Hawaii will sink under 39M tourists

One wonders what universe Hawaiian Airlines President Mark Dunkerley lives in ("Isles must work harder to lure visitors from China, says airline CEO," Star-Advertiser, April 25).

Dunkerley said that China is producing 39 million tourists and that Hawaii needs to build more hotels to accommodate them.

I believe that Oahu won’t suffer from rising seas; it will be that Oahu will sink under the combined weight of the tourists and the hotels built to accommodate them.

There may be thoughts of creating Waikiki blight on other islands. Perhaps Dunkerley has a plan for that.Orwill he and his airline merely be bystanders while his plan for 39 million more tourists is carried out?

Beverly Kai
Kakaako

Raise barrel tax 50 cents every year

Mahalo to Gary Gill and Keith Kawaoka for recommending that Hawaii’s current $1.05 barrel tax be directed to the state Department of Health Environmental Response Revolving Fund ("Reallocation of barrel tax funds would strengthen environmental protection," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, April 27).

I would go even further. To show that our island state seriously cares about the ocean and its coral reefs, we should raise the barrel tax by 50 cents every year until ocean acidification is reversed, using the revenue to fund clean, quiet buses and telecommunications infrastructure. A barrel tax used in this manner would not be regressive, and would send a message of hope to island nations around the world.

Neil Frazer
Kailua

All hula contestants in Hilo are winners

They hula for their kumu, halau, themselves and most importantly, to perpetuate the wisdom and legacy of founders Aunty Dottie and Uncle George and, above all, "Hawaiiana."

Yes, they were all winners the moment they were selected to demonstrate their years of just grinding it out ("Only winners at Merrie Monarch," Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 26).When "akua" created "mankind," a drop of competitiveness was placed in their "kino" (body); we witnessed that spirit.

Hula is worldwide.As it already has been said, the Merrie Monarch Festival is the Olympics of hula, and Hilo its hometown.

I tip my hat to the kumu hula of today, for they have learned their craft outstandingly and perpetuate the teachings of their kumu.Mark Ho‘omalu is one example, and then some.He understands the ways of the old and incorporated his feelings of today. The young jam to Jawaiian; is acceptance of Ho‘omalu’s styling around the corner?

Patrick Keli‘inui
Kapahulu

GMO debate not just about food safety

Alan Gottlieb accepts without qualification the current methods of research, production and marketing of GMO food products ("GMO crops save Third World lives," Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 24).

Gene splicing allows a GMO crop to contain the gene of another species. Advocates of GMO labeling simply want to know if food they are considering for purchase may have within it the gene of a bacteria.

Companies that conduct research on GMO crops on Kauai use 18 tons of restricted-use pesticides annually. Their fields may be near homes and schools. At a minimum, advocates of regulating restricted-use pesticides want those companies to disclose pesticide use and to require buffer zones to ensure they are not used near where people live.

The GMO debate is not just about food safety. It extends to consumer choice and the adequate regulation of restricted-use pesticides to ensure safety.

John Kawamoto
Kaimuki

Gates too reliant on high-tech methods

In commenting on your recent news reports on limiting GMOs in Hawaii, at least one letter writer referred to the pro-genetic engineering stance of the Gates Foundation ("GMO crops save Third World lives," Star-Advertiser, Letters, April 24).

As a co-founder of a Seattle organization that works with African farmer groups opposing the high-handed, high-tech approach of Gates promoting the use of GMO crops in Africa, I should note that both the World Bank and various organs of the United Nations have stated clearly that genetic engineering is not likely to be a solution to African hunger.

These agencies have urged reliance on "agroecological" approaches to farming instead, but it is clear to those of us working on these subjects that Bill Gates himself is personally committed to a belief that only high tech is able to deal with big problems — and the Gates Foundation follows his dictates.

Philip L Bereano
Professor emeritus of technology and public policy, University of Washington

UH regents flub search for president

Richard Borreca’s column on Sunday was excellent ("Search for UH president enters realm of unknowns," Star-Advertiser, On Politics, April 27).As he points out, there has been very little transparency in the entire search process to date.

If my memory serves, in June 2013 the Board of Regents said it would have a national search firm hired by the following month.The board never hiredsuch a search firm.Instead, in February, the regents announced that they would form a selection committee composed of seven board members and five non-board members.

The presidential selection committee was ordered to submit five or six names to the entire board from which the board would pare down to three.Now, apparently, the selection committee has only two names to submit to the entire board.

It took the selection committee 10 months to come up with only two names.Something is obviously wrong with the process.The people of Hawaii deserve better.

Mel Kahele
Kapolei