Law should have been tougher on Mirikitani

Now I have seen it all. U.S. District Judge Helen Gilmor announces with disdain that Honolulu City Councilman Andy Mirikitani's "criminal behavior fueled the public's mistrust and lack of confidence in government." So true. But what does she do? She hands out the permissible minimum sentence and to top it all off, she lets him roam free for another month.

Instead of coddling such a criminal she should have meted out the maximum sentence, put him in shackles right then and there, sent him to prison immediately and ordered him to repay the $26,533.45 he took from the taxpayers. That would have conveyed the right message to restore public trust and confidence in government!

Gerhard C. Hamm

Smoking bans work fine elsewhere

Having returned home from our 12th vacation in Hawaii, my wife and I are again enjoying dining out in our home town in British Columbia where there is no smoking allowed in restaurants. Having read your paper on a daily basis during our three-week visit I noted the close split on this issue.

I agree that if people can go without smoking for an eight-hour flight, or six hours as we do to Vancouver, how about taking a one-hour smoke break for dinner?

Don and Janice Scott
Langley, British Columbia
Canada

Needle programs are a fact of modern life

The city's needle program raises questions from the neighborhood board.

No needle program would raise questions for me. Don't people know that people are going to use drugs, illegal or not, and prostitute themselves, illegal or not?

And one interviewee said the needle-exchange program is valuable, but she doesn't like that it's taking place in the Weed & Seed area and so close to residential complexes. Not in my back yard? So, where would she think it would be most effective? Maybe where there are no drug users and no prostitutes?

I know that all blood-borne illnesses can be stopped if there is no contact with others' blood. So, what's the problem? We do not live in a perfect society. Get used to it or do something that will change it. I was always taught that if I have a problem, then it is my problem; fix it myself. If I had a problem with where the needles were being exchanged, then I would figure out a solution. Maybe others should have this attitude, too.

Michael Romack
Pahoa, Hawaii

[Quotables] "I heard the phone ring and I heard the conversation. He said, 'They're bombing Pearl Harbor. I'm out of here.' I didn't see him for two weeks." David Lytle, Son of Hugh Lytle, 99, of California, the former Associated Press correspondent in Honolulu who first notified AP about the surprise Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. "I knew I was missing friends." Ishmael Stagner One of the Pearl City Peninsula residents forced by the U.S. military to leave home on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941 after the Japanese attack. Stagner's family was allowed to go back home within a few days, but their Japanese-American neighbors didn't return for weeks. More than 50 years later, the Japanese-American evacuees received an apology and reparations for discrimination.

Criticism of legislation was off the mark

On Nov. 27, my defeated political opponent from the last general election, Pam Smith, wrote that I received donations from tobacco companies.

Then she criticized recent legislation that supported the University of Hawaii medical school and cancer research center. What she failed to mention is that the UH Health and Wellness Center will have a public education component that will emphasize anti-smoking and prevention programs for our youth and adults.

I believe this shows despite campaign donations, I have and will continue to support legislation and efforts to prevent and stop smoking.

Contrary to your headline, tobacco money did not influence me or other legislators.

Rep. Willie Espero
D-41st District
(Ewa Beach, Lower Waipahu)

Hawaii music is losing battle to 'Jawaiian'

I recently returned home to Oahu to visit my family. I have lived in California since 1979 and have only been back home on two other occasions. This last trip was such a blessing, as I was able to see all three of my daughters and their children.

While re-visiting places of interest from my past, I listened to local radio broadcasts, specifically those playing Hawaiian music.

I was surprised to hear the abundance of the reggae-stylings that local artists are producing, calling it "Jawaiian." When I first moved to the mainland, Hawaiian musicians and songwriters were filled with a sense of cultural pride. The dances and music reflected a renewed interest in the origins and history of Hawaiian music.

Where is that pride now? When did the musical stylings of Jamaican reggae become the anthem of Hawaii's youth?

I am saddened to see the resurgence of Hawaiian heritage take a back seat to the musical influence of Bob Marley. Jamaican music has its place and home in those islands; doesn't Hawaiian music also have its own home?

Lorrin Heleloa
Garden Grove, Calif.

Legalized gambling will boost economy

In response to the Star-Bulletin's Dec. 4 story, "Waimanalo chamber feared as gaming springboard":

Former state Sen. Whitney Anderson is right on the money. Gaming should be made a reality, the sooner the better. The Hawaiian market sent more than $250 million hard-earned dollars to Las Vegas in 1999 and $225 million in the year 2000.

Any sane person with a little common sense can tell you, if people are going to do it anyway why not provide a local place for local folks and stop denying the facts. Why send the money to Las Vegas? Keep it home and tax it correctly.

It is not a revolutionary idea, build it and they will come and stay. Let's not start proselytizing on what is the right religion to join to fight against a good and ideal form of entertainment. Gaming is an enhancement for any area that has an economic need. Just think of the local jobs.

Paul Faaola
CEO, The Faaola Group

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