OLYMPICS

THE DUKE PUT HAWAI'I ON THE WORLD MAP

It all started with the Duke.

We need to remember who broke the swimming world record in the 100-free in 1911 and went on to win five medals in three Olympic Games. This was the man to put Hawai'i on the world map of attention. He competed as an older man and retired at 42 from competition.

So Michael Phelps is the new Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, not just bettering Mark Spitz, but adding to the proud history of American swimming. The Duke was the biggest swimming phenomenon then because he improved the kick and had a lifetime of surfing. His size-13 lu'au feet did not hurt; Phelps has flippers, too.

Just think of beating a world swimming record in the 100 meters now by 4.6 seconds. In the 50 meters, he broke the record, as well as the 200. He did not even have a quick start or turn.

We can be so happy for this new "Duke" of swimming and remember the proud member of the Hui Nalo club who made that trip to the games in Sweden so long ago. He and Jim Thorpe were honored by King Gustaf at his box.

This era of swim champions, both men and women, has a long history and we honor them as our national role models. More swimmers from Hawai'i may sometime again lead in the Games.

From Maui sugar irrigation channels came many more heroes to take medals at the Olympics, all inspired by the Duke. He was Hawai'i's first swimming hero. Let's not forget his contribution as we see present-day records fall and many athletes from Hawai'i compete.

Mahalo, Duke.

'IOLANI PALACE

HPD WILL RESPOND TO ALL CALLS FOR HELP

Teamwork and cooperation between state and city officials, including law enforcement, benefit everyone and help ensure public safety. That's nothing new, but there is always a need to evaluate incidents and strive for improvement.

Clearly, the state must be better prepared for any future disturbances in or around 'Iolani Palace, so I'm very pleased that operational and security plans for the palace are being reviewed. The city administration and Ho-nolulu Police Department remain ready, willing and able to assist.

As HPD Chief Boisse Correa and I have repeatedly stated, our police officers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to emergency calls for help from anyone on O'ahu, including anyone at the palace.

Though the state and the Friends of 'Iolani Palace are generally responsible for palace security, there is no jurisdictional dispute with regard to responding to emergencies or calls for assistance there. Our officers did in fact respond to the state's request for assistance during the disturbance on Statehood Day.

Some have implied that the state sought and extracted a new commitment from HPD following the disturbance. That's not the case. The city's policy has always been that our HPD officers will always be available to every citizen.

The allegation that a single HPD sergeant did not properly respond to allegations of a physical altercation near one of the palace gates remains under investigation, and everyone needs to reserve judgment until the facts are clear. Recent news media reports have expanded upon, and in some ways contradicted, initial reports.

Fairness and professionalism demand that all evidence be evaluated appropriately. If it should be found that indeed an error in judgment occurred, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.

Honolulu is one of America's safest big cities, and we work very hard every day to keep it that way.

GMO CROPS

MORE STUDIES NEEDED ON MODIFIED CROPS

I am one of the many people who avoid genetically engineered foods. We're not against science. Who doesn't want to feed the world?

But Kaua'i should have a choice about being an experimental station for corporations. This is "crop improvement" without the basic tenet of science — precaution.

Show us the data that the antibiotic resistance genes of GMO crops are not transferring into our soil. Do a safety study on the ingestion of pesticide producing plants and pollen.

We are for sound science. There is an understanding that all experiments abide by the precautionary principle. This principle states that when outcomes are unknown, every effort must be made to protect people. It does not state that you must know of harm, it states that if it is unknown, you must look before you leap.

The U.S. considers GMO food no different from non-GMO food solely based on a 1992 Executive Order. Therefore, no premarket safety testing occurs on any GMOs before they are released into the food. At this point we cannot say whether they are safe to eat or not.

We can say that National Institutes of Health looked at DNA proteins in each type of plant breeding method. They found greater health risks in foods produced by genetic engineering. Did they feed these crops to people? No, that would be poor science to allow human consumption of something found to be unsafe in the lab.

Currently the FDA has no way to trace the post-market effects of these foods. The U.S. staunchly refuses to allow the labeling of GMOs in food products. Do you know that you are part of an experiment?

HEROES

WELCOME HOME, HAWAI'I SOLDIERS

I would like to welcome homeour heroes of Hawai'i's Army National Guard Unit C Co. 1-207th AHB who have been deployed to Balad, Iraq for one year.

Soldiers representing O'ahu, Hilo and Maui have truly made their 'ohana back home proud. Their true dedication and countless hours of hard work will never go unnoticed. Much love and aloha to all of you for your service to this country.

GILL NET FISHING

VIOLATIONS A REFLECTION OF POORLY WORDED RULES

Recent Honolulu Advertiser articles citing continuing reports of "illegal" gill net fishing seem to vindicate the drone from various environmental groups, state Department of Land and Natural Resources, researchers and the Honolulu Advertiser's Editorial Board and their proclamation that fishing — more specifically, gill net fishing — is the dominant cause of "reef decline."

However, a careful look into the history of gill net fishing in Hawai'i and the 10-plus-year march toward the pseudo gill net ban of today, we find that these latest gill net violations do nothing more than illustrate how illogical the language and ill-intentioned the department's newly adopted (January 2007) gill net rules are.

The notion portrayed by these current rules — that some limited and "legal" form of gill net fishing is allowed — is a cruel prank to play on the mostly rural subsistence fishing communities that attempt to continue fishing as they have.

With brilliant foresight, only the island of Moloka'i, through its well-known community cohesion and political activism, was granted an exemption to these draconian gill net rules and allowed to operate under a separate set of more reasonable rules — rules that do not turn ordinary citizens into criminals.

Administrative rules pertaining to natural resources should be science-based and equitably applied — not derived from agenda-driven social marketing campaigns.

RAIL

TAXPAYERS SHOULDN'T FUND MORE PRO-RAIL ADS

I am sure I am not alone in observing that there has been a large increase in the number of ads for the rail in print and on TV and radio.

The statement at the end of the ads says that the ads are paid for by taxpayer dollars.

Can you please tell me why taxpayer dollars are being used to cram this railroad down our throats when the City and County of Honolulu keeps saying it doesn't have the money to provide basic services?

ONCE AND FOR ALL, LET'S HAVE A YES OR NO VOTE

Regarding the rail-transit question, why isn't anyone stating the obvious? The wording of the City Council's rail question is designed to allow Anne Kobayashi to still push for rail with rubber tires on concrete.

It does not allow the people to answer the "Rail or No Nail" question. It only allows us to say yes or no to Mufi's steel wheels on steel rail system.

If the City Council wanted rubber tires on concrete, why didn't it vote for that instead of leaving the decision to the mayor by not voting? Enough already! Let the people vote yes or no on any form of rail — once and for all!