Ag bill doesn't deserve restaurateur's support

It is unfortunate that Roy Yamaguchi's May 24 letter, "Bill will give farmers tools they need," urges the governor to support Senate Bill 2646. Earlier this week the farmers of Kamilo Nui Valley, located just a couple of miles from Roy's Hawaii Kai restaurant, requested support from the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board to urge the governor to veto this very same problematic legislation of which the board unanimously approved.

Hey Roy, how about supporting your neighborhood farmers and let them decorate your restaurant with Hawaii Kai-grown plants and blooms?

OHA land deal wasn't handled appropriately

In the May issue of "Ka Wai Ola," the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' newspaper, trustee Haunani Apoliona listed me among those she felt killed her negotiated settlement bill. Her sheer arrogance is what killed it.

I opposed HB 266 HD 2 because it contained language that would extinguish rights afforded to Hawaiians under the state Constitution. Senate President Colleen Hanabusa revealed in the May 6 Honolulu Advertiser that eliminating future claims in exchange for $15.1 million annually was Attorney General Mark Bennett's idea. They had to agree or the AG would no longer negotiate.

Apoliona claims that she and the governor's office have been negotiating for three years. The state wrote language in the settlement document that had to be accepted by OHA or there would be no deal. OHA's negotiating team deceived beneficiaries by saying the agreement was mutual. The appeal makes the state's efforts to settle with OHA and the Hawaiian people disingenuous.

Why don't Democrats support a Con Con?

While many Democrats flocked to Barack Obama's call to "challenge the status quo and get results," as stated on his campaign Web site, the Hawaii Democratic Party is sending a different message to its members. On Saturday, the party elected Obama supporters to fill most of the party official and superdelegate positions and then rejected a resolution to support a Constitutional Convention. They instead voted in favor of a resolution to educate residents on the "risks" involved in a Con Con. But a Con Con is also about challenging the status quo. The benefits of voter input in the direction of our government far outweigh any risks involved.

The Democratic Party had record attendance at their convention this weekend because so many Hawaii residents support Obama's call for change in America. The Con Con gives the people of Hawaii the opportunity for change here at home, too. We can propose amendments to OUR state Constitution and vote to approve these changes. The opportunity for a Con Con in Hawaii is consistent with Obama's message and should have been supported by Democratic Party leaders.

Everyone pitched in to improve stadium

Although the May 28 Star-Bulletin article "Roosevelt stadium nears completion" did not mention the painting of the bleachers, I am compelled by the amount of community support to share this information.

With its new football field and track nearing completion, Roosevelt High School realized that the peeling and faded concrete bleachers would potentially detract from the project's overall splendor. So Roosevelt contacted Hawaii 3R's, and in less than a month (and in time for graduation), the bleachers were painted.

Although the painting of the bleachers by Hawaii 3R's was a relatively small part of the overall project, it really illustrated the amount of support the community has for its schools. On the morning of Saturday, May 17, 70 volunteers from seven organizations, including the Hawaiian Electric Company, Central Pacific Bank, UBS Financial Services, the U.S. Pacific Command, Referentia Systems, Roteract and Roosevelt High School students, painted the bleachers.

The painting of the bleachers was also successful due to MShiroma Construction, which provided prep work and painting that the volunteers would have been unable to do due to lack of time and expertise. Additionally, MShiroma provided training and supervision for the volunteers.

Thanks to these community-minded organizations, the freshly painted bleachers now enhance the new football field and track.

College degree doesn't guarantee success

To all you valedictorians and graduate-wannabees, there's still hope for your types. Look, we've had a Yale graduate, a one-letter cheerleader, leading our nation for the past seven years. Then we might be looking at a war hero who graduated near the bottom of his class. So there is still hope for the one-third who dropped out. We musn't forget Gen. U.S. Grant, who anchored his class, too. But along comes Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who comes at the head of his class and gets booted out by a former captain in the Army. Maybe we should start from the bottom up the next time.

At last, bounty hunter coming back to TV

It's a great day when one wakes up and reads that "Dog the Bounty Hunter" is returning to A&E. It's a long time coming and I am so very pleased with the news. This show should never have been pulled off the air in the first place. Dog and his family do much good and have such good hearts. Mahalo A&E for bringing Dog back on the air!

Cooperation helped save Kunia homes

To say that the majority of lifelong residents of Kunia Plantation Village were relieved by the news that they will be able to stay in their homes (Star-Bulletin, May 29) would be a huge understatement. I grew up in a plantation village, and I understand the distress and heartache that these people faced when Del Monte shut down. The recently announced arrangement, which guarantees that the housing remains affordable in perpetuity, is one that deserves accolades for its creativity and cooperation among the parties.

I want to thank and applaud the James Campbell Co., which agreed to transfer their land for $1 to the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, which will manage the property, and Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who found a way to save the housing in exchange for other ways that will benefit Kapolei. This is an excellent model of how the private and public sectors can work together if people put their minds to it.