Honolulu lucky to have arts choices

Thank you for highlighting Hawaii Opera Theatre’s Opera Ball on Saturday ("James Galway vs. Hawaii Opera Theatre," Star-Advertiser, Off the News, Nov. 19).

We had a very successful evening with a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Sheraton Waikiki, including the governor and his wife. I hope that the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra had an equally successful weekend with Sir James Galway.

HOT’s events are planned more than a year in advance, but we appreciate that concert schedules are sometimes more complicated to arrange.

How wonderful for Honolulu that we have such a rich arts scene that people have a choice of activities to attend.

Simon Crookall
Executive director, Hawaii Opera Theatre

Needy suffer for GOP policies

For the party that believes it has staked a claim on morality, the GOP seems to be behaving rather immorally.

What could be less moral than defunding programs for the nation’s most needy — the poor children, the elderly and unemployed, the sick and disabled?

Why are they trying to cut or defund social programs for health care, food stamps, child care, early education, and training programs for the unemployed?

Charities and churches are stretched to their limits and doing their best to help, but they cannot do it all.

A "moral" nation does not allow its people to suffer.

Dick Boyd
Diamond Head

Lingle on wrong side of history

In 2010, then-Gov. Linda Lingle invited retired Supreme Court Justice Steven Levinson to the news conference where she would announce whether she would support the civil unions bill.

She announced her veto in front of him and everyone else, and rubbed their noses in the bill’s failure, much to the delight of her supporters.

I wonder if Gov. Neil Abercrombie extended the same invitation to Lingle to witness the signing of the marriage equality law. Former politicians were invited, but I did not see her there, nor were there any mentions in published reports that she attended.

It is unfortunate that Lingle still has not evolved on this issue (though a growing number of Republicans on the mainland have).

Lingle will be remembered in the history books as being on the wrong side of civil rights.

Kevin Roddy
St. Louis Heights

Gay marriage not top priority

It really goes to show you how misguided our priorities have become when the approval of gay marriage is trumpeted on the front page of the Star-Advertiser and the imminent approval of the Koa Ridge project, resulting in 600 acres of precious agricultural land lost forever, is buried in the back pages.

There are many more pressing issues than gay marriage that need to be addressed, yet our leaders continue to devote time and energy to this issue as to avoid the real problems.

Our political leaders continue to fail us, yet today I’m sure they are patting themselves on the back for a job well done.

Abraham Farakish
Kailua

Greed attacking Windward coast

Let’s be honest here: The Windward coast is under full attack by wealthy development interests.

The paper’s puff pieces about the Kahuku Village homes are another nail in the coffin.

The so-called "developer," Continental Pacific, is a very rich Florida man, his son and three other employees. They are real estate speculators.

Envision Laie was created by the Mormon Church and its money-making arm, Hawaii Reserves, Inc., to create a new townwith thousands of homes, new businesses and a new hotel.

The current Turtle Bay owners will sell off pieces to others to build condos, oceanfront homes and more hotel rooms.

Remember this in a few years, when traffic is bumper-to-bumper on our narrow two-lane road next to the ocean. The time to help us is now, not when it is too late.

Tell your City Council representatives you would like some small part of Hawaii as we once knew it to still exist.

Kaye Walsh
Kaaawa

Let Weather Service renters stay in units

Employees of the National Weather Service (NWS) have been renting their government-owned homes in Ewa Beach since the 1960s, and they were always good neighbors ("Weather employees to fight their eviction, Star-Advertiser, Nov. 16).

These employees and their families desire to continue renting these homes after operations will be relocated to Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. Their wish to remain should be granted.

As a resident of Ewa Beach, I fear that once these families are forced to vacate, those homes and buildings will be trashed with graffiti, abused by criminals and become homes for vagrants and a dumping ground for trash, much like the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point, aka Kalaeloa.

It’s not difficult to see a bleak future for this pristine property should the employees and their families be forced to move.

Earl Arakaki
Ewa Beach

C’mon UH football, break the streak

Hand it to the ‘Bows,

They’re consistent with our foes.

Finding ways to get beat,

C’mon, ‘Bows — break the streak!

Mark Yamabe
Kaneohe