I am an immigrant. I came to America in 1997, received my green card, and became a citizen in 2001.

In my view, the flag, the national anthem and even the Pledge of Allegiance, are symbols of the United States of America. I respect that the Supreme Court ruled that burning the flag is a right but I disagree.

The symbols I mentioned represent the country. Dishonoring them is dishonoring the country

In my humble opinion, by dishonoring the national anthem, football player Colin Kaepernick has dishonored his country.

Instead of “protesting,” I suggest that Mr. Kaepernick be proactive.

Perhaps he could go to an inner city school with low learning levels and high disciplinary problems and help the teachers.

Perhaps he could ride along in a police car in San Francisco during a weekend and help save some lives.

Sergio Robles

Manoa

Waikiki swim meet what it says: rough

Regarding a letter writer’s comment about the ocean currents in Waikiki and the roughwater swim: the current flows with the tide.

When the tide is rising, the current runs Ewa, and when it is outgoing, it pulls Diamond Head.

Tides change three to four times a day. The current is stronger the steeper the rise or fall of the tide.

As far as watching the boat noses, they will face into the wind as the wind is usually stronger than the current.

Reversing the swim course might seem good in theory, but if the tide isn’t going the right way, it’s going to be a hard swim no matter which way you go. And if you swim toward Diamond Head, you will be swimming into the wind and chop.

A 7-year-old boy, a 10-year-old girl, a 73-year-old woman, and a 80-year-old man were among the finishers of this year’s swim.

If anyone is looking for an easy swim, I suggest a pool or a lake. It is called the Waikiki Roughwater Swim for a reason.

Linda Kaiser

Kuliouou

Encourage bicyclists to walk in crosswalks

Whenever I come to a crosswalk on my bicycle, I walk it across safely, as I am then a pedestrian and should have the right to make the cross.

But I have seen many cyclists, including parents with small children, dart across the crosswalk on their bikes. This teaches the children a dangerous technique that will become a habit, making it a challenge for motorists to stop in time.

Depending on age, the pedestrian may take from between 10 to 20 second to walk the crosswalk. But a bicyclist will zip across the crosswalk in two or three seconds, in a zone where motorist are expecting slow, deliberate walkers to cross.

The city should consider educating the public on the prudence of walking bikes across pedestrian crosswalks to avoid an accident that puts a cyclist in the hospital or worse.

Ed Burns

Mililani

Media overlooking third-party options

In this year’s presidential election cycle, the Republicans and Democrats have given us the most unpopular candidates in history. Many voters are begging for a better option.

So does it seem like the media is refusing to report on other viable candidates?

A report from the Media Research Center reveals that all the challengers to the two “major” parties combined make up just 0.03 percent of broadcast network news coverage. The report examined 1,713 campaign stories that appeared on ABC, CBS and NBC newscasts from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31: Donald Trump received 1,773 minutes of coverage; Hillary Clinton got 1,020 minutes; Evan McMillan (I), Gary Johnson (L), and Jill Stein (G) combined receive 46 seconds.

That’s right — less than one minute in eight months for everyone else combined. Johnson is polling at around 10 percent, Stein is at around 4 percent. It is simply amazing that with only 11 seconds of network airtime, 1 in 10 Americans are supporting the Libertarian nominee.

How is that not news itself?

Michael McCarthy

Kaneohe

U.S. hasn’t learned a thing about war

President Barack Obama has acknowledged the secret war in Laos where the U.S. dropped over 2 million tons of bombs during the Vietnam War, as reported in Wednesday’s newspaper.

He said the bombings obliterated entire villages and inflicted a wrenching toll on innocent men, women and children. In addition to acknowledging this, he pledged a paltry $30 million to assist in finding and dismantling the millions of unexploded bombs that are still killing and maiming the citizens of Laos.

These acts, if committed by any other country, would be defined as war crimes. War crimes include intentionally killing civilians or destroying civilian property and using weapons that cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.

I am a Vietnam combat veteran. When will we learn that bombs don’t discriminate who they kill and they don’t solve conflicts? Forty-five years later, we’re still dropping bombs and innocent people are still dying. When will we ever stop repeating the mistakes of the past?

Chuck Cohen

Kalama Valley

Enlarging sanctuary raises questions

Recently the U.S. — via President Barack Obama’s executive action — expanded the Papaha- naumokuakea Marine National Monument by over half a million square miles (four times the size of California).

While this enables sealife protection and undeniable ecological sustainability, there are legitimate questions that arise:

Did the U.S. seek consent (or even advice) from the 157 signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea?

Also, has the U.S. committed to a permanent ban on military activities in these waters?

Meanwhile, the U.S. is accusing China of unilaterally taking some islets in the South China Sea. Do we smell a heavy dose of hypocrisy here?

Peace activists and concerned citizens deserve clear and transparent answers to these questions.

Danny H.C. Li

Keaau