More officials should have courage to serve

As an aging World War II vet, I was surprised and shocked to read in your paper that only three elected officials in Hawaii -- Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou and state Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Tamayo -- are in the Reserves or National Guard ("Lawmakers await Middle East deployment news," Star-Bulletin, July 7).

First, I want to commend Djou, Takai and Tamayo for being true public servants. These three not only give their time to our community as lawmakers, they also volunteer to defend our nation's laws, with their lives if necessary. I would vote for these three if I could.

Second, I am extremely disappointed that Hawaii has so few elected officials with military backgrounds. Military service should never be a prerequisite to hold elective office, but it is important in the post-9/11 era.

In the upcoming election, maybe voters should take the time to see if a candidate has military experience. Hawaii thrives on a strong civilian-military connection, and we need more elected officials like Djou, Takai and Tamayo.

Milton G. Kealoha
Honolulu

Please, regents, resign so we can recover

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents' surreptitious firing of President Evan Dobelle has made us the laughingstock in the world of academia.

How can the regents make cogent judgments about Dobelle when they're not even aware of what each other is doing concerning policy and contracts? The inanity of their regime, the escalating costs of their ever-growing group of lawyers and future secret payout to Dobelle will cause everyone's wallet to be a bit thinner at the end of this foul-smelling fiasco.

Hawaii will be hard-pressed to lure top-flight academics to our proud university due to the Third World reputation of our Board of Regents.

My heartfelt plea to the board: Please resign before we have to endure more semantic butchery and give Hawaii a fighting chance to recover from this regent-inflicted debacle.

Jimmy Borges
Honolulu

'Public purpose' is at core of Chapter 38

We appreciate the Star-Bulletin's June 4 coverage of the Leasehold Task Group Report presented to the City Council on June 3; however, the story missed crucial elements of the report and testimony regarding the worth of Chapter 38.

Chapter 38 is not working. The numerous leasehold conversions cited have no linkage with C38, but represent free market commerce between buyers and sellers. Despite the city administration's strenuous efforts, there have been no leasehold condemnations under C38; quite the contrary, circuit court judges have recently issued summary judgments against the city and its lessee-clients at the luxury Kahala Beach Apartments and Admiral Thomas, citing false certification regarding lessee eligibility.

Most important, however, is the evaluation of public purpose imbedded in Chapter 38. Despite suggestions otherwise, the courts have never affirmatively examined any public purpose embraced by C38; they have simply ruled it not unconstitutional. The same can be said of the deceased van-cam law.

Leasehold condominium properties support homeless outreach programs sponsored by the Methodist Church, services to orphans and indigents and educational programs at Kamehameha Schools. Chapter 38 effectively seeks to diminish services to these beneficiaries in favor of the financial gain of Realtors and owners of 1,172 condo-apartments.

Bob and Paulette Moore
Pearl City

It's a stretch for GOP to blame Clinton

Regarding the July 21 front-page story with the GOP blaming Clinton for the 9/11 attacks: Members of the GOP should first ask themselves what President Bush was doing about terrorism threats from Jan. 20, 2000, to Sept. 11, 2001. Bush had a full 20 months to address this situation.

We must accept as much responsibility on ourselves before blaming someone else.

Michael Nomura
Kailua

Voters need to fight anti-driving attitudes

Why does our government hate drivers? The fact that there are more than 750,000 licensed drivers in Hawaii and that drivers outnumber voters by a significant margin should lead one to believe elected officials would be interested in not attacking this group. That is not the case.

A battle had to be fought against speed bumps and traffic-calming devices. We are looking at losing traffic lanes to the Bus Rapid Transit and beautification efforts. We are to lose parking and traffic lanes to make Oahu more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. We have the prospect of a multi-billion-dollar train being bandied about when we could widen Fort Weaver Road and do other needed driver-friendly things for a fraction of the cost.

The city seems determined to make driving in Waikiki as unpleasant as possible. And let's not forget the van-cam fiasco. The Libertarian Party was the only one fighting that for years before it was actually initiated.

If you drive and you're tired of being scolded and attacked, you need to ask those people seeking your vote this year where they stand on driving issues. Don't be shy. Otherwise, you leave your fate up to a handful of anti-driving activists.

Tracy Ryan
Chairwoman
Libertarian Party of Hawaii
Honolulu

Redoing Ala Wai is constant and costly

I was born and raised on Oahu, and this B.S. about the Ala Wai project in Waikiki is upsetting to read about ("Ala Wai face lift on the way," Star-Bulletin, July 12). First, didn't we spend millions on beautifying it in the late 1980s and early '90s?

Now they want to change it again! Tourists come to Hawaii to see the old things, the things that they read about in countless novels and have seen in movies. If they want bike lanes and to pave every square inch to make parking, they could stay home.

We really need to stop the constant rebuilding of Hawaii.

David Mayeda
Las Vegas

Road work turns Waikiki into blast zone

For a moment, let's consider how the following proposal might be received. I have a plan to improve the Honolulu International Airport. I'm going to tear up most of the runways while the work is going on. When I'm done there will be less ramp space to park aircraft and we won't be able to accommodate as many flights as we do now.

Do you think I'll get tossed out on my okole?

But that is what's going on in Waikiki. Kuhio Avenue has all the ambience of a minefield. Construction has reduced four lanes of traffic to two occasionally one). Buses are forced to stop in the middle of the street, cross-street traffic is a mess and pedestrians are trekking across mounds of dirt or sharing the street with buses and cars. Emergency vehicles often have great difficulty responding to calls.

Those who are using Ala Wai Boulevard to go Ewa-bound are in for a rude surprise. The city plans to start a construction project soon on Ala Wai that will permanently remove one lane of traffic and about 25 percent of the curbside parking (Star-Bulletin, July 17). The disruptions will start while Kuhio Avenue still is practically impassable. I guess the emergency-services folks will have to start using helicopters to get around in Waikiki.

Mr. Mayor, what is the rush? Why can't you clean up one mess before you start another? And what have you got against cars?

Robert Kessler
Waikiki

Wow, how is that guy used to being treated?

Fox News just featured the Filipino truck driver recently released by his captors in Iraq. As he left the airplane, the announcer said he has become "beloved" by the public.

About his experience as a hostage, he said, "My captors treated me very well."

Hey, I don't know about that guy, but anyone who kidnaps me, beats me, puts me on the telly with a sword over my head and threatens to cut my head off is not treating me very well.

Arnold van Fossen
Waikiki

Bush ticket using VP's gay daughter for votes

I was reading the paper the other day about President Bush on his views on the gay marriage, how he is against it.

But then you have the vice president's wife, Lynne Cheney, talking about their daughter. When they ran for office the first time, they let everyone know about the gay issues. Not with a new election coming up. Bush is talking against gay partnership.

I think the Bush administration is just using the vice president's daughter to get the gay vote. You didn't hear about her during the last couple of years. But now you do.

I am a proud mother of a gay child. I would like them to have the same rights as everyone else. The government should stay out of it.

Virginia Jerome
Kaneohe