All quiet on the Hawaii front

The year is 2020. The place is the state of Hawaii.

The Superferry departed Hawaii March 28, 2009.

Matson no longer serves Hawaii.

Young Brothers has departed to Guam.

The container cranes rust.

All airlines have ceased serving Hawaii.

The airport now houses the homeless.

The Navy has abandoned Pearl Harbor. Only the USS Arizona remains.

The Marines have gone to California.

The Air Force has moved to Okinawa.

The Army is now in Georgia.

All is quiet on the streets of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii. An eerie wind blows down Fort Street.

There are few people venturing out.

Kona sells its coffee to China.

The state Legislature has voted themselves another pay raise.

The state Supreme Court is in another recess.

There is a sign rattling in a window of an office building. It says: “;Mission Accomplished! We have returned to San Francisco. Signed, the Sierra Club.”;

What is up with all the King Street potholes?

Auwe, the time has come for me to speak up and hopefully something can be done about the right lane on King Street, Honolulu bound. I choose to ride TheBus because of the convenience, while also increasing my savings account by $75 a month, having fun with bus friends to share kolohe stories and most of all enjoying the sites of Hawaii nei.

I highly suggest whoever is in charge to take a ride on TheBus on the right lane on King Street at 6 a.m. The buses hit every pothole and if you don't have an injured back, you will have one in the near future. I feel like I am riding in an all-terrain vehicle on the slopes of Mauna Kea.

I don't know what else to say but strongly feel this needs immediate attention.

How many more lives will be scarred?

I agree with Fred Harris (”;When bills go bad, you get fireworks,”; Star-Bulletin, Feb. 25). How can the House Public Safety Committee ignore the advice of so many professionals who have evidence that illegal aerials endanger people and animals? Have the committee members forgotten Lillian Herring, who died in her home on Dec. 31, 2000, as a result of a fire caused by illegal aerial fireworks? How about our dog Nalu? She was hit by a car on Christmas (Yes, Christmas, not New Year's or the Fourth of July) because she was scared out of her skin by the sound of booming aerials. We had to put our beloved friend to sleep because she was too damaged to save. What about our neighbor, just back from Iraq, who cannot sleep because the illegal aerials remind him of combat?

What will it take for our legislators to realize how dangerous these fireworks are? Do we all have to wait until one of their family members or pets gets injured or dies? Do the right thing, members of the Legislature, and ban these fireworks now!

Correa's not afraid to make hard choices

In response to your editorial titled “;Correa should work for officers' support”; (Star-Bulletin, April 8), I would like to thank the editorial board for recognizing that the job of police chief is not a popularity contest and for acknowledging the chief's accomplishments, including crime reduction, effective use of technology and response time.

It is wrong to state that Honolulu Police Department Chief Boisse Correa has not worked hard enough to support our officers. During his tenure, he has been a strong leader who has made some unpopular but necessary changes to the department, including ending the 3/12 work week for safety and efficiency reasons, reinstating the prosecutor's review of officer-involved shootings, and working to contain overtime costs.

As these changes were made the police union was always involved in the discussions. The chief has an open-door policy, meets with union officials, and gives officers time to attend union meetings while on duty. He cares deeply for his officers and the community and works to balance the safety of the community with the needs of the officers. As an assistant chief and the department's liaison to the police officers union, I know this first-hand. Correa also supported the current union contract that provides 6 percent annual raises for four years, and he works to provide officers with the best possible equipment and training.

Although the union says its members want a new chief, the majority, 61 percent, did not respond to the survey. That number speaks for itself.

As a businessman, Felix deserves seat

As a resident of Kaneohe, I urge all voters in Kaneohe, Kailua and Waimanalo to vote for John Henry Felix, a man who has given back so much to our community. At a time when many have lost their jobs and the economy is bad, we need an independent experienced businessman to bring balance to the City Council.

I saw on TV where candidate Steve Holmes is accusing Ikaika Anderson of inflating his experience and not being truthful. Anderson is accusing Holmes of lying about his academic degrees. We all deserve better.

Take a moment and read the fliers of the candidates for the District 3 Council seat. I hope you will come to the same conclusion as I did, that Felix would be the best voice to represent us.