I was taking a walk on Sunday around my condo development. I was wearing a mask. A woman drove up, put her window down and said, “Do you love your mask”?

I wasn’t sure I had heard her correctly and said, “I’m sorry?” She repeated the line loudly, while laughing. I replied by explaining my mask use, that I was born immune-compromised and could die if I caught COVID-19. She gunned her car and roared off.

It hurt. It made me feel like a freak just for following my doctors’ strong advice.

I guess I want people to understand that there are those like me on this Earth. I could have been in the middle of chemo, on a list for a transplant, or just a senior still afraid of contracting new COVID strains. I would love to throw away my masks, but can’t.

People need to be kinder to mask-wearing strangers. I know the subject has unfortunately become political. Think twice before becoming belligerent towards a stranger over this.

Marcia Del Mar

Kailua

UH won’t respect Native Hawaiian rights

One can take all the buzz words used in the Star-Advertiser’s editorial on the future of astronomy in Hawaii — turning point, fear, permanent damage, concerning, worrying, etc. — all marshaled on behalf of the University of Hawaii and its desire to retain complete control over its operations on the summit of Mauna Kea, and apply them instead to the other side of the argument, in which the Native Hawaiian community asserts its right to protect its sacred lands from secular encroachment by the university’s astronomy program (“Don’t undermine UH, astronomy,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, March 27).

UH has always tried to portray itself as sensitive to the concerns of Native Hawaiians, but has never done more than say a little mea culpa as it tramples on Native Hawaiian land. Thus, even in its editorial the Star-Advertiser lamely points out the university’s “growing cultural awareness.” It’s growing? What fruit will it bear and when?

Enough of this double talk. House Bill 2024 has the virtue of deciding the issue and is one of those rare moments in history when an ancient wrong can be made right.

Edward D. Lasky

Hawaii Kai

Mauna Kea bill designed to block TMT project

The bill to remove the University of Hawaii from administration of Mauna Kea summit and give it to a new oversight entity is another effort to derail the Thirty Meter Telescope project.

Specious arguments have been made that Earth-based telescopes are unnecessary because telescopes in space are already taking spectacular pictures of the universe. Earth-based telescopes will continue to play a significant role in astronomy.

If the mission of this new entity is to remove all telescopes from the mountain, it will severely damage the science of astronomy and the prestige of UH as a leader in the field.

This bill’s hidden agenda appears not to be a need to change to better stewardship, but instead to add another obstacle in the way of starting construction of the TMT project and jeopardizes the future of all telescope projects on Mauna Kea summit.

Stuart Shimazu

Kapahulu

Plenty of treasonous talk from elected officials

In a letter to the editor, the writer accused Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of committing treason by their public statements (“Gabbard, Carlson used as Russian propaganda,” Star-Advertiser, March 25).

Of course, Carlson does not hold political office and Gabbard is not currently in office.

How does the writer feel about the outrageous anti-American and anti-Israel statements made by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley (The Squad)? Do their statements (and there are many) not provide aid and comfort to the many enemies of America throughout the world?

Harold Nakagawa

Mililani

Air tour operators ignore complaints at their peril

Hawaii’s air tour operators feel that the current proposed policies being considered by the National Park Service for air tours over our National Parks are “unfair, unsafe and over-restrictive” (“More restrictions on national park air tours unwise, unsafe,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 24). Well, air tour operators only have themselves to blame.

If air tour operators had been better stewards of our airspace, none of these regulations would be necessary. If air tour operators had listened to all the complaints of local residents and park users, and tried to accommodate their needs, the air tour industry would probably be allowed to continue the current state of self-regulation.

Instead, the air tour industry has taken an arrogant attitude and dismissed all residents’ concerns.

Their position is that the local population has no right to tell them where to fly, or how high to fly, or when to fly or how often to fly.

This is why the air tour industry needs to be strictly regulated.

Joy Schoonover

Waipahu

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