KA'U

PRESERVATION OF 'AINA IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE

I applaud wholeheartedly the Nov. 28 commentary by Ron Self, attorney for Ka'u Preservation. It is imperative this message be broadcast as much as possible. Our natural resources, local lifestyle, future generations, culture and Island beauty depend on it. The elders in my Hawaiian life share a similar message of pausing to reflect on what we as a collective entity are really doing here.

In the film "An Inconvenient Truth," former vice president Al Gore relates this message better than I can: "From billions of miles away in space, a picture was taken of our planet. It is that very small pale blue dot. Everything that has ever happened has happened on this pixel — all the triumph, all the war, all the famine and major events. This tiny blue dot is our only home, and that is what is at stake — our ability to live on planet Earth, to have a future for this civilization.

"I believe this is a moral issue. It is your time to seize this issue; it is our time to rise again to secure our future. It is almost as if a window has been opened through which the future was very visible. That is the future in which you are going to live your life. Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves 'What were our parents thinking, why didn't they wake up when they had a chance?' We have to hear that question from them now."

SOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED, NOT MORE PROBLEMS

I agree with Ron Self's proposal for a "quiet time" to plan for infrastructure before approving more development (Island Voices, Nov. 28). Everyone who has lived in or even visited Ka'u can appreciate the special magic of the last 80 miles of undeveloped coastline in the state.

My heart lifts when I see the magnificent view of coast and ocean, and often the volcano, the way nature intended. There are more endangered species and cultural sites in Ka'u than anywhere. This is no accident, the people of the district are known for their tenacious nature. Considering the problems on the highways of O'ahu and Maui, I support easing up on further development.

We need solutions, not more problems.

FEDERAL FUNDING

LOSS OF ISLE AIDS UNIT TRAGICALLY SHORTSIGHTED

Thank you for your editorial strongly supporting the Hawai'i AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (Nov. 29). It would be tragically shortsighted to close this valuable, respected and effective program for the sake of saving such a tiny percent of the federal budget. That $2 million is equal to what is spent on the Iraq war in about 20 minutes.

As someone who participates in these trials, I know how much they help those who are in them now and those who will benefit in the future from the research. As someone who has lost too many friends to AIDS, I know the importance of the hope they offer for better treatments and a cure someday.

I urge everyone to contact Hawai'i's congressional delegation to try to restore federal funding for HACTU.

TOBACCO

LETTER ON SMOKE CITED DISCREDITED STUDIES

Janice Pechauer stated (Letter, Nov. 20) that "The public deserves the truth about secondhand smoke and not the deceptions and distortions that currently pass for science" in reference to Senate Bill 3262 restricting smoking in public places.

It is interesting that she cited one of the few studies that did not show an association between secondhand smoke and tobacco-related disease. The 2003 British Medical Journal paper by James E Enstrom and Geoffrey C Kabat to which she refers, was discredited, not only because of serious methodological flaws, but also because both Enstrom and Kabat received funding from the tobacco industry.

The American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study, from which Enstrom and Kabat drew their sub-sample, released their findings in 1998, and showed that secondhand smoke was associated with a 20 percent increase in coronary heart disease deaths in nonsmoking spouses of smokers. Furthermore, more than 100 other epidemiological studies have linked secondhand smoking with various illnesses, including lung cancer and chronic pulmonary disease. Yes, the public does need to know the truth, not the deceptions and distortions of the pseudoscience bought and paid for by the tobacco industry.

CENTENNIAL

Where have all the UH rainbows gone?

The year 2007 is the University of Hawai'i's centennial. How can we attend the ceremonies and activities if no Rainbow apparel are to be had at the UH bookstore and Rainbowtiques?

So before you use your last faded rainbow apparel to polish your car, wear it proudly during the centennial. It will honor our Rainbow heritage and values and mourn the black day when the proud Rainbow was dumped.

Bring back the 'Bows and fill the 'Bowtiques with Rainbows! By the way, is it the University of Hawai'i without rainbows? If it is, there goes my legacy and the integrity of UH.

ABUSIVE WORDS

DEROGATORY EPITHETS CAN NEVER BE JUSTIFIED

Thank you for your Nov. 27 editorial and commentary on former "Seinfield" actor Michael Richards' vicious racial tirade and the indefensible use of the "N word."

While it is admittedly less offensive when members of the same minority group call each other derogatory names, I agree with those who feel such abusive epithets should be banned.

Your recent editorial urging support for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial being built on Washington's National Mall was also very heartening. Since Hawai'i has had no official state MLK Jr. Commission since 1995, it is important for all of us, individually and collectively, to promote Dr. King's visions for freedom, hope, justice and peace regardless of our race, creed, gender or heritage.

IMPORTED LABOR

HOUSING, NOT WORKERS, IS THE MAJOR PROBLEM

I suggest that the root cause of Fairmont Orchid Hawaii's importation of foreign workers is not so much a labor shortage as a housing shortage. Are there not people working near minimum wage on O'ahu who would move to the Big Island for jobs paying $13 to $18 per hour? Note that the imported workers are staying with relatives and friends.

The University of Hawai'i has long recognized the problem and provided some faculty housing in Manoa. The big employers should do the same, and provide a mixture of affordable rentals and condos to buy.

ATHLETICS

UH TEAMS NOT GETTING RESPECT THEY DESERVE

Once again, University of Hawai'i athletics takes another hit. This time, rivals.com and American Football Coaches Association voters have joined the NCAA in its long history of treating our athletes like the black sheep of college sports.

Colt Brennan has led the nation in five major offensive statistical categories. This sounds like an All-American shoo-in to me. Yet rivals.com and AFCA refuse to recognize him. This year, Troy Smith, Brady Quinn and Chad Henne are the quarterbacks named All-Americans, but the numbers don't add up. In passing efficiency, a category Brennan has led most of the season, Troy Smith is 4th, Brady Quinn is 15th; and Chad Henne is 25th. Bottom line, Colt, you are Hawai'i's All-American, without a doubt!

The No. 12 Rainbow Wahine has been paired with Oregon in the NCAA tournament. Oregon is arguably one of the best unranked teams in the tournament from the toughest conference, the PAC-10. In comparison, No. 13 Oklahoma gets to play Oral Roberts in the first round, a team that is 4-8 in postseason play. On top of that, No. 14 Purdue drew 1st round pick St. Louis, which is making its NCAA tournament debut.

When will this madness stop?

CARBON DIOXIDE

GLOBAL WARMING IS BUNK, JUST GET OVER IT

In your Nov. 29 editorial, "EPA has role in global warming fight," you state that it would seem obvious that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant and that the EPA has a role in regulating it. Obvious to whom? The more than 17,000 scientists who signed a petition against the Kyoto Accord?

Ask plants if carbon dioxide is a pollutant. To them it's a nutrient.

So-called global warming is bunk. The computer models that suggest it have been proved false. Temperatures have fluctuated since time began. Get over it.

If you are truly concerned about global warming, sell your car and walk.

IRAQ WAR

U.S. GOLDEN YEARS ARE GONE, CHANGE NEEDED

Day after day, I become more irritated by the fact that America is still engaged in a war in Iraq.

I no longer see America in its golden years. Now, I see an empire being controlled by the wealthy, pushing their own agenda using democracy as a facade.

This country can move away from collapse and realize humankind's full potential if we welcome change, and a true government for the people.

TRENDS

HAWAI'I NEEDS NO ALOHA FOR APPAREL WITH FUR

I was disgusted as I recently walked through the upscale stores at Ala Moana Center. I discovered fur has made a comeback. I'm not one to interfere with people's personal choices, but it's Hawai'i. We are usually blessed with warm weather year-round.

Although it's getting chilly, there is no need for fur. Stores like Fendi and Burberry should be ashamed of selling animal skins. I would never support the killing of animals for vanity. Since when are animals tools for our pleasure? Fake fur looks just as real, and it doesn't hurt. I think it's time we spread the "aloha" to our furry friends as well.

TRAFFIC

CITY MISREPRESENTED TAMPA EXPRESS PROJECT

Recent comments in The Advertiser by the chief planner of Honolulu call into question the objectivity of the city and its consultants in their performance of an expensive transportation alternatives evaluation being paid for mostly by the federal government.

As the professional responsible for planning Tampa's elevated Reversible Express Lanes project, I am astonished that a Hawai'i public official would intentionally misrepresent the facts associated with the cost and operation of our project and how a similar HOT-lane project might provide true congestion relief for Honolulu at an affordable price.

Virtually every statement about our project was either false or used partial information that could lead to a false conclusion. The worst of these misrepresentations are associated with the cost of our project, the traffic and revenue performance of our express lanes and the professional competency of our staff to determine the cost of duplicating our project in other locations.

The biggest misrepresentation of all, however, is the claim by your chief planner and his colleagues that our elevated project was the model for the managed lane alternative being used as a comparison to the fixed-rail system. It is false to say the elevated managed lanes in your transit alternatives analysis is similar to our elevated express lanes. It is this falsehood that results in your managed-lane alternative costing $2.6 billion instead of the less than $1 billion that a true copy of our project would cost.

Remember, anyone wanting to manipulate the outcome of the alternatives analysis to favor the train would most certainly want to boost the cost of a roadway concept to make it less attractive.

TWO WEEKS AGO, THREE

Honolulu Council members visited Tampa to see our project and learn the truth. Not only did they view the project close-up, but they met the people who conceived, financed, designed and constructed it. They saw everything and had the chance to hear why the city staff is wrong about our project and the managed lane alternative.

Because of space limits, the full details about our project and the managed lane alternative cannot be presented here. If you are interested, please visit http://Honolulutraffic.com.