Wall in Bethlehem divides more than land

In response to the article on Saturday by Mary Adamski, it's about time we hear from and about the Palestinian Christians. "Boxed In" is only the tip of the iceberg for Palestine, which President Jimmy Carter has described as "apartheid" and Bishop Tutu has said is worse than his native South Africa.

The article was so poignant as it showed Claire's home in Bethlehem surrounded on three sides by the illegal wall. So much has been written about this tragedy, I am amazed that anyone would blame the Palestinians. Israeli has illegally occupied the land while enslaving the Palestinians with checkpoints and imprisonment and now a wall built on Palestinian land.

Every Christian church in Honolulu should get to know Claire and sent her home with money for her fellow Christians and assurance of continued protests to our government and Israel with a demand, in the words of President Reagan. "Tear down that wall."

Harmful noise should be taken seriously

The excellent letter Nov. 4 (Lesser species ruin the nighttime peace) on noise nuisance motivates me to add my two cents' worth. There are two basic types of noise nuisance: continuous (sound over a prolonged period of time) and impulse (sound that starts and stops abruptly). Depending on the duration and loudness, both can be harmful, and both can cause permanent hearing loss.

Why would someone in traffic turn up the volume on their subwoofers at a red light? Since their "victims" can't leave, it must be the subwoofer owners' inappropriate and irresponsible way to express their anger ... and the sad part is, not only do they harm themselves, but everyone around them as well.

As I write this, my ears are ringing due to a several inconsiderate neighbors whose homes are between 800 and 1,000 feet away! Low-frequency sounds can travel a long way. Besides hearing and health effects, these low-frequency rumbles have been shown to cause damage to homes and buildings due to the vibrations induced in the walls and structural members.

It's past time for Hawaii state and county governments to draft laws to protect our citizens. We already have laws governing farm and domestic animal nuisance noise, and that problem isn't nearly as serious as the effects of subwoofer nuisance noise.

Support the troops by preventing war

The "support the troops" rhetoric and how quickly they're discarded is amazing. As thousands of soldiers defect, a mean-spirit society castigates conscientious soldiers by condemning them to military servitude as a choice they should endure, even in illegal, unpopular wars based on lies. I witnessed as a former GI Rights Hotline volunteer, a nonprofit helping soldiers abandoned and bullied by the military, cases ranging from AWOL to medical neglect go ignored by media and other "troop supporters."

Reports on the disproportionate numbers of vets as homeless is old news, yet little is done except as damage control. Little analysis or compassion is given to how immoral warmongering destroys entire regions and the soldiers.

Supporting the troops means not exploiting them to kill or be killed for political-economic agendas. The profiteering of soldiers is disgusting, exemplified by Veterans Day sales and partisan politics. The day should be reclaimed as Armistice Day, a day honoring veterans by advocating no parent's sons and daughters should be lost to the futility of war.

Pete Shimazaki Doktor

Brennan's concussion is cause for concern

If University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was a mixed martial arts fighter, he'd receive a 30- to 60-day suspension after a concussion. As critics inquire about the safety of MMA, let's keep in mind that states with athletic commissions (and self-regulating organizations like Icon Sport) would never let a fighter compete six days after a brain injury like the one sustained by Colt, even if it was upgraded from "serious" to "mild."

In either case, Colt's brain was injured. A concussion is a concussion, no matter how you look at it. Doesn't matter if it's football, MMA or boxing. And all of these are contact sports, so Colt is just as likely to bang his head -- either helmet to helmet or helmet to turf -- in the next football game as a fighter is likely to be struck in the head in his next bout.

I'm a UH alum and a huge football fan. I hope the Warriors can go undefeated and get into a Bowl Championship Series game. And I hope Colt wins the Heisman. But I fear UH is putting the kid at great risk if they allow him to play just six days after a concussion.

New TV listings aren't user-friendly

The new idea of omitting a weekly TV guide from the Sunday edition might save you some money, but it is not subscriber-friendly. Before, programs on Saturdays and Sundays were listed from 0700 to 2400. Now only from 1800 to 2400. Furthermore, the type is so small that I feel like Mister Magoo in trying to read it.

Please consider returning to the previous format, which served subscribers so well for so many years.