PUNAHOU

INOUYE HAS RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH, TOO

Well, there goes another constitutional right.

Sen. Daniel Inouye apparently cannot freely speak his mind, at least if Punahou does not like what he has to say.

STIMULUS

SAVING, INVESTING MUST ALSO BE REBATE OPTION

It's disturbing that our government is hoping that people who receive their rebate checks will go out and spend it to "stimulate our economy."

What's wrong with just saving or investing it to put it to more important uses in the future?

A course in money management should be a requirement of all high schools and colleges.

In trying to keep up with the Joneses, many people fall into debt, charging unnecessary goods, driving nice cars, buying houses they can't afford, etc.

ELECTIONS

MANY REASONS TO GIVE PUBLIC FUNDING A TRY

Why should the state Senate pass HB 661, designating Hawai'i County Council elections as the first state test for full public campaign funding?

1) Unanimously passed by the state House, the bill deserves its day in the Senate.

2) Widespread support from the general public, businesses, labor organizations and citizen groups.

3) Reduced influence of heavily funded special interests in the political process.

4) Creation of more diverse, representative fields of candidates.

5) Elected officials spending less time fundraising; more time doing the work of the people.

6) Recognition that our political system — any system — needs continual scrutiny and fine tuning.

7) States and cities across America adopting similar measures experienced dramatic increases in voter turnout.

8) Hawai'i has the lowest rate of voter participation in the country.

9) Incentive for campaigns of substantive ideas rather than campaigns of expensive glossy images.

10) Citizens from all walks of life would have more interest and trust in our political system.

There are many reasons why so many people are apathetic and cynical about politics. Here's a chance to try a new approach. Let's give it a try.

WEEDS

SHOCKED AT OVERGROWN ROADWAY LANDSCAPING

I recently returned from several months on the Mainland. I could not believe the deplorable Honolulu roadside conditions that greeted me.

Weeds, some as high as 3 feet, are rampant along streets, freeways and freeway on- and off-ramps. In some instances, they almost obscure the view of on-coming traffic.

I guess that is a reason for the proposed elevated mass transit. The riders, both residents and visitors, will be above it all.

HAWAIIAN CHILDREN

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS MUST BE INNOVATIVE

Please tell me, Kamehameha Schools, why are you not more resourceful when it comes to educating the long list of Hawaiian children? What I don't understand is why Kamehameha Schools cannot utilize existing facilities to admit more Hawaiians.

Take, for instance, the community college campuses: Why can't Kamehameha Schools join in partnership with the state and share the use of campus facilities? Adult community schools?

Why can't Kamehameha Schools go on a multitrack schedule like Mililani Middle School to allow more Hawaiian children access to quality education? Why can't Kamehameha Schools design an online school that utilizes the Internet to reach and more Hawaiian children?

Why can't Kamehameha Schools schedule classes Sunday through Saturday for full utilization of existing facilities?

Kamehameha Schools needs new leadership and a new direction so that any Hawaiian child who wishes to enjoy all the cultural and educational benefits can. Give each Hawaiian child hope, pride and educational advancement equally.

WATERBOARDING

TORTURE OK AGAINST KNOWN TERRORISTS

Yoshie Tanabe (Letters, Feb. 23) asks when waterboarding or torturing a human being would be justified.

I would think it could be used when a credible, known terrorist or group of terrorists secretly plants a large bomb or weapon of mass destruction and threatens to execute a large group of innocent people in a short period of time.

One example is if we had caught an al-Qaida planner or the 20th person who had trained to carry out the 9/11 operations.

Other examples would be if we had caught the planners or executioners of any of the many other terrorist attacks throughout the world.

Terrorists who exploit mentally challenged men, pregnant women and innocent children to carry their bombs to kill innocent people do not deserve to be considered decent human beings.

RAIL

VIEW FROM TEXAS: POOR CHOICE ON SYSTEM

I know that being an off-islander, my opinion is not worth very much.

Nonetheless, I was surprised to hear that Honolulu had chosen fixed conventional rail for its proposed transit system when it had so many better options to choose from.

Down the road, it will find that conventional rail, especially elevated, is more costly to build than monorail, and it will end up being considerably more expensive to operate than monorail or maglev.

The taxpayers will be paying for this choice for years to come.

The sad part of all this is that the city could have a state-of the-art system that would be graceful, fun to ride, quiet and efficient.

Instead, there will be a noisy overhead eyesore.

As an engineer, I had hoped that wiser heads would prevail. There is still time.

GUN OWNERSHIP

SNIPER RIFLES SHOULDN'T BE IN CIVILIAN HANDS

Brian Isaacson (Letters, Feb. 28) uses some pretty far-out logic to justify civilian ownership of .50-caliber sniper rifles.

Among other things, he argues that civilian users are a "de facto research group," the cartridges are expensive (and therefore presumably won't be used), their rounds don't "vaporize" their targets and criminals won't use them because the weapon is too hard to conceal.

Give me a break. I have seen military video of these guns in action in Iraq and Afghanistan and "vaporization" is an apt description of what they do to a target. And with their long-range capability, bad guys don't need to carry them around to do damage.

I was once a gun enthusiast myself, but I am tired of enthusiasts using Second Amendment rights to justify ownership of extreme weaponry that rightly belongs only in the hands of our military and police forces.

I hope the public speaks up on this issue and the Legislature has the guts to bring a stop to the nonsense.

HEALTHY HABIT

GET YOUR WALK IN AFTER OR BEFORE WORK DAY

Walking during the lunch break is a healthy habit, as illustrated in your Feb. 21 feature on the American Heart Association's Start! program.

Parking your car and walking several blocks to your office may be even better.

A 15 to 30 minute walk before and after work provides heart-healthy exercise when the weather tends to be cooler than at noon. The short hike allows time to stretch and "decompress" after dealing with traffic in the morning and after sitting in the office all day.

If before and after work strolls total a mile or two each day, this could shave 5 to 10 percent off gas costs for a person living 10 miles from the job. Parking fees just outside downtown areas may be substantially lower, there is even free parking along many streets. Plus the last mile driving to the office is often congested, snail-paced, frustrating and fuel-inefficient, generating excessive carbon dioxide emissions.

If you can carpool with a co-worker, you'll conserve even more while making the walk safer and quite enjoyable.

So do yourself and all of us a favor by becoming a "hybrid" driving-walking commuter.

I now look forward to walking that mile before and after work.