Bad timing for state to go after motorists

I find the unveiling of Oahu's new Big Brother traffic-surveillance cameras ill-timed. As our state faces its most critical economic challenge in history, the thing we least need is an indiscriminate robotic dispenser mailing out expensive citations to an unsuspecting public, especially for a low-level infraction like stop-line encroachment.

At the least, why not paint a vivid, colored identifying stripe at intersections where the cameras are installed as a warning cue? The cost of the paint would be small compared with the flood of funds likely to be snatched by these machines from the pocketbooks of the rank and file.

Roger Yu

Swap meet merchants need state's help

I am writing on behalf of the merchants at the Aloha Stadium swap meet. We are still in need of some financial assistance. We are, again, asking to return to the original "pay daily" policy.

The Stadium Authority has continued to refuse our request. What it does not seem to understand is that we are not asking for a rent reduction -- although that would be helpful, too -- but we do need to pay on a daily basis as was the procedure for many years. The merchants at the swap meet operate on a cash-flow basis and need to use their available cash as effectively as they can. The current pay-in-advance system is about to put many merchants at the swap meet out of business.

Many of these people have been in business more than 20 years. They operated successfully until the tragic events of Sept. 11. They truly are "small business Hawaii." I have continued to fight this fight on behalf of those merchants, including myself.

We need help. I am again asking the governor to assist us as soon as possible.

Bob Templin

[Quotables] "We had been pulling sailors out of the water from the 1010 deck, and the first couple of guys were OK. But after the water caught on fire, it was really hell." Edward Chun Apprentice pipe fitter at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, describing the scene after a bomb hit the USS Arizona, igniting oil that had leaked into the harbor during the attack. "It was just too quick. It was just boom -- you're on the ground." Jamie Becraft Acting Maui police lieutenant, describing the incident in which Maui police officer Donald Nakooka was shot in the midsection after stopping a car in Kapalua. Nakooka did not have time to see what kind of gun was used. Nakooka, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was in stable condition Tuesday night at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Ehime Maru memorial is fitting respect

Norma Nicholl (Letters, Nov. 30), and others may be tired and disgusted that the Feb. 9 ramming and sinking of the Ehime Maru continues to be news and that the taxpayer is not yet finished with the cost ramifications of a public-relations stunt gone tragically awry.

Not I. The families of those nine precious, departed human beings are due every respect, love, prayer and recompense we can offer. Sixty million dollars -- it ultimately may swell to twice that -- is a piddling amount when viewed in perspective. The bombs and missiles we are dropping in incessant swarms onto the rubble of Afghanistan cost up to $1 million per unit.

I wager our efforts to account for our MIAs in Southeast Asia -- a near-parallel to the closure the Ehime Maru victims seek -- have cost astronomically more than $60 million and are ongoing. Nicholl does not want a memorial to the Ehime Maru dead in Hawaii, but I do. I intend to visit what I expect will be a sad, understatedly powerful tribute to nine lives and deaths. I also expect to cry -- just as I was moved beyond any anticipation when I first visited the Arizona Memorial.

Robert H. Stiver
Pearl City

How about a Dec. 7 memorial in Japan?

I have reservations about placing the Ehime Maru memorial at Kakaako Waterfront Park. I do have sympathy for the relatives of those nine persons who did not survive the accident, and for the crew of the USS Greeneville. I have no objection to a memorial, but the proposed location is wrong.

The U.S. Navy has repeatedly apologized and spent more than $60 million to recover remains, personal effects and artifacts from the vessel. Now it faces lawsuits from various sources. When compared to the nautical history of the Pacific this accident, while unfortunate, is a minor incident. Hundreds did not die; there is no big history lesson for future generations.

Therefore the placement of the memorial in a well-traveled area close to tourist attractions does not seem appropriate. It would evolve into a mecca for Japanese and other tourists, a place where people gather to take pictures and reflect on the fact that the U.S. Navy was involved in a minor accident.

What is the historical significance of this? I would not have reservations about the location if Japan would consider a quid pro quo agreement. Specifically, provide an area in a prominent spot in one of the favorite tourist locations such as Nara, Kyoto, the Imperial Palace, or even Hiroshima and allow the United States to erect a memorial. Such a memorial would state: "The Imperial Navy of the Government of Japan, through an undeclared act of war, caused the deaths of the following persons on Dec. 7, 1941," followed by a list of all the military and civilians who were killed.

William G. Burlingame Sr.
Mililani

Stadium rules drive away Pro Bowl fans

Just when I thought the Stadium Authority couldn't ruin a game at Aloha Stadium any further, along comes an edict that leis cannot be brought into the stadium in plastic bags and that candy leis are prohibited. This is asinine. The seniors who have worked hard and shed their sweat and blood for the university can only be awarded with wilted flowers, thanks to the Stadium Authority.

What's next, telling the drummer in the band that he can't bring in his drum sticks? I watched the games on TV over the weekend. Fans at the other stadiums brought signs, waved flags, had pom-poms and shakers. The women must have been allowed to bring in their handbags because they weren't wearing fanny packs.

A suggestion to the Stadium Authority, since you have enough gates to enter, make half check-in gates for people who want to bring something in and the other half of the gates for people not bringing anything in.

I think it is about time that the Stadium Authority and the stadium management get their heads together before they ruin the Pro Bowl. What kind of aloha will we be showing the visitors with these ridiculous rules?

Richard A. DePretto

---

Letter guidelines The Star-Bulletin welcomes letters that are crisp and to the point on issues of public interest. The Star-Bulletin reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Please direct comments to the issues; personal attacks will not be published. Letters must be signed, must include a mailing address and daytime telephone number. Letter form: Online form, click here E-mail: letters@starbulletin.com Fax: (808) 529-4750 Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813