I cringed reading Melissa L. Yee’s letter blaming the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope for the “wrath of Pele” now unleashed on Hawaii island (“Mother Nature will restore balance,” Star-Advertiser, May 20). By her logic, can we then blame the Japanese whaling fleet, which murders whales for “research,” for the 2011 tsunami that decimated Japan? Or blame Asian poachers of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn, driving them to extinction worldwide, for the deadly 2008 Sichuan earthquake?

Rather than invoke superstition to continue to fuel anger and resentment, Yee would be well advised to realize that building the TMT on Mauna Kea would infuse much-needed monies into the Hawaii island economy, helping those now suffering from the recent volcanic eruptions to recover. And she should not conflate “alternate facts” with actual ones. The Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear incidents were almost entirely man-made disasters — one due to poor training (Chernobyl) and the other to poor design (Fukushima).

Mark Slovak

Manoa

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Get shopping carts off the sidewalks

In reference to the article, “Fine or jail possible for Lime scooter riders, mayor declares” (Star-Advertiser, May 18): Why not use the time and effort to round up all the stolen shopping carts that are blocking the public sidewalks? Those shopping carts are hazardous.

Roland Louie

Downtown Honolulu

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Accused deserve their day in court

I was a jury foreman and I remember being instructed by the judge not to assume that the defendant was guilty just because he was the defendant. We were supposed to judge from the evidence presented in the courtroom.

Justice caught up with Bill Cosby and I hope his conviction is affirmed upon appeal, with so many accusers testifying about Cosby’s modus operandi. I learned when I was young that justice is slow, but effective.

It is easy to accuse someone of wrongdoing. Things have to be proven in court and assumptions have to be proven before the accused should be punished, incarcerated or fined financially.

Phil Robertson

Kailua

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Start horse-racing industry in isles

The publicity surrounding the Triple Crown of horse racing provides an annual reminder of missed opportunity for Hawaii’s agricultural economy (“Justify keeps Triple Crown bid alive,” Star-Advertiser, May 20).

The support businesses for a commercial horse-racing industry would include large-animal vets, farm managers, fence installers, pasture seed suppliers and all those companies supplying farm-related services, products and financing.

An industry related to large racetrack operations is mushroom cultivation based on nutrient-rich stable dressing (manure and straw). Large tracks of farmland on Hawaii island sit idle, converting from verdant fields of cane to snaggletooth forests of invasive trees and shrubs.

Would Hawaii really suffer from a thriving equine sport that brings new life to our neglected farmlands? Maybe someday a new species can be added to Hawaii’s Sport Hall of Fame.

C’mon, man: Let the ponies run.

Joseph DeFrank

Mililani

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Most undocumented aren’t criminals

Rhoads E. Stevens apparently has been victimized by the fake news perpetrated by President Donald Trump, who mischaracterizes undocumented immigrants as hard-core criminals who are in our country illegally (“Trump voters fed up with lawlessness,” Star-Advertiser, May 20). Trump makes these false statements to stoke the racism of many of his core supporters.

In fact, most of the undocumented immigrants in Hawaii have committed no crime arising from their immigration status, as they have overstayed their visas, which is not a crime. Furthermore, the crime rate of undocumented immigrants is far below that of native-born U.S. citizens.

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes and do not qualify for many government programs, so they are not a drain on society. An estimated 45,000 undocumented immigrants live in Hawaii, and they have integrated themselves in our communities to such a degree that they are largely unrecognized as such.

Hawaii, with its rich immigrant heritage, should resist Trump’s racist misrepresentations and misguided policies.

John Kawamoto

Kaimuki

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Trump undermines ‘the rule of law’

Rhoads E. Stevens noted that “the U.S. is a republic,” which is “the rule of law” (“Trump voters fed up with lawlessness,” Star-Advertiser, May 20). He said the president’s supporters are “fed up with lawlessness,” fueling the rise of Trump.

My understanding about the “rule of law” is that it applies in every legal situation, and protects our citizens and country from foreign attack and corruption within our government.

So let’s allow Trump’s voters to explain why the president and his legislative cronies in the House and Senate constantly criticize the FBI, CIA and the Department of Justice because of their investigations into collusion and obstruction of justice by said president.

These organizations are the top protectors of the rule of law and are doing their job even though they are maligned for doing so. It’s this disgusting situation that threatens the “rule of law” in a way never been done before by any president.

James Fukumoto

Aiea