DEATH PENALTY

POLITICAL POINT MOCKS OUR SYSTEM OF JUSTICE

If it is true that the Bush administration is trying to spread capital punishment to Hawai'i ("Death penalty possible in golf murders," April 14), the residents of Hawai'i should be outraged.

One of the hallmarks of a federal system is the ability of different states to make their own decisions on these types of issues.

The same way states like South Dakota can try to be more restrictive about abortion, states like Hawai'i can choose not to have a death penalty.

That the federal government would come in on what is a local matter to push a political point at the potential expense of the lives of three Hawai'i residents makes a mockery of our justice system.

It's cynical in the extreme, and underlines a key criticism of the death penalty, which is its unequal, whimsical application.

Are all double murders with organized crime links pursued by the federal government with equal vigor and the death penalty, or only when the Bush administration wants to send a political message?

LOST KEYS

SB 1011 WOULD BE A HELP FOR STRANDED MOTORISTS

The Hawai'i Legislature is considering Senate Bill 1011, which addresses a growing problem faced by motorists: the inability to quickly and conveniently replace their keys if they are stolen, broken or lost.

More and more vehicles come equipped with high-tech keys designed to reduce car theft. Motorists who must replace these keys can face long delays (hours or even days), inconvenience, personal safety risk and added expense because manufacturers won't give vehicle owners or authorized locksmiths information needed to make replacement keys. Thousands of Hawai'i motorists are stranded each year as a result.

SB 1011 would fix this consumer problem by requiring automakers to establish a safe and secure system that would give motorists the option of getting replacement keys when and where they need them through authorized registered locksmiths.

Automakers say they will voluntarily create such a system, which they have been working on for the past four years. SB 1011 will simply make sure they follow through on their promise. SB 1011 is supported by AAA Hawai'i, consumer groups, insurers, the visitor industry and more than 1,200 AAA Hawai'i members who sent letters urging the Legislature to approve the bill.

For more facts about SB 1011, visit the AAA office or AAA.com.

VIRGINIA TECH

HEADLINE ON APRIL 17 CALLED 'DISRESPECTFUL'

The Honolulu Advertiser's headline and central theme to the April 17 edition is shocking and disrespectful to those many men and women who put their life in jeopardy during the Virginia Tech shooting.

Our nation was only hours into the crisis when The Advertiser began the 'blame game,' citing failed actions of various officials when only fractional information was available.

Shame on you. Our nation mourns, The Advertiser blames.

MAHALO

GOOD SAMARITANS CAME TO AID OF ELDERLY DRIVER

I would like to thank and acknowledge Tommy Bacos and Mark Ida for their acts of kindness. They helped an elderly man on April 5 when his truck stalled on the H-1 Freeway near Fort Shafter. The man was disoriented and could not speak well.

Ida was on the phone for more than an hour making calls. Bacos called a friend with a tow truck and did not charge the gentlemen a cent. He also drove him home, going in the opposite direction from his own home. Bacos went totally out of his way to help this man, who was shivering as night fell.

SEWAGE PLANTS

WHAT DID TAXPAYERS PAY FOR FULL-PAGE AD?

I love The Advertiser. It's pretty much my only source for news, unless I get done working early enough for the 6 p.m. news on TV.

I was a little bit shocked when I found a full-page ad on the back of the Section A of The Advertiser telling all of us how good the sewage plants in O'ahu are.

First, how many stories have I seen in The Advertiser in the past few months on sewage plants overflowing in Honolulu, Kane'ohe, 'Ewa Beach, Barbers Point, everywhere else? Does overflowing not make them bad?

But overflowing one garbage can will get you a ticket. And how much does a full-page ad on the prime section of the No. 1 newspaper in Hawai'i cost?

My business can occasionally afford a couple of inches of ad space if we plan carefully, and we run just over $5 million per year in sales.

How much did that one full-page ad cost the people of Honolulu just to tell us what a great job the sewage plants are doing for us?

DLNR

STATE'S BOAT HARBORS ENVIRONMENTAL MESS

I have been following the coverage of Peter Young's confirmation hearing and am very distressed to learn that upward of $2 million may have been transferred out of the boating fund to other environmental issues within the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Has Mr. Young ever looked at our boating harbors? They are an environmental mess: open sewage, broken bathrooms, limited fresh water and overflowing trash bins.

Auwe. Mr. Young needs to learn to manage all of the DLNR, not just a few chosen parts.

YOUNG CONFIRMATION

TESTIMONY AT HEARING HASN'T MATCHED HYPE

At an early point in Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Peter Young's reconfirmation hearing, some senators sharply reacted to concerns about the "trial-like atmosphere."

Now, it seems like a "trial" is the best Young could have hoped for.

In a trial, the defendant has the right to know the charges against him and to confront his accusers. More than a day of hearings was shut off to everyone, including Young.

In a trial, basic rules of evidence apply. Hearsay, speculation and leading witnesses are prohibited. The case against Young has been filled with such questionable testimony, including hours of amateur opinions from Jimmy Pflueger's attorney trying to pin blame for the Kaloko Dam disaster on the state. The committee has expressed the desire to gather information. Due process demands that the way you do something counts as much as what you do — fairness counts as much as intention.

Ultimately, the available testimony has not matched the hype. Young is not the subject of the secret ongoing investigations; rather, he initiated them. The criticisms of DLNR have carried over from previous administrations.

The hearings should focus on whether Hawai'i's natural and cultural resources are better off with Young at the helm. Environmental and Hawaiian organizations have supported his confirmation. We hope the Senate will do the same.

EDITORIAL UNFAIRLY CHARACTERIZED HEARING

Your editorial of April 12, "Senate must apply transparency to confirmation" left an inaccurate impression of the conduct of the hearings regarding the reappointment of Peter Young to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and an unfair characterization of the Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee's conduct of those hearings.

The fact that some testimony and documents were received in executive session is not a matter of politics. Rather, it reflects ongoing criminal and ethical investigations involving the DLNR. The executive sessions were a direct response to requests by the Office of the Attorney General and the State Ethics Commission that certain matters be kept confidential to avoid potential impacts on those investigations.

It is incumbent upon the Senate to conduct its confirmation hearings in a manner that is fair to the nominee. Sen. Russell Kokubun and his committee take that responsibility seriously and have acted appropriately.

The Senate is now attempting to make public substantial portions of the testimony received in executive session. To do so we need the concurrence of the attorney general's office and the Ethics Commission. We do believe strongly in the public's right to know.

Confirmation hearings are sometimes difficult, particularly where witnesses present significant negative testimony. By downplaying the nature and seriousness of the circumstances surrounding the committee's executive sessions, and implying political motives where none exist, you have done a disservice.

TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FROM MANY GROUPS

Unlike many of his predecessors, Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairman Peter Young has demonstrated a strong commitment to transparent and open public processes. Although Young's reappointment is a no-brainer, some members of the Legislature have seemingly done everything possible to block Young's confirmation.

Unlike Young's openness and transparency, the behind-closed-doors testimony solicited by some legislators was so secretive that even Young was not allowed to hear it. Is it ethical for elected officials to work in such a secretive manner when considering a public government position?

There is overwhelming support for Young's confirmation. Supporters include the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the mayors of Hawai'i and Maui, all members of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, as well as three former BLNR chairs. Supporters also include fishermen, scientists, engineers, architects and almost all of Hawai'i's conservation groups.

So why would some elected officials attempt to block Young's confirmation? Could it be because Young called for an investigation of the Bureau of Conveyances? I eagerly await the results of the investigation.