Brainstorm! Challenge

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Brigade would make Hawaii bigger target

The average citizen would have to hire an attorney to digest the Army's three-volume Stryker brigade environmental impact statement. Trying to do it in 45 days is wishful ("Groups want time to study Stryker report," Star-Bulletin, Oct. 1).

It would be much easier for people to think about what military expansion would bring us. Surely more pollution, but more importantly, more danger.

Making Hawaii a massive military fort in the Pacific also means that we become an unavoidable target in a military conflict. There are already more than 40 military installations here. More than 200,000 acres are already occupied by the military, and it wants 24,000 more acres.

The other question to think about is just what is the need for all this build up. Can Strykers or nuclear carriers stop terrorism? They haven't in the Middle East. Is the United States trying to police the world? Shouldn't we be trying to fix our own problems instead? Shouldn't we expand international justice and peace instead?

Steven Tayama
Waimanalo

For some bus riders the price isn't right

For many years I rode TheBus, but when fares went up to $1.50 in 2001, I bought a motorcycle. Mayor Harris reportedly says that it's a lot cheaper and more convenient to ride TheBus, (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 10), but I can fill my tank and ride around the whole island for the cost of one round-trip bus fare to and from the shopping center. And I can leave when I'm ready, at my convenience -- no waiting.

Common sense tells us that when bus fares go up, ridership goes down, and with fewer riders, revenue projections fall short. Does this mean that even higher fares are needed to compensate for the decline in ridership? Isn't this a vicious circle that could lead to disaster? A healthy and stable public transit system requires the right balance of subsidy, fares and service, a balance that has been lost by the Harris administration.

John Pritchett
Honolulu

Working seniors need bus passes, too

There has been paramount attention given to those seniors lucky enough to be able to spend long hours in lines just to exchange a bus pass. But what about the thousands of our employed senior citizens? For them 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. is prime travel/working hours. Will they be required to use their vacation time, or in some cases lose wages to stand in those lines to renew their passes?

Why can't the hours of business be extended to 6 p.m. two nights a week?

If the city plans to meet its Nov. 1 deadline, some major adjustments need to be considered.

Dolores Hu
Kakaako

Neighbors brought peace back to Nuuanu

They are finally gone and now, we residents of Ala Kimo Drive, are able to again have a good night's sleep. The Pali Highway rumble strips were installed in late May. Since then, my neighbors and I went before our Nuuanu/Punchbowl Neighborhood Board on several occasions, petitioning the board to approve the removal of the strips. We were asked to form a task force to come up with some alternatives. Our members were neighbors and lay people, not a road or traffic engineer among us!

On Sept. 16 we presented our findings to the board: Prior to installing the rumble strips, the DOT had done no research on noise output; the research provided by DOT regarding slowing traffic was based on one study (in Florida, on a rural highway and approaching a toll booth); no rationale for installing the rumble strips, except for "traffic calming" or "approaching a neighborhood," was presented.

The board voted unanimously to advise the DOT to remove the rumble strips immediately. A DOT representative was present at that Sept. 16 meeting, and we were told that they would soon be removed. Our task force then decided that until the removal was completed, that our work was not yet done. We have telephoned the DOT weekly since that meeting. Eventually we were told the removal job was being put out to bid and as soon as the lowest bidder was selected (Oct.3), the removal would be done (Oct.6).

Finally, the rumble strips have been removed. We are able to sleep without the machine-gun effect of cars passing over them. It's nice to know that a small group of concerned neighbors, through perseverance and persistence, can make a difference.

Ellen Osborne
Nuuanu

We can thank Bush -- for nothing

President Bush is coming to Hawaii (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 9)?

I can thank him for his tax cuts for the rich.

I can thank him for his raping of the environment.

I can thank him for his 9/11 blunders (failure to carry out President Clinton's order to kill Osama bin Laden, failure to use Clinton's plans to attack al-Qaida, shelving the Commission on Terrorism), his hindrance of the 9/11 investigations and his coverup of the blunders.

I can thank him for the many lies he used to gain support for his war on Iraq.

I can thank him for his giveaways in secret no-bid contracts to rebuild Iraq to corporations that gave huge contributions to his campaign.

On second thought, maybe I won't go see him.

David Soule
Pearl City

Put anti-pot funds to use combating 'ice'

Operation Green Harvest and its prohibition mindset are the primary culprits behind the "ice" epidemic. Too many young people realized obviously, and incorrectly, that they could get more bang for the buck using ice.

I suggest we cancel Green Harvest funding and shift that money to prevention education and treatment of those who have real problems.

Steve Reiff
Kalaheo, Hawaii

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] What can be done to disguise or beautify those hulking steel utility boxes found in parks and other locations around town? Send your ideas, drawings and solutions by Wednesday, Oct. 15 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