So our lawmakers in their wisdom are pondering a resolution to update our disaster preparation plans for a post nuclear-attack Hawaii. State Rep. Matt LoPresti has the North Korean “rogue” state in mind.
The assumption here is that someone will be alive to take advantage of fallout shelters and such. However, since the North Korean target probably would be Pearl Harbor, would anyone on Oahu remain alive to utilize those shelters? And if the nuclear “exchange” was with a much more powerful China (sparked by an incident in the South China Sea), the chances of anyone in our state surviving is highly doubtful.
Of course, the illusion of surviving a nuclear war is useful to the Trump regime, whose massive bombing campaign in the Middle East and sabre-rattling in the Pacific is making our world so much more dangerous.
Noel Kent
Manoa
—
Gabbard’s stance makes good sense
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has incurred the political wrath of the leaders of both Democratic and Republican parties as well as the mainstream media.
Her stance on military actions in Syria is both honorable and sensible. To question the rush to bomb a sovereign nation allied with the nuclear-armed Russian bear makes sense to me.
Gabbard’s efforts to clip the wings of the harpies of war should not be a reason to remove her from office. Rather, it should be a model of how a warrior responds to provocations of war as a stateswoman operating at the national level.
The good people of Congressional District 2, should continue to support Gabbard as their representative to the U.S. Congress. An independent voice is a rare and valuable attribute in today’s dangerous geopolitical game of thrones.
Joe DeFrank
Mililani
—
Break up United’s airline monopoly
It’s time to hold United Airlines up to the law — in this case, an old one called the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890.
Most people over a certain age can still remember the breakup of Ma Bell into the “Baby Bells” in the early 1980s. This was done because Bell had gotten so large that it constituted a monopoly.
When a business operates a monopoly, it can charge high rates and deliver poor products. A monopoly can also treat its customers as poorly as it likes because there is nowhere else to go. In most cities, United and Delta together have duopoly control of many routes, and a duopoly is just a monopoly plus one: the two players agree to work together against the customer.
Dr. David Dao, who was dragged bodily off a United flight, should lead a class-action lawsuit demanding the breakup of United (and possibly Delta) into smaller companies.
This would make the entire airline business more competitive. Service would improve, overbooking may become a thing of the past, and there would be more options for travelers.
Dave Scruton
Laupahoehoe, Hawaii island
—
Bus stops filled with homeless
There is a troubling upsurge in squatters (homeless or otherwise) surrounding Honolulu bus stops, especially across the street from the fitness center at Atkinson Street and Kapiolani Boulevard. Overflowing shopping carts, shredded canvases and streams of litter are bunched up along the walls and the sidewalk. The stench of urine and feces is pervasive.
Most of the intruders are harmless. But I have witnessed some disturbing behavior. One of the men occasionally gets up and venomously rails against the world and God. A disheveled scrawny woman once didn’t approve of my picking up and disposing of nearby debris. She dumped all of the contents of the trash can onto the curb, lurched toward me and said, “I’m gonna slice you up.”
Needless to say, I have decided to walk toward another bus stop after leaving the gym, one that is not as cluttered or scary.
Stan Satz
Waikiki
—
Kupu’s keiki aren’t ‘troubled’
Andrew Gomes’ article on the renovation of Kupu’s “net shed” highlighted its future plans and provided readers a glimpse of the work it does with youth (“Youth program wins a home base,” Star-Advertiser, April 14). However, it was disrespectful to the youth, their families and the Kupu community to label them as “troubled kids.”
Not every child succeeds in a traditional school. When they don’t, they are often left feeling unintelligent and unworthy, leading to a lack of self-respect and self-esteem.
Kupu offers our youth another way to learn, develop and thrive. Kupu is grounded in the Hawaiian knowledge of “ma ka hana ka ‘ike” or “in working, one learns.”
This is achieved through malama aina to leading their cohort in an ‘oli to learning from kumu and kupuna. Kupu does not label our children as “troubled” and I humbly ask that we follow their example.
Dawn Tawata
St. Louis Heights
