Brainstorm! Challenge

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Biological ties do not bind to adoption

I am infuriated by Kalena Santos' claim that she is Hawaiian because she was adopted by a Hawaiian man. Hawaiian is not a state of mind, it is part of our chemical makeup -- part of our blood. Blood does not transfer with an adoption certificate.

Keikilani Cox
Hilo

Does anyone know basic traffic rules?

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since my family moved to Oahu. After being involved in four traffic accidents, we're moving to safer surroundings. No, it's not the road conditions. It's the attitude of the drivers who don't pay attention to the basic -- and I mean basic -- traffic laws.

Like when my light is green and I cannot proceed because other drivers are rushing the red light. Where do those people need to be that they are in such a hurry? And by the way, waving the shaka as you cut off other drivers doesn't make it OK. That little handle on the steering column doesn't just flash pretty arrows on your dashboard; it also makes other drivers aware of your intentions. A white solid line means do not pass.

In my 30 years of driving, I never have experienced such disregard for traffic laws. I sat at the bus stop at Waimano Home Road and Hoolaulea Street (at the Pearl City police station) during lunch hour on a weekday and observed the following out of 80 or so vehicles:

>> 15 vehicles not stopping on red before turning right (four drivers didn't even look!).
>> six police cars turning left into the station without signaling.
>> 11 vehicles making left turns and rushing through the red light.
>> four vehicles making illegal left turns out of the shopping center.
>> 60-plus vehicles not using turn signals.

Think of all the revenues that could be collected from such violations. But what really scares me is the message that is being sent to the younger drivers. Our own police department doesn't follow the rules, so why should we? Hawaii is a beautiful place to live and work but just too dangerous for me and my family. It's a great place to test your defensive driving skills. Remember to keep your head on a swivel, use your signals and, above all, be careful.

Michael Spinella
Pearl City

Spears proves value of traditional unions

Empty-headed tarts like Britney Spears who get married as a joke are the ones destroying the sanctity of marriage, not gay people. Marriage is not a joke. Marriage is not a toy to play with and discard like a cheap plastic doll. Marriage is supposed to be forever.

Spears' annulment should have been refused; forcing her to divorce might have taught her (and the children who idolize her) an important lesson.

Francine LaPorte
Honolulu

Bush is enlarging the eye of the needle

Last Sunday's Star-Bulletin had an opinion column suggesting President Bush has a religion advantage over Democrats in this year's election.

You probably remember the story of the rich man who asked Jesus what he could do to go to heaven. Give away your earthly possessions and help the poor, he was told, because it was easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven.

In biblical times the eye of the needle was the small door that permitted entry to the city after the gates had been closed. A camel loaded with baggage couldn't get through until his cargo was removed. Then the camel would need to get down on his knees and crawl through.

Word has leaked from a Washington source that Halliburton has won another nonbid contract, this one to enlarge the eye of a needle, creating enough space for the camel to trot through, thus permitting rich men to stroll past St. Peter at the gates of heaven to their eternal penthouses and estates. Stay tuned for the rewriting of the Ten Commandments and U.S. Constitution coming soon to a community near you.

Ron Rhetrik
Mililani

Let Honolulu pay for its own rail system

Will Sen. Cal Kawamoto please explain to me and everyone else who doesn't live on Oahu what benefit we derive by helping to fund a rapid transit system on Oahu (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 9)?

That's like asking all the citizens of Texas to fund a rapid transit system in San Antonio. Or the citizens of Colorado to fund the rail transit system in Boulder. How stupid does he think we all are?

Why don't the people stuck in traffic on Oahu pony up and fund their own rail system? Because most of them will never use it, that's why.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

And since when has a senator, or anyone in city or state government, ever been stuck in traffic anyway?

All state and city government officials should be forced to live in Waianae or Hawaii Kai when they are elected, and required to be at work no later than 8:30 a.m. every day. Then perhaps some logical and reasonable solutions would be forthcoming.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Bill Martin
Kurtistown, Hawaii

Pols should answer for pothole problem

John Pritchett's Jan. 9 letter, "Blame the mayor for those big potholes," was right on it.

Why do we need to call one phone number for city streets and another phone number for state highways to report potholes? How do you know which street is under which jurisdiction? Why can't we call one phone number to report all potholes and have the information channeled to the appropriate government entity? And please, no study to figure out who to man the phones, be they city or state workers.

The facts are evident. The number of vehicles in Hawaii has grown to an all-time high. Fuel consumption has increased along with city, state and federal fuel tax collections. So why are there numerous state and city streets and highways with unraveling asphalt, cracked cement and potholes?

Whatever happened to preventive maintenance of streets and highways so that we can drive safely? We deserve better! We need results and accountability for our fuel taxes.

R. Charles
Laie

Quit blaming coach for players' behavior

Why are Monday morning quarterbacks nailing Coach June Jones to the cross for the historic Hawaii-Houston football Christmas Day thriller?

Calm down. Chalk up the brawl as growing pains for Hawaii's budding home-grown collegiate football program.

In four years, Jones has turned around and delivered the foundation for a successful program by winning games, bowl-game invitations, national exposure and respect, and, most important, recruiting and motivating island football talent. Even the local economy improved.

If there is a need for apologizing, surely those contributing players owe it to their parents, coaches, teammates, school and fans. University of Hawaii football players are young adults and must be held personally responsible for their actions, both on and off the field.

Including all the precautions that will be taken for the next game, no one can ever guarantee that a brawl will never happen again. This unpredictability is the nature of this fascinating and brutal sport.

Bob Iinuma
Waipahu

Parks suffer through another New Year's

On New Year's Eve, many of the basins, toilets and urinals in Oahu's parks were destroyed by vandals using fireworks. Yet fireworks users are seldom cited for the expensive damage they wreak on public facilities.

Oftentimes, as soon as the Parks Department funds, replaces and re-installs the purposely broken or blown-up fixtures, vandals immediately destroy them again.

In some parks, these highly destructive vandals have kept the restroom facilities from working almost all of the time, and they have never been caught or even questioned. Why? Because they know that they aren't a high priority for police or the Parks Department.

When will the state, city and county start requiring security and cameras to catch, try and imprison these idiots and require full restitution?

Phillip St. James
Honolulu

Conkey's devotion will be remembered

With the hubbub of the holidays, I only yesterday read your obituary for Frank Conkey (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 19). I did not want to let it pass without adding my comments.

When I started at the Better Business Bureau 11 years ago, Frank approached me to volunteer and to tell me how the organization should and must be run. His knowledge was great, his passion was infectious and his offer welcomed. He not only gave me a crystal-clear vision of our mission, he brought it into focus for our board of directors and staff. His belief in the BBB never faltered, and we all benefited from his belief in us.

Frank was indefatigable and always hard to find because his many activities kept him so busy. Well into this last decade, he might just as often be found hiking our beloved mountains or acting as a volunteer "secret shopper" for the BBB. He never failed to call me back, even during his manic college fair crunch every year, and never failed to give me considered wisdom -- and usually a great laugh, too.

Individuals who live so long and fully, and touch so many others, live on through the differences they make. On behalf of the BBB and the citizens we serve, I want to express our gratitude for his commitment to everyday ethics and Hawaii's economic vitality.

Anne Deschene
President
Better Business Bureau of Hawaii

Kingdom had success with local school boards

Governor Lingle's suggestion for a public school system with school districts and local school boards is not unfamiliar to the Hawaiian Islands. During the 19th century the Hawaiian kingdom thrived from a school system with multiple districts.

The Hawaiian Kingdom Civil Code shows us that the island of Hawaii had eight school districts, Maui had six (including Molokai and Lanai), Oahu had five and Kauai had six (including Niihau).

The kingdom's Department of Public Instruction included the Board of Education responsible for all public/common schools. Under the BOE was the inspector general, who frequently examined the condition of the schools on each island.

In each district, the BOE appointed a school agent, who served as the treasurer of the school fund and trustee of school property of his district. The school agent, with a justice from his district and one other person elected by the students' parents, formed the school board in each district.

Upon request from the justice or the parent-elected school board member, the school agent was required to show "his book of accounts and all documents explanatory of his official doings."

Was this public school system successful? According to the James Blount Report of 1893, "the native population numbering in 1890, 40,622 persons, contained 27,901 able to read and write.

No country in Europe, except perhaps Germany and England, can make such a showing." Blount also found that this same population was generally literate in both Hawaiian and English. This might be attributed to the kingdom's strong emphasis on education, through its attendance policy, and infrastructure for the country's Department of Public Instruction.

Here in Hawaii, we have a history with and without the use of local school boards. Across the continental United States, local school boards are the norm. The Hawaiian kingdom used school boards and produced a comparable bilingual and literate population.

Today, more than 100 years later, how much farther has the DOE taken our children without local school boards? How much farther will they take our children?

Derek Kauanoe
Honolulu

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] What should the city do with the elegant old sewage pump station? It's empty and fading, and now it's taking a beating from all the construction going on around it. The O.G. Traphagen-designed sewage pump station on Ala Moana Boulevard, more than a century old, is a monument to the glory days of municipal architecture, when city fathers took such pride in their community that even a humble sewage station became a landmark structure. Millions of tourists drive by it every year, and it's an embarrassing reminder of how poorly Honolulu treats its historic landmarks. Over the years, dozens of uses and excuses and blue-sky speculations have been suggested for the striking structure. Now we're asking you, Mr. and Mrs. Kimo Q. Publique, what should the city do with the elegant old pump building? Send your ideas and solutions by Jan. 15 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Fax: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750