Punish people who damage sidewalks

If we were to paint graffiti on our public sidewalks, I’m sure we would be arrested or fined.

People who put up tents without permits on our public sidewalks are overlooked.

To hold their tents down from blowing away, they drill holes in our public sidewalks and secure them with I-bolts.

Where’s the justice? Who is accountable to see that this damage on our public sidewalks is stopped?

Patrick Carvalho
McCully

Keep men, women in military separate

I am very tired of hearing about sexual assault in the military in the newspaper and on TV.

I was in the Navy in the 1950s and there were no assaults; there were no females on board.

The whole nation has caved in to the female cult of, "I can do any man’s traditional job — and better."

A few years ago, PBS had a special film on a U.S. carrier about the workers and their problems, both female problems and male. It was obvious to me it could not go on happily.

Does any other nation have female troops in Afghanistan? Can’t we stop this insanity?

The solution as I see it is to have all female forces in one base with female officers and troops and all male units on their bases and variants of this. We are dealing with testosterone and estrogen, two very different substances that have very different effects.

Harry W. Russell
Ala Moana

‘Great Lawn’ could use water fountain

If Kamehameha Schools must build something on our Great Lawn in Hawaii Kai, I wish they would build a water fountain so all the many runners, bicyclists and walkers could stop for some cold water.

I think the Hawaii Kai community would like that, and maybe a new walkway path meandering through the Great Lawn with two benches next to the new water fountain. That fountain might end up having a plaque recognizing our friend Kamehameha Schools for its community contribution.

While Kamehameha Schools is building the new water fountain, maybe it could also build one on the Maunalua Bay waterfront area for all the many boaters and canoe clubs that use the waterfront.

Dick Johnson
Hawaii Kai

Teachers’ raise not unfairly large

In reading Jim Wolery’s letter about Hawaii State Teachers Association ads, I noticed his statement about teachers winning a substantial pay raise ("It seems HSTA ads are a distraction," May 14, Star-Advertiser).

This is not true. Other groups were noted as receiving 4 percent raises; teachers received 3 percent.

Teachers are required to have five years of college. Other groups with their 4 percent increase are able to work with little or no college credits.

Sara VanDerWerff
Kailua

Kakaako towers maybe will sink

Thank you so very much for giving space to Kioni Dudley’s sane explanation of how rising seas will affect the water table even a couple of miles inland ("Afraid of sea level rise? Consider groundwater inundation," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, May 17).

Have we forgotten that Mapunapuna was flooded on a regular basis until a simple valve was installed in the storm drains?

We live on a huge sponge; sea water helps support the islands’ great weight. As Dudley points out, rising sea levels will push fresh, lighter, groundwater up to the surface and beyond — all over the flood plains.

We all have seen photos of Florida sinkholes. There are sinkholes on the Ewa Plain. Our city is built on limestone reef, which is constantly being dissolved by underground water. Who can say that rising underground water won’t undermine our porous land? The developers’ grandiose towers could sink.

Thus, nature would lower the towers to a level more amenable to those who have to live in their shadows.

Beverly Kai
Kakaako

Much to wonder and complain about

Screwed again?

» Water bills once a month so the water board can charge more for billing.

» Kapolei was to be the "second city," and now officials want it in Kakaako? What help is rail?

» University of Hawaii administration gets huge salaries and free housing; what do the students get?

» Ignore rules about the height of buildings. If I wanted that, I could move to Chicago.

» Car sales are up. Where are we going to put them?There should be a cap on the number allowed on the island.

» More housing on agriculture land. What are we going to eat?

Mary Moore
Kailua

Government tends toward tyranny

Every day we are finding more and more scandals, corruption and violations of our U.S. Constitution that are being committed. It will take more than a decade to repair the damages being done to our country.

The Founding Fathers understood that government gets too big and becomes tyrannical and becomes inherently corrupt. Government, because of its unique role in the affairs of a nation, can easily be transformed into an overwhelming instrument of oppression and self-aggrandizement.That transformation occurs over an extended period primarily as a consequence of political and national leaders who are devoid of character, honor and integrity seeking to amass power and ego gratification, regardless of the long-term implications to the well-being and future of the country.

Arsenio Ramirez Pelayo
Aiea