Ancient Hawaiians would approve TMT

As ancient Hawaiian navigators ventured forth on remarkable voyages of discovery, so do their modern-day counterparts who man the steering blade of the Hokulea.

Similarly, the Hawaiians were the greatest astronomers of the ancient world, precise in their understanding of the alignment of the planets and stars, particularly as this was applied to navigation.

The voyages of Hokulea are the extension of the navigational traditions of its ancestral counterparts.

Mauna Kea hopefully will be the site of the Thirty Meter Telescope, the instrument of yet another journey that will carry mankind to the farthest reaches of the universe, billions of light years beyond what is presently possible. TMT will be the continuance of Hawaiian wayfarers who sailed forth on unfathomably long voyages to a spot on Earth that was the exact destination they set out for.

Indeed, our ancestral Hawaiian navigators would be supportive of TMT in its mission to greatly expand the known limits of the universe.

Tim Guard

Waialae Nui

U.S. recognizes religious diversity

The protectors of Mauna Kea are fortunate to be subject to the Constitution of the United States, which provides us with freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion.

Lloyd J. Soehren

Downtown Honolulu

Stray-cat population a public health threat

Reference is made to recent news about a dead monk seal infected with a protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii (“Seal killed by parasite that affects cats,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 22).

As mentioned, the hosts of the parasite are cats, in this case predominantly stray cats. When infected they shed in their feces an oocyst that can remain infective in damp warm environments for as long as a year.

Cockroaches and flies can transmit oocysts to human food.

If women are infected during pregnancy, the parasite can do severe harm to the fetus, including eye disease.

On the west coast of California, a number of otters have been found infected with the parasite. There it was discovered that the parasite survived sewage treatment, and infection was coming from cat feces flushed down toilets.

For public health and seal health, the large stray-cat population on Oahu needs to be reduced.

Gordon Wallace

Kaneohe

End rail line before it reaches downtown

Seeing those massive concrete columns and the rail tracks in the wide open space in the Ewa Plain, one can imagine what it will be like when they are going through downtown. Ugh.

I spent many years in Japan and know what those heavy steel cars on steel rails sound like. I would hate to be living near those rail tracks when those rail cars rumble through from early morning until late at night.

Terminate this monster at Middle Street, as others have suggested, before we have to throw more hard-earned money into this bottomless pit.

Eventually we may even have to put in more than the $1.55 billion that the federal government contributed.

Ray Lau

Kailua

Clinton, Gabbard both wrong on Syria

Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard are both intelligent, articulate and ambitious political women. And, they have opposite positions regarding President Bashar Assad in Syria.

Clinton believes that Assad must go in order to have any hope of getting the Sunnis to unite in opposition to ISIS.

Gabbard has joined with U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican, and introduced legislation to end what they call an illegal war to overthrow Assad.

Scott is also ambitious, previously announcing a campaign to run for governor, before winning his current seat.

Making red lines or legislating legality plays domestically for politicians with ambition. However, neither will solve the tribal, regional and religious divisions in the Middle East.

Current bombings will degrade the ISIS terrorists in Raqqa, but a regional solution must involve negotiations and flexibility with all parties at the table.

Jim Wolfe

Nuuanu

U.S. is best recruiter for Islamic terrorists

Why must Americans allow themselves to be manipulated by ISIS?

These terrorists have been trying to portray themselves as defenders of Islamic faith against western Christianity.

They claim that the West has exploited their land and attacked their religion.

They say that Christians have no respect for Islam and no sympathy for Muslim refugees.

And it seems that many Americans are going out of their way to confirm this narrative and give young Muslim men concrete evidence that what ISIS leaders are saying is true.

We call them rabid dogs, and talk about keeping Muslim refugees out of our country, making Muslim U.S. citizens register as suspected enemies and sending a huge Christian army (ours) into the Middle East to fight Muslims.

We further give ISIS credibility by labeling it an existential threat to western civilization.

It seems that Americans are intent on giving ISIS its most valuable recruitment tools.

Greg Harding

Waikiki