Lingle shouldn't worry, Obama holds no grudge

Gov. Linda Lingle's stated reasons to not attend the National Governors Association meeting Tuesday at the invitation of President-elect Barack Obama just do not wash. After all, Lingle spent several days away from Hawaii earlier this month as she campaigned against Obama, and while Hawaii's economy faltered.

In my opinion, Lingle does not relish a face-to-face meeting with Obama. And that is tragic because Obama's embrace of Sen. John McCain demonstrates that he holds no grudges.

He's not president yet, so why all the fuss?

Gov. Linda Lingle's decision to skip the National Governors Association meeting has created some kind of brouhaha. I agree that brainstorming with governors from other states about the current economy might be beneficial. But the reasoning seems more about missing the opportunity to hear the president-elect speak for about 90 minutes and to participate in a photo op. What a veteran mayor and two-term governor can learn from a first-term senator and economics rookie is beyond me.

If Lingle wanted to brush up on her public speaking and Obama was keynoting a Toastmasters Convention, then by all means she should attend. Let's allow the president-elect to be president for a while, actually get some experience running an economy (though an economy should actually run itself), then maybe he'll have something of more substance to share.

Lingle can't have it both ways on travel

Apparently Lenny Klompus, Gov. Linda Lingle's communications adviser, missed the class on communication and perception. All the excuses for Lingle's not going to the governors' meeting to hear President-elect Barack Obama fall flat and are unconvincing. She traveled to campaign for Sen. John McCain, claiming she could take care of state business. Now she claims she is too busy to travel. Other governors are in the same position but are going, even Sarah Palin.

Whether Lingle is right or wrong, it is the perception of her manini partisanship and snubbing Obama.

Don't put billboards on garbage trucks, either

Primo Beer and its public relations cronies, Communications Pacific, are reviving an old island tradition: billboards. That's right, huge billboards on garbage trucks asking folks to reward rubbish workers this Christmas with their beverage of choice, Primo beer. But hold on. A ComPac flack told Star-Bulletin columnist Charles Memminger (Dec. 2) the idea is only designed to revive a quaint island holiday custom. Whew! For a minute I thought Primo was trying to sell more beer by defacing Hawaii's beauty with inappropriate advertising. Thank goodness the PR industry is here to clarify this for us.

Of course, rubbish workers deserve a little love - especially at Christmas. But don't most people already know that this can be accomplished by placing an appropriate gift on their rubbish containers prior to pickup? And don't most of us know that the gift of choice is an alcoholic beverage made with hops? OK, perhaps a few malahini haven't been clued in yet. Thank goodness Primo and ComPac devised a way of educating the uninformed.

To the delight of most residents and visitors, billboards have been banned in Hawaii for more than 80 years. It's one of the things that protects the beauty of our beloved islands and sets us apart from most other states. By exploiting our scenic splendor with billboards on rubbish trucks, Primo and ComPac have shown us why lawmakers need to ban this kind of advertising on vehicles as well.

Importing trees defies eco-friendly efforts

The truth is that if “;we”; were concerned about protecting our island's fragile ecosystem, the idea of shipping boatloads of live, and likely infested, trees is hypocritical (”;Slug-infested Christmas trees are denied entry,”; Star-Bulletin, Nov. 29).

It is impossible to inspect every tree. Think about the fuel needed to ship these boatloads as well as the energy to pick up and discard them 15 days later. Purchasing a new plastic tree is also not eco-friendly since it is manufactured with petroleum products.

We risk a large fine as well as confiscation if a mango or pineapple is found in our suitcase when leaving Oahu. When returning, we are reminded of “;amnesty”; bins - just in case! So how can we justify decorating trees? There must be a surplus of trees one can recycle and decorate from Salvation Army, Goodwill and/or Savers or garage sales. Another solution is to purchase a live palm or other green tree to decorate. After the holidays it can be planted or used in the home decor. Or why not buy a Christmas tree grown right here in Hawaii from Hale Momi, near Dole Pineapple in Wahiawa?

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