The city should withdraw the rules change it drafted at the request of the NFL to allow alcohol to be served at a Pro Bowl-associated private tent at Queen’s Beach, contrary to the long-established ban on alcohol in city parks (“VIP area sought to serve alcohol at NFL event,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 9).

Honor VIP sponsors in a tax-paying hotel.

Catering to special interests establishes dangerous precedents and opens the door to campaign contributions in return for special favors. In this case, the camel pokes its nose under the NFL tent for a cocktail, and the parks director could apply alcohol special-event exceptions to other city parks as well.

In the Kyo-ya case, denied in court, the city supported a monster hotel on the edge of Waikiki Beach next to the Moana Hotel, tossing aside the Waikiki Design District height limits which preserve Hawaiian-sense-of-place view planes between Diamond Head and Punchbowl.

Janet Gillmar

Past president, American Society of Landscape Architects-Hawaii

Palolo Valley

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Obama not to be trusted about guns

Our president made a big production at his “town hall” about gun control, promising again and again that the government was not coming to get our guns (“Obama calls out NRA for encouraging ‘conspiracy,’” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 7).

Honest, Mr. and Mrs. America, that is a scare tactic promulgated by the gun lobby, especially the National Rifle Association, Obama said.

He protests too much.

He has referred to the gun confiscation in Australia as a model for America to emulate. I am sure he would love to see nothing less — turn ’em in, folks. Turn ’em all in.

We need to remember that this rhetoric is coming from the same guy who promised that under Obamacare, if we liked our doctors we could keep them, and if our insurance plans were satisfactory, we could keep those, too. How’s that working out for everybody?

The man is not to be trusted even a little bit.

Gordon Fowler

Aiea

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Homeless sweeps violate aloha spirit

It was heartbreaking to read another article on sweeps of our homeless families (“Homeless are cleared again from Kakaako,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 9).

It was a one-two punch from the very people who were elected to protect the citizens.

Cruelest of all was the Kaka- ako sweep at the same time the media was covering President Barack Obama’s visit during the holidays. How Scrooge is this?

These sweeps are proof that Hawaii has not only lost its aloha spirit but its rating as a blue state.

Blue states used to be known for their concern for the people. Not so in Hawaii.

Carolyn Golojuch

Kapolei

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Unions not needed to run city efficiently

Mayor Kirk Caldwell is spending our city resources to oppose the California teacher who believes her First Amendment rights were violated by being forced to pay dues to unions (“City stands behind labor unions as best way to serve the public,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 10).

Caldwell correctly said that public-sector unions serve the interests of the cities whose employees they represent when the unions and management work together to improve the efficiency of municipal services.

He cited as an example the city and the Hawaii Government Employees Association negotiating the use of multi-skilled workers, allowing the city to use one worker instead of several single- skill workers.

While that would seem to improve the operations of the city, it is a condition that the city could have had without a labor union with which it must negotiate efficiencies.

Maybe that is why Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into public service.”

Bob Maynard

Kailua