Don't we already pay for Warriors games?

Mike Lucich (Letters, Sept. 11) makes a good point in decrying a 60-buck charge to watch a bit of Warrior football on TV. My question is, why must he pay anything at all? After all is said and done, the University of Hawaii feeds out of a full trough of our tax dollars; we feed the jocks, house them, clothe them, provide them with pocket money, provide transportation, represent them I court, boost their grades if they attend class and graduate them even if they don't.

Viewing a game gratis seems a reasonable benefit to the taxpayer, huh?

Watch out, townies, TheBoat is coming

We, the People for the Preservation of the Way of Life of the Residents of Honolulu, believe that the city pilot project "TheBoat" is not what it seems to be, and we want to encourage all townies to ask questions about what is really being planned and what the impacts will be to those of us who live in town from those who are traveling from the Ewa/Leeward side of the island. We demand an environmental impact statement to be completed to answer our questions! Questions like: Do we want to experience more traffic congestion with all the added city buses that will be picking up the Ewa/Leeward riders up in town? Do we want to risk whales, turtles and town tilapia being killed? Do we want to risk losing town seabirds? Do we want to risk increased drug trafficking and crime in town? Most of all, do we want to risk the arrival of invasive species from the Ewa/Leeward side? Are we comfortable letting the military use TheBoat? What if the Ewa/Leeward country folks steal our town river rocks?

I urge all townies to rally at Honolulu Harbor and jump in the water to block TheBoat from docking. After all, those country folks from the Ewa/Leeward side will be eating our food, taking up space in our town restaurants, taking our town surf spots and riding our town buses! Don't worry about the Coast Guard arresting you, they will be too busy on Kauai to worry about us.

Relax, everyone, I am kidding!

Surfers can head for lesser-known spots

As a resident of Hawaii for 20 years and a surfer, I can see both sides of this argument with interest. I can see that the Superferry people should have followed protocol regarding the environmental impact statement, but on the whole I think the Superferry would have less impact than other means of transport (marine and air).

Maybe, as a surfer, I would tend to be possessive of my surf spots, but living on Kauai, Maui and Oahu, I know that though the crowds will always be at Waikiki, Makaha, Sunset or Pipeline, there are always other spots off the beaten path.

Let's show some consideration from all sides. I, for one, would love to take the ferry over an interisland flight; and as an artist, I'd love to put some "aloha" on its drab exterior.

Ferry travel creates great possibilities

Methinks the protesters against the Superferry are in cahoots with the interisland airways that will stand to lose the most if the Superferry operates. I smell a rat.

Imagine if here in Seattle we could only get to the Olympic Peninsula by airplane. Imagine having a ferry system in place for decades and not one whale hit. Imagine being able to see your islands without having to pay a fortune to the interisland airlines. Imagine being able to live on one island and work on another. Imagine having a well-regulated ferry system to prevent pollution and whale deaths. Even Washington state ferries started as private companies. You have to start somewhere.

For every tree cut down, plant two more

With all the commotion over the Superferry, the story of tree removal in Ala Moana Beach Park has received scant notice by the people of Oahu. I understand the justifications. Notwithstanding, if you plan to cut down a 100-year-old tree, perhaps you will plant a new one, or two, in case one of them dies.

How about planting some shade trees along University Avenue? Or King Street, Diamond Head of University? Last election, the voters gave this government a mandate that Hawaii is for pedestrians and cyclists. The mayor should spend less time criticizing his predecessor and more time trying to emulate his legacy of shade trees for pedestrians and cyclists.

Before the mayor blocks off another sidewalk, tears out another shade tree or puts in another service to support motorists, he needs to stop and re-evaluate his priorities. What is he doing for the responsible citizens who are doing what they can to reduce traffic and our dependence on oil?

If I were mayor, I'm sure I wouldn't want my legacy to be that I cut down more trees than any other mayor in the history of the city. Mayor Hannemann, no more excuses. Before you cut down any more trees, consider planting a few replacements.