Wolf Pack far greater than 'bothersome'

I have enjoyed the Star-Bulletin's coverage of the University of Hawaii Volleyball Wahine in general and the recent Western Athletic Conference championship in particular. However, I feel I must protest a little at having one of the Wahine's toughest opponents, Nevada's Wolf Pack, characterized as merely "bothersome Nevada" (Star-Bulletin, Nov. 22).

This Wolf Pack almost defeated the Wahine in a five-game match a few weeks ago that was the most dramatic game of the season, as well as being tough opponents the first time we met them this season. While they faltered in games three and four, they were never merely "bothersome" and the Wahine had to dig down deep to pull off their truly thrilling victory. It undermines their effort and the big win not to give Nevada the accolades it deserves as a worthy opponent.

I look forward to your continued coverage as the Wahine storm the NCAA!

BRT isn't that much more efficient

We repeatedly see Mayor Harris on TV imploring us to ride the Bus Rapid Transit. He says it "runs mostly on electricity and doesn't pollute." I wish the mayor thought more deeply about things. The only source of all of the energy for this bus is the diesel engine, which moves the bus and generates the electricity to charge the batteries for an electrical boost when necessary.

By various tricks, this bus is more efficient than conventional buses by some percentage, maybe 25 percent if we are lucky. Whether or not this increased efficiency justifies the higher capital cost is questionable. Actually, automotive exhaust is not a major problem for Honolulu where we have the trades to carry it away. Also, the word "mostly" in the mayor's statement is a major exaggeration.

We must expose atrocities to public

Reading John A. Broussard's letter to the editor ("U.S. should keep cameras out of Iraq," Nov. 21), I get the impression that he wants the United States to be more like the Nazis, since he compares what is happening today in Iraq (Abu Ghraib, 100,000-plus civilian casualties and more) and what happened in Vietnam (My Lai), to the Nazi Program, and the leveling of the village of Lidice. Keep the public (and other countries) uninformed of what really goes on. Keep the fallout low. Build a regime (whoops, administration) of yes-men and -women who tell you only what you want to hear. Say that you have God's support to do virtually anything you feel is "morally" right (Hitler did just that).

I doubt that destroying the country in order to save it is in any way necessary. Invading a sovereign country that was no threat to ours, and becoming an occupying force that fans the flames of terrorism worldwide, does not make this country any safer. I lay no blame on the men and women who put their lives on the line daily for doing what their superiors demand. The incompetence of the intelligence and planning is the main cause of the "fallout." The responsibility goes all the way to the White House. The American public has a right to know this.

By the way, a German soldier did film the destruction of the village of Lidice, showing other soldiers laughing and otherwise celebrating the event. It was shown as evidence during the Nuremberg trials.

Football leagues should be combined

Why is it that ILH football and other related sporting events are not televised like the OIA? It seems to me that there may be a lot of interest for folks who are unable to attend but desire to partake in the event. The Big Island is integrated, so is Maui.

I noticed that at the beginning of the football season the OIA played the ILH in non-league games. Is there a reason that these games cannot become part of the regular system?

If the OIA and ILH were to combine the leagues and have two divisions, similar to the neighbor islands, there would be a lot more interest and participation by fans and students alike. There would be a lot more revenue generated at the games. There would probably be more concession sales, parking fees and newspapers sold. All in all, a win-win situation for all involved.

I commend Keith Amemiya, executive director of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, for a job well done. I hope that others within this community rally behind him in getting both the ILH and OIA integrated into one league for all high school sporting events.

Don't blame owners for lessees' problems

Regarding William H. Cooper's letter, "Revoking lease-to-fee law now is criminal" (Star-Bulletin, Nov. 21): Cooper has a basic misunderstanding of how leasehold values are set.

What is the source of his 5,000 owner-occupied leasehold condominiums and co-ops still to be converted under Chapter 38? The lessor Team's Supplemental Report of the Leasehold Conversion Task Group indicated that there were only 1,172 owner-occupied units in Chapter 38-qualified projects. There are qualifications specified in Chapter 38 that discourage most owners from taking advantage of the law.

Where did he get his average investment of $200,000 per home? The truth is landowners leased land for 65 years with 30 years fixed rent. The landowners never intended that these units would be sold. It was the lessees who bid up the prices of the leasehold interest through speculation. The landowners received none of the speculative profits. Don't blame the landowners if a lessee paid $200,000 for a unit on the assumption that the fee simple interest would be available to purchase. The lease agreement, all subsequent assignment of leases and the state-mandated disclosure statement never stated that the land would be available for purchase. The lessees should look to lessees who sold them the units for satisfaction, not the landowners.

Charter school needs new Kona location

Innovations Public Charter School in Kailua Kona is in great need of a campus. As one of the parents of two children attending this school, I can attest to the urgent matter at hand in finding a location for the school.

The school is currently located on the Kahakai School campus. Kahakai needs all of its classrooms due to the growth in the community and subsequent increased student enrollment. That leaves IPCS with 120 students without classrooms after this school year.

I ask everyone in the island communities to reach out and talk about this. Someone somewhere might know about a family, trust, business or individual interested in donating a building or land in Kailua to relocate this wonderful school.

IPCS has been receiving accolades confirming the hard work put forth by the students and teachers. Recently, the school received a Hawaii Distinguished Schools Award and turned in West Hawaii's highest math score on the 2004 Hawaii State Assessment.

Please help support Innovations Public Charter School by helping us find a new campus.

False documents mean trouble only for some

Isn't it ironic that Dan Rather is being pushed out of his CBS anchor position for using documents that couldn't be authenticated regarding President Bush dodging his military obligations, while Bush, Cheney and Rice are still in power after using false documents and information to take our country to war?

And the only administration official, Secretary of State Colin Powell, who expressed some reservation about the intelligence and who ended up destroying his credibility by following-his-leader, is being pushed out? Very ironic.