ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN NEEDS TIGHTER FOCUS

Your coverage of the recent auto tragedy on the Likelike Highway was well done. I drive the highway regularly and have seen HPD out enforcing speed laws. However, I would like to note that the police do have limited resources and the recent accident needs to be taken in context. The driver was drunk, going in excess of 100 mph, and this occurred in the very early morning hours.

We need to be careful that we don't generalize and overreact and stretch resources. Perhaps a more focused approach would yield much better results. Ticketing motorists generally does not stop individuals who speed excessively. A net may catch a lot of fish but not the ones you necessarily want.

Seems to me, late night or early morning enforcement which is not done now might yield better results, particularly if done as a matter of routine. And not just freeways like H-1 or highways like Likelike. Some of the other routes might be just as beneficial like Farrington and Kamehameha highways at late night and early mornings. Given the state of the economy, we really need to be more meticulous in how we expend what we have.

STATE OF THE CITY

MUFI INDEED SHOWED HE IS A GOOD LEADER

I agree with Lee Cataluna that the State of the City speech that Mayor Mufi gave was masterful. He showed what a good leader he is by saying he and his staff will take pay cuts to help with the city budget. And he seemed willing to let TheBoat go, even though it's been a good idea and the people who do take it like it a lot.

He rightly pointed out that all of us are going to have to do our part with extra fees or taxes to make it through these tough times. But he assured us that make it through we will, and I agree. It's not going to be easy, and he has never taken the easy way out. Neither should the rest of us.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

IT'S IMPORTANT TO SHINE LIGHT, DISPEL MYTHS

We deeply appreciate The Advertiser (Island Life, Feb. 24) calling attention to the heinous and pervasive problem of child sexual abuse in Hawai'i. It is especially timely as the Legislature struggles to prioritize financing to human services, since sex abuse has so many ongoing ramifications not only for the victims, but for the community as a whole.

There are many commonly held beliefs and myths about the issue that the public would benefit from knowing. Two common misperceptions are that victims go on to become offenders and that child victims do not recover. In fact, the research indicates that the percentage of victims becoming offenders is quite low, although the victims themselves hear this myth and can be quite frightened by it.

Many, if not most, of the children we treat, and there have been thousands in the past 20 years, prove to be resilient and able to deal courageously with the many conflicted feelings concomitant with intrafamilial sexual abuse. Indeed, there are many unreported and untreated victims who turn to substance abuse, prostitution, and cyclically choose abusive partners, and the community should not be protected from knowing the dark repercussions of keeping the issues of child sexual abuse "under wraps."

ASA YAMASHITA

A TRAGIC, IRREPLACEABLE LOSS FOR WAI'ANAE HIGH

The Yamashita family has tragically lost a wife and mother. Wai'anae High School and the school community have lost a singularly dedicated educator who was devoted to the mission of improving reading and learning at Wai'anae.

Asa was responsible for driving the changes that resulted in an unprecedented 45 percentage point increase in WHS reading scores over the last several years on the Hawai'i State Assessment. She pressed her English department and all WHS teachers to adopt new teaching strategies; she helped students develop a love of reading by giving book talks and making trips to book stores searching out titles requested by students.

She was known as the "book lady" to the kids. She was admired by the entire faculty for her upbeat cheerfulness and soft, caring approach which belied her intense commitment to her profession. Wai'anae High School has suffered an irreplaceable loss.

RARE DISEASE DAY

IT'S TOO BAD HAWAI'I DID NOT RECOGNIZE DAY

Hawai'i has a beautiful tradition of cherishing our keiki, so it is disappointing that our state officials have chosen not to join 29 other states in declaring Feb. 28, 2009, Rare Disease Day in our state.

As a director of Chromosome Disorder Outreach, a nonprofit organization that provides information and support to families affected by rare chromosome disorders, I sent several letters to Gov. Lingle explaining the purpose of Rare Disease Day and requesting that she recognize this important day in Hawai'i.

Rare diseases affect our children here in Hawai'i. My daughter, Cayli Pualani, was not diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder until she saw specialists on the Mainland. We are among the lucky ones; many children suffer multiple medical concerns for years without a reason why, an incredibly stressful situation for a family to endure.

Increased awareness of rare disorders is necessary to enable doctors to properly diagnose them in a timely manner. This would lead to the development of effective and appropriate treatments for these conditions.