State Ethics Code doesn't need fixing

As quoted in a Dec.13 Star-Bulletin article, Rep. Brian Schatz stated that the state Ethics Code is an impediment to the commercialization of research findings by University of Hawaii professors. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Ethics Code has never been an impediment to UH commercialization. Our office has never received a complaint about this.

Because no specific problem regarding the state Ethics Code and commercialization has ever been presented to me, I cannot help but think the argument that the code inhibits commercialism is nothing more than a sham for ridding the university of the Ethics Code for some ulterior reason.

It bothers me greatly that legislation is proposed so seriously to fix a supposed problem that has never been articulated.

If there is such a problem, let's hear the details and let's hear them now. Such drastic legislation should not be railroaded through in such a mindless fashion.

Daniel J. Mollway
Executive director and general counsel
Hawaii State Ethics Commission

Lake Wilson must be saved from alien plant

As a property owner along the shores of Lake Wilson, I watch the daily expansion of Salvinia molesta overtaking the lake. In the last few weeks, the Salvinia molesta has covered the water surrounding Lakeview Circle. The plant is so thick that boats can't navigate the waters and trash, including a stove, floats on top of the beautiful green carpet.

An environmental disaster is happening before our eyes. The alien plant is rapidly smothering all other life in the lake and we will soon have a "dead lake." The ecological damage caused by a dead lake are unknown, but one can easily imagine that the smell and mess would affect residents and property owners in the area.

Lake Wilson is a cornerstone of the Wahiawa redevelopment plan. The development of Oahu's largest freshwater lake as a recreational, fishing and boating area is vital to the economic health and evolution of Wahiawa as a destination for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Please, Governor Lingle, mobilize all resources available to save the lake!

John Kimball
Proprietor, Lakeview Lodge
Wahiawa

Queen's has no aloha for overworked nurses

My wife and I work in health care in Canada and are visiting Hawaii. We have always found the aloha spirit to be alive and well here, so we were shocked to find the nurses on strike. One day we went to speak to the nurses on the picket line at Queen's, and we found true aloha there.

They are not on strike for more money; one issue is that the employer wants them to use vacation time if they are sick. These nurses are exposed to more germs and diseases than any of us on a day-to-day basis, and for this should they be punished if they get sick? I think not.

They are being forced to accept overtime, which could give them only a few hours off between shifts. The employer is refusing to meet with the Hawaii Nurses Association to negotiate a settlement. The employer has brought in scabs, who are paid more than $90 an hour, plus travel, accommodations and meals.

I suggest that the employer go back to the table and negotiate fairly. I really hope all the people of Oahu will tell this employer to be fair to those who care.

John Evans
Creston, B.C.
Canada

Find Hawaiian roots in ancestors' petition

The ultimate "back to the future" trip for a Hawaiian is finding his or her roots in the greatest Hawaiian document ever found. This document is the 1897 Ku'e: The Hui Aloha 'Aina Anti-Annexation Petitions signed by 21,269 of our brave ancestors and recovered at the U.S. Archives by Noenoe Silva. Mahalo nui!

Finding my great-grandparent's protest signatures along with relatives on every island reaffirmed why I'm an activist. We are who we were. Our roots are warriors active in the struggle to make injustices pono. "E kupaa mau a hiki i Ke Kanaka Hawai'i hope loa no ke ea o ko kakou 'aina aloha" (Aug. 1898). "Always stand fast, down to the very last Hawaiian person, for the sovereignty of our beloved land."

Please take this 105-year-old trip to find your roots and be awed. The petition is at the main library, the Bishop Museum and the University of Hawaii library.

George Kahumoku Flores
Aliamanu

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