Isle carrier would be bull's-eye for terrorists

Arguments to base an aircraft carrier group in Hawaii for "defense" purposes and to benefit the economy are spurious at best ("State leaders hopeful that Pearl will get carrier group," Star-Bulletin, June 20).

Hawaii already is armed to the teeth. U.S. military expansion has actually created the conditions for more terrorism to occur. More and more terrorist acts are being committed because of an increased military presence around the world. Homeporting a carrier group would make Hawaii more prone to attack, not less.

Regarding the economy, military personnel drive up the costs of resources and housing. Taxpayers pay their salaries, which are mostly spent at commissaries and post exchanges, not in the local economy. The civilian jobs created would be few and low-paying. When economic factors are evened out, including environmental costs, we are lucky to break even.

Our so-called leaders should stop instilling fear in the public mind and realize that the terrorist threat is an internal dilemma of their own making. Only then can solutions be found.

Tony Castanha

GOP arrogance nothing to crow about

Kay Ghean seems not to be aware of her presumption to speak for "the citizens of Hawaii" (Letters, Star-Bulletin, June 29). As chairwoman of the Maui County Republican Party, she does not. Ghean mentions (with no evidence) "the years of deceit and dishonesty" of the Democratic Party.

There was good reason that the Democratic Party advanced in 1954 after years of plantation rule and the Big Five, and brought success and equality to the people of Hawaii until 2002. Governor Lingle's 50 vetoes are an example of Republican arrogance, which mirrors the Republican arrogance in Washington. It is nothing to be proud of.

Nancy Bey Little
President
Democratic Precinct 2405

Fixing potholes takes more than a shovel

I had the dubious privilege of being stuck in a traffic jam the other day. The City and County of Honolulu pothole-filling crew was at work. This was truly an inspirational sight to behold!

Two men, each with a shovel in his hand, were standing behind a dump truck. Each one very deliberately took a shovelful of asphalt and covered a pothole with this asphalt. Both men then patted the asphalt down to fill the hole and smooth the surface. Shovels and shoes were masterfully utilized to accomplish this feat.

After finishing, the workers stepped back to admire their work, then loaded up and drove off to the next set of holes.

As I drove past their work area, the sound of fresh asphalt hitting the bottom of my car made me cringe. Do the workers or the City and County really believe these patches will still be in place after the next heavy rainfall?

When I grew up on the mainland, "hot patches" were used to repair the roads. They held for years. If you drove over one, you didn't hear anything striking the underside of your car.

Granted, it is old technology; granted, the tools required are simple; and granted, the crews would not have to patch the same holes every few months.

Could it be that by using better patching techniques we would save money? What a concept!

Jack Schneider

Michelle Wie makes all Hawaii proud

The amazing win of 13-year-old golfer Michelle Wie in the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf title last week was a remarkable feat. Hawaii sports fans and non-sports fans alike should be proud of such a magnificent and phenomenal accomplishment. I hope the people around Wie carefully groom and nurture her both mentally and physically so that she has a long and bright future.

Toshio Chinen
Pearl City

Kubo uses sense on medical marijuana

The U.S. attorney for Hawaii, Ed Kubo, should be applauded for leaving Hawaii's medical marijuana patients alone.

Following the arrest and conviction of Oakland, Calif., medical marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal by the U.S. Justice Department, many medical marijuana patients in Hawaii were concerned that we might be among the next targets. Thankfully, Kubo has wisely decided to use his limited resources to fight the scourge of crystal meth instead of arresting Hawaii's sick and injured for using marijuana as medicine.

The value of marijuana as medicine, long known through anecdotal evidence, is now being established by studies in the United Kingdom under government license. Eighty percent of multiple sclerosis patients involved in one U.K. study have found marijuana to be the most effective medicine they have used. These findings support our own experiences here.

While Kubo's superiors continue to threaten patients across the United States, he has focused on doing the right thing -- fighting ice, not medical marijuana. We can only hope he continues to be left alone to do the what he knows is best for Hawaii.

Thomas C. Mountain
Honolulu Medical Marijuana Patients Co-Op
Kaneohe

---

BACK TO TOP
|

Brainstorm!

What should be done about those triangle-shaped concrete islands created when the city makes two-way streets one way?

Send your ideas and solutions by July 14 to:

brainstorm@starbulletin.com

Or mail them to:
Brainstorm!
c/o Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin
500 Ala Moana
7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Fax:
Brainstorm!
c/o Burl Burlingame
529-4750