In a democracy, it is the right of the governed to know the truth. I wish the union would support an officer who has the guts and the backbone to say what is right without fear of condemnation and without being told to keep his mouth shut when everything around is in utter disarray!

Oh, Code of Silence, how many crimes have been hidden under thy name?

Rafael Alimbuyuguen
Aiea

Anderson can share success with Dems

As a supporter of Linda Lingle for governor and a card-carrying Republican, I just hope that Andy Anderson brings the Democratic Party the same success he did to the Republican Party.

John Pechauer

Military people embrace aloha spirit

Bill McCoy's Aug. 27 response to David Inciong's Aug. 22 letter saying that military people can hardly wait to leave this rock was right on course.

I am at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and frequently run into military personnel who have returned from duty in Hawaii. As soon as they find out that I am from Hawaii they tell me how they wish they were back there (despite high prices). They tell me how some of them want to go back to retire. They tell me about how they and their families enjoyed the beauty of the islands. They tell me about the friends they made there. But best of all, they tell me of the love they have for the islands.

Incoing needs to meet and mix with more military people to find out just what they are thinking before making unfounded remarks. Sure there are some who "can't wait to get off the rock" but there are more who want to go back to visit or to live. They have learned the "aloha spirit" and have come to love and respect our islands.

Lee Laquihon
Bellevue, Neb.

[Quotables] "Living well is fine, but being well is better." Peter Ho, Waialae Iki resident, and participant in a five-year national diabetes prevention study, on the dietary and lifestyle changes he made to reduce his chances of developing diabetes. " 'Whether you can swim or not, get away from this ship.' So, we both go. He never came up." Harold Peterson, Survivor of the 1945 sinking of the USS Eagle patrol boat, repeating what he told an injured crewmate when the Eagle exploded within sight of the Maine coastline, killing 49 sailors. New evidence has revealed the boat was sunk by a German submarine and not a boiler explosion as previously thought.

Write to public leaders, write often

More frequently I have been reading the views from readers about their disgust, mistrust and skepticism of the Hawaii civic leaders. This includes the police department and City Council members.

I have my complaints as well. My 19-year-old daughter, Dana Ambrose, was killed in an accident in Honolulu by an off-duty police officer, who was arrested and is awaiting trial on the charge of DUI manslaughter. I have serious concerns about the investigation that followed, including the testing for blood alcohol results and courtesies extended to the defendant.

Writing to the editor is one method to express your concerns, but it is not the only way, especially if you really want to do something about it. If you are tired of the way these civic leaders are behaving and are ready for change, write to them. They will not change the way they think and act unless they are taken to task, personally and directly. Write to them, demand a response and action. Make them responsible. Show them you will not go away until change for the better takes place. Some words speak volumes, but to elected officials, volumes speak volumes. Write lots of letters.

Their mailing and e-mailing addresses are available publicly.

Rod Ambrose
Capistrano Beach, Calif.

Yoshimura's story doesn't add up

Honolulu City Councilman Jon Yoshimura says he had one drink before hitting a parked Nissan Pathfinder and that he thought he had struck a telephone pole.

I doubt very much that a single drink would impair your judgment to the extent that you can't tell the difference between a Nissan Pathfinder and a telephone pole. If this is true, Yoshimura should not be drinking any alcoholic beverages.

I love my booze, and even after consuming a 12-pack of beer, I sure know the difference between a vehicle and a telephone pole. I might not be the brightest person around, but this guy makes me look like a scholar.

Tom Nishiyama

Parents are primary role models for kids

Are parents aware that the example they set is often duplicated by their children? How often have you heard this statement, "That's why I send my kids to school to learn. It's the teacher's job to teach!" Parents who believe that are either too young to know, too busy to care or too strung out to make a difference. They're leaving the rearing of their children to society and the Department of Education.

While distractions in today's world are many, neglecting and rejecting a child's spiritual growth is a tragedy. Today's parents will break their necks -- and the speed limit -- to drive their kids to practice and league games, piano lessons, self-defense classes and whatever else, but seldom to church. Not knowing God as they should, when things go wrong, he always gets the blame. So what else is new when they don't want to accept responsibility for their own actions?

Are parents truly preparing our children to meet tomorrow's challenges or are we taking the easy way out and doing just enough to get by? Remember that children are a reflection of their parents. The examples they set today will determine how their children behave tomorrow.

McWarren J. Mehau
Mountain View, Hawaii

Coqui beauty in eye and ear of beholder

When tourists visit Puerto Rico, they love the song the coqui frogs sing. It is sad that Hawaii considers them a plague.

To people in Puerto Rico, they are a symbol of pride. Children fall asleep to their songs. In fact, we are trying to save them. Coquies are endangered because of deforestation; two kinds are already extinct. People have destroyed their habitat, eggs and food sources.

I can understand that you did not grow up with them and do not appreciate their beauty. If you happen to catch one, please send it back home.

Diana Orsini
Puerto Rico

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