Online readers are able to respond immediately to Star-Bulletin stories through our Web forum, which can be accessed at the end of stories, editorials and columns at starbulletin.com. Below is a selection of forum comments that appeared last week. Most forum contributors use pseudonyms; their “;names”; have been omitted here.

”;Fines piled up for site of scaffold collapse,”; Star-Bulletin, Oct. 28: What good is handing out building department violations if these inspectors do nothing about it? On our dead-end street in Palama a guy has converted a family home into six illegal rentals and has received a building violation for illegal rentals. Come to find out he isn't the owner and has been doing this against the (wishes of) the family who owns it. Cars are parked everywhere and drugs are being sold there on a daily basis. We have complained numerous times to the building department and the police, but they do nothing. With so many cars parked on the street and in the yard, there must be 50 people living in this residence. Police have visited this home numerous times and so have building department (inspectors), but again they do nothing.

-Why blame government when it is the owners of the land who are at fault? Complain about government intervention as big brother and complain when government tries to do its job. Short of shooting the landlord, there is a process that must be adhered to to take someone's land from them. Could be you next!

-”;Racism and prejudice linger in Hawaii, says chief justice,”; Star-Bulletin, Oct. 25: We all have prejudice buried deep in our subconscious. I think that this is a normal feeling to have. The problem comes when we act on these feelings by beating up a person because of his race, not hiring people because you think their race inferior, and even locking the door to your car when a person of a certain race walks by. We all can determine what is right and what is wrong. Acting out on our prejudice feelings is wrong; treating someone according to their own merits and not according to their race is right. I'm Hawaiian, married to a haole. I have Chinese cousins, Samoan and Japanese in-laws, and I love all these people.

-We are lucky that we have a reputation of aloha, although there are many times when we really do not deserve it, as Justice Moon has stated. Until that day comes when we can act and feel with aloha, we have a lot of time to clean up our act. Visitors really don't want to bother to come to a place that does not welcome them.

-Yeah, racism and prejudice still linger in Hawaii. If you don't believe me, just go down to Iolani Palace on statehood day.

-”;Kamehameha Schools' challengers must go public,”; Star-Bulletin, Oct. 29: Thank you very much, Judge Kurren. Some citizens are weary of these unwarranted attacks on Kamehameha Schools and the estate will.

-Funny that the plaintiffs don't mind their names being printed on a settlement check, but don't want their names printed in the paper. Good ruling, Judge Kurren.

-The anonymity of the young plaintiffs was important to protect them from threats, bullying and other dangers that have and continue to plague haole students. Let's not forget “;kill haole day”; or the false-cracking attacks on tourists. These racist practices are well-known and have had a chilling effect on many. The discriminatory policies of KSBE against non-Hawaiians and the often angry support it engenders, as during the most recent challenge, against haoles are frightening manifestations of ill will against innocent kids and their families. Keep in mind that all that is being asked is admittance to a school that benefits mightily from tax breaks because it falsely claims to be a charitable organization. If the situation were reversed and Hawaiians were being denied admittance to a school, I think there would be thousands in the streets rallying for their rights.