CHALLENGE TO MAYOR

CITY NEEDS TO PROVIDE MORE WAIKIKI PARKING

The city is removing dozens of free on-street parking spaces along Ala Wai Boulevard to accommodate the Beachwalk sewer repair project. The project is necessary. But is the loss of so much parking necessary? For years the city has removed on-street parking in Waikiki for various dubious projects while promising to replace said parking. This has not happened.

It's time for the city to make good on its word and find new parking for the long-suffering auto owners in Waikiki. The lot on Aloha Drive has been promised as parking; let's make it happen. There is a large lot at the Ala Wai Park that could be used by residents even though it is a bit of a walk. Does this project really need all the space it is using or is the city just taking the easiest way? I'm sure the mayor and his staff can come up with some solutions to help create more parking in Waikiki.

150 YEARS

KALAKAUA COULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN 1904 CAR

In the "Roads to Remember" section of the July 2 Sesquicentennial Edition, it was stated that "King David Kalakaua and one C.W. Deering of Chicago reportedly drove Kalakaua's white steam touring car." This statement referred to the year 1904 and whoever reported seeing this must have been seeing a ghost since Kalakaua died in 1891, before there were "reportedly" any cars in Hawai'i.

NOT A DANGER

POLITICAL SIGN WAVERS A COLORFUL TRADITION

Brian Matsusaka (Letters, July 1) wrote the latest "sky is falling" letter about sign waving, which is a great and a colorful tradition here and a guard against billboards. Sign wavers are in no way a danger or a cause of accidents. Sour grapes, perhaps.

TOO MANY CARS

GRADE-SEPARATED RAIL ANSWER TO TRAFFIC WOES

We've tried express buses, highway widening, HOV lanes, car pools, van pools, ride sharing, etc. While these measures help, they do little to solve the core problem: There are too many cars on the road.

Buses, taxis, vans, etc., travel on the same streets as automobiles, and are subject to the same traffic jams, accidents, stalled vehicles and rubber-necking drivers. H-1 zipper lanes just move the traffic choke points farther up the line, where they merge with regular traffic, as will "Managed Lanes" or HOT lanes alternatives.

The answer is a grade-separated rail system that is not hampered by the regular flow of cars and can offer the traveling public a dependable way to get around. People will only forgo their cars if offered a reasonable, efficient and dependable alternative.

HEALTH

OBESITY CAN AFFECT LONGEVITY, LIVELIHOOD

If telling children and teens they are fat or obese hurts their feelings, wait until they get out in the adult world where obesity and being overweight may impact their livelihood. The epidemic of obesity is rampant, and one of the reasons is that society doesn't want to talk about it.

"Good sized" is actually a euphemism for bad sized when it comes to health. And very few people are "big boned" if you look at actual X-rays. These are just a few polite ways society sweeps this epidemic under the rug.

Here in Hawai'i we embrace our big bruddahs and sistas and we better embrace them now because they might not be around for too long. While the love is always good, this population also needs support from their loved ones and the medical community. If your primary physician or pediatrician is not addressing a weight or obesity issue, it is time to get a new doctor because your health and future are at stake. Study after study has shown the overweight and obese get passed up for advancement and promotions. Like any problem, the solution starts with talking about it.

GOOD SAMARITAN

A PUBLIC THANK YOU FOR HELPING OTHERS

In my excitement of the moment, I forgot to ask the name of the kind woman who helped me with my mother at the Kapalama Pet Hospital on July 3. The woman said that the kind of help she was giving Mom was a daily routine for her, a nurse at Pali Momi Medical Center.

She saw the problem I was having with Mom when I stopped at the pet hospital to make a future appointment for my pet. Mom is 94 and uses a wheelchair, and I was having great difficulty getting her off the wheelchair and into the restroom, set in the public area of the office.

In spite of the baby in her arms and caring for two other children, she had someone watch the little one and ran across the room to help Mom and me.

I forgot to get your name, and I apologize for this stupidity. Thank you for all your help with Mom and me. Mom was feeling much better after the incident, and it was all because of your unselfish and unreserved help.

UH FOOTBALL

LANA'I RESIDENT A SEASON-TICKET HOLDER

A reader asked the question: "How many people on the other islands will be willing to buy a UH football season ticket and commute to O'ahu?" I know of at least one.

I am from Maui and recently moved to Lana'i and I have been a season-ticket holder since 1988. I normally attend between four and six games a year and offer my two tickets to friends to the games I don't attend.

Your reader is correct in that I do not attend games to watch the halftime event. I renew my season tickets every year to support the UH football program and to have the opportunity to watch exciting, quality college football.

GENETIC MODIFICATION

FRIGHTENING TESTIMONY WAS LATER AMENDED

Lance Foster recently wrote that release of genetically modified Klebsiella planticola could "conceivably (destroy) all plant life on the continent of its use." He says, "This is not just the latest 'the-sky-is-falling freak-out by 'coco-nuts,' " but it does seem a bit extreme.

This story comes from testimony by Dr. Elaine Ingham for the Green Party of Aotearoa /New Zealand to the New Zealand Royal Commission on Genetic Engineering, on Feb. 1, 2001. Dr. Ingham described research that a genetically modified K. planticola killed all wheat seedlings in laboratory tests and persisted in the soil, citing a scientific publication (Holmes, M. and Ingham, E.R., 1999, Appl. Soil Ecol. 3:394-399).

She testified, "This could have been the single most devastating impact on human beings since we would likely have lost corn, wheat ... conceivably all terrestrial plants," and that field trials in the U.S. were approved and ready to proceed. This all seems very frightening.

It turns out that the publication cited and the field trial approval do not exist. In fact, the Green Party amended its testimony to the commission, admitting this and removing the statement, "The engineered bacterium ... would kill all terrestrial plants" (www.biotech-info.net/EI_testimony_amended.html).

Perhaps the sky really isn't falling.

HAWAIIAN MUSIC

HAUGENS' CONCERT A BEAUTIFUL EVENING

I usually would not think about driving to Kane'ohe for a concert, but having followed Keith and Carmen Haugen for 10 of the record 17 years that they were at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, we went over for their Independence Day concert at the Ruth Bacon auditorium. It is easy to see why they were recently honored as the first musical group in Hawai'i to receive the Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Their music and hula are beautiful. The half of the performance that was pure Hawaiian made me long for nights when such music was common in Waikiki. For this occasion, the show opened and closed with patriotic songs, with the entire audience serving as a proud chorus. Country, folk and several clever humorous songs written by Keith filled out the program. Titles called out from the audience and requests from previous visits to the Bacon theater were included. There were guest musicians and guest hula dancers, all adding to the enjoyment of the packed house. A wonderful evening!

INCREASED SIGHTINGS

SHARK-FEEDING PROGRAMS A DANGER TO PUBLIC SAFETY

Your recent article noted the frequency of shark sightings in Hawai'i had doubled this year to a three-year high. Further, a Department of Land and Natural Resources "shark expert" attributes more sightings to more "people looking for them." Both he and a local shark dive boat operator "doubt that feeding sharks has much to do with the increased sightings."

Well, I'm no rocket scientist but I am a surfer with more than 40 years of real-world experience. Feeding sharks is a danger to public safety. Surfers are always "looking for them" and have seen a lot more since the feedings began.

The city or state should stop the shark-feeding operations. Florida stopped it. Don't you want to know why? Why can't we stop it?

If we are unable to stop the shark feeding, despite the numerous warnings of the dangers posed, there at least appears to be an obligation to let the public know exactly where sharks are being fed by posted warning signs. That way, people can make an informed decision on choosing to be in the water near aggregations of sharks that have been taught to associate people in the water with food.

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS

SCHOLARSHIPS PROVIDE A LEGAL SOLUTION

Fletcher Young, in his June 27, 2006, letter ("Kamehameha could get around problem"), has happened upon a very useful rule of law that lawyers refer to as the "cypress" (pronounced see-spray) doctrine. Simply put, it is a rule of legal interpretation that holds that when a legal document — such as a will or a trust — cannot be given literal effect because of illegality or impossibility, the court may interpret it broadly to allow the testator's or trustor's broad general intention to be carried out, rather than rendering the document entirely void.

In this case, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop clearly intended, in her will, to provide for an education for those of Hawaiian blood, not for interloping haole. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in its wisdom, has held that a private school set up solely for such beneficiaries, violates the U.S. Constitution.

Mr. Young's solution, therefore, is a perfect application of the cypress doctrine. It preserves the spirit and intent of the princess' bequest without in any way violating constitutional law.

Obviously, a testator can set up a testamentary trust providing for scholarships for a select group, even if it is "discriminatory." In that sense, every scholarship program is "discriminatory" from the point of view of those who are excluded from receiving scholarships.

Bravo, Mr. Young. You have hit upon an ideal solution.