St. Anthony's teachers inspire young students

I really support St. Anthony Grade School in Wailuku, Maui. It offers a good education and the teachers are really nice. I thought I would never learn cursive writing, math or spelling. When it was my first day of school in kindergarten, my teachers, Ms. Tavares and Ms. Takashita, were kind to me. And Ms. McOmber and Mrs. Santos were my first-grade teachers. They taught good stuff like how to read. Ms. Delos-Santos or "Ms. D." is a second-grade teacher who taught us about plants, birds and lots of other stuff.

Mrs. Sakamoto (Ms. S.) and Ms. Adree (Ms. A.) are the third-grade teachers and I really like all the teachers but Ms. Sakamoto (Ms. S.) and Ms. Adree (Ms. A.) were terrific. Ms. Johnson taught us music. Ms. Kahula is our library teacher and she also protects us and keeps us safe. Ms. Martinez, our principal, keeps the school running, and Ms. Gomes takes care of us when we get hurt.

That's how it goes in St. Anthony Grade School. It's fun to be at this school.

Julia Keakealani Bissen
Grade 3
St. Anthony Grade School
Wailuku, Maui

They may be noisy, but they're part of nature

Peacocks, one of God's most decorated creatures, with feathers that have adorned monarchy and alii for centuries, are being criticized by some people as a nuisance. They're noisy? What about other birds, and dogs and children? Should we exile them as well?

"They get in the way of our cars in the parking lot" -- please! Where are you going in such a hurry, anyway? Stop and smell the roses or life is going to pass you by.

Peacock poop? God's fertilizer! Don't mess with Mother Nature.

I moved to Hawaii two years ago and I thank God every day for being able to view and absorb its beauty. I feel blessed to share in the unique culture, especially here in Waianae.

Marty Julian
Waianae

Bush pledged much, but sacrificed little

With regard to "President deserves to wear military uniform" (Letters, May 9), Sandra Anderson would be hard put to find a photograph or painting of any former U.S. general in uniform after election to the presidency. The number, eight, includes Washington, Jackson, Wm. Harrison, Taylor, Grant, Garfield, B. Harrison and Eisenhower.

Anderson, in demeaning another letter writer's research with "give me a break," appears unable to "recall any facts," such as:

>> February 1968: G.W. takes a U.S. Air Force officers test, scoring in 25th percentile in the Pilot Aptitude portion. Declares he does not wish to serve overseas.
>> May 1968: enlists in the Texas Air National Guard, pledging two years of active duty plus four years of reserve duty.
>> September 1968: pulls inactive duty to work on Florida Sen. William Blount's campaign.
>> November 1968: is reactivated and transferred to Georgia Air National Guard.
>> December 1969: transfers back to Houston.
>> March 1970: gets his wings.
>> November 1970: promoted to 1st lieutenant, rejected by University of Texas School of Law.
>> May 1972: G.W. transfers to the Alabama Guard unit so he can work on Blount's re-election campaign; his commanding officer says Bush never showed up for duty in Alabama, and no one can confirm that he ever served in the National Guard again.

John K. Kingsley
Silver Star, Bronze Star "V", Purple Heart
Wahiawa

Isle leaders made to wear lei of thorns

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii. A leader in the field of education and another in the ministries division were given a lei of thorns for their heads, the same way a crown of thorns was placed on a leader thousands of years ago. The only fault that these leaders have is their love for the people of this aina. Their interest is to educate our people in knowing who we are, where we are going and what we are going to do about it.

Enough is enough and the damage has been done. To you who have no sin, throw the first stone. "If you no can talk good about somebody, no talk." If you remember who said it years back, then you are local.

These leaders who stepped down have gone the same way of Queen Liliuokalani who left her throne. History does repeat itself. Pono Hooponopono Ohana and we are a people of many colors and races and have learned to live with each other.

Lucy M. Akau
Waimanalo

Big ol' Texas has two pretty good little ideas

Texas is big. Ask any Texan ... but it's true. Texas, at 268,601 square miles, is 24 times larger than Hawaii (10,932 sq. mi.), and the population of Texas (21.8 million) is 17 times larger than Hawaii's (1.2 million). However, recent media coverage of the Texas legislature revealed two small practices that should be considered for adoption in Hawaii: The Texas legislature meets only once every two years, and each legislator receives an annual salary of only $7,200.

Making laws for Hawaii cannot be any more difficult than for Texas. Texas legislators seem to get things done by meeting once every two years, compared to once a year for Hawaii.

Hawaii's constitution envisions "citizen legislators" who are primarily ordinary citizens. The rationale is that citizen legislators tend to be more understanding of the circumstances of common people than full-time legislators. As legislative salaries in Hawaii have risen to $32,000 per year, it seems that more and more legislators do not have other jobs. A $7,200 annual salary would encourage legislators to find other jobs, thereby strengthening the concept of citizen legislators.

John Kawamoto