Falls of Clyde could be safely relocated

I support an appeal of the state Department of Transportation decision to evict the Falls of Clyde from its moorings (“The fall of Clyde,” Star-Advertiser, June 18). The unique historical value of the ship mandates that it be preserved.

Yes, the fundraising has been slow, but moving it solves nothing other than creating space for yet another commercial venture. It will cost far less than $32 million to restore the hull to a point when it could safely be moved.

There has been no demonstration of a “safety and security risk” by the DOT.

There will be a huge taxpayer cost to move it in its present condition.

And speaking of risk to the harbor — what about the risk as it disintegrates, spreading debris into the path of harbor traffic? I implore the DOT to reverse its decision and save this treasure.

Harry Palmer

Downtown Honolulu

Students’ behavior was disrespectful

Laiana Wong in his weekly Hawaiian language post praised the Kamehameha Schools students for not standing while the “Star Spangled Banner” was played.

Do the students and Wong not understand or teach simple respect? When I am in any foreign country, if their national anthem is played, it is pono to the people of that country, however different and disagreeable their government is, to stand while their anthem is is played. By “noho pa‘a” (stuck sitting), the students are disrespecting every graduate of that institution and everyone who has served in the military and those who have given their lives for their freedom, and are snubbing their noses at all non-Hawaiians.

If they truly feel this way, Wong should not accept any non-Native Hawaiian taxpayer monies included in his salary or retirement and the graduates of this school should not accept any U.S. government scholarships or grants.

Gary R. Johnson

Kaneohe

Shorter rail route will hurt commuters

For the thousands of West Oahu commuters who face a nationally ranked “traffic crunch” driving to work or school in Honolulu, Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s sudden shift with rail planning to a Middle Street end point is a slap in the face of voters who originally supported the route to Ala Moana.

While the mayor and City Council promoted the urban development corridor from Kapolei to Honolulu that had given the green light to more than 20,000 future homes at Ho‘opili and Koa Ridge, and a surge in condo tower construction around Kakaako and Ward Center, the Middle Street compromise will now add a bottleneck train/bus terminal to make commuting miserable for the thousands of workers who support the Honolulu economy.

Rail provided an appealing future alternative to the proposed expansion of large residential communities on Oahu and the disappearing public parking options downtown. The Middle Street rail end point will only contribute to the traffic and commuting woes facing West Oahu and degrade the quality of life for our ohana.

Art Wallace

Kapolei

Have rail stop at edge of Chinatown

If we have to stop the rail short, let’s stop it somewhere useful.

It was originally supposed to serve the Ala Moana Center. That may be out of reach, but downtown is not. A terminal stop on the Ewa edge of Chinatown (say, Beretania and River streets) would serve not only Chinatown but would be an easy walk (or a relatively quick bus ride) to downtown. And it wouldn’t desecrate the downtown waterfront, as the current route plan would.

Pushing the line through Kalihi wouldn’t be cheap or easy. But it would add real value. Stopping at Middle Street would not.

If that’s the preferred option, let’s stop where we are now, in Aiea. Folks can always get off there and catch a bus.

Beau Sheil

Haleiwa

Florida incident was attack on humanity

The tragic shooting incident in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., was an act of terrorism and a hate crime committed by a self-radicalized jihadist, not only against innocent gay people but against humanity.

It is time to raise awareness about nonviolence, and the fight against terrorism, which is spreading like cancer across the globe.

The extremists are using the internet to recruit young, unstable individuals prone to violence, and brainwashing them to become jihadists to carry out attacks and suicide missions in crowded areas in their local communities. These fanatics have twisted certain passages of the Quran for their own selfish purposes to stay in power, create fear, and impose their rules on the entire world.

It is also time to close loopholes and make stricter gun laws to prevent more violence.

Everything can be replaced, but loss of human lives can’t be replaced with any material object in this world.

Raj Kumar

President, Gandhi International Institute for Peace

Why isn’t state liable for its TMT error?

The Third Circuit Court determined that the Thirty Meter Telescope met the eight requirements to obtain a building permit for the telescope on Mauna Kea.

The Hawaii Supreme Court disallowed the permit and sent everybody back to square one because the hearing officer at the Board of Land and Natural Resources made a mistake.

Even though the TMT consortium was innocent of any wrongdoing, it suffered the brunt of the consequences — nine years of work and millions of dollars lost.

Was this a failure by the state of Hawaii to provide full disclosure? What if it had revealed at the very beginning that the applicant would be penalized for mistakes made by the agency in charge?

James Growney

Diamond Head