[ OUR OPINION ]
‘Ice’ proposal is right
to focus on healthGOVERNOR Lingle is off the mark in asserting that a legislative task force's $21.6 million plan to combat usage of crystal methamphetamine amounts to "simply throwing money at a problem." The task force's proposal correctly regards the "ice" epidemic primarily as a health issue. It recommends that counseling, treatment and drug education be increased and that law enforcement be directed mainly at traffickers. Applying the heavy hand to ice users would be wasteful and ineffective.
THE ISSUE
Governor Lingle has criticized a legislative task force's plan to fight the state's crystal meth crisis for omitting some of her proposals.
Lingle is disappointed that the House-Senate task force rejected her administration's proposal to change the state Constitution to enable police to "walk and talk" with suspected drug traffickers at airports. The task force also was lukewarm to her proposed constitutional amendment to allow broader wiretap laws. In addition, the task force did not support mandatory drug testing in public schools, a proposal supported by Lingle and city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle.
The state Supreme Court has ruled that the walk-and-talk method of confronting suspected drug traffickers is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. The task force regarded drug interdiction as "necessary to deter drug traffickers from importing ice into Hawaii." However, Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, co-chairwoman of the task force, said she doubts that traffickers are trying to sneak substantial amounts of ice past security systems that have been beefed up at airports to prevent terrorism. Her belief that illegal drugs are being imported largely by boat is reasonable.
Carlisle wants to impose drug tests on every public high school student at the opening of the school year and one-fourth of the students randomly through the remainder of the year. Such tests typically cost from $10 to $30 per student. That would be throwing away huge amounts of money to identify students whom teachers already know to be probable drug users by their behavior.
A nationwide survey conducted last year by University of Michigan social scientists found that drug testing in schools had no significant effect on drug use. It found that 37 percent of high school seniors reported having smoked marijuana at schools where students were tested, compared with 36 percent at schools without drug tests.
The task force reported that local and federal prosecutors did not respond to its request for more information about use of wiretaps, but legislators are "willing to consider changes in the wiretap laws."
Federal authorities are permitted to use electronic eavesdropping if they can show a judge probable cause that a crime has been, is being or is about to be committed and a wiretap is likely to produce evidence of the crime. The state process in Hawaii is much more cumbersome, rendering the tactic dormant. Prosecutors have good reason for why the state law ought to be changed, and they should make their case to the Legislature.
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Isn’t a warrior mascot
supposed to be fierce?ESPN announcers had a good chuckle while interviewing the human caricature of a warrior during the University of Hawaii's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Day, but some followers of the UH athletic program are not amused. As the team's mascot, professional comedian Vili Fehoko exaggerates machismo to the max -- and then some. Many followers probably would be relieved if he would tone down his scripts and eliminate some of the action scenes. Perhaps they should relax, pump up their sense of humor and enjoy the show.
THE ISSUE
The words and actions of University of Hawaii football mascot Vili Fehoko have drawn criticism as being too aggressive.
Most universities have mascots wearing costumes that portray the team's nickname -- creatures such as bobcats and alligators or occupations such as cowboys and miners. UH had a terrible time trying to devise a mascot that would portray a rainbow, and the team's name change to Warriors brought a new opportunity.
After a few failed attempts at cartoon costumes, they settled in 2000 on Fehoko, whom Coach June Jones had seen at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Fehoko is paid $400 for each sporting event at which he performs, complete with war paint and drums.
Recently, Fehoko's exuberance has flourished. In overstated warriorese, his mascot character declared to the ESPN folks that the visiting University of Houston players were "not welcome" in Aloha Stadium. While that was a step back from the "Kill the opponents" and "Let's make war" shouts that Manoa officials had advised him to stop repeating, it was hardly the aloha spirit that tourism officials like. But it was consistent with Fehoko's warrior character.
At a home game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Fehoko grabbed the Tide's elephant mascot -- don't ask why an elephant -- picked him up and flung him in the air. The fellow inside the elephant costume was uninjured but sore the day after what Fehoko said was a choreographed confrontation. In an earlier game, Fehoko threw a ti-leaf bracelet, striking the face of an opposing cheerleader who had thrown a pompom at him. (Hey, she started it.)
Fehoko faces a challenge in living up to his role as a ferocious warrior while exhibiting the etiquette of a concierge without coming across as, well, a rainbow. Nobody said show biz was easy.
