MODERNIZE ROADS FOR FASTER, CHEAPER RELIEF

Mayor Hannemann misread the meaning of Kiewit’s lower than expected bid. It just means his experts and Kiewit’s couldn’t estimate 10 percent of the project’s cost any closer than $90 million.
And most money taken from Oçahu gets paid to someone else’s engineers, systems designers, managers, etc., and to someone else’s manufacturers of goods like steel and rail cars.
And the cost never ends. The mayor’s experts designed rail to run at a loss. Borrowed money is never repaid. Interest payments never stop.
And major redesign of Oçahu, like Kapolei, becomes impossible. Sensible or not, Oçahu’s development will be dictated by unmovable train tracks … even when things change, as all things do.
Let’s modernize our neglected, badly designed roads instead, to get faster, less expensive relief using our own engineers, architects, etc. For starters, add up-and-over ramps on Dillingham for trucks returning to the docks from Waikïkï. Remove those gas-wasting left-turn lights!

GEORGE L. BERISH | Honolulu

LOITERERS

PRIVATIZE BUS STOPS TO SOLVE PROBLEM

Maybe it’s time for the city to privatize the bus stops. Many Mainland cities do that while they are taking federal money for bus/rail transportation.
Bus stops could be sold/leased/rented for a nominal fee and the business or organization could put a small sign denoting ownership. Police could then respond to 911 calls to have vagrants, druggies, homeless campers removed legally.
I am sure bus riders would appreciate getting to use the stops again as they were intended to be used. And just maybe they would patronize the businesses/organizations that are sponsoring the bus stops. If you say that the Outdoor Circle would complain, why not approach them and have them offer a very nominal fee to “adopt” the bus stops and privatize them and put a small sign? The city has to start thinking outside the box. Try something different for a change. Bus riders are asking that something be done ASAP.
As the weather gets worse this winter with more rain far too many bus riders are left standing in the rain while the bus stops have become smelly camp sites.
Try it on a trial basis. The ACLU can’t complain about the use of private property, can they?

T. ruby | Honolulu

HALE KOA

PAYING PRICE FOR LIFEGUARDS’ REMOVAL

Could the recent drowning of a visitor have been prevented?
We, who opposed the removal of the Hale Koa lifeguards, hoped an unfortunate occurrence such as this would not happen. The group’s efforts of petitions and countless meetings with authorities to halt the removal (which took place Oct. 1), proved to no avail. The Army remained adamant in following through with this inane/insane action, stating that this would create an annual savings of $185,000.
Feds can still spend billions of dollars for “bailouts” and the war effort; the state and City and County have no plans to put any lifeguards on that beach since they are already seeing the puka at the bottom of their pocketbooks, So who is responsible? You go figure and tell that to the poor victim’s family.

MAUREEN B. HANAKAHI | Wahiawä

GLOBAL WARMING

CAPPING EMISSIONS WON’T HAVE BIG EFFECT

In response to the Nov. 15 letter “Global warming: Drop the ideology, stick to science”: Since Mr. McDermott’s ideology and Mr. Staub’s science don’t agree about global warming (climate change), may I suggest a mathematical solution.
The entire atmosphere is responsible for 33 degrees warming of Earth’s temperature. CO2 is .04 percent of the atmosphere. Thirty-three degrees times .04 equals .0132 degrees, which CO2 is responsible for.
If our “carbon footprint” plus natural causes increased CO2 threefold we will only get a temperature increase of .0396 degrees.
So, capping emissions of the “plant food” gas that we all exhale, even if it actually was a greenhouse gas, won’t have a significant effect on global temperature.

JOHN MACK | Mililani

TARGET

KAILUA CAN’T ACCOMMODATE STORE

Target proposed for Kailua — no, no, no.
Target is a place where I shop and I was glad to have Target come to Oçahu. I am not pleased to see that they are considering Kailua for a possible fifth store. The location where Don Quijote is seems much too small for a Target. I also would not want to lose Don Quijote; it provides many different unique products and I shop there weekly.
Due to its size, Target seems much better suited for somewhere in Käneçohe, close to Windward Mall or Windward Shopping Center.
Prior to moving to Kailua, I had a condo in Oregon close to Washington Square Shopping Center near Beaverton. There was a very large Target just across the main street from my condo. I shopped there myself, as did many people. The traffic was terrible. At all hours of the day and evening when Target was open. There were times when the parking lot was so full that people had to wait for others to leave before parking. Kailua does not have the streets or the space to accommodate such a store and such traffic.
Target would be welcome on the Windward side, but not in Kailua, at least by me.

CLAUDIA WEBSTER | Kailua

FURLOUGHS

TARGETING OF KEIKI A SHAME, DISGRACE

It is so shameful that our most vulnerable citizens are being targeted to help close the budget gap. DOE is a very top-heavy organization; why are they not being furloughed? And what about our higher-up government employees who have the resources and the means to take a budget cut?
All I can see is that our keiki will grow up to have the same attitudes as our so-called leadership here in Hawaiçi, where education is not the priority. And all the money that should have gone toward education will in the future go to pay for government assistance for the unfortunate adults who will have a more difficult time being contributing members of their community.
This whole situation is shameful and a disgrace. I too am not sure if I want to remain living in an environment of substandard education and the effects it will have on our communities in the future.

caren benson-mucha | Honolulu

OKINAWA BASE

RESOLUTION NOT EASY FOR OBAMA, JAPAN

Having been stationed in Okinawa for more than four years, at the Intelligence School, near Kadena Air Base, during the height of the Vietnam War (1968-1972), I can understand the anxiety and frustration of the Okinawan people living in the vicinity of the air base. B52s (large bombers) were flying day and night; many of the local people could not express their emotions publicly and the local politicians would only complain to the U.S. civil administrators in charge since Okinawa reverted to Japan in May of 1972; until then the U.S. occupation forces ruled.
Many of the local people leased their real estate to the military; many were employed by U.S. companies engaged or connected to the U.S. military. These people wanted the Americans to stay.
This is not an easy situation for President Obama to resolve with the Japanese government. Japan needs U.S. protection.

TOSHIO CHINEN | Pearl City

PREVENTION

HEALTH STARTS WITH TAKING CARE OF SELF

“Emergency care reforms needed,” a letter by Pauline Arellano (Nov. 10), makes a good point about reminding people that emergency rooms in rural hospitals can’t help as much as bigger hospitals can — and we need good emergency vehicles to transport patients. I write because the example of the patient she gave made me immediately think: prevention. Blocked arteries; heart attack. I wish I could shout from the roof tops — or teach enormous lecture courses somewhere — about the preventable ills which cause all manner of suffering so many people assume is normal.
So much delicious food exists which prevents and reverses even advanced arteriosclerosis. I hope more people find out.
I looked down the page and saw the ad for “Questions about your Medicare options?” — and skimmed. Inside, I found: “So, having the right health plan goes a long way in helping you stay healthy.” No. Not nearly as much as taking control of your own health. At any age and even if your family has a history of a particular problem. We are more resilient than people realize.

nandarani evans | Hilo, Hawaiçi

GROWERS DONATE

KONA COFFEE FOR OUR TROOPS ABROAD

In January of 2008 a small group of neighbors, who happened to be Kona coffee farmers, got together and brainstormed a way they could get some of their great coffee to our troops serving in the global war on terror. An initial shipment of 45 pounds was organized in February followed by a second similar amount the following month.
Both were mailed to the 2nd Squadron of the 14th Cavalry, an element of the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade and already deployed at Camp Taji in Salahuddin Province, Iraq. This was received with so much appreciation that the brigade commander dubbed the effort “Operation Warrior Wake Up!”
Back here in Kona, a presentation to a meeting of the Kona Coffee Council produced promises and commitments of many hundreds of pounds of Kona coffee to be shipped to the Stryker Brigade and many other Hawaiçi based units during the months ahead. Since that time we have managed to raise donations for and ship at least 100 pounds of Kona coffee per month and substantially more over the holidays.
To date, 22 different Kona coffee farms have donated nearly 2 tons of high-quality Kona coffee to our Hawaiçi-based soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, making this the largest and most continuous donation of Kona coffee to our armed forces in the history of the Kona coffee industry.
Time and again these farmers have answered the appeals for targeted donations for various units with an outpouring of generosity that is just completely heartwarming and fully appreciated by those on the receiving end. Regardless of the downturn in the economy, the farmers continue to give and give abundantly, never failing to answer the call to support those who so bravely serve their country so far away.
I would like to share with you who these incredible American patriots are, so that you may also know them, as I do. Please think about supporting them with your business as they support those that defend us all.

Tom Greenwell & Greenwell Farms
http://www.greenwellfarms.com/
Steve Mclaughlin and Captain Cook Coffee Company
http://www.captaincookkona.com/
Bill Dwyer and Kona Mountain Coffee Company
http://www.konamountaincoffee.com/
Dave Bateman and Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee Company
http://www.heavenlyhawaiian.com/
Sharon Wood and Arianna Farms Coffee Company
http://www.ariannafarms.com/
Kaipo Sheen and Makapueo Farms Coffee Company
http://makapueofarms.com/
Dawn Barnes and Kona Rainforest Coffee Company
http://www.konarainforest.com
Nancy Sechrist and Makahiki Farms Coffee Company
http://makahikifarms.com/
Bud Jenkins and Pagoda House Coffee Company
http://www.pagodahousecoffee.com/
Skip & Rita Cowell and Kowali Farm
http://www.kowalifarm.com/
Tom Butler and Paradise Found Coffee Company
http://paradisefoundhawaii.com/
Dr. Charles Brown and Wailapa Farms
http://www.wailapafarms.com/
Cassandra Hazen and Brazen Hazen Kona Coffee
http://www.brazenhazen.com/
Ann Ryan and Hokulani Coffee
http://www.hokulanicoffee.com/
Jimmy Perry and Perry Estate Coffee Company
http://www.perrykonacoffee.com/
Roger Rittenhouse and Moki’s Farm
http://www.mokisfarm.com/
Deb Sims and Sweet Spirit Kona Coffee
http://www.sweetspiritfarms.com/
Jim Kerver and Coffee Shack
http://www.coffeeshack.com/
Brian Axelrod and Lehuula Farms
http://www.lehuulafarms.com/
Andy Roy and BayView Farm Coffees
http://www.bayviewfarmcoffees.com/
Vince Mills and Kena Coffee
http://www.kenacoffee.com/
Laura Burnette and Get Real Kona Coffee Farm
http://getrealkonacoffee.com/

We continue to keep up with all returns and deployments and send coffee to those deployed as soon as they are set up and ready to receive their mail. We have supported many units now from the first days of their tours, until they come home. We hope to continue this effort until they all come home.
If you are a Kona coffee farmer and would like to join us, please feel free to contact me and you can join this program: hawaiigoe@gmail.com
As a registered 501 c (4) non-profit organization , Gathering of Eagles also accepts donations for the postage required to send all of this Kona coffee “over there.” Mahalo!

ROBERT GOWAN | Captain Cook, Hawaiçi