Most of my career has been in the airline business, including as president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.

From personal experience, I can say that flight attendants are the heart and soul of any airline. They are the face of the airline and, apart from ground staff, are the only employees with whom the passengers interact.

For decades flight attendants have tolerated verbal abuse and physical interference, but the new anti-vaccine era has introduced physical abuse that cannot be tolerated by any airline and federal authorities.

Any passenger who physically assaults a flight attendant must immediately be banned from that airline for life. In addition, if the federal legal process doesn’t give the appropriate punishment and the flight attendant decides to pursue civil charges, I would expect the airline to cover legal costs as well as any medical expenses not covered by insurance.

It is time to step up and protect flight attendants. If you are part of the 98% who do not cause problems, please take a moment to thank the flight attendants for being there for you.

Paul Casey

Makiki

Mayor doesn’t show he bleeds UH green

Mayor Rick Blangiardi is a walking and talking contradiction. He said that because of his past history he bleeds University of Hawaii green, yet he was very quick to throw the UH athletic department under the bus by not allowing any fans to attend the football games.

All fans would have been outdoors, as well as vaccinated and masked, two things that we know help keep COVID-19 transmissions to a minimum. Contrast that with bars and restaurants that have a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated customers who, for the most part, are not wearing masks. Indoor air-conditioner circulation can pick up and transport COVID-19 from one part of the bar or restaurant to the rest of the building and possibly infect any customers in the room.

If the mayor was so concerned about COVID-19 transmission spread, he would close the bars and limit restaurants to outdoor seating. Blangiardi’s heart may be with UH, but unfortunately his soul belongs to the Chamber of Commerce.

Malcolm Nozoe

Aiea

Anti-vaxxers claim right to infect others

Let me be blunt in paraphrasing the claims of anti-COVID-19 mandate “freedom” protesters:

“I demand my (constitutionally protected) freedom to join millions of others globally in falling horribly ill, and very possibly dying an agonizing death. Also, I reserve my right to expose my friends, family and loved ones to the same awful fate. I further demand my (constitutionally protected) right to take with me as many others as I can manage to infect. This larger group will necessarily include random ordinary people, the elderly and children, first responders and undeserving medical professionals. Also, by the way, I could co-laterally impact any other folks in urgent need of medical help, whom the hospitals were (mysteriously) too overburdened to accommodate.

“Those would-be fascists who seek to infringe on my freedoms through anti-COVID mandates and social pressure are clearly motivated by hate.

And, incidentally, given that I am male, I can insist that this being ‘my body,’ it is therefore ‘my choice.’ Thus reads my declaration of independence!”

Strange freedoms, these.

Don Hallock

St. Louis Heights

Don’t segregate access to Hawaii’s libraries

In regards to the libraries barring entry to the unvaccinated or those without a negative COVID-19 test, state librarian Stacey Aldrich said, “We believe in aloha” (“Hawaii state librarians get some pushback over mandates,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 22).

How ironic. Although she is simply following Executive Order 21-07, aloha does not exclude people because of color, creed or medical procedure status. Hawaii excluded people with Hansen’s disease not long ago. Gov. David Ige’s order institutes segregation in Hawaii again. The variable is different, that’s all.

Keep libraries accessible to all, so we can read the dark history on segregation and hopefully stop the injustices from being repeated. As George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Justine Adams

Volcano

Risks are too great to approve Red Hill permit

It was shocking to read that a hearing officer still recommended the Navy get its state permit to operate the Red Hill fuel tanks despite concluding that the risk of potential pollution to Oahu’s sole aquifer is real (“Approval of Red Hill permit recommended despite risks,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 12).

It was even more shocking to read that this recommendation was made after the Environmental Health Administration said the Navy hasn’t proven it can safely operate the tanks.

The 2014 leak of 27,000 gallons of fuel caused by human error shows this is no longer a threat but a real possibility. Why are we even playing a game of Russian roulette with our water supply? I would compare it to holding an old, rusty metal gas can full of fuel over the only water supply saved up during a hurricane.

It’s time we hold the military accountable for its environmental impact in Hawaii and stop settling for the short end of the stick.

Sergio Alcubilla

Pauoa Valley

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