SUPERFERRY

EH, WHY NO WORRIES ABOUT SPOILING O'AHU?

Much fuss has been made about how the Superferry will destroy the integrity of the Neighbor Islands and their pristine charm.

Eh, what about spoiling O'ahu? People grumble about the Neighbor Islands' secret surfing spots, hidden 'opihi-picking niches and backwoods hunting areas that will all be violated.

What about O'ahu's secret hunting areas: Ala Moana Center, Pearlridge. I don't need some puny rent-a-car taking up the space where my SUV should be.

And all this talk of spreading invasive species. I don't want no Neighbor Island fire ants or crazy coqui frogs creating havoc on the freeway.

Besides, who's to say some bruddahs ain't gonna come over here on the Superferry and load their trucks up with copper wire? We only have so much to go around you know.

The people on O'ahu need to unite and protest just like our Neighbor Island cousins.

Hey, we got way more crazy complaining people on this island than all the other islands combined. Plus we got way more money-hungry, headline-seeking lawyers. In fact, if you ever want to get anything done in this state, we have the best place to make it come to a grinding halt: the state Legislature.

Take that, you Neighbor Island country bumpkins.

MANY ARE ASHAMED OF ACTIONS OF PROTESTERS

The actions of the protesters on Kaua'i have left many of us Kauaians ashamed and in disbelief.

This is not the aloha way, nor is this the way most of us locals feel and think.

To all our brothers and sisters from the other islands, please come and see us. Our hearts are open to you. Please do not allow a small group of ignorant, self-serving individuals dictate when or where you should travel.

Thank you for always being there for Kaua'i.

WILL FERRY NEED YEARLY GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY?

Much has been made in the Letters section about Hawaii Superferry being a $300 million business.

Does that number include the $140 million loan guaranteed by U.S. taxpayers and the $40 million subsidy from Hawai'i taxpayers for harbor improvements specific to the ferry?

Ferry spokespeople have claimed the loan and subsidy will be paid back, but by whom?

To my knowledge, there is not a vehicle ferry in the country that does not receive a yearly government subsidy. Even in the heavily populated Seattle area, where ferries are jammed daily, they cannot make a profit and are subsidized by taxpayers.

Why does anyone think it will be different here?

People with a realistic view of the ferry have been accused of being anti-business. Anti-corporate welfare would be more accurate.

HAWAI'I NO KA 'OI

MAINLAND VISITOR FINDS O'AHU DRIVERS POLITE

I just returned to my home in Arizona after being on O'ahu for a week.

Our week there was wonderful, a real treat — the citizens of O'ahu are gracious and welcoming — just what I expected and I wasn't disappointed.

The first thing I was struck by was the polite ways of drivers on O'ahu. In heavy traffic, folks would drop back and let us change lanes safely — not what I'm used to in Arizona.

Everywhere we went, we experienced that "live aloha" spirit from everyone we met.

We visited Maui in 2006, we will be coming back to the Islands next fall, possibly to Kaua'i or The Big Island. There's no place like Hawai'i!

DRAFT

U.S. SHOULD NOT REPEAT TRAGIC MISTAKES OF PAST

Norman MacRitchie regurgitated the talking points of certain far-left Democratic politicians in his Sept. 12 letter calling for a reinstatement of the draft.

Giving authoritarian politicians a larger pool of soldiers makes it easier for them to wage more and larger wars. Right now, invading and occupying Iran is simply impossible — with the draft that would be on the table. The presence of the draft allowed the escalation of the war in Vietnam, piling surge upon surge of soldiers in an unwinnable conflict.

The draft would not put all families at equal risk. The Vietnam-era draft allowed the well-connected to avoid putting their children at risk, as Presidents Bush and Clinton can attest to. In particular, members of Congress would be able to keep their children out of harm's way.

A draft is morally wrong, and it increases the odds that any Congress and any president will wage war. Let's not repeat the tragic mistakes of the past.

GROWTH

DO WE WANT HONOLULU TO LOOK LIKE MIAMI?

Hardly a day goes by that we are not urged to conserve water and electricity, yet we continue to build super-deluxe high-rise condominiums without regard to the impact they will have on our precious and limited resources.

Apparently, the state and city do not care, and the media is not interested.

Are environmental impact studies required for these projects? Do we have sufficient water and power to support unrestrained growth? Do we really want Honolulu to look like Miami?

HAWAIIAN RIGHTS

TIME TO PUT AKAKA BILL TO A VOTE BY ELECTORATE

Is the fox guarding the chicken coop? I'm talking about the OHA poll on the public's attitude toward passage of the Akaka bill.

Put the issue to a public vote. If more than 60 percent of the people polled supported many of the proposed resolutions in the bill, then there should be no problem in getting broad public approval and proving to Congress that indeed the citizens of Hawai'i want the Akaka bill passed.

Otherwise, there will always be the suspicion that these polls and surveys conducted by interested parties have been salted or influenced in some way to skew them to the desired result.

It's time to show an example and do the right thing by having the public actually express their beliefs.

UH FOOTBALL

COLT'S HAIRDO MAKES ISLAND RESIDENT PROUD

News broadcasts recently showed Colt Brennan with his new hairdo.

All the islands of Hawai'i are visible against a bleached background. Yes, though just a tiny speck, Moloka'i was there, the island that I love. It made me so proud that a University of Hawai'i quarterback, who is going to be in the news almost every day, was paying tribute to us and the rest of the Islands.

To see Colt on TV showing everyone what is important to him and who he is representing made me feel so good.

So, although I won't get to see most of the games live, I say to Colt, imua! To the Warriors of UH, imua! You truly represent the people of Hawai'i, no matter where we are.

MIDEAST

CONGRESS MUST CUT OFF IRAQ WAR FUNDING NOW

I feel compelled to speak out on behalf of many people like me — a concerned majority angered by an inability to have a say in bringing this unjust war to an end.

Mark my words, history will show that this war was the biggest mistake for our nation, and will forever cause the world to never forgive us for all the innocent blood that has been spilled.

Congress needs to cut the money; it's the only choice left. Do it for our children's children.

BASEBALL

BABE STILL CAN BE CALLED THE HOME-RUN KING

In reference to recent letters, there's a bottom line to the home-run king argument.

Whether there are 150, 160 or 170 games per year, there's another primary issue. If you want to see who will always be the home-run king simply compare the total number of games it took Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds to hit their record.

The Babe is way out front by taking hundreds of fewer games to his homers.

TOXOPLASMOSIS

CAT DISEASE CAN BE SPREAD ON O'AHU, TOO

Regarding the article, "Sick cats roaming Mauna Kea slopes," on Aug. 21: The focus was on toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease spread by cats that infects humans and other animals. It has a complicated life cycle involving birds and rodents, the normal prey of cats. Cats shed an environmentally resistant infectious stage in their feces.

There are substantial feral cat populations on O'ahu, namely in Manoa and around the Kaka'ako waterfront. Although an effort has been made by the Hawaiian Humane Society to control these feral cat populations, it has not been successful.

Cats in these populations have not been tested for toxoplasmosis, but it's highly likely many cats have been infected and have shed the resistant oocyst stage into the environment, where it can remain viable for a year or longer, posing a threat to humans and marine mammals.

At least one monk seal was found infected in O'ahu waters. Experimentally, oocysts can be easily transmitted by flies and cockroaches to human food.