Isles reach out to middle of nowhere
This sort of qualifies for "Signs of Hawaiian Life in the Universe." Recently, my family and I were touring the countryside of Germany and found ourselves in Oberammergau, site of the famous "Passion Play" performed every 10 years in Germany in the middle of nowhere. We were looking at a store with cuckoo clocks and crucifixes and I heard the radio playing the initial strains of a familiar song that wound up being Na Leo's "I Miss You, My Hawaii." It was the end of our trip and as we were in the location of the "Passion Play," it seemed a voice from God that it was time for us to go home.
I still can't figure out how it wound up on the playlist of a German station in the middle of nowhere.
Richard Lee-Ching
Hilo, Hawaii
Why is killer's life worth more than ours?
Convicted murderer Peter Bailey, who has been charged with the rape of a 12-year-old girl, represents a long line of repeat offenders who go on to rape and kill after their release from prison, thanks to Hawaii's lenient judicial system (
Star-Bulletin, July 26).
For too many people, the idea of capital punishment makes them feel bad, but it's not the kind of bad the victims of crime feel. So the same rhetoric about fixing the system will be made and how capital punishment is no deterrent and killers will continue to be released from jail to kill again. I guess that's OK with most people.
Paul Mossman
Kailua
Multiculturalism isn't good for local airline
Have you noticed the new airline at Honolulu International Airport? It is HIPINZ Airlines. It is the shell of what appears to be the old Hawaiian Airlines (H), which now chooses to outsource its employment to the lowest bidder in the world.
The information technology section of 20 employees had its jobs sent to India (I). So much for the high-technology future that the governor wants for the state's economy.
The call center work cost 98 Hawaii jobs that went to the Philippines (PI), where there was a reported 30- to 45-minute delay in talking to a reservation agent two weeks ago.
The biggest slap in the face to Hawaii workers by Hawaiian Airlines was the $45 million contract to have its fleet of Boeing 767s serviced in New Zealand (NZ). So much for the aircraft maintenance curriculum at Honolulu Community College and the future for those students.
So the next time you are flying on Hawaiian (HIPINZ) Airlines, just remember the good-paying Hawaii jobs you are helping export to the rest of the world.
Russel Yamashita
Honolulu
Lifeboat Maui being sunk by development
Sometimes I feel like Maui is like a lifeboat with a limited capacity, and yet we continue to pick up struggling swimmers until the boat begins to sink. Maximum capacity is the key concept. How many cars can Honoapiilani highway accommodate? Thirty-thousand, according to the Department of Transportation, so we are already maxed out. How much sewage can the West Maui wastewater treatment plant handle? Smells like it's maxed out to me. How many people can Emergency Medical Services help at one time? The entire west side has only two medics. There are only two holding cells at the Lahaina police station. The schools are at maximum capacity. What is the maximum capacity of tour boats Honolua Bay can handle?
We must plan what we choose to develop. Don't wait until the maximum capacity has been exceeded and we all start to go down. Be proactive! Plan to meet our infrastructure needs first, then we can plan for smart growth in the areas that we choose. The first step is to get out there and vote for politicians who fight for our needs and wants. Next, get involved in your local community and be the change you wish to see.
Wayno Cochran
www.savehonolua.org
Honolua Bay, Maui
Severely punish gun-toting criminals
As a staunch advocate of the right to bear arms, I find the reclassification of Ruben Royce's home invasion with a gun as reckless endangerment instead of attempted murder a blatant miscarriage of justice ("Shooting found dangerous but not murderous,"
Star-Bulletin, July 21). If anyone commits a crime using a weapon of any sort, the use of a weapon should automatically classify the crime as attempted murder. Why should we believe that the miscreant did not intend to harm anyone?
Royce was lucky he did not shoot someone. Outlawing guns will not keep guns out of the hands of felons, but punishing people who use guns illegally will.
T.M. Allard
Ewa Beach
Lahaina party doesn't mock Hawaiian culture
In response to
Wednesday's article about Lahaina's "indecent" Halloween festivities: Is there no humor in false nudity? Don't participate in a pagan celebration if you are gonna get offended or are too young. You say you want culture; fund and celebrate makahiki, we even have games like kilu and umiumi. Traditional garments made of tapa were removed before entering the water.
So teach your kids what humans look like, or stay indoors away from the scary phallus or, heaven forbid, barechested women.
Chris Camarillo
Kailua
Troops went quietly as civilians slumbered
On the night of the 23rd, while your city slept, members of the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division at Fort Shafter convoyed their Stryker vehicles and other equipment to Pearl Harbor to load on ships for Long Beach, Calif. They will meet it there in late August and train for two months at the National Training Center in the desert to prepare for their 15-month tour in Iraq.
They moved their equipment at night so as not to inconvenience commuters. Forgotten now is that the interstate highway system was built as a National Defense Highway System on which military traffic was assured priority. They go to California because they cannot fire or use most of their equipment in Hawaii, this land that was the threshold of war for America a short half-century ago.
There was no mention of the passing of the 6,000 through the night while Oahu slept. There was no story or photos in the paper as they prepared to leave their homes and families.
Thus do Hawaii and all America, for that matter, mark the passing of this generation to war. They deserve better but they go quietly without disturbing the sleep of their countrymen.
My son was among them.
Jack Lewis
Oakland, Calif.