For keikis' sake, stop for that school bus

A headline on CNN's Web site Wednesday talked about how breaking the school bus law is killing our children. A child in New York was killed by a truck driver who blatantly disregarded the law, and to top it off, his attorney says he is not to blame!

Just the other morning I watched from my home as four cars passed a stopped school bus with the red lights flashing as it was loading school children. Come on, people! Stopping for a school bus for a few minutes is not going to kill you; not stopping might kill a child.

I call on law-abiding drivers, bus drivers and pedestrians who witness these selfish lawbreakers to take down license numbers and report them to the police. I urge the police to cite these drivers and judges to hold them strictly and financially accountable. Obey the law!

Comment insulted FEMA recipients

I'm offended by the remark of Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and Civil Defense director: "Unlike some parts of the country, people in Hawaii tell the truth when they ask (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for aid" ("Governor seeks declaration from president for storm aid," Star-Bulletin, April 12).

The downpours of the back-to-back El Ninos of 1982 and '83 loosened a hillside behind my house in a San Mateo County redwood forest. My wife and two boys of 3 and 8 years were inside as I watched 20- and 30-foot redwood trees surf down the hill on their shallow roots. I watched a 210-foot Douglas fir lose its footing, topple and slam down a few yards from my home and family. I gratefully borrowed and later repaid a FEMA loan for repairs.

Those two boys, now young men, gratefully accepted FEMA support to rebuild their lives when Katrina drove them from their beloved New Orleans.

Why not build camps for the homeless?

Here is a suggestion that I hope someone will consider. It would not be a permanent solution for the homeless, but it would be a place where they could feel safe and clean while they get their lives back together. That is for Habitat for Humanity or some other group, even the state or county, to build a compound with tents. It could include feeding facilities like the military uses for field operations and training. There could be shower and toilet facilities.

Perhaps it could be surrounded by chain-link fencing to be sure the people staying there feel safe. It should be located near bus stops.

The state or the counties could provide public land to build such a facility. After all, they do it for the criminals; why couldn't they do it for the temporarily homeless?

Just a thought. I'm sure smarter people than I could even make it better for everyone.

Residents turning on to Kakaako plan

Last Wednesday night, the Kakaako Neighborhood Board asked the Manoa Neighborhood Board to pass a resolution that would halt the proposed Alexander & Baldwin project at Kakaako Makai.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority presented its case, followed by a team of highly vocal opponents. After an hour of vigorous debate, the board members defeated the resolution by a stunning vote of 7 to 2. The meeting will be rebroadcast on Olelo Channel 54 at 9 p.m. tomorrow.

The tide is turning on Kakaako Makai as residents are now awakening to the fact that a well-orchestrated campaign by a tiny group of veteran Manoa-based protesters does not reflect the view of the majority of Hawaii residents, and that A&B has submitted an outstanding proposal that deserves our legislators' support.

In the words of Sen. Willie Espero, "In the spirit of compromise and cooperation, it is time to move forward and develop Kakaako into a multi-use community which will become a true gathering place and landmark for our state."

Let voters decide if lottery is worthwhile

I raise the question again: Why not a state lottery? The recent rains and the much needed repairs to our sewers and roadways and financial needs of our schools could certainly benefit from lottery revenues. I'm sure the tourists would participate, and those who object for religious, moral or other reasons can abstain. Perhaps then the burden of high fees and taxes in our local economy could be reduced.

Let's have a referendum and let the people of our state vote on the issue.

Stop developing our precious shorelines

We must all band together and put a stop to the improper sale of public lands; the influx of out-of-state developers who "rape," abuse and destroy our land to build residential and commercial high-rises for their own financial gain; the overall selling, developing and destroying of our remaining precious shorelines.

What's next? Kakaako Makai, Kalaeloa, Kawela Bay, Sandy Beach, Maunalua Bay, Sand Island, Pupukea (Sharks Cove), Kaena Point, Makapuu, then what, Waianae coastline? Before we know it, there will be a solid wall of high-rises along Oahu's shorelines, leaving nothing for future generations of keiki, kupuna and kanaka maoli. What kind of quality life will they have because of what was taken away from them?

Our government agencies, authorities and politicians must serve the people of Hawaii in a more respectful and diligent manner. They must solicit and include the general public and the immediate surrounding communities of any such development with their input prior to their decision-making process.

Enough is enough. Malama ka aina ... mahalo ke akua.

Escapee responsible for his own death

The people who think that the correctional officer shooting at a convicted felon fleeing a prison transport is an excessive use of force must have no concern about the overall safety of their community ("Gunshot kills detainee after scuffle on Big Isle," Star-Bulletin, April 12). The purpose of prison is to keep convicted felons secured away from the public until they complete their sentences, to protect the community. This is a primary reason why all jurisdictions in the country permit the use of deadly force to prevent escapes.

What would the same people who are condemning the shooting say if the inmate became violent in the community after the escape? Certainly the blame would have been laid squarely on the Department of Public Safety for allowing the inmate to escape. It is a shame that the inmate had to die, but then, it is also a shame that he chose to break the law, and even more, to attempt to escape.

The officer did not initiate the incident, but simply did his job by protecting the public, which will probably result in considerable anxiety on his part. Unfortunately now, both the victim and the officer have suffered as a result of the inmate's poor judgment.