Kawaiaha‘o handles iwi with respect

I am sick and tired of hearing from people like Pauline Arellano who keep condemning Kawaiaha‘o Church for continuing its plan to move iwi from one part of the graveyard to another ("Kawaiaha‘o Church iwi are sacred, too," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 30).

In 1824, when King Kamehameha II and his wife Kamamalu died of measles in London, their embalmed bodies were brought back to Hawaii and were buried in a newly built mausoleum at Pohukaina, which is where Iolani Palace is located today. Over time, iwi of various other dead alii, some as far away as the island of Hawaii, were relocated there as well. This relocation was not organized by foreigners, but by the alii themselves, who embraced the idea of bringing these chiefs together, even if it meant digging them up from their original sacred burial places.

In 1865, most, but not all, of the iwi from Pohukaina were moved to Mauna Ala, commonly known today as the Royal Mausoleum, in a sacred night ceremony involving dozens of alii and kahuna.

I believe that Kawaiaha‘o Church has acted, and will continue to act, with all of the same reverence and cultural sensitivity that our beloved kupuna exhibited in times past.

Nanette Napoleon
Kailua

UH debacle stops at Greenwood’s desk

The recent extraordinary financial debacle surrounding Jim Donovan is being passed off by the University of Hawaii administration as an incident where "good people make mistakes." We are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in mistakes by people being paid enormous salaries to keep things like that from happening. I agree that the buck stops at M.R.C. Greenwood’s desk.

The Board of Regents should never have hired her in the first place. She had never before run a university. She was offered a huge salary exceeding the extent of her experience, and then given an extra huge amount annually for housing because she refused to live in the president’s house. If that was going to be the case, the regents erred in not including her housing allowance in the contract she was offered. Having it come up after the fact should have placed the burden of housing costs on her shoulders.

Enough is enough!

Gordon Wolfe
Waikiki

Private sources give PBS Hawaii support

We at PBS Hawaii appreciate Bob Dixon’s comments in support of public media ("Public radio worthy of support, listeners," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Aug. 28). He captured the essence of Hawaii’s only public television station. We provide reliable information, and we offer forums for civil discourse featuring diverse views, including voices that may have gone unheard before.

Funding for this rare locally owned and independent television station comes primarily from individuals, businesses and charitable foundations in Hawaii, not from government.

As Bob points out, we’re hardly an elitist institution. PBS Hawaii is a lean and productive educational nonprofit. The average gift from citizens is about $10 a month. Our TV signal reaches farther than that of commercial broadcasters to reach Hawaii’s rural and under-served communities. Mahalo for the support, Bob!

Leslie Wilcox
President and CEO PBS Hawaii

Irradiation carries risks to consumers

Irradiation is not the solution to food safety issues. Building enough facilities to irradiate all of our food would be physically impractical, not to mention expensive. Further, the long-term health consequences of irradiating a large percentage of our food are unknown.

A recent article said irradiated foods have been studied extensively, but it doesn’t mention the fact that byproducts found in irradiated foods have been linked to genetic damage in human cells and serious health problems in lab animals ("Irradiation techniques help maintain food safety," Star-Advertiser, Health Matters, Aug. 28).

Additionally, irradiation covers up food contamination from farm practices or sloppy handling in transit. It doesn’t help us pinpoint the origin of a food-borne illness. And the long global supply chain that leads to Hawaii can make tracing the source difficult.

The real solutions are better funding of our food safety bodies, more vigilant monitoring of imports and a much better understanding of the risks posed by intensive food production and processing methods.

Suzanne Shriner
Honaunau

Rat control requires sustained effort

Your editorial on rats in Waikiki was right on ("Join forces for rodent control," Star-Advertiser, Our View, July 19). Public education is a big factor. Food and water is what we all need, rats included, and too many people and establishments are serving banquets and offer watering holes on a daily basis by ignoring basic sanitation issues.

Public education is the rightful role for the state Department of Health. Let the private sector, without taxpayer funds, take care of the problem. It takes a consistent program, not just action when you see a rat. In fact, it is often said that when you observe them regularly, especially in daylight hours, you can safely assume your rat population is out of hand. We will not ever totally eliminate them, but a concerted effort can hold the population down to a manageable and relatively safe number.

Pest control operators are willing to do their part and have the skills to do so without wasting everyone’s time and money. But there needs to be an ongoing program, not one subject to ups and downs.

Tim Lyons
Executive director, Hawaii Pest Control Association