Ruling could hurt DUI enforcement

MADD Hawaii is disappointed in the Nov. 25 opinion of the Hawaii Supreme Court (“Judges reject jail for refusing DUI test,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 26).

As we enter the holiday season, MADD wants to assure the public that the basic DUI (OVUII) laws in Hawaii remain intact. DUI itself is still a crime. However, the court’s opinion finds that the act of refusing a blood or breath test should not be an additional crime. Importantly, drivers who refuse testing will continue to receive a penalty of a longer license revocation period than that for taking the test and failing it by having a blood alcohol content of .08 or above.

Hawaii’s laws and the ignition interlock program have been working. National data just released shows that Hawaii’s alcohol-impaired driving fatalities for 2014 have declined by 27 percent since 2011. It is unfortunate that the fallout from the Supreme Court’s opinion may compromise this gain.

Carol H. McNamee

Founder and board member, MADD Hawaii

Waialae Iki

Rolovich can’t guarantee victories

I wish Nick Rolovich all the best, and I’m sure he will do his best to lead the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team (“This is how we Rolo,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 28). But being an outstanding quarterback doesn’t guarantee he’ll be a good head coach.

A case in point is Mike Shula, son of Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula, and an outstanding quarterback at the University of Alabama. He was hired with great fanfare in 2002 to lead the Crimson Tide. But because he didn’t have any head coaching experience, despite all the help from his dad, he wasn’t able to lead the team to enough victories to satisfy the Alabama fans.

The new coach should be given a one-year contract, renewable after a year-end review, to avoid paying a healthy buy-out in case things don’t turn out as expected.

Wim Blees

Mililani

Rooftop solar’s end good for NextEra

It may be a convenient coincidence that rooftop solar may be ending at the same time NextEra is waiting to pounce. Or it may be business as usual. Maybe.

But NextEra does not support rooftop solar. So certainly slamming the door shut on rooftop solar opens the door very, very wide for NextEra. It seems that despite the NextEra hearings starting this week, the state Public Utilities Commission has all but rubber-stamped approval for NextEra. It’s not a very enlightening way to do business.

Kim Osborn Mullen

Kailua

Plant-based diet over imu turkey

I was so saddened to see the otherwise sensitive Dr. Ira Zunin engaging in and celebrating the slaughter of 500 innocent animals as necessary to building community (“Community can help secure future amid climate change,” Star-Advertiser, Wealth of Health, Nov. 28).

In fact, most population research supports the opposite in building communities, since the environmental, health, moral and other costs of raising and killing animals for food are far greater than the costs of a grain, fruit and nut-based diet — and, incidentally, provides far more community support and participation than the raising and killing of animals.

I will never forget the horrifying picture of a grinning Zunin, his son and others standing over the bodies of 500 turkeys as though they were having a party. I wish Zunin would confine himself to scientifically based, ethical examinations of the “wealth of health” and act in more sensitive ways to the wonderful and precious diversity of life.

Joel Fischer

Waialae

Don’t live in fear of terrorist groups

The killing of innocent people by terrorist groups worldwide is a terrible thing. Unfortunately there will always be crazy people in the world blinded and brainwashed by philosophical, religious or political beliefs. These groups thrive on publicity to instill terror among us. That’s what they want.

According to government statistics, 2,596,933 people died last year in the U.S.

Accidents (including vehicles) killed 130,000, drug-related deaths 45,471, suicides 41,149, alcohol-related deaths 29,000, and homicides 16,121. Currently there are 320 million people alive in our country.

When we consider these numbers we should realize that we really shouldn’t be afraid.

We all should be smarter than to let ourselves live in fear of these evil people. It should only unite good people of all races, colors and religions, to stand together to eradicate terrorism, or they win.

Bill Romerhaus

Haleiwa

GOP, Gabbard defy national principles

The U.S. rejection of admitting Syrian refugees fleeing terror in their homeland, a rejection spearheaded by GOP governors, the House Republican majority, and all the current GOP candidates for president (plus Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, alas), brings instant shame to America in the same way as our country’s refusal to accept Jews fleeing from Hitler before World War II.

And let’s not forget the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry, some 120,000 thoroughly mistreated fellow citizens, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It took half a century for America to own up to the fact that we had violated our own national principles in doing so. Must we do so again?

I salute Gov. David Ige’s declaration that the Hawaiian islands are different, that Hawaii would indeed accept refugees.

All of which should make us proud to reside in this small corner of our country, where some sad precedents have not been forgotten, but have been roundly rejected.

Stephen O’Harrow

Saint Louis Heights