I was saddened that state Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland has announced her retirement in our district (“Chun Oakland will not return to Senate,” Star-Advertiser, May 12).

Chun Oakland has many admirers for the 26 years she quietly and effectively championed causes for the poor. She gave her heart to the people.

The recent state Ethics Commission decision to stop a longstanding children’s event may be the final hurt to an outstanding senator who gave so unselfishly. Her compassion is real. We need more high-integrity and high-caliber elected officials like her.

Our thanks to Sen. Chun Oakland for her long-dedicated service to Chinatown and the people of Hawaii. She is not only our hero in Chinatown but also one to the entire state.

Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock

Chinatown

Rail won’t make Honolulu worse

Stopping the rail transit system at Middle Street makes no sense. A poor commuter would have to get off the train and onto a bus to finish the journey. No, just finish the project.

People say the railway going through Chinatown and Downtown will take the beauty away from Honolulu. Excuse me. Just look at the many high-rise towers going up, and with no end in sight. Honolulu and Waikiki are already not what they were 20 years ago, so a rail will make it no worse.

Rail critics need to open their eyes and get with the 21st century.

Toby Allen

Hawaii Kai

Parker’s slam on Cruz was unfair

When Shakespeare wrote “Et tu, Brute?” in “Julius Caesar,” denoting final betrayal, he could have had Kathleen Parker in mind (“Cruz lost the election when Fiorina fell off the stage,” Star-Advertiser, May 4).

She took an unfortunate fall by Carly Fiornia and spun smarmy and smug allegations of presidential candidate Ted Cruz’s ambition and self-promotion.

Anyone watching the video with an open mind will notice that he wasn’t looking in Fiornia’s direction and was blocked by a number of people. No wonder the media’s reputation has sunk to abysmal levels.

Cruz’s gracious, classy and statesmanlike concession speech after Indiana were the words of a man of principle who has the courage of conviction, graciously accepting the will of the people, optimistically vowing to fight on for his vision. This hit piece on Cruz showed Parker is clearly out of her league.

Robert Katz

Cupertino, Calif.

Not all liberals support Clinton

As a liberal Democrat, I could never vote for Hillary Clinton.

>> She falsely claimed risking enemy fire in a war zone when there was no threat.

>> She has refused to disclose transcripts of her speeches to Wall Street firms.

>> She extensively used personal emails routinely for government business, probably to hide information that might later embarrass her, when using official emails was both a prescribed and more convenient method.

>> Her hawkish foreign policy is similar to President George W. Bush’s in that it supports disastrous interventions in general, and specifically in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, costing billions of dollars and countless lives with disastrous harm to our reputation internationally.

>> She, not Donald Trump, is the sexist candidate as she attempts to get votes for herself just because she is a woman.

Rusl T. “Bob” Bjork

Koloa, Kauai

Volleyball idea ignored costs

Regarding beach volleyball at the Waikiki Natatorium as suggested by Jerry Mershon and others (“Have volleyball at Natatorium,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 11), consider the costs involved.

First, the cost of renovating an old deteriorating structure. Next, the costs of maintenance. Then, insurance against accidents.

And the fact that we would have to pay for admission to any games or programs inside the gates.

Many of us would be happy to have more free beachfront to enjoy with family and friends.

Mandy Bowers

Manoa

Housing ideas seem flimsy

I’m wondering how well the tent cities, thatched-roof hales and igloos will hold up when the next hurricane blows through.

We need to consider more structurally solid solutions to our homeless problems. Shipping containers or even rent-to-own mobile homes for qualifying families would seem to be more sturdy.

The retrofitting of underutilized buildings is also a good idea, as it could maximize the limited ground space we have.

Ann Brewer

Waialua