Common sense lost in clouds of smoke

Can someone please tell me where the common sense went on the Fourth of July, when I was at the campgrounds at Nimitz Beach and saw people lighting off fireworks in the woods around the campsite? If those trees had gone up the whole beach would've burned down, thanks to one idiot's mistake or the idiot's kid who was unsupervised.

I love watching fireworks but please take a minute and think about what you're doing.

Every year I think Hawaii is closer to banning all fireworks because of the stupidity that runs rampant on July 4 and New Year's, and I'm not talking about tourists, either -- it's locals. How can you yell at us haoles when your kids (and adults, too) are throwing firecrackers at cars, letting aerials land in the bushes and not reporting the fire or just basically not thinking?

Let's continue to have fun and safe Fourth of July fireworks.

UH pitcher Tatsuno deserved great career

Sports reporter Dave Reardon did a great job of storytelling on the Derek Tatsuno story (Star-Bulletin, July 4). I was on campus at the University of Hawaii throughout the 1970s and certainly remember how great he was.

Moreover, it's really nothing short of tragedy that he never got to pitch in the majors. It seems as though there was a reverse parochialism in those days among the locals who were advising him that he'd fit better in Japan. What an unfortunate outcome for Derek and his fans.

Reardon did an amazing job of balancing the story so carefully to capture the essence without dwelling on any particular element. Derek's story was a "big wow" that led, unfortunately, to unfulfilled potential that was a big letdown.

Masterful job of writing worthy of the greatness that was Derek Tatsuno. You nailed it like one of his fastballs nailing the corner.

Charter schools should be better funded

I am writing to voice full support for charter schools. It is a great shame that funding for charter schools is not plentiful because charter schools demonstrate viable, successful, free educational opportunities for all. Charter schools are filling educational gaps by thinking outside of the traditional public school system format with innovative teaching methods derived from three decades of data about how to successfully educate kids. Methods like hands-on, project-based learning, team teaching and small class sizes are normal and effective in charter schools.

I believe all Americans deserve the choice to pick successful, alternative education for our children without having to pay a private school's tuition.

Charter schools having to scrape and compete for funding is a reflection of our country's warped sense of priorities. With a very expensive and failing war in Iraq, a failing war on drugs, overcrowding in prisons and an increasingly competitive international work force, I would think our leaders would be scraping to provide educational opportunities, not hinder them.

Maui's West Side needs emergency plan

I recently taught a Red Cross lifeguard class on the West Side. One of the concepts stressed: Facilities need an emergency action plan (EAP). Does the county of Maui have any emergency action plan for the West Side when we are cut off from the rest of the island?

Fires and road closures that prevent access to the only hospital occur at least once a year. We should have an EAP and educate the community about what to do in these situations.

A suggestion for immediate solution : If the road is closed, automatically have a ferry service to run between Lahaina Harbor and Maalaea with bus services at each end (especially to hospital/airport). This would be one way to mitigate the impact of indefinite road closures to the West Side.

Tourists are rude and should go home

I work in Waikiki and daily come in contact with visitors, from the mainland as well as from other countries. Although we welcome all guests to our island state, it seems nothing is too good for them. I am sick and tired of hearing the aloha word being abused by them. It seems they feel that they can be rude, misbehave, swear, get drunk and rowdy, criticize and look down upon us, and we are supposed to accept it in the spirit of aloha.

It is time we stood up for our honor and told visitors that they are welcome to visit and enjoy our land and hospitality, but if they do not like this place they are welcome to leave ... quietly. Abusing our aloha spirit can quickly turn hospitality into hostility.

Governor should veto changes for CPAs

The bill affecting certified public accountants that the governor plans to veto would change existing law and move Hawaii in the wrong direction. House Bill 0091 eliminates accounting and auditing in the private or government sectors as qualifying experience to become a CPA. It also lowers the educational requirements for an applicant for a CPA license.

This would be wrong for the future of our profession and especially unfair to accounting students. The change would not affect current CPAs, but it would have a drastic effect on future CPAs. Why should they be forced to stay in any one segment of the accounting profession? The profession has changed and continues to change as the services of CPAs extend beyond traditional tax and audit work.

Please do not penalize the future of the accounting profession. I urge our legislators to keep the existing law as is.