Gib Arnold’s attorneys must have salivated getting this slam-dunk case (“A former UH men’s basketball coach, fired last year, has his cash settlement greenlighted by the Board of Regents,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 16).

The first thing that went wrong was the initial contract that was weighted in Arnold’s favor if he were ever terminated. Second, the attorneys for the University of Hawaii who reviewed this contract gave the OK to terminate it. What were they thinking, or are they incompetent?

I’m sure the taxpayers want to know who made these decisions. We never seem to find out who was behind these decisions and what action is ever taken. Where are the regents who see this gross negligence?

I’m embarrassed at the leadership at the University of Hawaii and the oversight that is clearly lacking.

Chuck Reindollar
Makiki

Izumo vindicates traffic enforcement

Maj. Darren Izumo is an example of a member of the Honolulu Police Department who provides intelligent, articulate and consistent service to the community (“Darren Izumo,” Star-Advertiser, Name in the News, Oct. 16).

HPD’s reputation has taken a beating in recent months, and your interview couldn’t have come at a better time to clear up misconceptions with facts regarding lane closures and the decades-old “monthly quota” system.

To add to his comments that pedestrians should make themselves as visible as possible and not assume the driver sees them: The same holds true for bicyclists.

There are many areas that blur a bike rider whizzing down King Street. Lo and behold, this and other concerns were addressed in Lee Cataluna’s column (“Hip bicycle lanes are not the answer on King Street,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 16).

Both articles hit close to home for Oahu drivers.

Joanne Suzuki
Manoa

Cataluna wrong about bicycle lane

Lee Cataluna’s comments about the King Street Cycle Track prove she needs to get her foot off the accelerator and on to a bike pedal (“Hip bicycle lanes are not the answer on King Street,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 16).

As a bicycle commuter, initially I questioned the design and safety of the bike lane. After using it on almost a daily basis, it works. Formerly reluctant cyclists use it because they feel safe and, in general, motorists are infinitely more biker-friendly on King Street and beyond.

Problems occur, as internationally renowned urban designer Gil Penalosa explains in his TED talk and during his visit to Honolulu when the King Street bike lane opened, when densely populated cities like Honolulu fail to design streets for the safety of 8-year-olds and the 80-year-olds and become car-bound out of fear.

Though this should have been done decades ago, Cataluna’s column explained perfectly why Honolulu should fast-track 8-to-80 street design, which includes more protected bike lanes (like the one on King Street), and thus ensures a better, safer, healthier and more interactive community instead of the familiar one-way ticket to automobile purgatory.

Amy Ammen
Waikiki

King Street bike lane chaotic, underused

Lee Cataluna’s observations on the King Street Cycle Track were right on target. It is refreshing to see someone of considerable influence take a stand against the pet project of many politicians.

The King Street bike lane is confusing, chaotic and consequently hazardous to pedestrians, cars and cyclists. Moreover, the bike lanes do not carry sufficient bike traffic. I do not know where the city’s estimate of 800 bikes daily comes from, but I have traveled the entire length of the bike lane many times and have seen a total of two, three or four bikes. Even with 800 riders, the bike lane would carry a small fraction of the traffic count of the traffic lane it is replacing.

Encouraging bicycle use makes sense, but a bike lane on King Street does not.

Ron Yoda
Hawaii Kai

Blue Angels display use of air power

I have recently seen several letters to the editor attacking the Blue Angels as a waste of taxpayers’ money and nothing more than a stunt team.

This is really not the case. It is a demonstration team that demonstrates to the public what it can do.

The so-called stunts are maneuvers that are routinely flown by other squadrons that fly the F/A-18 Hornet. An example of this is the alpha strike where aircraft come in on a target from all points of the compass at very low altitude.

In regard to the comment about the glorification of war, the military — all branches — exists to protect us and our way of life.

If the military did not exist, we would have been swallowed by another nation a long time ago, possibly a dictatorship. We would not have the right to write to our newspaper to complain.

John Snook
Mililani

Military represents our best, brightest

The Blue Angels air show glorifies war-fighting? Wow, that’s a stretch (“Blue Angels air show glorifies war-fighting,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 17).

I attend these events to get educated, talk to our military and see the equipment it will use. From the F-22 pilots to the Blackhawk pilots and the smaller equipment operators, they all want to talk about what they do and the equipment they operate. These are proud Americans, giving to us.

I spent 30 years in the Army during the draft, and I find these individual volunteers to be the best and brightest in America. None of the individuals that I made contact with want to go to war, but their mission is to protect and defend your freedoms.

Our military is the tool used by our political representatives to conduct our foreign policy.

If you are not happy, fire your representative, but stand by those who do our fighting.

Yes, to me it is the sound of freedom.

Donald Harlor
Ewa Beach