Letters to the Editor

Little chance for Kahala museum

As a member of the Wai-alae-Kahala Neighborhood Board I read with interest, amusement, disbelief and frustration the article regarding Genshiro Kawa-moto’s plan for an art museum in one of his Kahala properties and also a public garden ("Billionaire’s blueprint," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 12).

One thing we on the board can count on is almost always having a citizen complaint regarding Kawamoto’s properties and their condition. This latest proposal is just another pie-in-the-sky statement. The zoning in that area is residential, not commercial. In order to do what he proposes requires a special-use permit. Special-use permits are very restrictive and very difficult to obtain. It is not going to happen in February. And unless his neighbors have a major change of heart, I suspect it will never happen.

Harassment is union bullying

I was absolutely infuriated to read the story, "Worker claims union harassment" (Star-Advertiser, Nov. 16). It’s beside the point of whether I am pro- or anti-union, as this is a simple case of bullying in every sense of the word. Here we are attempting to take care of bullying in schools while we adults condone it. Isn’t this the same thing?

Create service corps for vets

As we have read and heard from news reports, some returning veterans, lost without the function and structure of military life or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, are unable to find their way in civilian life and end up homeless or drifting. Why not utilize these talented veterans trained in teamwork to improve our infrastructure — work in parks, build roads, fix up schools or perform other community service? House them, pay them and give them purpose and meaning in their readjustment.

Create a win-win solution, a Civilian Corps from the veterans corps.

Let Kahuku play in All-Star game

Given the disqualification of the Kahuku High School football team, I propose an additional game to be played this year.

Kahuku has been widely accepted as the best football team in the state. Kahuku has argued that its players would not be scouted by college recruiters. In light of this, Kahuku should play this year’s All-State All-Star football team. The players would be scouted by college scouts, would give Kahuku the satisfaction of the chance of playing against the state’s best players, and would probably be the most attended All-State All-Star high school football game ever in Hawaii.

Makua limu safe to eat

William Aila criticizes the Army because its environmental impact statement did not determine whether limu in Makua is edible. He says the public eats this limu on a regular basis. What he didn’t say was that there have been no reported cases of sickness from doing so.

Makua has been used by our local and federal troops since World War II and I know of no findings or warnings by the state Department of Health about the dangers of eating limu in Makua waters.

With radiation and groping, TSA has gone off the deep end

The Transportation Security Administration has finally gone too far. It’s bad enough that they demand we take off our shoes and ditch such obvious threats to airline safety as a bottle of water. But now they are setting up full-body scanners that show your naked body to leering screeners while hitting you up with a large dose of radiation. And if you object to such sexual molestation and refuse to let strangers view you naked, they offer you the humiliating "choice" of a full-body groping where they will touch your genitals and, if you’re a woman, your breasts.

I am a cancer survivor — I’ve beaten the very poor odds for those with malignant melanoma. I am not about to expose myself to large, unnecessary doses of radiation and possibly cause the cancer to recur. And I’m a libertarian, and refuse to accept a "choice" between two forms of sexual molestation by complete strangers as a condition of flying on an airplane. I will not fly again until the TSA is barred from sexually molesting the public, and I will continue to vote against the members of our congressional delegation who voted the TSA into existence and who continue to tolerate and fund these outrageous violations of our civil rights.

Let farmers buy land and preserve it in agriculture

In July 2004, the Honolulu City Council chambers were overflowing with residents of Hawaii Kai and the adjoining community who had gathered to support the preservation of agricultural uses in Kamilonui Valley.

The Hawaii Kai community was also there to support the farmers in Kamilonui Valley who once farmed the land where the homes and highrises now stand in Hawaii Kai. These farmers were relocated to smaller farms in the valley by Kaiser Development and Bishop Estate. The farmers were promised new roads, a drainage system and sewers. Some of these promises were never kept.

The farm leases they were given have a rental increase that is due now, an increase way beyond what they can afford. If the farmers are priced out of agriculture, will Kamehameha Schools find a residential developer to try and change the zoning from agriculture to residential? What an irony that would be: The farmers were moved to accommodate Bishop Estate and Kaiser’s residential housing, and residential development pushes them out again.

Kaiser is gone now and Bishop Estate is now Kamehameha Schools. Kamehameha Schools should do the right thing and sell the land in fee to the farmers, who will easily find adequate financing and, if need be, a line of ready, willing and able young farmers to buy them out. And Kamilonui Valley will remain in agriculture, which is what we all want.