I think Gov. David Ige is both correct and courageous to reject natural gas as a “transition fuel” on our path to 100 percent renewable energy (“Ige blasts LNG as hurdle to clean energy in isles,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 25).

The term “transition fuel” is a sales pitch from the fossil fuel and power-generating industries. If we know we are moving toward 100 percent renewable energy, putting any improvement capital dollars into a fossil fuel-based intermediate step only benefits the aforementioned industries.

It takes courage to withstand the pressure from those interests. I hope Ige keeps it up.

Richard Manetta
Wilhelmina Rise

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Time to privatize handling of sewage

Once again our beaches are closed due to raw sewage being dumped into the ocean (“What a mess,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 25).

The city Department of Environmental Services was not able to handle all the rain due to one of two pumps being down. No one is going to face any sort of reprimand for this failure.

It’s time the city step down from handling these issues and contract out to people that have an incentive to avoid letting things like this happen ever again.

What incentive does the city have to keep wastewater from running into the ocean? None. If this were privately managed, the contractors would have a huge incentive to keep the oceans clean, or lose their contracts.

Alan Yim
Hawaii Kai

Martin put politics over homelessness

I am grateful to David Shapiro for his excellent articles that alert us as to what is going on with our government employees, in particular the one on Sunday (“Housing adviser’s strength should be policy, not politics,” (Star-Advertiser, Volcanic Ash, Aug. 24).

It appears that City Council Chairman Ernie Martin’s appointment of Peter Boylan as the Council’s housing coordinator had more to do with his anticipated run against Mayor Kirk Caldwell in next year’s election than with homelessness issues.

As Shapiro said, Boylan has “no significant background in housing, homelessness issues or social services.”

This position was dubious in the first place.

Another outrage was the superfluous hire of his former staff member to be an assistant city clerk, filling a 30-year vacancy.

Is it any wonder we don’t trust some of our elected officials with our hard-earned tax money?

Linda Carlson
Palolo Valley

Not all Hawaiians support protesters

When are our Hawaiian leaders going to make it known that the protesters are falsely claiming that Mauna Kea, Haleakala, and Pilila‘au Makua Military Reservation are made sacred by Hawaiian gods?

The truth is Kamehameha II in 1819 abolished the Hawaiian religion, ordered god idols burned and heiaus demolished to end the killing of Hawaiians for sinning (breaking a kapu). Moreover, Mauna Kea’s observatory will benefit everyone worldwide, and the military training areas provide our soldiers a place to improve on needed skills to protect, with their lives if necessary, our freedoms.

Hawaiians have the right as individuals to protest against our government, but not in the name of all Hawaiians. As for traditional and customary practices, history tells us that Native Hawaiians did not protest against their monarch for fear of its consequences.

We live in a democratic society and should feel fortunate to be Americans.

Bill Punini Prescott
Nanakuli

Ka Iwi case suggests way to end protests

I support protection of our collective aina, and the Native Hawaiian movement in general, but after a fascinating public lecture during the International Astronomical Union convention by Dr. Günther Hasinger, director of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, I am even more convinced of the value and urgency of proceeding with the Thirty Meter Telescope, as well as the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Haleakala. Hasinger’s lecture should be taped and shown widely around the state.

There are many more immediate and impactful ways for Hawaiian cultural and environ- mental “protectors” to put their money where their mouths are.

The successful Ka Iwi Coalition purchase to hold that important cultural landscape in public trust, for everyone, for all time, is a perfect example (“Trust has funds to buy Ka Iwi parcels,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 22).

Observatories are not forever, but their need is now. Gov. David Ige proposed significant and generous concessions and compromises regarding co-use of our mountaintops to benefit everyone. It’s time to move forward in the spirit of all Hawaii.

Karin Lynn
Moiliili

Have legislators host homeless families

After years of political malpractice and corruption, homelessness has reached crisis levels in Hawaii.

Until this serious problem is more fully addressed, our elected legislators could change their own minds — and the minds of their constituents — by welcoming a homeless family into their own homes.

This would demonstrate loudly and clearly to an increasingly frustrated, cynical public that legislators do really, truly care.

Most important, it would with little doubt hasten the inevitable creation of truly low-cost and no-cost housing of many types in discretely chosen areas, all around our beautiful islands.

Let’s be real: Some state representatives might arrogantly refuse to open their homes to the homeless, even for a brief time. Those who do, however, would demonstrate compassion and dedication that until now has been sorely lacking in the most practical problem-solving sense, as well as in the public’s mind.

David B. and Evelyn Cannell
Waipahu