Exemption would nullify Jones Act

There is a movement endorsed by the Star-Advertiser to exempt Hawaii from the requirement of using U.S.-built ships in the Jones Act trade ("Modify Jones Act to assist Hawaii," Star-Advertiser, Our View, March 28).

In 1916, when we knew we would enter World War I, the United States found there were no cargo ships available to meet our military needs, and no shipyards with the capability to build cargo ships, which require special skills and equipment to construct them with molded steel plates.

In order to prevent this shortfall in the future, Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, known as the Jones Act. The main reason for the law was, and is, to ensure there will be shipyards able to build ships. Therefore, to exempt Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico from the requirement for U.S.-built ships would effectively nullify the law and close our existing shipyards. We would be back to square one.

Robert Murray
Kailua

Access protesters on Kauai are heroes

Mahalo to Rosemarie Bernardo and the Star-Advertiser for the recent coverage of the ongoing saga of the Wailua multi-use path on Kauai. The removal of a symbolic sacred ahu (altar) from the footprint of the path is not the end of the story ("Building of shoreline path draws some opposition," Star-Advertiser, March 10).

The Star-Advertiser reported that James Alalem and Ray Catania would not be tried for blocking the pathway ("Men will not be tried for blocking pathway," Star-Advertiser, March 16). To his credit, Kauai County Prosecutor Justin Kollar did not see fit to punish them for their religious practices at Wailua, the piko of Kauai andone of the most sacred places in all of Hawaii.

Until the light of justice shines brightly everywhere, working-class heroes like Alalem and Catania will continue to inspire the rest of us to resist the U.S. occupation, to organize and to educate. And to truly honor and respect the ancestors and the aina.

Fred Dente
Kapaa, Kauai

Majority may not thwart civil rights

One of the most meaningful aspects of our constitutional system has been missing in the debate over same-sex marriage.

Pundits are debating whether it is "too early," whether the will of the people supports it, whether the U.S. Supreme Court can rightfully stick its finger in the eye of the collective consciousness.

None of that matters. The heart and soul of our Constitution is that the will of the majority cannot thwart the civil rights of the minority.

Does anyone think that when Brown v. Board of Education was decided a majority of Americans thought schools should be integrated? Does anyone think that when Loving v. Virginia was decided that a majority of Americans thought interracial marriage was appropriate?

If we lose sight of this most critical of constitutional principles we will lose everything this country has stood for during the 237 years of our existence.

Nancy N. Grekin
Makiki Heights

Report gun owners to school officials

Schools should have a record of all their students’ families who are registered gun owners.

I don’t own a gun, never have and never will. My children have no access to guns in our home. However, I can see the easy temptation a child would have to use a gun if one was available.

In the wake of all the school shootings, and the lack of legislation to curb this violence, this would be a simple step society could take to add a layer of protection to one of our societal ills.

School counselors armed with this information may be able to use this knowledge to help determine the possible threat posed by children who exhibitanti- social behavior.

Charles Balcher
Waikiki

Users of pesticides not paying all costs

In economics, the term "externality" means a cost imposed without compensation on third parties by the production or consumption of sellers or buyers.

An example could be the powerful pesticides used on GMO crops that are causing bee die-offs globally ("Powerful new pesticides suspected in bee deaths," Star-Advertiser," March 28).

The death of bees is an externality not included in the cost of GMO products. Bees pollinate 80 percent of all crops and their services are valued at $197 billion dollars annually.

Currently the European Union has not been able to agree on a ban of neonicotinoids, a pesticide implicated in bees losing their navigation and memory skills in returning to sources of pollen.

In the U.S., a lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety against the EPA calls for a reassessment for the use of these chemicals.

Some beekeepers have lost up to 50 percent of their bees this past year.

Hawaii cannot afford the cost of these poisonous pesticides.

Judith Pettibone
Makiki

Bad roads toughest on 2-wheel riders

It should be noted when discussing the disintegrated pavements of Oahu that cyclists — and two-wheeled vehicles in general — are much more impacted(pun intended) by bad road conditions than car drivers.

The law requires that cyclists stay as far toward the right edge as is practical.

This zone is also the most potholed, and is often strewn with broken glass, gravel and debris, especially along main bus routes. Keeping up the continuity of good pavement all the way to the curb will benefit not only cars but cyclists.

Before you fly into a road rage, consider that we take up less road space and contribute much less to congestion than if we were driving our cars, especially if we can safely stay to the right. We have the legal right to take a whole lane for our safety when necessary.

So while we all wait for the pavement repairs, when passing cyclists, give us some wiggle room, and keep calm and drive (safely) on!

Jon Lott
Waikiki