GLOBAL WARMING

HELLISH FUTURE AWAITS US IF THERE IS NO CHANGE

A professor stated in The Advertiser "there is no significant disagreement within the scientific community that Earth is warming and that human activities are the principal cause." A "stubborn earth scientist" named Campbell wrote: We should "plan to adapt to changes that we cannot stop." W.D. Woodward of Kula called global warming a "religion" that should be covered in the Faith section, but admitted "glaciers have been going up and down since time immemorial."

If these gentlemen will sit through the film "An Inconvenient Truth," I'll look at the Web site they like. I'll read the petition by scientists supposedly against the Kyoto Accord.

Their actions, and those who make it possible for them to create doubt about the science which predicts a coming global catastrophe, condemn the next generations to live in a hellish future.

ENVIRONMENT

STRYKER CUTOUTS SAME AS GRAFFITI, STICKERS

I was raised to understand that anyone who defaces public property or private property without anyone's permission is committing vandalism.

Mat Kubo (Advertiser, July 29) is committing vandalism, just like people who put graffiti up or post stickers on public or private property without anyone's permission.

Why does Capt. Frank Fujii need to wait for a complaint when he knows who has committed this crime before he can research the law?

I, for one, am not for the Stryker force chewing up our environment and feel the military should find an uninhabited area to destroy, but feel Mat Kubo should be prosecuted for vandalism. He is being just as destructive to the environment as the Stryker force, graffiti sprayers and people posting stickers. Frank Fujii should do his job now rather than wait for a complaint.

MARINE LIFE

RIMPAC SHOULD MOVE AWAY FROM ISLANDS

The supposed $30 million that Rimpac brings to Hawai'i every other year is not worth the long-lasting damage it brings our Islands.

Hawai'i is a sanctuary for all types of marine life. But instead of respecting our home for these treasures, we allow the Navy to ruin what makes Hawai'i special.

People will say there were no strandings this year, so Rimpac is harmless. But the probability of finding a dead marine mammal is low — most are eaten by predators. The past 40 years of war games in our waters could explain why our marine ecosystems continue to collapse despite our conservation efforts.

Rimpac exercises should not happen so close to the Hawaiian Islands. Why wait for a disaster to happen? Move Rimpac to deeper waters, where there is less potential harm to marine life. Better yet, the Navy should use simulations, especially for their really harmful maneuvers.

CONGRESSIONAL RACE

HOUGH WILL BE STRONG VOICE FOR HAWAI'I

A veteran of Rwanda, Bosnia, Operation Iraq Freedom, Richard Noah Hough knows that freedom, independence and the vision of worldwide democratic life do not come cheaply — but must be earned and paid for every day. As a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army for 16 years, with training in law enforcement and a master's degree in public administration, Noah will be a responsible, respected voice for Hawai'i in Congress.

Hough believes Hawai'i representatives need to be taken seriously. With the emergence of Gov. Linda Lingle and the revitalization of a moderate Hawai'i, it is time to claim our vital Pacific region leadership role — and not be a backwater state successful only in obtaining Senator Inouye's federal pork.

As a past regional organizer for the Army Junior ROTC program, Noah is interested in dismantling the trilogy of federal, state and local bureaucratic control of our schools and putting in place the proven trilogy of empowered parents, teachers and students. Noah will seek to develop Hawai'i to become more self-reliant and resourceful to meet the challenges of the future and stop the brain drain that is keyed to a self-reliant education system.

ELECTION 2006

LEGISLATIVE RATINGS CLAIMS CORRECTED

I would like to correct Pono Shim's assertion that Sen. Dan Akaka is ranked 30th in www.congress.org on legislative "effectiveness."

He is ranked 71st. Furthermore, the ranking is based not necessarily on "effectiveness" (a term not found on the Web site) but rather "power rankings." Also, Rep. Case is ranked 410, not 417. The fact that he has only been in Congress since 2002 is a major reason he is ranked so low.

I am sure Pono's father did an awesome job for Hawai'i. But I am not sure what that has to do with Akaka's or Case's effectiveness in Congress.

Sen. Akaka, who was named by Time magazine in April of this year as one of the five worst senators in Congress, next month will have his true ratings decided on by voters.

THEATER

'KING AND I' REVIEW GETS A 'THUMBS DOWN'

I just returned from attending the final performance of "The King and I" with Richard Chamberlain and Jan Maxwell at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

I don't know when I've enjoyed something so much. It was an excellent performance. The music, the dancing, the acting — I loved it all. This performance played to a sold-out audience and I understand the previous performances were also as well-attended. If I had been guided by the review in your newspaper by Joseph T. Rozmiarek, I would have missed a wonderful production.

While I wasn't here for Joe Moore's "Unlikely Lawman" at Mamiya Theatre, I understand Rozmiarek similarly trashed that production, and my friends who saw it believed it was the best thing Mr. Moore has done.

How long are you going to keep this charlatan on as your critic? He obviously dances to a different drummer and as far as I can see is not in sync with the majority of the people in Hawai'i. I for one will not even read his opinions anymore. And who knows, maybe I'll just stop reading your newspaper altogether.

TRANSIT

EXPRESS RAIL SERVICE WILL INCREASE RIDERSHIP

The mayor's support for rail transit (Advertiser, July 30) is appreciated.

I am, however, concerned about his mention of "light rail." The selected rail component should reflect the latest technology available by the start of construction in a few years and light rail may not be the answer. Commuters from Kapolei and communities west of Pearl Harbor will not be lured from their vehicles if they find that a light-rail system takes as long to reach Downtown as it does to drive.

O'ahu needs technology providing the fastest rail service available on an above-grade network that includes rush-hour express service.

Major express rail terminals, fed by local rail and buses and also including very large and secure park-and-ride lots, can be developed, for example, at Kapolei, UH-West O'ahu, Pearlridge, Downtown Honolulu and UH-Manoa. Half-hour, or less, service between Kapolei and Downtown will dramatically increase ridership, which will result in revenue increases that more than offset the cost of "building it right" the first time rather than accepting a less-than-satisfactory system.

A world-class city deserves a world-class transit system.

PRISON ALTERNATIVES

DRUG PROGRAMS CAN CLAIM NUMBER OF SUCCESS STORIES

In response to The Advertiser's editorial (July 19): We support treatment for drug dependency; it is more effective than long-term incarceration.

The cost of one year in Halawa or OCCC is estimated to be around $32,000 to $35,000 per year per person. Multiply that by the 5,000 inmates: at least $16,000,000 per year.

Six months of intensive residential treatment, outpatient and continuing care may reach at the most $12,000, depending on the facility. If we were to see a 50 percent success rate of 1,000 persons, we could see a substantial savings, as well as seeing recovering persons restored to being productive, taxpaying citizens, gaining employment and reunification of the family.

There are many success stories.

There are thousands of people in our community who are clean and sober and living productive lives who contribute to the community and pay taxes.

Statewide outcomes for state-funded programs in 2004 indicate that about 60 to 65 percent of adults who received treatment are abstinent for 30 days or more at the time of follow-up, 79.2 percent have no new arrests, and 83 percent have had no hospitalization and/or emergency room visits. Follow-up outcomes were obtained six months after discharge from treatment.

Similar to many other people who attempt to stop smoking, overeating or who get active with new exercise programs, or any other change that involves behavioral changes, a significant number of individuals suffer through multiple relapses. Fortunately for alcohol and drug treatment, the outcomes are higher than other illnesses that necessitate behavioral changes. Regardless of the illness and perhaps especially true for alcohol or drug addiction, it is tragic and heartbreaking that some do not.