Lingle should have asked Harbin basics

As a resident of District 28, I am shocked that Governor Lingle thinks that Bev Harbin can represent our community well (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 23). How can she when she only moved in a month ago? Has she ever attended a neighborhood board meeting? Visited our schools? Participated in community events? I've never seen her.

Lingle says she interviewed interested candidates, although she has never revealed who these people are. Did she ask them how long they've lived in the district? Or what they've done for the community? Or how long they've been members of the Democratic Party?

No other governor has ever appointed someone with these kinds of "credentials." No other governor has so blatantly ignored the wishes of the district. This is the "new beginning"?

Lingle made a mistake and should fix it

I am totally disgusted and disappointed with the actions that Governor Lingle has taken in the matter of appointing a replacement for Rep. Ken Hiraki's seat.

In her campaign for governor, she claimed that she would be appointing only people who were of the highest integrity and qualifications and that it would be based on what you know and not who you know.

It seems to me that she has already forgotten that pledge.

With her appointment of Harbin, she not only appointed someone who is not qualified but someone who hasn't been in the community that she is supposed to represent. Listening to her excuses for her problems with the tax department, she seems to be blaming everyone else except herself for her failed business and financial problems. What an insult to the community to appoint someone like Harbin.

Governor Lingle, you made a mistake. Have the guts to correct it!

Youngsters inspired by early immigrants

Last week, I saw a TV show about Kayo Hatta, director of the acclaimed film "Picture Brides" that told stories of issei, first-generation Japanese immigrant women to Hawaii. Kayo's family and my family came together to Hawaii in the 1800s, and she is the granddaughter of one of those issei women.

Kayo's mission was to tell people like me the stories of our great-grandmothers so that we could better appreciate their contribution to Hawaii. Theirs are stories of great courage and, above all, an unshakable belief in democracy and in Hawaii's future.

This week, I will watch a DVD that includes my great-grandmother, made by the University of Hawaii. It is about Hawaii people who promoted democracy with compassion, respect and vision. My great-grandmother Kiyo Imamura was a Buddhist bishop's wife, the daughter of an abbot and, most of all, a missionary for democracy. She would have loved Kayo's film, and she would be interested in knowing what my generation will do with this legacy.

Knowing what Kiyo Imamura pioneered and accomplished, and what Kayo Hatta envisioned and achieved, my little brother and I are trying hard to think of our role and contribution to Hawaii. But we are lucky -- we have amazing role models.

Cops put themselves on the line for us

Not many other professions suffer from negative perception more than law enforcement. The corruption of the few casts a trenchant stain of mistrust and cynicism in people predisposed to believe the worst. It is through this prejudiced lens that letter writer Justin Hahn (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 18) chose to accuse an entire profession of hubris validated by a badge. Whatever experiences Hahn has encountered cannot nullify the fact that the greater number of cops are decent, hard-working people.

What blanket statement critics of cops fail to mention is that cops are our first responders. They are there at every accident, break-in, domestic altercation, robbery and the list can go on for quite a while. Victims of crime can attest to how considerate and reassuring officers are when dealing with frazzled nerves. Cops are the ones who bear witness to how badly people can behave. The things they see may be unbearable to most of us. Yet they are judged collectively by the actions of a few deviants.

I do not know any cops so I am not writing to defend one or any. I do feel that for the most part they are dedicated and worthy of appreciation they rarely get from the public. Let's not wait for one to save our life to say "thanks for putting your life on the line every day."

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