DOMESTIC ABUSE

WE SHOULD STAND UP AGAINST ALL VIOLENCE

I would like to thank the sponsors of the Men's March Against Violence on Oct. 11. This is the 13th year.

The sponsors and participants deserve a great deal of praise. They are: Catholic Charities Hawaii, Kapi'olani Community College, Domestic Violence Action Center and the state Senate and House of Representatives.

These entities are professional and kind, to be sure. I observed, however, that only women and children were mentioned as victims of domestic violence.

Can we remember that often men are victims of abuse, too?

As a member of Amnesty International's Circle of Light, I know that people from all walks of life are sometimes battered, both men and women, as well as children.

Please open your hearts to stand against all forms of violence, for all of our citizens.

SUPERFERRY

TASK FORCE STACKED WITH FERRY SUPPORTERS

At Sunday's Superferry meeting on Kaua'i, Sen. Colleen Hanabusa represented herself as being evenhanded and undecided on the special legislation issue regarding the Superferry.

I was distressed to come home and read on The Advertiser Web site that she is recommending a bogus "watchdog commission" comprised of three of the governor's minions, the attorney general, Superferry CEO John Gari-baldi and enough "business representatives," (read chamber of commerce) to provide a solid pro-Superferry majority on the 13-member commission.

If she truly meant it when she said, "I think we need to heal as best we can," then she needs an extreme makeover of her diagnosis of the condition.

This sort of duplicity will, in time, earn her the distrust of her colleagues and constituents, and she will marginalize her influence as Senate president.

LEADERS MUST CONSIDER EFFECT OF DECISIONS

As I monitor the Superferry situation from the Mainland, I have to perplexedly scratch my head in confusion at the lack of planning by those involved with this major undertaking.

My wife and I visit Hawai'i as often as we can. In these visits, we have taken a great interest and gathered a great love for the Aloha State. We were even married in Makena Cove six years ago.

But a visit last month to Kona made me a little sad. Not only did we see the effects of last year's earthquake on North Kohala and the overdevelopment of the Big Island, we landed smack dab in the middle of the controversy surrounding this gaudy monstrosity known as the Superferry without so much as a comprehensive environmental impact report.

As a Californian who has mourned the ramming deaths of three 70-foot beautiful blue whales in the Santa Barbara Channel this past month, I can attest firsthand what damage "progress" has wrought. May those making the decisions consider greatly the effect they have on your wonderful islands before it's too late.

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AT KAUA'I FERRY MEETING

I attended the Superferry informational meeting, where hundreds of people from Kaua'i came to voice their opinions.

Yet, The Advertiser says it was "dozens" of people. I saw firsthand that 165 people signed up to testify, and certainly not everyone present testified.

So quit acting like it is a small number of people involved — it wasn't dozens, it was hundreds of people.

And in the four hours of testimony that I heard, only two people out of more than 100 supported the ferry's operation with no EIS before it sails.

SOME AT MAUI HEARING SHOWED IMMATURITY

I was recently at the Superferry hearing on Maui.

I am a sophomore in high school, and I was appalled at some of those adults who spoke against the Superferry and repeatedly booed and put down some of the other testimony in favor of the Superferry.

In today's world, we look up to the adults for a better understanding, not to learn immaturity.

I am in favor of the Superferry. It is almost inevitable that changes occur in our society that will expand our horizons, and the Superferry is starting that growth.

This situation has also let down our business economy. As we know, Hawai'i has a reputation of being a place where it is very difficult to start a business.

Hawai'i has to be protective of native species and environment, so as one 'ohana we must work together to fulfill this dream.

It's never right to call people names, it only shows your immaturity.

To be heard, you must respect everyone's opinion, whether you think it's good or bad.

PEACE PRIZE

NOT ENOUGH RESEARCH DONE ON GORE EDITORIAL

Thank goodness your Oct. 13 editorial praising Al Gore shows critical thinking skills and knowledgeable research into your topic.

Because if you actually cared about the truth and not your own political agenda, it might have read something like this:

Al Gore is the owner of a carbon-offset company. His global-warming propaganda is one big advertisement for his company, and he is getting rich and laughing all the way to the bank because he is given a global platform on a daily basis to push his product.

His ideas to tax all of us for our "carbon footprint" are financially strangling and broad.

There are so many "errors" in his movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," that a British judge ruled the film could only be shown in British schools if accompanied by a fact sheet correcting the errors.

The Nobel Peace Prize is instructed to go "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses." Al Gore has done none of those things.

And, finally, as Czech president Vaclav Klaus pointed out, "The relationship between his activities and world peace is unclear and indistinct. It rather seems that Gore's doubting of basic cornerstones of the current civilization does not contribute to peace."

Thanks, Honolulu Advertiser editorial board, for taking the time to research and look at all sides before giving us your opinion.

SCHOOLS

NOV. 1 DEADLINE TO OPT OUT ON RECRUITER INFO

To all parents of secondary students in Hawai'i's public schools:

Are you aware that on Nov. 1 the state Department of Education will release to the military recruiters your child's name, contact information, test scores and grades along with that of all kids in 10th through 12th grade, unless you have opted out?

Yes, No Child Left Behind mandates school districts nationwide receiving federal funding to allow release of seventh- to 12th-grade students' information. It should be called the "No Child Left Un-recruited Act."

The Hawai'i DOE, which started this year with a Sept. 21 deadline to opt out of private information being released and without any opt-out form sent home to families, has recently extended the deadline to Nov. 1 and has put on its Web site a form that is easy to use and can be signed by either the youth or a parent.

Our organization was at Maui's Teacher Institute Day on Oct. 9 and found out that teachers at some Maui secondary schools reported every student receiving this form in their homerooms in early October, while teachers at other schools had not heard about it. Call your high school's principal and ask for all the students to receive the opt-out form immediately.

LANDFILL

HAS WAI'ANAE WASTED ITS TIME ON THIS ISSUE?

I don't get it. Mayor Mufi Hannemann holds numerous meetings seeking community input on the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill.

It is a near-unanimous sentiment that the Wai'anae Coast wants it closed and another site outside of the Wai'anae area be found.

Both the Wai'anae and Kapolei neighborhood boards voted unanimously to reject the proposed two-year extension.

Then, city spokesman Bill Brennan said he doesn't believe the actions of the two neighborhood boards will impede the mayor's landfill extension plans.

"It would have been nice to have had their support. The neighborhood boards took their votes and basically opposed the city's plan. And that's fine. That's what community boards can do, and that's what they chose to do."

Has the Wai'anae community wasted its time at these meetings? Have their collected voices fallen on deaf ears? Is the mayor just paying lip service to the Leeward Coast? Sounds like a yes to me.

One can see that the mayor had no other plans but to continue using Waimanalo, damn the community opposition.

Auwe, it's a sad, sad day in Wai'anae.

MAHALO

RUNNERS GRATEFUL FOR KILAUEA WATER STOP

Each Sunday, I train on the Honolulu Marathon course, for the upcoming December race.

There is a resident along Kiilauea Avenue who has been providing runners with a cold-water stop. Each week, this person leaves a giant cooler with cups and trash bag on the fence.

It is a wonderful thing this anonymous resident has been doing for us who struggle in the heat.

Thank you very much. Your kindness is greatly appreciated. Aloha and mahalo.

IRRESPONSIBLE

WRONG MESSAGE SENT AT SHOW'S GUN DISPLAY

As a citizen of the United States, son of Vietnam veteran, I strongly support the military. In addition, as a hunter I support the right to bear arms, provided provisions are made for responsible gun ownership.

As a private pilot, I am enthralled by air shows and attend them as often as possible.

However, what I witnessed at the K-Bay air show this month was irresponsible. In addition to multiple military vehicle displays, on hand were numerous types of assault weapons. Witnessing small children "play" with handguns and position themselves behind machine guns while their parents snapped innumerable photos, obviously very proud of their kids, was reprehensible and disgusting.

I understand that air shows are recruitment activities designed to foster awareness of the various types of military operations. I have no issue with that.

I take strong issue with parents who think it is OK for small children to "play" with firearms.

What message are we sending? School shootings continue to plague our society. There is no excuse for this irresponsible behavior, either on the part of the parents or the (presumably) military unit that supplied the demonstration.

As a past spectator in air shows around the country, I have never witnessed this travesty. I can only pray that these parents later told their children exactly how dangerous guns can be, as these military weapons are designed for only one purpose — to kill people.