Why are there no post-arrival COVID-19 testing options for returning residents?

I recently returned from a mainland trip and have to self-quarantine in my home for 14 days. Before my trip I tried to find a place where I could get a pretest 72 hours before my flight home. I also asked if I could get a post-arrival test at the mobile test site at the airport. I wasn’t able to get either test done.

I am not even allowed to leave my home to go to a private test site to get tested. I would gladly pay for a post- arrival test, and even a follow-up test, if I had the option. Why can’t we taxpaying residents have an option so we can get back to work sooner?

Gary Hirakawa

Salt Lake

Blangiardi’s pandemic response contradictory

Rick Blangiardi has revealed his true colors. During his campaign he refused to state his views on key issues. Now we are seeing where he stands (“Mayor-elect Blangiardi favors more aggressive reopening of Oahu,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 23).

Out with “compassion” for the homeless. His plan to control coronavirus? “We need to learn to live with this disease” (the strategy of the outgoing national administration).

His response to Hawaii’s painstaking and painful defense against corona- virus? Inarticulate and contradictory: “I don’t want it necessarily going back to the tier system (and have it) be driven by the metrics. I want to look at the science and the data.”Aren’t metrics data?

His proposal? “My attitude to be candid with you is to open up the bars.” Really? That’s important? We have worked too hard to comply with restrictions, and our kids have sacrificed too much. We don’t need a mayor who treats people’s health cavalierly so that people can drink in bars.

Barbara Nelson

Makiki

Stiver right about U.S. aggression abroad

Kudos to Robert H. Stiver (“U.S. foreign policy must change fundamentally,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 23).

All my life, the U.S. has been at war and intervened in other countries. Russia’s meddling in our election is no match for what U.S. does in other countries, including wars, assassinations, regimes changes (and meddling in their elections). That’s what we do.

Our nuclear bomb-carrying submarines and aircraft carriers prowl the seas. We sanction and threaten those who protect themselves from us, in kind. America’s fear-and-hate patriotic banner waves furiously by the endless talk about “dictators” and “thugs.” Democrats, Republicans, the press, preachers, teachers, Joe Sixpack, bus drivers, CEOs and everybody else carry the furious patriotic banner, and the military keeps expanding with at least 80 overseas bases in our adversaries’ faces. None have bases near America.

I hope Joe Biden doesn’t limit his appointees to the liberal interventionists, but I worry about his view that “we will continue to lead the world.” Why?

Caroll Han

Makiki

U.S. must remain strong in a dangerous world

It made me sad to see another solid citizen who assumes the world we are living in is pretty much in a nice natural state that will not change much (“U.S. foreign policy must change fundamentally,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 23).

There seems to be no recognition that there is real evil in the world and that there are external forces whose primary goal is to gain power by destroying the United States and our way of life.

For example, the U.S. was grossly unprepared for World War II and paid dearly for it. We fought hard and got lucky.

I do not ascribe much to the niceties of “globalism,” in which huge decisions that affect our daily lives are made by unaccountable leaders halfway around the planet. I think we are far better served as a strong constitutional republic that relies upon deterrence and peace through strength.

Charles (Toby) Rushforth

Kaneohe

Kudos for coverage of Carissa Moore, surfing

Mahalo nui loa to the Sports page of the Star-Advertiser! Seeing the front-of-section picture of local hero Carissa Moore in full ripping color is such a JOY (“A different show,” Star-Advertiser, Nov. 10).

Moore is such a great Hawaii representative. We love seeing surf pictures in the sports page (rather than other so-called sports in which people beat each other up).

Surfing is the most Hawaiian of sports, and it is beautiful to watch, whether you surf or not.

Moore also is such a great representative for us: cheerful, kind, humble, and always a cheerleader for other girls and women who surf.

Please run more pictures and stories like this! Kudos also to journalist Ferd Lewis for some true journalism about how the sport of surfing is good for Hawaii on so many levels.

Here’s hoping our government leaders read this article and give our surf events and local surfers the support they deserve, in a safe, akamai, socially distant fashion, of course.

Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst

Palolo

Inspect Christmas trees to stop murder hornets

It is important to have appropriate inspection regulations of Christmas trees coming into Hawaii, especially around this time with the “murder hornet” outbreak (“Heavily protected crews vacuum ‘murder hornets’ out of Washington nest,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Oct. 24).

The murder hornets pose a threat to many states, but considering Hawaii as small islands, it would be devastating to have murder hornets come and deplete our fragile ecosystem. Bees flourish here in small numbers and are not able to migrate. Can you imagine what an outbreak of hornets would do to the islands?

Failure to have strong safety standards for trees arriving from the mainland could result in abrupt ruin for our bee population.

Kayla Sells

Makiki

EXPRESS YOURSELF

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.

>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.

>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210 Honolulu, HI 96813

>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), 529-4750 (fax), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter

COMFORT AND JOY

2020 has been a whopper of a year: the COVID-19 pandemic, economic hurt, politics and elections. But surely there is much to appreciate, much that brings joy.

In the spirit of the season, we are now accepting letters (150 words max) and essays (500-600 words) with uplifting messages to share during this holiday season.

Email to letters@staradvertiser.com; or send to 500 Ala Moana Blvd. #7-210, Honolulu 96813, c/o Letters.