KING KAMEHAMEHA

CELEBRITY AD CHEAPENS ICON OF STATE OF HAWAI'I

In response to Marcy Wilhelm's letter; "Celebrity Ad In Poor Taste But Not Offensive" (Oct. 3): Perhaps Ms. Wilhelm could better understand the offensive nature of the ad depicting King Kamehameha holding a glass of alcohol if it depicted the Statue of Liberty in a bathing suit holding a bottle of beer or a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King with a Mickey Mouse hat on his head.

One's state and national icons should be honored and not cheapened by advertising a drug or depicting a good time.

REVIEW

ART EXHIBITION STAFF SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED

In the Oct. 1 Advertiser, Timothy Dyke wrote an excellent review of the exhibition of sketches by Jacques Arago at the Ho-nolulu Academy of Arts.

However, nowhere did he mention any of the people who worked so hard on the exhibition. Certainly he should have recognized Tricia Allen, who is an important expert on Polynesian tattooing and did so much to put the exhibition together. People make these exhibitions, and we need to recognize them.

INTERIM DEAN

OSTRANDER SELECTION AT MEDICAL SCHOOL LAUDED

My compliments to the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents for choosing Dr. Gary Ostrander as interim dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Gary is an experienced administrator, an accomplished scientist and an exemplary lecturer. Rather than just keeping the plates spinning, I hope Gary will make critical decisions, such as removing arcane professors who lecture at a level that does not benefit our medical students.

It is time for initiation of a sea change at the medical school, and Gary's prior experience at top academic institutions is a great start.

ELECTION 2006

REPUBLICANS HAVE LED US ON A LOSING STREAK

Sorry, Bob Hogue. You are a nice guy, but the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. has led this nation on a losing streak.

Cynthia Thielen, you seem to be a woman of strong and good character who cares about the environment. Unfortunately, we can't say the same for far too many in your party in Washington, D.C.

Yes, Daniel Akaka let us down when he horse-traded his vote on drilling in Alaska.

However, let's not forget that Senator Akaka went against the tide and voted against the authorization for the war in Iraq, which has become a most devastating hit to our environment and ourselves.

Let's vote for the Democrats to take back control of the Senate and House by voting for Daniel Akaka and Mazie Hirono.

TRANSIT

UPGRADED BUS SERVICE WOULD BRING RELIEF NOW

Opponents of the rail system point to the likelihood that the project will be too expensive, too late, and will serve only a few locations.

Those who favor rail point to the fact that there are too many cars on the road now, and more roads and parking will only make this worse.

Nobody seems to want to admit that former Mayor Jeremy Harris had a comprehensive plan to upgrade bus service, including reduced wait times, timed traffic lights and expanded express service.

This is something we can do right now, not 10 years from now.

HEADLINES

RENTERS ALREADY KNOW HAWAI'I IS EXPENSIVE

Hawai'i's rental the priciest? Hello, that has been going on for the past 10 years.

Any new news? Every time you post an article regarding Hawai'i rental market, it makes me sick to my gut that the same old story is resurfacing to make the headlines once again.

Write a story that will give those of us who rent some light in the future.

We know already we pay the highest rent.

SMOKING LAWS

PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO BREATHE FREELY

I am disgusted with the letter by a person complaining about smokers' rights being violated by the new smoking laws.

I am an asthmatic who takes medication daily. Even then, if I am around a smoker, I have to use an inhalant to clear my lungs.

I have spent many hours in hospitals trying to get relief. If I get a cold, it soon develops into asthmatic bronchitis. If smokers could feel what I go through trying desperately to breathe — a panicky feeling similar to having a pillow stuffed over your face — they would make every attempt to stop smoking.

I have a right to breathe freely. I need to breathe to live. A smoker does not need to smoke to live.

I think my rights and the rights of many, many others like me are far more important than smokers' rights.

KAPOLEI PROJECT

DHHL HOUSING SHOULD BE PUT AHEAD OF MALL

I read with interest the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' plan to build the largest shopping mall on the island in Kapolei. No wonder Hawaiians don't have homes. Sixty-seven acres for a shopping mall — yet thousands of Hawaiians remain on the list for homes. How did this project get to the head of the line?

ENVIRONMENT

PERVIOUS CONCRETE ONE ANSWER TO WATER ISSUE

The article, "Use rain runoff? Maybe, but..." (Oct. 1), points out an issue that all of us face. With the ever-growing demand for water, it's surprising that it's taken this long to address the topic, let alone take steps to help alleviate it.

Many states have implemented the use of pervious concrete. Some cities have even mandated that certain large areas, such as parking lots, must use this in the construction of the paved surfaces. It allows water to trickle down to the aquifers, thus solving the problem of storing the water elsewhere.

Secondly, there is no added cost for purification plants since we are using what we have always done, using the natural purification process of the aquifers.

If you just do a simple Google search for "pervious concrete," you might find that the answer to our problem could be right under our feet.

CARBON DIOXIDE

EDITORIAL WRONG ON GLOBAL WARMING ISSUE

In your editorial, "Hawai'i must join war on global warming" (Sept. 29), you wrote: "Our automobiles and industries contribute relatively little of the pollution linked to global warming."

I get it; it's not "our automobiles and industries" that cause global warming, just everyone else's. You are hypocrites, but, fortunately, you are also wrong.

Actually, it's nobody's automobiles and industries because carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, and anthropogenic global warming has not been proved. Thousands of scientists have taken the other side on the issue, but one wouldn't know that from reading The Advertiser.

You can still take responsibility for your imagined global warming problem, however, by selling your car and moving into a tent without electricity. During the day (can't be burning anything for light at night), you can read "Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge to Journalists Who Cover Global Warming" by U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

WON'T RETURN

WAIKIKI TOURISTS UPSET BY HOMELESS PEOPLE

My wife and I just returned from a two-week visit to Waikiki. We have visited five times in the past and even once owned a condo.

We noticed this trip that the homeless problem is the worst we have ever seen it.

We were bothered by homeless and other people begging for money, following us into stores and disturbing us while returning from the beach. We observed one homeless person camp out right along the beach area, and the police walked by and did nothing for seven days. After seven days, the police asked him to move, and he moved 25 yards down the beach, and was allowed to stay there.

If tourism is Hawai'i's largest industry, then shouldn't you do more to accommodate those tourists? We spent thousands of dollars to relax, enjoy the scenic views and beaches, and not to be harassed. I'm showing all my family and friends photos of the homeless we saw in Waikiki and advising them not to waste their hard-earned dollars to visit Hawai'i.

We don't plan on visiting Hawai'i ever again.

DOUBLE STANDARD

RETIREMENT AGE OF 70 AN AFFRONT TO JUDGES

The age limit of 70 placed on state justices and judges is an affront to them when both of our current U.S. senators are in their 80s, and at least one state legislator is in her early 70s.

This outdated and silly rule should be repealed in the November election.

If not, we shall be looked upon as holding a double standard.

COPPER THEFTS

DARK FREEWAYS A THREAT TO THE SAFETY OF CITIZENS

For any citizen to have to go more than 24 hours with a dark freeway because thieves have stolen copper wiring means that thieves win and government is ineffective.

Since when do thieves get to decide when we can be safe? Our government's job is to keep us safe. Repairing our lights should be the highest priority.

The next highest priority should be finding and catching the thieves and sending them off to some swamp prison in Mississippi for a few years to think about the error of their ways.

There are lots of innovative ways to track the sale or shipping of copper and to put electronic alarms on lighting circuits.