TRAFFIC

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION REQUIRES NEW THINKING

Dale Enomoto's comments on Nov. 3 in response to Rep. Marilyn Lee's thoughtful remarks about our traffic problem directly pinpoints the automobile problem.

Mr. Enomoto is concerned about how he is going to shop for Christmas without his car. Did it ever occur to him, or countless others like him, to change his habits? He could buy smaller gifts, or give gift certificates, or send greetings, or help the homeless — or something! I bet he also jumps in his car to go to the store to buy an onion, or a quart of milk, or a loaf of bread, instead of consolidating trips.

Public transportation isn't for just the "common folks" — public transportation is our salvation. More cars and highways are choking us, and the problem can only get worse. Wake up, Hawai'i!

ALCOHOL

INSIDE STADIUM BAN IS WHAT'S NEEDED

Instead of just banning the consumption of alcohol outside the stadium, why won't the Stadium Authority ban alcohol sales inside as well? For once, why won't the government show us that it is truly acting in our best interests and not in its best interests?

It seems that alcohol sales inside the stadium are safe because a ban would cost the stadium too much money to break the contracts with the vendors.

Anyone who is a regular at sporting events at the stadium knows that the majority of the bad behavior usually happens quite late in the game, especially toward the end of UH football games. Do you think these incidents happened because of alcohol consumed outside the stadium nearly three hours previously? It is the alcohol that is consumed inside the stadium that induces the lewdness and rowdiness that the rule is supposedly intended to curb. Without access to alcohol during the game, most people's pregame "buzz" would be worn off by halftime.

Gov. Lingle, act in our interests, not the Stadium Authority's. Allow alcohol outside, or ban it inside and out. Your boy, Duke, will be happy, and so will the loyal tailgaters.

OPEN POLICY

SHOPO'S SURVEY ON POLICE CHIEF PUZZLING

I read Peter Boylan's article regarding a survey by the O'ahu board of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers with great interest. I have to say, I was taken aback by the comments regarding the necessity of such a survey.

I have served as an assistant chief under both former Chief Lee Donohue and present Chief Boisse Correa. Under both chiefs, an assistant chief has been assigned to deal directly with union issues. Both chiefs have had an open-door policy for the entire department. With the open-door policy is the caveat that the chief cannot discuss matters under investigation.

Chief Correa has had meetings with the O'ahu board as a group and has had one meeting with representatives from the entire O'ahu membership. In that particular meeting, an in-depth discussion was held regarding the current budget and its ramifications on police operations. The discussion was open and cordial and seemed to enlighten those in attendance. Further, Chief Correa has produced a newsletter that addressed the budget in detail.

It is hard to fathom how a chief of police would have the kind of personal interaction with the officer in the field that would allow an informed answer to many of the survey's questions. Yet, Chief Correa makes it a point to speak with as many officers as he can and still handle the many meetings and responsibilities of his office.

Chief Correa has always encouraged his staff to do the right thing for the right reasons. He has shown support for all of the members of the Honolulu Police Department, sworn and civilian.

HAWAI'I KAI

SEWAGE RATES NEED CLOSE CITY SCRUTINY

Sewage/wastewater disposal is a public health concern, just as much as providing clean water for drinking. The city must live up to its responsibility. Hawai'i Kai is an integral part of the city. In the arena of public health, it should not be left a prey to moneymaking ventures.

The recent proposal by the Hawai'i American Water Co. for an 18 percent-plus increase in sewage disposal fees for condo owners in our area is highway robbery. The company has established no relationship between the amount of water consumed and the rates it has been charging consumers in the area.

More egregious is its one-size-fits-all approach: condo owners pay the same amount regardless of the number of bedrooms/bathrooms within a unit. There is hardly a difference between the fee assigned a five-bedroom, multi-bathroom mansion and a one-bedroom condo.

The City Council and the Public Utilities Commission, guided by the mayor, must work together to bring to the residents of Hawai'i Kai a noncommercial, not-for-profit, responsible service for sewage/wastewater disposal. Anything less amounts to discrimination against the taxpayers of Hawai'i Kai. This should be accorded top priority.

WATERFRONT

A&B PROJECT WILL MAKE THE AREA FAR BETTER

The doomsayers are at it again.

Kaka'ako/Kewalo has been a dirty dump for the last 20 years with the exception of John Dominis. The state built a beautiful park next door and then let it fall apart. Why? The state and city have too many parks and don't have the money to properly take care of them.

The new UH medical school is a start. The developers know part of the process is to sell the project to the people. A&B knows its project has to be a cornerstone of what all of Hawai'i beaches and small harbors can be, as well as a profitable venture.

Someday, anyone will be able to walk or bicycle from Diamond Head to Ke'ehi Lagoon and on to Pearl Harbor. To tie Diamond Head to the airport with a safe bicycle route will show the real beauty of O'ahu's waterfront.

KAKA'AKO

DEVELOPMENT LOSERS

HCDA's Kaka'ako Makai development plan smells of money. Money for the state and money for the developers. Everyone else, including the environment, stands to lose.

PRICES, BEER

A LOYAL WARRIOR FAN DESPITE CIRCUMSTANCES

I am one of the proud 23,157 folks who attended the UH-Fresno game. I don't know why so many people stop coming to the games after the first two home shows. Maybe it is because the ticket prices are $32 to $38 face value and all the hullabaloo on whether or not alcohol will be banned. (Thanks, Duke! Good thing you got that whole crystal meth crisis thing licked first).

Regardless, I will continue to go as I always have — even through the vonAppen days and when our only two plays were "option left and option right." Yes, I will be there, buying a $10 ticket from someone outside the gate and getting treated to at least two missed points and one fake punt that goes horribly wrong, all the while hoping that the shirt I bought at the beginning of the season will still be the same team colors as at the end of the season.

NEW POLITICS

HARBIN FOR GOVERNOR

Finally, an interesting politician in Hawai'i. Give 'em hell, Bev.

BUYING ELECTIONS

IT'S CRITICAL THAT GOV. LINGLE FACE DEMOCRATIC OPPONENT

With Hawai'i's gubernatorial election a year away, there's still no sign of a worthy opponent to Gov. Linda Lingle. This should be troubling news even if one isn't a Democrat.

An election is the only time most Americans participate in the democratic process by casting their vote — so the lack of a loyal opposition is troubling. What influence will voters have if their choice is only Lingle?

Typically, an election year is the time to sort things out, to air problems and seek fresh solutions. This will not happen unless both parties duke it out in debates and push their ideas in the public arena.

The Democrats are said to be afraid of Lingle's fat campaign chest. If money does all the talking, then politics will escape the control of ordinary citizens. It happened nationally, why not here?

Instead of voters choosing who will occupy the highest office in the state, it will be those who contributed the millions currently in the governor's coffers. What's more, if there is no challenge, it will reinforce the principle that elections can be bought, and even more big money will be invested in buying votes next time.

The Republicans' aggressive strategy has paid off handsomely if they can stake a permanent claim to the governor's office by simply financing their candidate. In truth, the only thing that will forestall this would be for the Democrats to find someone who can win despite the imbalance. State Sen. Clarence Nishihara demonstrated that this is possible by defeating a long-time incumbent who had 10 times more in his war chest. Nishihara commented, "It's not about money. It's about votes and how you explain your position."

And so it should be. If the Democrats can't come up with someone to challenge Lingle, they may have to explain why not.

SURF DANGER

MEDIA MUST REPORT WAVE HEIGHT USING THE FACE SCALE

In Hawai'i, there are two scales that people use to measure the height of a wave: the face scale, which is the vertical distance between the crest and the trough (top to bottom) of a wave at its breaking point, and the local scale, which is approximately half this value. The local scale is sometimes called the Hawaiian scale or just Hawaiian.

The local scale is used and accepted by most surfers. Its history goes back to cultural values concerned with crowd control and acceptance by insiders. Beau Hodge told us in a recent letter to the editor that he measures waves after they have broken, thus explaining, for example, how he calls a 6-foot wave 3 feet.

The local scale is fine for surfers. It is their right to call the waves any way they want to. But when it comes to reporting to the media and the public at large, the vertical face must be the unit used for many reasons. First, the vertical face height reflects the power of a wave and therefore the danger it represents to the public. The power of a wave goes up roughly as the cube of the height. A 6-foot wave therefore can be more than double the power of a 3-foot wave. Depending on how it breaks, it can be eight times more powerful (2 cubed).

Second, the news media must report faces because they are reporting to all ocean users, not just surfers. Tourists, swimmers, kayakers, fishermen, boaters, paddlers and divers are all examples of people who need to know the true size and the true danger posed by breaking waves.

Media people who report the local scale, such as KGMB-9, not only do a disservice to the public by adding enormous confusion to the question, but they also endanger the public at large.

A third reason to use face values is that this unit is consistent with the oceanographic definition of wave height. It is also universally accepted around the world (except by surfers).

Finally, the responsibility of the National Weather Service is to protect life and property; therefore, it must report face values.

I don't expect surfers to change their values or the scale they use anytime soon, but they should also understand that the rest of the world needs to know the truth.