It’s way past time for us to stand up to the Navy and demand immediate action on the Red Hill fuel tanks. One little accident could destroy life as we know it on this island, and it needs to responsibly and promptly fortify against this possibility.

A deadline of 2028 is too distant (“Bill would prohibit Red Hill fuel tanks in 2028,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 11). We should force the Navy to redress and fortify this facility within two years, at most. Do we have what it takes to face off against this immense adversary and force immediate action?

Richard S. Morris

Hawaii Kai

Killing of fluoride bill a dereliction of duty

I think I’ll stop brushing my teeth; if they decay, I’ll just go to the dentist. Why bother looking both ways before I cross the street? If I get hit, the docs will fix me.

Most people don’t consciously make such decisions; we know the benefits of preventing injury and disease. Yet the Senate Judiciary Committee consciously killed Senate Bill 2997 to add fluoride to Hawaii’s drinking water, a preventive measure scientifically proven since the 1940s as safe and effective in reducing tooth decay in children (“Proposal to put fluoride in Hawaii water systems quickly dies,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 12).

This was a shameful dereliction of this committee’s duty to promote bills to protect public health, especially that of our keiki.

Fluoridation is a no-brainer.

Fluoride-fearing people who oppose it despite decades of evidence to the contrary can remove the fluoride with filtration. The rest of us can save on dental bills and spare our keiki the agony and trauma of dental decay.

Douglas Rinehart

Salt Lake

Fluoride in water won’t improve dental health

It continues to astound me that well-intended people, whether medical or dental professionals or politicians, believe that dumping an industrial waste product into the water supply will solve Hawaii’s issues of poor dental hygiene due to lack of sound information and overconsumption of junk food and sugary drinks.

Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. It only began to be promoted as a dental aid in the 1940s and is a hazardous byproduct of coal burning and aluminum, phosphate fertilizer and atomic bomb production. The majority of countries worldwide do not fluoridate because of the lack of cost benefits and actual statistics that it does not prevent tooth decay.

Unfortunately, ignorance and debate will continue until fluoride is banned, alongside other pesticides and chemicals that have done more harm than good. Every day more research studies prove that fluoride is harmful to humans, pets, wild animals, botanicals, ocean life, environment and waterways, and that it may take one to two million years for fluoride to be broken down.

Melissa Yee

Seeds of Truth

Democratic candidates all look wealthy, white

The Democratic Party for many years has claimed itself to be the party of the poor, the party of minorities, the party of fairness.

All that is shattered with the makeup of the Democrat debaters at Wednesday night’s debate. There are no racial minorities unless you count Elizabeth Warren as a Native American. There are more billionaires campaigning, with Mike Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, than any other party has ever had. And it looks like the party of fairness is going to allow Bloomberg to buy the party nomination for president from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

With all the hypocrisy on display on stage, how can the Republicans possibly lose the 2020 presidential race?

Garry P. Smith

Ewa Beach

Trump acts primarily in own self-interest

Bankers bailing out the collapsing Trump Organization thought, “He’s a wonderful promoter; he’s the P. T. Barnum of the 21st century.”

The quote attributed to P.T. Barnum — “There’s a sucker born every minute” — might apply to those admiring President Donald Trump for getting things done.

They avoid noting that everything Trump has done in some way was for his personal gain. Pandering to his base, he lavishly spends government funds while reducing the taxes that provide those funds. Republicans abhor deficit spending unless it’s one of theirs doing it.

Ronald Wong

Salt Lake

Dillingham Airfield a sound investment

Flying gliders at Dillingham Airfield has been a spiritual respite for me over the years. I don’t surf or play golf. Alone in the sky is my place of solitude. When my son was young he said he wanted to touch a cloud. We did it there. I am a private pilot. My individual financial contribution to the airport is small, but it remains an important place.

It is more significant than the million-dollar “loss” cited by the state Department of Transportation (“Closure of Dillingham Airfield could affect hundreds of jobs,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 7).

It should be considered seed money for a great irreplaceable investment in the economy of our island and the state at large. I know of no other place that offers so much flying opportunity for individuals. It is extremely foolish to close it down.

Dan Carpenter

Waianae

Congratulations to Nash for UH basketball career

Thanks to Stephen Tsai for his nice article on Bob Nash (“Former Hawaii player, coach Bob Nash’s career started as walk-on and a ride along,” Star-Advertiser, Feb. 14). Many thanks to First Hawaiian Bank for its generous donation of commemorative No. 33 T-shirts and rally towels at the game Feb. 15. There was a beautiful sea of white shirts at the Stan Sheriff Center with a crowd of nearly 6,000.

However, I was disappointed with the lack of your coverage of the retirement ceremony of Nash’s No. 33 jersey. In the 100 years of University of Hawaii men’s basketball, this is the first, so at least a photo in the print edition of the paper would have been appropriate.

Thank you, Mr. Nash, for all you have done for Hawaii. Congratulations.

James Metz

Makiki

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