REMEMBRANCE

MAHALO TO ALL WHO TOOK PART IN CITY'S 9/11 WALK

Mahalo to all who participated in the "Mayor's Remembrance Walk" on Sunday, Sept. 10. The event was organized to reflect on the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, to renew our commitment to freedom and to honor our public first-responders.

This moving event was led through the streets of Honolulu by Mayor and Mrs. Mufi Hannemann. They were joined by Gov. Linda Lingle, Congressman Neil Abercrombie, Congressman Ed Case and his wife, and members of the House, Senate and City Council. Honored were the City's first responders, their department heads and representatives of O'ahu Civil Defense.

To the more than 500 participants, the various City departments that planned the event, the men and women of the police, fire, emergency services and civil defense departmets who made the Mayor's Remembrance Walk a momentous occasion, I would like to say mahalo for showing your spirit of kokua, lokahi, laulima and aloha.

I invite everyone to join us next year, on the eve of 9/11, for the 2nd Annual Mayor's Remembrance Walk.

KALANI HIGH SCHOOL

EX-PRINCIPAL PRAISED FOR ENTHUSIASM, WORK

It was with shock and sadness I learned of Principal Randiann Porras-Tang's removal from her beloved Kalani High School.

As a former Honolulu District superintendent and her immediate supervisor during my tenure, I found Randiann to be an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and student-focused principal.

During Randiann's long tenure as principal of Kalani High School, she had to contend with many problems, such as upgrading her physical plant, providing educational programs for a diverse student population, and adequate funding for those programs within a relatively small school environment and enrollment.

Finding school-level administrators like Randiann, who loves being around students and working on their behalf, is difficult.

It is my hope that Randiann will not be relegated to a "desk job" for too long and that she be allowed to be where she belongs, in a school surrounded by the students she loves and who love her.

BEATING DEATH

WAI'ANAE VICTIM WAS 'FRIENDLY, RESPECTFUL'

This letter is in response to the tragic death of Roger Allen Haudenshild in Wai'anae early this month.

Roger grew up and lived in Wai'anae. He graduated from Wai'anae High School; he was a schoolmate and friend of mine. Roger was a "Wai'anae Boy."

Roger made the best of his life, and one could always see him riding his bike around Wai'anae. He was a kind, friendly and respectful man.

What happened to Roger on the early evening of Sept. 1 was horrific and appalling.

Many of us who grew up and still live here in Wai'anae are humble, hard-working people who try our best to provide for our families and keep to ourselves. But today, I speak out on behalf of Roger Allen Haudenshild and many like him who live and love Wai'anae.

I send my deepest condolences to Roger's family and pray his death was not in vain and that justice will prevail.

TECHNOLOGY

NEW ENERGY METHODS CAN BE A RISKY VENTURE

Rep. Cynthia Thielen is critical of Hawaiian Electric Co. for missing the "first" wave on ocean energy. (Island Voices, Aug. 31).

She seemingly fails to appreciate that the learning curve on technology is often extremely steep. Innovators pay high development costs, confront buggy equipment and rapid obsolescence. Witness the first generation of wind turbines sold as tax shelters and now largely broken and abandoned. Thielen should spend more time recruiting venture capital to turn Hawai'i into the research and development hub and let HECO focus on the reliable delivery of power at a reasonable price.

I, for one, don't want HECO using consumer dollars on cutting-edge experiments. Sometimes the "second" wave is better.

ARROYO VISIT

FOREIGN VIPS SHOULD TRAVEL INCOGNITO HERE

Watching thousands of our people inconvenienced every time a visiting foreign government official is in town has prompted me to look for a solution.

I'm willing to pick up the next VIP at the airport in our nice little SUV and to provide shuttle service to and from the various appointments. This will save millions of dollars now being spent to make the governor and the visitors feel important. Or the state could consider calling a taxi.

It will eliminate the traffic tie-ups, while denying the HPD the freedom to race down the freeway at speeds approaching 100 mph, and it will save a lot of time and money.

The two U.S. Secret Service agents assigned to the visitor can ride in the back seat and may use their cell phones to keep in touch with HPD officers waiting at the next stop.

No one would have recognized President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo riding in the car with me. She would have been safe and sound without attracting so much attention.

I don't expect this to be implemented. It makes too much sense.

AUTO BREAK-INS

LARGE SIGN NEEDED TO WARN TOURISTS AT PALI

I have worked at The Royal Grove Hotel for more than 13 years, and I have seen a lot of hotel guests become victims of auto break-ins.

The worst spot on the island has got to be the Pali Lookout. I cannot even begin to count how many nice folks have had their windows smashed and property and identification stolen by thieves who hide in the dense bushes like cockroaches.

It only takes two minutes and these guys are in and out of the cars and on their way to buy crack.

I have a suggestion that would salvage many tourists' vacations and drive these criminals away. Just put up a sign, a big sign, that says "Don't help the criminals, take all your belongings with you" or "Don't leave it if you can't lose it." Something, anything would do. I don't think it would take away from the beauty of the Pali. It would be most appreciated by everyone who sees it. The cops can't stay up there 24/7, but the sign sure can.

TRANSIT

OCCASIONAL TRAFFIC JAM BETTER THAN $3B FOR RAIL

Let's see. Spend more than $3 billion dollars on a transit system so I don't have to sit in a freak traffic jam for seven hours.

Actually, I'll sit in a traffic jam like that once in a while and save $500 an hour.

NEIGHBORHOODS

SCHEDULE CHANGES ADD TO RECYCLING PROBLEMS

Recently, I took a trip to the neighborhood recycling center with four 13-gallon bags stuffed with recyclables.

The idea of doing something good for the environment convinced me that the effort would give me peace of mind.

A few minutes after my arrival, I was told they closed at 3 p.m. and could not redeem my recyclables because it was 3:06 p.m.

I asked for the next closest site, but they did not know and didn't seem to care.

I realized I didn't want to haul the bags back to my apartment so I just dropped them and walked away.

This was the second time in less than a year that I had to deal with a scheduling change at this recycle center. I decided to make it my last time.

Maybe if the state informed the public of recycling times at the cash register, I would still be a devoted recycler.

DEVELOPMENT

EAST HONOLULU VIEWS AT RISK BY PROPOSAL

Residents of East Honolulu finally got a grasp on how the urban growth boundary with the East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan could work to protect and preserve special places like Paiko Ridge and the agricultural lands of Kamilo Nui Valley from development. And now comes along the Ka Iwi Cabins, a new breed of housing on preservation land.

To further fuel our fear, this type of development would only need one approval from the head of the Department Planning and Permitting. No public hearing, no City Council hearing, no EIS, no nothing.

For all who enjoy and value the Koko Head-Makapu'u view, we encourage you to enjoy it while it lasts. When it's gone, it's gone forever.

WAIKIKI

COASTAL RETREAT WOULD BE A PUBLIC BENEFIT

In redeveloping the Waikiki shoreline, I hope that consideration is given to pulling back from the water. There is sand under the Sheraton and other hotels that, once revealed, will become open beach.

Compensation, such as a tax break, or permission to build an extra floor could be awarded for 100 feet of retreat.

Global sea-level rise has accelerated, central Waikiki beach is severely eroded. Under these conditions, publicly compensated coastal retreat, to produce a public benefit, can be achieved without economic loss to the landowner.