CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER

FAILURE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS VERY DISTURBING

I have grave concerns about our chief election officer not being registered to vote in the state of Hawai'i until last Friday. Had your political reporter not called him to ask the question, he would probably still be unregistered and ineligible to vote, not to mention in violation of the law.

If he cannot account for his own voter registration, how can we hold him accountable for the hundreds of thousands of registered voters in the state?

In addition, there are many details and duties of this job that require meticulous monitoring, such as overseeing ballot operations, counting operations, poll workers, observers, as well as all the needs of 339 precincts and polling places statewide.

For Kevin Cronin to overlook something so fundamental is appalling, especially when the requirements of his job are clearly stated in the first section of Chapter 11, the statue that governs elections.

Perhaps most disturbing was his cavalier attitude to such a serious oversight. His response, "Thanks for reminding me," and that it was something that he "didn't get around to doing," is alarming. Mr. Cronin has been on the job since February and seems to have been in violation of the law since that time.

Executing the law properly is essential to maintaining the integrity of our elections, which are at the very heart and soul of our democracy. We deserve a chief election officer with whom we can place our trust and confidence.

DRUG TESTING

TRAMPLING ON RIGHTS IS NOT CORRECT SOLUTION

David Shapiro (July 23) states that "public school teachers displayed a disturbing lack of integrity" over the drug-testing issue.

His accusation is unfair and misdirected. Everyone is against drugs in the schools. But to trample on constitutional rights to enact an ineffective program is no solution at all. Our governor, who is sworn to uphold the Constitution, has failed in her duty to protect the citizenry against unreasonable searches.

I am a public school teacher, and proud of the work I do. Along with thousands of other teachers, I did not vote for the last contract because I felt that the governor blindsided us at the end of negotiations with her demand for random drug tests.

I do not use drugs, nor do I approve of drug use. I did not sell my rights for a pay increase; I received a justifiable salary increase which almost keeps me current with the increased cost of living.

Am I to give up my constitutional rights because our governor wants to present the illusion of taking effective action against a widespread societal problem?

That would be shortsighted, Mr. Shapiro. And watch out, because freedom of the press might be the next casualty of this misdirected thinking.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CAN'T IGNORE THAT MANY TEENS SEXUALLY ACTIVE

James Roller's July 23 letter states that only 43 percent of high school students have engaged in sexual intercourse and only one-third are sexually active. He cites this as a reason why teens should not receive comprehensive reproductive health education and states that all teens need to protect them is "the right motivation and guidance."

Comprehensive sex education programs emphasize the value and effectiveness of abstinence. They also provide information on other ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections for the 43 percent of high school students who do not practice abstinence.

Even if they are not sexually active in high school, 98 percent of Americans have sexual intercourse before marriage and they need to know how to protect themselves.

Teen pregnancy rates rose by 3 percent in 2006. Unmarried childbearing reached a new record high in 2006, with more than 1,641,700 births to unmarried mothers. This represents a 20 percent increase from 2002, when the recent upswing in non-marital births began, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("Births: Preliminary Data for 2006," prepared by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics).

We cannot ignore the fact that many of our youth will not refrain from sexual activity.

MILITARY TRAINING

ARMY SHOULD GIVE BACK MAKUA VALLEY

I am writing in response to the July 27 letter written by Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon.

He contends that the artifacts and endangered plants remain in Makua Valley due to the Army's efforts. He fails to point out that it took a lawsuit and outside parties to recognize their significance in the first place and to compel compliance protection.

Indeed, the only reason they exist was that those areas were fortuitously out of the firing areas to begin with. As far as being a leader in environmental protection, well, again, aren't they the creators of the gross pollution and environmental destruction in those areas?

I won't belabor the point on whether the artillery bombing and live fire is essential. Absolutely. But not here on one of the most-populated islands in the Pacific, not now when so much is known about its uniqueness and the need of the land for, at the very least, open space.

I will go back to the original sin when the Army seized the land during World War II for national security and it was supposed to relinquish it at the end of 60 years. Enough already. Time to give it back. Malama Makua.

ENVIRONMENT

FLOW OF PLASTIC BAGS SEEMS TO BE UNENDING

So China has banned the use of plastic bags. Great idea, but do you know that every clothing item that is shipped from China is packaged in an individual plastic bag? And that is a lot of bags. Not only from China; almost all clothing manufacturers do this.

Think about it — every clothing item in every store is delivered in an individual bag to the store. When sold, it joins many other items that get put into only one bag.

Banning that one bag is only the tip of the iceberg. Those hundreds of thousands of other bags go directly into the garbage, into landfills or maybe burned at H-Power.

Can they be reused, recycled, reduced?

As a business owner, I feel badly about seeing these bags going into the garbage day after day.

We try to use some of them where we can, but they just keep coming and coming. Nearly half the garbage we send away is plastic bags. I'm sure there are thousands of other businesses that do the same thing.

I hope I have opened some eyes here. Does anyone have any ideas or solutions?

TRAFFIC

PEDESTRIANS NEED TO USE COMMON SENSE

I agree with Richard Green (Letters, July 25) that pedestrians must take responsibility for themselves when navigating roadways primarily built for motor vehicles.

Common sense dictates that any kind of "encounter" between a vehicle and a human will result in a loss by the human. As a local AJA, I grew up hearing words like "irankoto" (not paying attention), and "tere-tere" (lagging behind), usually followed by a quick slap on the back of my head, while being quickly led along by my ear out of the roadway.

Pedestrians who believe that it is a driver's responsibility to look out for their safety are like people who go to zoos and go beyond the barriers to take closeup shots of a polar bear — no common sense. Talk about bakatare.

WHEN WILL BICYCLE SAFETY BECOME REALITY?

My heart is heavy as I write this — not only because of the recent bicyclist deaths but the fact that on average every day in Hawai'i a bicyclist is hit by a motorist (Department of Health Injury Prevention and Control Program, 2008).

For more than a year, several bicyclists and I made presentations to neighborhood boards regarding bicycle safety. To date, 29 out of 33 boards supported the Bicycle Safety Resolution. The resolution was also adopted by the Honolulu City Council and O'ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization and formally presented to Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.

There is wide support for bicycle safety in Hawai'i. My question is: When will it become a reality?

For the past three weeks, my sons and I have been vacationing in Wisconsin. We've bicycled many miles, and it has been a real pleasure. Yes, there is more room here for off-road bike paths, but the real reason this is a great place to ride is because of the way drivers treat bicyclists. Most drivers moved to the next lane to pass us, and not one came within three feet of us while passing.

In contrast, every day we ride in Honolulu a driver comes within three or even two feet away from us. This happens regardless of whether a car is in the next lane or not.

I would like to challenge every driver in Honolulu to make today the day to start driving with more aloha toward bicyclists and pedestrians. Be aware we are out there and simply take a second or two to move into the next lane while passing us. The difference you can make is incredible.