UH students display local racism

The complaints from political science students at the University of Hawaii about having Caucasian instructors are just another example of local racism in Hawaii.

These students complain about not having local instructors as though that would make a difference. The reason those students don't have local instructors is probably because of a lack of local talent or that the local talent left for better money elsewhere.

If these students want to make a difference, after graduation they should apply for jobs at UH. Instructors are hired for their ability and achievements. They demonstrate that they can do a bang-up job.

Otherwise, these students should keep their complaints to themselves.

Mark Trexler

Hybrid cars reduce need for foreign oil

If everyone in the United States drove a hybrid car, we would save roughly 1.6 billion barrels of oil a year -- far more than we import from the Middle East. The fuel savings (50-70 mpg) and fewer emissions will help the environment and we would never have to drill in the Alaskan wilderness.

Most of the car-buying public has no idea what hybrid cars are since there are currently only two models for sale, the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius.

Since Hawaii has the highest gas prices in the nation, I decided to call the dealerships to try to get some information on the phone. One salesman asked me why I would want "one of those cars," in addition to making other negative comments.

Hybrid cars rely on two sources of energy. The primary source is the same as with a regular car -- an internal combustion engine. The second is a battery that drives an electric motor. These cars are recharged every time the driver hits the brakes. The mainland has an extensive waiting list for these cars. In Hawaii there is no waiting, due to the lack of promotion and information on these $20,000 cars.

Why is President Bush doing nothing to promote alternative energy sources like hybrid cars? His solution is to expand oil production. My solution: Buy a car that helps reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

Tom Sebas

[Quotables] "I turned it off. I turned my mind off. ... I just didn't want to listen to it." Rose Lee Owner, Rose Lee's Tailor Shop, whose son-in-law Michael Collins was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, on the release this week of a videotape that the U.S. government says proves Osama bin Laden's guilt in the attacks. "Quite a lot of abuse is going on." Sgt. Bart Canada Overseer of the Honolulu Police Department's volunteer disabled parking enforcement program, on the widespread abuse of handicapped parking placards. The state plans to overhaul the handicapped parking program next year with new cards, a new application process and a database system designed to thwart fraud and abuse.

Free speech includes offensive content

David Roth (Letters, Dec. 2) is correct about ACLU opposition to the dragnet racial profiling and interrogation by the Justice Department of individuals in the effort against terrorism.

But he misses the point of why the ACLU opposed the Virginia ban on cross-burning. The ACLU of Virginia represented a member of the Ku Klux Klan who set fire to a cross on a private farm with the owner's consent.

However, he was not -- as some have misrepresented the facts -- burning a cross in an African American family's yard. He was engaging in private speech. He was arrested and convicted under a 70-year-old law.

On appeal, the Virginia Supreme Court correctly struck down the law because it violated the defendant's right of free speech. The Klan message is hateful and offensive to the ACLU, but we abandon a core freedom when we allow the state to punish individuals for their ideas or their speech.

Giving the government such power puts us all at risk. Free speech is a meaningful constitutional principle only if it applies equally to everyone, regardless of their ideas.

Vanessa Y. Chong
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii

'Photo cop' system can be beaten

Revenue is the driving force behind the "photo cop" enforcement program. The math is simple. Honolulu police officers issue an average of 100 moving citations per day. If the average fine were $100, the state would earn $300,000 per month and $3.6 million per year.

Under the "photo cop" system, the state has been assured of 1,000 citations per day, with the potential for 3,000 per day, so now we are talking anywhere from $36 million to $108 million per year.

This is a lot of revenue. Do government officials really expect us to believe they are only interested in savings lives?

How will this increased revenue be spent? Will our taxes be reduced? Will we get tax credits? Will some pockets be lined?

Luckily for us, technology can defeat Big Brother. Clear license plate lenses distort what the camera photographs; spray-on liquids can do the same. And there are always laser jammers to scramble the image of the license plate.

If you don't like these cures, exercise your constitutional right to face your accuser. If everyone pleaded "not guilty" and insisted on a court appearance, we could jam the system.

Citizens of Hawaii, we need to let our government know we are not happy. Let government officials know they are here to serve the people, not gouge the people.

J. Pinero

Mayor is deceptive in blaming probe

Is Mayor Jeremy Harris trying to blame the state's investigators for the fact that he and his campaign committee have been accepting illegal campaign contributions?

Maybe a little jail time would set a good example for other candidates. We are looking for candidates with honesty and integrity.

It's high time we cleaned up politics in Hawaii.

Sheila Leas
Manoa

The push-pull of Japanese tourists

It would appear that tourism officials in Hawaii are caught between a rock and a hard place.

They want to attract more Japanese visitors. Unfortunately, a lot of Japanese visitors say they shun Hawaii because there are too many Japanese visitors.

So tourism officials will have to find a way to attract the Japanese while at the same time finding a way to get rid of them.

George Yoshinaga
Gardena, Calif.

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