Impact of coal anything but cheap
There is no such thing as cheap coal ("Coal gets helping hand," Star-Advertiser, May 18).
Don’t confuse the cost of converting it to electricity with the actual cost to the environment, the miners and the communities adjacent to the mines. I wonder if any local lawmaker has ever visited a coal breaker? Or seen the barren wasteland of a strip mine? Or watched a relative painfully take 20 years to die from black-lung?
Cheap? The only thing cheap about coal are the yes votes by our elected officials. If you think the Thirty Meter Telescope desecrates Mauna Kea, visit anthracite country in Pennsylvania.
Desecration is too mild a word for the complete destruction of the land, the toxic waste ponds seeping into local aquifers and the centuries of plantation-like corporate practices.
I read that most of our coal comes from Indonesia. I’ve yet to see those images in any glossy travel brochure.
Scott Gruzinsky
Mililani
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Whistleblowers are American patriots
Margaret Mead famously said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
So do individuals, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, as well as Edward Snowden and far too few other brave government employee whistleblowers — the true American patriots who risk all they hold dear to tell the truth concerning our corrupt governments, federal, state and local.
William Russell
Mililani
Developer’s values don’t reflect Hawaii
Howard Hughes Corp.’s multimillion-dollar profits are in-the-face arrogance ("‘Ultra luxury’ tower a money maker," Star-Advertiser, May 12).
A view of its website, WardVillage.com, claims that Ward Village is a "thoughtfully curated" community with "a fresh, modern attitude that embraces Hawaiian culture."
Where is the sense of community and Hawaiian culture with condo units having an average price of $3.7 million? The only aspect of "Hawaiian culture" the Howard Hughes Corp. finds thoughtful is the centuries-old practice of wealthy mainland developers bastardizing Hawaiian lands and culture for their profit, at the expense of local peoples.
Doug Valenta
Kakaako
Preserve Kalaupapa for history, research
There has been little mention of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa in discussions of Kalaupapa’s future. The ‘Ohana spent years developing research skills needed to successfully search Kalaupapa’s records, and their research must continue.
I emailed the names of my great-grandmother (Helena) and my grandmother (Clara) to the ‘Ohana and received a response from Valerie Monson, secretary and coordinator. I found out when Helena was sent to Kalaupapa, and how old she was when she arrived. I found out Clara’s birth date and that she was a twin. I even received a photo of Helena taken prior to her internment.
Valerie coordinated a Kalaupapa visit and helped search the cemeteries for my Helena’s grave. We met Boogie Kahilihiwa, president of the ‘Ohana, who shared stories of his boyhood days at Kalaupapa.
If all goes well, changes to Kalaupapa will be minimal. The focus should be on preserving Kalaupapa and continuing the ‘Ohana’s research.
Sarah Lopes
Ewa Beach
Political promises false and costly
It’s baffling how this broken state works. Regarding potential jobs or revenue, the government, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaii Community Development Authority and developers have a pronounced tendency to overestimate.
The state said if the Obama library was built here, it would generate between $300 million and $600 million in new economic activity and create up to 2,000 jobs. You could cut those numbers in half and I’m still not buying it. Yet we re-elect the same officials, akin to snake-oil salesmen, who produce such misinformation and flim flam.
But when it comes down to actual revenue streams or costs of road repair, information systems, rail transit, hospitals, etc., the numbers never seem to add up. If it’s going to be expensive, then at least be forthright and have the decency to tell me the truth up front. Don’t backdoor me with tax extensions,increased fees and the like after the project is started or completed.
The problem lies with the fact there are no consequences for such immense nonperformance by our elected officials.
Pat Kelly
Kaimuki
Osprey aircraft should be grounded
Osprey aircraft have been death traps from the first ("Bellows crash kills 1 Marine, injures 21 more," Star-Advertiser, May 18). Only cynicism about "acceptable losses" and budget considerations keep them in service.
If I were a member of the crew or family whose loved one died at Bellows Air Force Station, I would consider legal action against the manufacturer.
Beverly Kai
Kakaako
Christians can sell to LGBT customers
We are debating whether businesspeople can deny service to LGBT people, especially when it comes to participation in gay weddings.I don’t think it is true Christian doctrine to say that we shouldn’t sell products and services to people because we disagree with them.
Lawyers have a rule that legal representation is not an endorsement of moral, political or social viewpoints. That is the pro-business way to handle this kind of thing and it is also the forgiving, non-judgmental approach.
I don’t think it is productive for Americans to spend their time looking inside each others’ heads and hearts.
Lloyd Lim
Makiki