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Attacks on visitors shame all Hawaii

This is in regards to the two tourists who were attacked ("Visitor brutally attacked," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 24 and "Boy faces charges in lighter attack," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 22).

As a person who was born and raised here and being of Hawaiian descent, I feel ashamed about what happened to these individuals. Where is the aloha that we as a state claim to have? Do these attackers realize that our state relies on tourists?

It is too obvious that they aren't educated enough to know something even that simple. They have shamed not only themselves, but Hawaii as well. Picking on people who are not from here is too easy. Maybe they should pick on people their own size. Oh wait, they've already proved that they're nothing but scared wimps.

Thanks to those who aided campaign

It is unfortunate that 10,000 ballots, perhaps many of them from my supporters, went uncounted in the primary election. Nonetheless, I want to offer my sincere mahalo to the thousands of people who did vote for me, the drivers who encouraged me as I stood by the roadside, and the many who contributed their thoughts to our solution-based campaign.

We are proud to have brought new ideas to answering some of our state's most vexing problems: health care, prescription drug benefits, agriculture and affordable housing.

It was a privilege to run for public office and to learn from, and share the concerns of our citizens. I pray that elected and appointed officials will arise and respond to them.

This gives 'election bid' a whole new meaning

After the horrible turnout for last weekend's primary election and projecting that the general election won't be much better, it is apparent that our system of selecting individuals to run our government isn't working. We need to fix the process.

Because we neglect our right to vote, we have nobody but ourselves to blame for the dismal representation, incompetence, graft and corruption that we find in our public offices.

So, I suggest an alternative whereby we might profit from our apathy. We should consider auctioning public offices. The success of E-Bay and HSN to acquire goods and services might be a better approach to staffing our government than elections.

Handled properly, auctioning off public offices could raise copious amounts of money. We wouldn't improve the quality of our representation, but the additional income would be very useful for deferring the mounting expenses being levied on us by our public servants. Let's give it a try. Do I hear an opening bid for mayor of Honolulu?

Local school boards scare BOE incumbents

In your Sept. 21 paper, Garrett Toguchi, who is running for re-election to the Board of Education, claims that the public supports the incumbent BOE members and wants them to stay in office.

But the votes don't count up the way Toguchi claims. It is our understanding that every winner in every BOE race was outvoted by blank votes, under votes, or the combination of blank votes and votes for their opponents. At least 233,949 times voters did not choose any candidate at all in the BOE races.

What that tells us is that the public does not know anything about BOE candidates because there are too many of them, and most do not live in the voter's district. So only the fortunate few who have a familiar name or the money to buy publicity actually get elected.

That's not public support for the status quo; that's confusion, apathy and a lousy way to run a public education system.

Perhaps if we let people vote for local school boards, we'd find out what the public really wants. We might find we have more people paying attention to who is elected to their local school board. Perhaps this is what scares the incumbents on the current BOE.

Taxi and riders both play a waiting game

Regarding Rob Perez' Sept. 20 story, "Taxi users say service at airport insufficient":

Good article, but you missed an important point: After I have a long wait for a cab, I ask the driver how long he has been waiting to get a fare. Invariably his wait has been even longer.

Fares are waiting for cabs, while the cabbies are waiting for fares. Too stupid, even for Hawaii.

Somebody, wake up the taxi dispatchers

My wife and I have disciplined ourselves to travel with carry-on baggage only. This puts us at the taxi station shortly after our plane arrives.

After our last two trips, we waited about 30 minutes for taxis. By the time we got one, the passengers with checked baggage were in a long line behind us.

I asked one taxi driver what the problem was; he said there were a large number of taxis in the staging area waiting for dispatchers to call for them.

I'm sure I could call my usual taxi company as soon as I got off the plane and have a taxi waiting for me at curbside -- if only this was legal.

No more waiting -- restore the Natatorium

It is time to repair and restore the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium to its full glory. We have deprived an entire generation from having the same experiences we enjoyed and thereby, help to sever one more bit of our culture. By official negligence and our own apathy, we have dishonored those for whom this memorial was built.

Our moral obligation is to keep the trust to those who battled and whose names are forever etched on the stone plaque that guards the entrance to the Natatorium. The Natatorium is the only salt water pool in the world and should be completed. Salt water is a cure all. In more than 50 years, no one has ever contacted sores of any kind.

So let's get started. Imua Hawaii -- let's go!

Twenty years ago, the Friends of the Natatorium was organized to ensure the complete restoration and re-use of the Natatorium. The work is half complete. Now let us finish the project.

Will they plant a condo to replace arboretum?

Regarding the closing of the Lyon Arboretum: How long do you think it will be before the condos go up there? It's a perfect spot, and while the neighborhood managed to keep out an old folk's home, can it prevail against the state and University of Hawaii and big bucks?

Kerry has plan to end disaster in Iraq

Iraq has been an unmitigated disaster, thanks to President Bush's incompetence. Insurgents control much of the country. We have lost more than 1,000 American lives. And this chaos has cost U.S. taxpayers $200 billion.

Bush's failure to plan for the post-war realities in Iraq also has been a disaster. The failure to find weapons of mass destruction has dealt a serious blow to U.S. credibility.

Bush's opponent, Sen. John Kerry, has a plan to restore the peace in Iraq. He'll start by making it a truly international effort, bringing allies into the reconstruction process. Kerry will convene a summit with Iraq's neighbors to ensure they respect Iraq's borders and don't interfere in Iraq's internal affairs.

This November we have a choice between four years of failed policies or a new direction for our country. I'm choosing John Kerry.

Kerry will restore competent leadership

Your opinion ("Kerry finally focuses on Bush's Iraq policy," Star-Bulletin editorial, Sept. 23) that Kerry's formula for the future of Iraq is "not significantly different from present policy" is half right. True, there aren't many ways to climb out of the deep hole President Bush has dug for us in Iraq. But John Kerry's formula has one important difference: It will be carried out competently.

Be very concerned if Bush isn't re-elected

In response to the letter by Alethea Lai of Kamuela, "Be very concerned if Bush is re-elected," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 24:

I am pleased at how many people support President Bush. His administration does a good job of balancing security to our homeland with the liberty our citizens enjoy. Despite the liberal-leaning major media, such as the networks and CNN, Americans are too smart to be confused by their propaganda.

Thankfully, Bush handled the events of 9/11 well, and didn't stop there. Let there be no mistake, the war in Iraq is definitely a war. The death toll between American soldiers and Iraqis is an unfortunate reality of war. But even though the 9/11 Commission did not find an operational link between the Saddam regime and the 9/11 terrorists, it did find links of communication that are troubling.

The deficit, while high as the result of an inherited recession and the expense of the war, is projected to come down. Bush has worked with Congress to fund education at record levels while, paying attention to the environment, family and children's programs, and cutting taxes.

If re-elected, Bush will make our country and the world safer. Thank goodness America does not have to rely on the strength and support of Europe for its security, for we would face a larger threat. The world should be very concerned about this election if Bush does not get re-elected.

Please, stop calling it a quagmire

Just what makes a war a quagmire? Time or casualties?

Was the Korean War a quagmire? We were in Korea for 37 months, and I don't remember anyone calling it a quagmire. When did the Vietnam war become a quagmire? Although U.S. advisers were there in 1950, ground troops did not land there until 1965, and Americans pulled out in 1973. The total Americans killed was 58,000.

We have been in Iraq for about 18 months and have had less than 1,100 Americans killed. Is that a quagmire? Why?

I don't object to writers being against war, but I object to the misuse of words to describe it.

Quagmire is "soft miry land that yields under the foot" and a "predicament." Is "predicament" an accurate description of the Iraq war. If so, why not use it instead? Because quagmire just doesn't fit.

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] Planting an idea The first and last thing visitors see as they encounter Hawaii -- other than security personnel instructing them to take off their shoes -- is the elevated freeway by Honolulu's airport. Accordingly, when it was built, it was designed to be attractive, including a meandering garden running down the center of the lower level, and, up top, set between the elevated concourses, large planter boxes. The idea was to plant wonderful hanging gardens that would delight visitor and resident alike, and for a while, they did. But the state Department of Transportation is focused these days on potholes, not on making the roads look pretty. The elevated gardens have become choked with weeds and debris. So fire up those brain cells. What other use could these midair garden plots be used for? Thematic displays? Lei stands? Minimum-security prisons? Foosball diamonds? Storage for giant downtown Christmas ornaments? Headquarters for our newly reduced National Guard? A place for all the dirt from Castle Junction? Instead of offshore gambling, elevated gambling? Send us your ideas about what should be done with these highly visible, weed-racked lots. E-mail your ideas and solutions -- please include your name and address -- by Oct. 20 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or fax to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750 Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813