Cell phones aren't the worst hazards

I've spent a fair amount of time sign-waving for various candidates, and I've watched a lot of drivers. What has struck me is that there are really no more of them talking on cell phones than there are eating, putting on make-up, talking animatedly with another person in the car, fussing with their children, reading (yes, they actually read while they drive) and generally not paying attention to the task of driving.

So why the constant focus on prohibiting cell-phone use in vehicles? If you make cell-phone use illegal, you should also shut down fast-food drive-through windows and prohibit children from riding in cars altogether. I would suggest that stuffing your face with a burger that's dripping special sauce, onions, pickles and lettuce (on a sesame-seed bun) into your lap is far more distracting than talking on a cell phone. And a tourist with a map is a special kind of hazard, so maybe we should ban car rentals, too.

David Young

Branches weren't the problem on the Pali

What was obvious to all of us who passed by the pile of branches on the Pali recently was that two people (my wife and I; my daughter and I; two 80-year-olds) could have moved it off to the side in five minutes.

The debris was not as described in your article (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 23). It was made up of medium- to small-size branches, the kind that many of us take to the dump on weekends without suffering a hernia or injured back.

If the original crew or the two police officers "directing" traffic had taken a few moments to do something constructive, the whole traffic backup would have been avoided.

"Not on my watch" or "not in my job description" was the problem, not the size of the tree.

Phil Kinnicutt

Kailua

Urge lawmakers to put fluoride in water

Mahalo for your Oct. 31 story on how 100 million Americans suffer needless tooth decay because their communities refuse to fluoridate their water. It would have been even more helpful if you had pointed out that Hawaii still does not fluoridate the water.

I do not know where any of the candidates stand on this issue. After the votes are counted, I'm going to contact my elected representatives and demand that fluoride be added to the drinking water. I suggest everyone else do the same.

Wayne Levy, M.D.

Superblock will offer convenience, bargains

Recently there has been a great deal of coverage regarding the Keeaumoku "superblock" purchased by Wal-Mart. Those opposed are getting a lot of attention. Those in favor are not.

I'm writing on behalf of all the low-income families, senior citizens and disabled who need reasonable prices in town. Many of us live on a fixed income and must stretch every dollar. We can't just jump in the car and drive to Mililani or Kunia. The trip by bus is long; it requires several transfers and a long walk from the bus stop to the store. Those who do make the trip can buy only as much as we can carry.

I'm legally blind. I live less than a mile from the Wal-Mart site. The concessions Wal-Mart has already made should be enough; the project should break ground as scheduled.

The property is zoned as commercial, as it was when Wal-Mart purchased it. There is no reason to withhold building permits. We keep talking about encouraging business in Hawaii. Here's a chance to show the rest of the world that when it comes to doing business, Hawaii plays fair.

Please do not let the interests of a very small group destroy a project that so many people are looking forward to and counting on.

Robin Bush

Many surfers relied on now-defunct Web site

Regarding oceanographer Pat Caldwell's terrific wave-forecasting Web page: It is really a shame that some bureaucrats (Jim Weyman, Jim Howe and Ed Teixeira) have decided that one of the most popular sites for swell information should be hung out to dry. It is disappointing that oceanographer Rick Grigg, one of the best big-wave surfers ever, described the language used on the site as "progressively confusing." Why? The true wave heights are given as the default on the site. One must navigate around the site to pull up "local wave heights," of which the aforementioned experts disapprove.

I live near Pipeline, and most of the folks up here rely on Pat's excellent forecasting. Because of it, lives have been saved and injuries prevented; we know when to anticipate big swell days (and hours), and not get "caught out" -- whether surfing, diving or at the beach with our children.

No matter what the spin, it seems to me the real reason the site was axed was its popularity must have ruffled some feathers.

Mike Strada
Haleiwa

Going after roosters is sex discrimination

The City Council is trying to ban roosters from residential neighborhoods. Not hens, only roosters. It seems that citified people can't stand to hear chickens doing their thing.

The solution is not banning roosters but teaching them to tell time. In Kalihi, where I try to sleep, the roosters crow at 2 a.m. or 12 p.m. -- same difference. Crowing at dawn is not cool anymore, so they clear their pipes whenever they feel the need. Some drunken idiot bumbling home after closing the bars probably ruined their sleep, so they figure they might as well get even.

This is a blatant example of sex discrimination. Shame on you, City Council! Are you listening, ACLU? Now, what happens if some doctor starts doing chicken sex-change operations and de-roosterfies all those crowers?

Royle Kaneshige

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