DONATION

GENEROSITY OUGHT TO BE INSPIRATION TO OTHERS

Tears came to my eyes as I read the article of Clyde Ota donating $6,000 to Lanakila School. Here is an individual who himself is having a hard time, working long hours to make ends meet, and yet thinks of his former school. Why is it that those who have the least are the most generous? May his generosity be an inspiration to others!

VOLLEYBALL

RAINBOW WAHINE LACK COHESION OF PAST TEAM

The Rainbow Wahine are not playing up to their capabilities. They have so many talented women that it is very difficult for the coaches to put in the right players at the right time.

The problem with this year's team is that they have no cohesion. Last year's team was fabulous because they had chemistry. They were exciting because they found ways to win.

This year's team is flat. Everyone is depending on the next player to dive for a ball.

I don't question Dave Shoji's coaching abilities. The only question I have after all has been said is, "Why change a well-oiled machine, if it's not broken?"

UH was rated high at the onset of the season because of the returning players, and not because of who they have coming in. The Wahine lack the speed this year.

IRAQ WAR

U.S. SHOULD REALIZE DISASTER WE ARE IN

Mahalo nui loa for Stephen O'Harrow's brilliant comparison of the Iraq and Vietnam wars (Focus, Sunday). O'Harrow hit it out of the park when he concluded: "The U.S. intervention in Iraq will go down as possibly the greatest single blunder in our national history ..."

How many more must die before the nation wakes up to the disaster that is the Iraq war?

IRAQ

WAR IS GRINDING DOWN OUR MILITARY FORCES

Stephen O'Harrow has written an excellent analysis of the Iraqi situation and concludes that Americans will "have a very hard time paying for the consequences, let alone facing up to that fact" (Focus, Sunday).

Maybe divine intervention will help. That's how a senior Kuwaiti official interpreted Hurricane Katrina.

What are the consequences? A new Islamic Republic based on the Shiites in the South allied with the Islamic Republic of Iran and with diminished rights for women and girls.

This new alignment will force the Bush administration to accept the nuclearization of Iran or do something rash, like bombing the nuclear sites.

The Iraq quagmire has led the Bush administration to defer to China and to concede to North Korea, albeit that meant simply returning to the agreement already worked out by President Clinton. Whatever the motivations, the return to diplomacy is welcomed.

The most disturbing consequences are the effects on the U.S. military. The war is grinding down the forces that have returned twice and soon three times to active duty in the war zone. Marines and soldiers can only take so much.

We have not yet addressed the economic costs and their international implications.

VACATION RENTALS

TAXES SHOULD BENEFIT AFFECTED NEIGHBORHOOD

Council Chair Donovan Dela Cruz sees the vacation rental tax as an enforcement tool against unpermitted operations. I suggest that the council look beyond that.

The greatest impact of unlicensed B&Bs and transient vacation units is felt in the neighborhoods that these operations are located in. I suggest that the additional taxes collected on these units be directed toward improving the infrastructure of those neighborhoods.

Here on the North Shore, everyone knows that tourists, both local and from out of state, help create significant wear and tear on our roads and sewage systems, yet it seems that we are constantly last in line when it comes time to resources being allocated to repair our infrastructure.

Let's keep the money collected in the area that these visitors impact. We can start improving the roads and sewer systems for us, the residents.

BEV HARBIN

FORGET EXPECTING HER TO DO THE RIGHT THING

If Rep. Bev Harbin doesn't know now that the "right thing" for her to do is resign from her position, why should we expect her to do the "right thing" once the state Legislature convenes in January when she'll have the potential to do great harm?

MONORAIL ACCIDENT

MOTHER AND TODDLER THANK NAMELESS HERO

In a freak accident this past Sunday, my 2-year-old daughter's hand got caught in between the door and the wall of the Pearlridge monorail as the doors opened. We were getting ready to exit the monorail and she must have had her hand against the door, but didn't remove it fast enough when the doors quickly opened.

In my moment of panic, I lost all ability to think clearly, but thankfully a nice man was able to pull the door to free my daughter's hand. I thanked him profusely, but never got his name.

I wanted to write this letter so he would know that my daughter's hand is all right, and she was happily playing at home within an hour after the incident thanks to his quick thinking.

GASOLINE

PRICE CAP GIVES DRIVERS PROTECTION AT THE PUMP

The oil industry in Hawai'i is not part of a free market. Opponents to the gas cap say the gasoline price in Hawai'i does not reflect the production cost because Hawai'i oil companies get their oil from Asia and other sources.

Oil from Asia must be extremely expensive because Hawai'i residents have always paid high prices for gasoline. The gas cap sets artificial prices that are based on Mainland prices. That is OK with me! At least the price is based on something other than extreme profit for the oil companies.

If it were not for the gas cap, gasoline in Hawai'i would cost more than it does today. The gas cap may not be perfect, but at least it is giving Hawai'i drivers some protection against extremely unfair prices at the pump. In spite of popular belief, Hawai'i government is capable of doing good things for the residents of Hawai'i.

PRICE DIFFERENCES

EXPLAIN COST VARIATION AT NEARBY GAS STATIONS

Something stinks. Can someone tell me why there is a 40-cent-per-gallon spread on gasoline when the stations are less than a block away from each other? The old gas, new gas price that the petroleum companies are trying to sell the public is like the old carnival shell game. We are being ripped off and very little if anything is being done to help the public.

Trusting an oil company to do the right thing for the public is like letting a fox into the hen's house. The oil companies' profits are outrageous and the public is paying out the nose.

TRAFFIC CONGESTION

CAPPING ANYTHING IS CONTRARY TO FREEDOM

Having just read an opinion from a resident wanting to initiate a "vehicle cap" as a way to do something about traffic, I can see why we have the "gas cap." Emotional responses always feel good but never amount to solving anything.

"Capping" anything is contrary to freedom — if you can afford it, then you can; if you can't, you can't and you'll find an alternative.

Traffic congestion? Incentivize people through tax breaks — not increases in highway taxes or more fuel taxes to change their behavior. For our traffic woes, look to our state and local officials who can't seem to remember that adequate roads must be built before the people move in.

SHAKA

SOME HISTORY FOR YOU

In the l930s there was a Puerto Rican man, Lo-pe Lo-pe from the camp at Liliha and Vineyard streets, who used to push a homemade cart while collecting used jelly bottles.

He would frequent the Liliha, Vineyard, Kukui and Hall Street areas in his route. Every few steps he took, he would call out "jelly bottle" and all the kids would chime in with, "Lo-pe, Lo-pe." He would then flash his shaka sign and slurp a "tsk tsk" at the same time.

EMERGENCIES

FORM 'GO-TEAM' IN PREPARING FOR DISASTER

In preparing ourselves for any type of emergency I would like to suggest a plan inspired by HECO. Form a "Go-Team" in your neighborhood.

Gather and discuss who has what in case of an emergency. Who has special needs — diabetic, wheelchair-bound or other medical challenges? Who has a generator where refrigerated meds might be stored? Who has medical training and/or supplies? Who has tools, ladders, etc.? Who might have a Ham radio? Maybe even assign duties.

With storage space a premium, combining our resources and coordinating our actions could help sustain not just one family, but a neighborhood.

In no manner am I attacking our government or any agency but it seems in a time of crisis the first line of assistance can come from our own plan in our own neighborhoods.

People on the Mainland have sat in shelters and waited for someone to come to them. If your team does as planned you have created your own shelter. It would be the truest form of " 'ohana."

WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

KAKA'AKO READY FOR 'NEW ERA'

On behalf of the Hawai'i Children's Discovery Center, I would like to welcome two new neighbors to the growing community of Kaka'ako.The John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and the University of Hawai'i Biomedical Center will open the doors of their new Kaka'ako campus at the end of this month.

And most recently, the Hawai'i Community Development Authority (HCDA), the state agency responsible for governing growth in Kaka'ako, awarded Alexander & Baldwin Inc. the right to redevelop Kaka'ako's prime waterfront lands.

Both developments are watershed events in the modern history of this small community.

It is a good sign that education provides the leading edge to this redevelopment. It seems appropriate that we bookend the first phase of the revitalization of Kaka'ako with educational facilities that attend to the first stage of learning (our children) on one hand, and broadens that process in the first phase of career building (medical and research professionals) on the other.

We celebrate the dedication of the medical school and look forward to possible partnership opportunities that will benefit our community. At the Children's Discovery Center our primary interest is in the healthy early development of young children — body, mind and spirit.

In fact, it is entirely possible that perhaps some of the medical school's future students will have been influenced to take up the practice of medicine because, as children, their interests were peaked after learning about the human body in our "Fantastic You!" gallery at the Discovery Center.

With its long and storied past, the kama'aina firm of Alexander & Baldwin brings a deep commitment and understanding of these Islands along with strong expertise and experience in land development. As possibly the last major redevelopment in urban Honolulu, the revitalization of Honolulu's waterfront is vitally important to the economic future of downtown and greater Honolulu.

More importantly, the redevelopment must reflect the character and culture of our people and enhance and not detract from the natural beauty of these Islands.

With these new neighbors, Kaka'ako stands poised to be a major player in the future of this city and state. The core of a new era at Kaka'ako is now in place that will transform Kaka'ako truly into a place to live, work, learn, discover and play.

As one of the first "new era" tenants of Kaka'ako, we welcome our new neighbors and look forward to a bright future.