PETER YOUNG VOTE

SENATE COMMITTED TO SAME OLD PETTY POLITICS

In his Volcanic Ash column (April 25), David Shapiro slams state senators for their recent series of confirmation hearings.

Not since the Margery Bronster vote have they so richly deserved such harsh words, especially Sen. Russell Kokubun and his committee.

It seems the Democratic Legislature (in this case, the senators) will never change. They seem to be committed to the same old petty political practices of bullying, exaggerated self-importance and arrogance.

Thanks to The Honolulu Advertiser, we can see the names of the senators and how they voted on the Peter Young issue.

In trying to make the Lingle administration look bad, they only made themselves look bad.

I hope the voters will remember this fiasco.

SENATE VOTE WILL BE ISSUE IN 2008 ELECTION

David Shapiro got it right (Volcanic Ash, April 25).

This scenario is not uncommon in politics, and it was not about Peter Young.

It was about showing us who has the real power.

Peter Young and Margery Bronster both got raw deals. People do remember, and it will be an issue in the 2008 election.

SENATE ACTIONS HARMFUL TO HAWAI'I, OUTRAGEOUS

The Peter Young reconfirmation hearings reveal something wrong in Hawai'i's politics.

Why did our Senate take the extraordinary measures of five days of hearings and unprecedented testimony under oath, but then rush to a judgment?

Perhaps the Senate did not want to allow time for citizens to reflect on its actions or to learn of the broad support for Peter Young.

There's an unmistakable pattern of attempting to block the governor's nominations that makes it very clear that the Senate is more interested in partisan politics that restrict Gov. Linda Lingle than in the larger needs of the state.

One certain consequence of the Senate's irresponsible actions is that the pool of talented people willing to take on positions of responsibility within our government is drying up.

The Senate's actions are outrageous, shameful and harmful to Hawai'i.

I sincerely hope voters will vividly remember this mockery in the next election.

RECYCLING

CAN-RETURN SYSTEM SHORTCHANGES LITTLE GIRL

On April 15, I took my 8-year-old granddaughter with her cans to the recycling center at Windward Mall.

She figured out that at 5 cents a can, she should have gotten $58 toward her college fund.

After they weighed her cans, they gave her $52 ($6, or 120 cans, less).

She looked at me with her disappointed eyes, and said: "That's not fair."

What a hard lesson for a little girl.

What upsets me is that we're forced to pay 6 cents at the register. One of the selling points of this program was that we would get back 5 cents.

Guess what? We got shafted again by the people we trusted to work for us.

Why do we keep putting these people in office? It's been more fees, more taxes — more, more and still more.

ALIKA SMITH

COACH NASH SHOULD RECONSIDER DECISION

I was saddened to learn that standout Kalaheo and University of Hawai'i graduate, Alika Smith is being released from his UH coaching position.

Head basketball coach Bob Nash cited his desire to have someone who was more seasoned as part of his team.

Every leader should have his choice in selecting a support team. Alika is a young man; perhaps he needs more supervision, cultivation and mentoring. Still, its such a disheartening message that is being sent to students and alumni.

Perhaps UH could consider investing in an additional position, instead of eliminating a young person with such obvious love, passion and dedication to the team and the school.

I urge Coach Nash to reconsider his decision, and explore options that may allow Alika to remain on staff. It will send the right message to our young people and throughout the state — that UH believes in and supports its young, passionate, home-grown talent.

COMMUTING

MASS TRANSIT BETTER THAN ADDING MORE CARS

With all the talk about the new mass transit system, I wonder how many people actually use our current means of public transportation — TheBus.

According to its Web site, TheBus transports 71 million people each year, with the sixth highest ridership in the country.

This is all well and good, but TheBus depends on and affects traffic conditions. At major transfer points, such as Alapa'i or the State Capitol, already congested traffic is slowed down even further by buses stopping to pick up people and crossing lanes to get to their various destinations.

Will mass transit alleviate the strain put on our streets?

According to the Department of Transportation, there are more than 1 million registered vehicles as of 2005 and 240,000 cars on the roads every day.

It doesn't look like traffic is going to clear up soon.

Hawai'i is going to grow and there's nothing we can do to stop it.

Is the mass transit system the best solution? It's better than importing more cars and building more roads and parking lots.

MOURNING

FLY FLAG AT HALF-STAFF FOR VICTIMS OF IRAQ WAR

The nation mourns for all the victims, families and friends of the recent senseless tragedy at Virginia Tech.

In his proclamation on April 17, President Bush ordered that flags nationwide be flown at half-staff until sunset on April 22 "as a mark of respect."

I would ask that flags continue to be flown at half-staff as a "mark of respect" to all the victims in this very senseless war, the innocent soldiers and civilians (including Americans, Iraqis, and those from our allied nations), who have given their lives for the past four-plus years.

Why shouldn't the flag continue to fly at half-staff until the end of this so-called war?

I know when I see a flag flown at half staff I will be reminded of the senseless tragedy at Virginia Tech and the daily senseless tragedies in Iraq.

AQUACULTURE

FISH FARMS WILL NOT SOLVE OUR OCEANS CRISIS

We were disappointed that your recent article on open ocean aquaculture ("Net gains for Hawai'i," April 15) perpetuated the myth that industrial fish farms will solve our oceans crisis.

Most offshore fish-farm projects and both Hawai'i projects raise finfish like moi and kahala, which are fed wild fish.

Raising one pound of farmed fish requires two to six pounds of wild fish to be used as feed, increasing pressure on wild fish populations.

A national law to encourage open ocean aquaculture in federal waters is a terrible idea. We should not rush to meet consumer demand through industrial-sized fish farms off our coasts that could make the problem worse.

NEWSCASTS

FOOD-EATING CONTESTS OFFENSIVE TO SOME

Why do TV news departments cover competitions that waste a large quantity of food just to determine a winner and a champion? Don't they realize that it offends many of us who either work with the poor or are some of those who depend on the kindness of others for our next meal?

How we would enjoy eating just one of those many hot dogs or burritos stuffed down the throat of a competitor. We ask you not to encourage people to abuse food this way.

Wasting food is not humorous; it is not newsworthy.

On the evening of April 17, a local television newscast showed a burrito-devouring contest at one of the better schools on O'ahu. The exhibit was done as a promotion of the school's bazaar. It was scandalous and offensive for many Latinos because we don't disrespect our food in that manner.

A food-eating competition should never be considered a sport. It is not news. Please realize how offensive this is to some of your viewers.

MAHALO

NORTH SHORE LIFEGUARDS RESCUED VISITING SURFER

We often read of a drowning occurring in the oceans around our islands. Last week, there would have been another article about a drowning in your newspaper if it hadn't been for the conscientious, hardworking lifeguards on the North Shore.

A visiting surfer from Australia was found unconscious in the waves at Sunset Beach. Two of the guards responded quickly to bring the surfer to shore, while more guards responded from other parts of the beach.

The surfer was not breathing and did not have a pulse when the lifeguards started using their training, experience and teamwork to establish an airway and get his heartbeat back.

He was still unresponsive and in very serious condition when put into the ambulance. He was also still unidentified since he was surfing alone.

Six hours later, a woman approached the lifeguard tower to say that her husband had gone surfing in the morning and had not returned. She asked if they had seen him.

They put one and one together, and within a few minutes a lifeguard was driving the woman to the hospital.

She found her husband in very critical condition. After several days, however, he was on the way to recovery and returned to his home and three children.

During this time, several lifeguards took the time to visit him in the hospital and check on his progress.

This is not the first save that I have seen the North Shore lifeguards make. The North Shore crew helps to make our community a special place to live, and for that they deserve a big mahalo.