Do police care about fireworks law?

This New Year's Eve was the worst ever in Kailua. People were shooting tons of illegal aerials from early in the evening until 4 a.m. It was impossible to sleep. Why do we have to suffer the smoke and noise of these illegal fireworks?

I support Rep. Roy Takumi (Letters, Dec 31). If the fireworks laws cannot be enforced, then fireworks should be outlawed period. Please let us know as citizens what we can do to help this come about.

However, the problem can't be blamed entirely on the law that requires that police officers see the fireworks violation. Since no police were patrolling on New Year's Eve, there was no way for them to see any violations. Do the police care?

If you like explosions, sign up for combat

I agree with Rep. Roy Takumi's Dec. 31 letter about the need to ban fireworks here in Hawaii. All of his arguments are compelling, but he is missing one that I think is important: the effect of these explosions on our war veterans. We have been subjected to these fireworks for weeks now, and I see how these random “;booms”; make my husband, a veteran of 21/2 years in Iraq, react. They take him back to the war zone.

This is supposed to be America, where brave men and women travel overseas to defend our country in the military so we don't have to listen to bombs exploding down the street from our homes. If certain members of our population enjoy listening to these explosions so much, maybe they should move to Iraq or Afghanistan. Gaza is pretty loud these days, too!

Detractors elsewhere also wrong about rail

I just read about the new rail line operating in Phoenix that has residents there excited. The new line is attracting significant real estate development along its route and boosting the economy. Detractors said it wouldn't work because Phoenix is too spread out, people love their cars too much, it's too hot during the summer, it's too costly and so on.

We have our own detractors here who predict that Honolulu's system won't work because it's too expensive and people won't use it. They too will be proved wrong once our rail system is up and running. We voted for rail and we've made a good decision.

Police tend to ignore blatant violations

I read Bill Russell's comments about modified mufflers (”;Letters,”; Jan. 2) and could not agree more. However, Honolulu has enacted more laws than any other state we have lived in that are well intentioned but are ignored by certain members of the population as well as those who are supposed to be enforcing the law.

During our 38 years here we have observed the following: Trucks that have been modified for off-road use with 5- and 6-foot-diameter tires and hydraulic steering systems are not supposed to be driven on the highways, yet police officers in blue-and-whites and motorcycle officers ignore the fact that they are being driven for daily transportation. Any normal car or truck unlucky enough to get into a collision with one of these would not fare well in the survival category. Then there is the law that was passed regarding playing of car stereo systems that literally vibrate your car, your body and the eardrums of anyone else in your car when the offending car is within two car lengths of yours. Yet a police car can pull up right behind or beside the ear-piercing stereo car system and nothing happens. Then our friendly shaka system is responsible for safety check stations issuing safety stickers for cars that should not even be on the road, but because it involves a friend or family member, it gets a pass.

The list goes on and on. Police ignore cars with only one headlight or in rare cases no headlights, turn signals that are not working, broken taillights and cars with no rear or front license plate. So I wish Mr. Russell luck, but here in Hawaii laws get passed and then ignored because we are all family.

Akaka Bill might not be best route to take

Many Hawaiians in support of the Akaka Bill are present or past officers of the state Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, or of individual member clubs. Our first delegate to Congress, Prince Kuhio, founded the Hawaiian Civic Club to benefit all Hawaiians, regardless of blood quantum. As our delegate, Prince Kuhio introduced the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, which he also intended to benefit all Hawaiians regardless of blood quantum; unfortunately, and against the prince's wishes, Congress amended the act before passage limiting benefits to those Hawaiians with at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood. Since then the Akaka Bill and the blood quantum issue have both divided our community.

Rather than reintroducing the Akaka Bill, why not instead amend the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act that's already been passed by Congress? This would better ensure that Hawaiians will receive no less than Native Americans. We must also make certain that any reparations include a trust for all children of Hawaiian ancestry to get a quality education.

It is my hope that President-elect Barack Obama might hear about this suggestion and have his administration look into it. As an active member of the Hawaiian Civic Club for more than 45 years, and as a former president of the state association, I would never suggest anything that might harm our people.