[ OUR OPINION ]

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Special visas could
pose security risk

THE ISSUE Governor Lingle has proposed that a special visa exemption be made for foreigners limiting their U.S. visits to Hawaii.

SECURITY requirements imposed to thwart terrorism have seriously hampered Hawaii tourism from South Korea. The prospect of future tourism from China adds to the problem. Governor Lingle is proposing that travelers to Hawaii requiring visas be exempt from the new requirements, but she must provide assurance that the "Hawaii only" visas would not create a gateway for terrorists.

Before the security requirements were imposed, only 27 percent of South Koreans applying for visas typically were interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. The State Department in October began requiring that nearly all Koreans wanting to travel to America undergo security and background checks and interviews.

If the requirement remains in effect, the economic damage could escalate. Tourism officials attending First Hawaiian Bank's annual Business Outlook Forum yesterday salivated over predictions about future tourism from China. Kenneth S. Courtis, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia, forecast a robust Chinese economy in the years ahead, creating wealth that will translate into increased tourism for Hawaii. "All the lights are green," Courtis said.

Not if the potential Hawaii visitors have to stand in line in slim hopes of being interviewed at the Embassy. U.S. diplomats in Korea are able to process only 200,000 visas a year, down from 500,000 before the requirement. Such limitations in China would result in a small percentage of potential visas being processed.

Tourism officials and Hawaii's Korean community proposed in September that the new visa requirement be lifted for Korean visitors restricting their visits to Hawaii. Lingle has endorsed the proposal and extended it to visitors from all countries where visitors to the United States are required to obtain visas. Those are countries where at least 2 percent of visa applications are refused.

Presuming that al-Qaida-linked terrorists who bombed tourist sites in Bali and Jakarta pose no threat to Hawaii, the problem would be how to prevent them from using the exemption to board flights from Hawaii to gain entrance to the mainland.

The only plausible means of preventing such breaches would seem to be treating flights to the mainland from Hawaii as international: All passengers, upon disembarking, would have to show their passports and, where required, visas. That would mean U.S. tourists would have to possess passports and show them upon returning to the mainland. Imposing such an exercise would be cumbersome and self-defeating.

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Sharing with needy
is always in season

THE ISSUE The holidays remind us that many in Hawaii are down and out.

AS THE holiday season begins, so, too, do the calls for help from charitable organizations. Even as Hawaii appears to be headed for better times, there are those who are in need now. It doesn't take a lot to lend them assistance.

For decades the Star-Bulletin has supported the Helping Hands Community Clearinghouse, a group that collects necessities like clothing, appliances and furniture and distributes them to thousands of individuals and families through social service organizations. Helping Hands also collects monetary donations.

There is no shortage of people in need, but there is a shortage of goods and funds among the groups that try to help. Robert Lorin of Catholic Charities recounted to the Star-Bulletin's Pat Gee how hard it is to turn people away.

"It really hurts when I look at a family and know they really need help. If they have no food or money for rent, I know they'll be out on the streets," Lorin said.

The number of needy continues to grow even as unemployment has decreased in Hawaii. "A lot more people are coming in who never before had to ask for help," said Capsun Poe, program manager of the clearinghouse.

While the state's notorious high cost of living has many residents living on the edge, generosity has always been part of Hawaii's character. But in the busyness of our own lives, the consideration of others who are worse off sometimes slips our minds.

Thanksgiving next week marks the season of sharing, which doesn't require huge amounts of cash. If every Hawaii resident gave just $1, that would total more than $1 million.

So skip lunch for a day and donate the price of a two-scoop rice plate lunch, or pass on the large fries and give what that would cost. Collect all the loose change from under the sofa cushions and the bothersome pennies you've cleared from your pocket through the year. Instead of buying 10 new CDs or DVDs, by just five and contribute the balance. Volunteer your time or give away the old chest of drawers or bed you no longer use and are paying good money to stash away at some storage facility.

Send donations to Community Clearinghouse, c/o Helping Hands Hawaii, P.O. Box 17328, Honolulu, 96817.

Someone somewhere in the islands will be grateful.