Another shark has attacked and maimed someone in Hawaii waters (“Man in critical condition after shark mauling,” Star-Advertiser, April 1).

Often these brutal attacks happen in front of friends and family. However, because it happens in the ocean, attacks are written off as a risk of going in the water.

The state should convene a task force to figure out why these attacks happen. Is it the sharks’ nature, overpopulation, lack of food, pollution, rising water temperatures or something else?

The state also should establish a program for tiger sharks that track or attack humans. These animals typically remain in the area for a few hours after a tracking or attack.

Trained teams should have enough time to arrive and tag or kill the animal.

No one wants to see an open season on tiger sharks. But the state and scientists need to step up and take firm, proactive steps to address this and protect the ocean-going public.

Dionys Heimgartner

Kamuela, Hawaii island

—

Humans, not guns, kill people

For all of you who think that a firearm kills people, do this: Take any kind of firearm, load it and set it on a table, a chair, or even place it on the ground.

Stand or sit and wait for it to kill. Unless someone picks it up and proceeds to use it, nothing will happen.

There are many weapons at a person’s disposal — firearms, knives — even an automobile, among other things that will kill. But in all cases a human is the main factor.

Think about these, if you are capable: Guns cause murders like silverware causes obesity, matches cause arson, ski masks cause robberies, crowbars cause burglaries, pencils cause misspelled words, cars cause people to drive drunk.

Matt Ferguson

Waianae

—

Install signals at crosswalks

Recently I almost hit a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk. But it was dark, and I didn’t see her until the last minute. It was a good thing she was paying attention and stopped just in time.

We’ve had numerous pedestrians killed or injured walking in marked crosswalks. But even the best drivers can get a little distracted, and when it’s dark, it’s very hard to see them.

The city should install signals at all crosswalks not at traffic lights, like the one at the Windward HPU campus. That light was put there after a student was killed crossing the highway.

I realize this will cost a significant amount of money. But let’s put our priorities in the right place. Isn’t it worth it even if it saves just one life?

The city is spending billions of dollars building a mode of transportation that will benefit only a small percentage of people living on Oahu.

This project would protect all pedestrians all around the island.

Wim Blees

Mililani

—

Hotels too costly for future visitors

Yikes! Our visitors have to pay $587 per night for luxury hotels or $175 for mid-scale accommodations (“Visitors emptied wallets to stay in isles last month,” Star-Advertiser, March 29)?

No wonder the tourists are flocking to short-term private rooms and homes.

The hotel industry will soon price itself out of the market at the next economic downturn if it doesn’t start building moderately priced hotels for our visitors.

Glenn Young

Nuuanu

—

Trump blameless in GOP problems

Richard Borreca blames President Donald Trump for Beth Fukumoto and Charles Djou leaving the Republican Party (“Republican Party behind Trump is not Hawaii’s GOP,” Star-Advertiser, On Politics, April 1).

Fukumoto and Djou are just opportunists who couldn’t win as Republicans and took the easy way out by blaming the president for their decision.

Trump did not force them out of the GOP. They left of their own free will. I wish they would have taken responsibility for their own decisions and not made “the devil made me do it” excuse.

Borreca’s comment that Trump is responsible for “the complete destruction of the Hawaii Republican Party” is laughable. It’s so easy to bash the GOP in Hawaii because there are so few Republicans around.

The complete destruction of the Hawaii GOP? Borreca is being overly dramatic. Even if it’s true, what difference does it make?

Bert Oshiro

Hawaii Kai

—

Dowd column unseemly gossip

After reading Maureen Dowd’s column on Jared and Ivanka I had a sick feeling in my stomach (“Jared and Ivanka struggle while Josh and Karlie thrive,” Star-Advertiser, April 3).

I then realized why. I had just read something that should be in the National Enquirer, which I refuse to buy or read.

Let’s not have the Star- Advertiser report gossip.

Cynthia Lebowitz

Waikiki