HISTORY

DENYING THE OVERTHROW BY MARINES IS INSULTING

In response to the revisionist letter on the overthrow in the Nov. 22 Advertiser: I feel Mr. Thomas Stuart is pretty arrogant and ignorant.

Denying the overthrow of the monarchy by his fellow Marines is an insult to the people of Hawaiian ancestry. So many facts are recorded and official. There is no point here to list them all. It is basic reading from any history book in any library in this state, but maybe not on the Mainland where those facts are pretty much kept under the rug.

The International Court still acknowledged the sovereignty.

At the time, the commander-in-chief, Grover Cleveland, agreed that the overthrow was not right and asked officially that it be restored, but a bunch of Hawai'i businessmen and crooked politicians in Congress thought the opposite.

It should be required that any newcomer moving to the Islands pass a history test, to be aware of the historical facts. Vietnam veteran Stuart would have failed and would still be on the Mainland.

CHANGE LAW

PARENTS SHOULD TEACH TEENAGERS HOW TO DRINK

Regarding the article "Drunken driver gets 5 years" in which 21-year old Jesse Williams killed his friend while driving under the influence: Could this accident be prevented? Sure! They shouldn't have been drinking and driving in the first place.

The National Commission Against Drunk Driving reports that drivers ages 21 to 34 (legal drinking age) are responsible for 60 percent of alcohol-related crashes, so with all this media coverage, why do people still drink irresponsibly?

Pete Fanarkiss (letters, Jan. 27) suggests teaching kids not to drink at all — well, that was the main theme when I was in high school, and I can tell you from experience that it's not going to work. Besides, prohibition didn't work in the 1920s, so why would anyone think it'll work at all?

Teenagers must be taught to drink responsibly, and this has to be done before they are legally able to obtain alcohol for themselves. Parents should be the ones allowed to be a part of this teaching, otherwise teenagers will learn how to drink from their peers, who may know just as little.

Studies suggest that making it illegal for parents to let their children drink at family gatherings will make the drinking-and-driving problem worse, so if the state is going to prevent parents from teaching their children how to drink responsibly, then the state should come up with a better plan other than just letting these young adults kill themselves to serve as an example for others to hopefully learn.

REPORT CARD

BLAME DOE FOR SNAG

The top brass at the Department of Education must be educators, yet it seems ironic that they may have failed to educate all the teachers on the new report card. Why is it that it took five years of planning, and then they spent only a few hours of explaining it to the teachers? What grade should the state officials receive?

CRIME

STATE PENAL POLICIES ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE

Regarding Kevin Dayton's front-page article on prison population growth: It's commendable that the Lingle administration is forecasting a slowdown in the growth of Hawai'i's prison population. This could save taxpayers tens, even hundreds, of millions of dollars.

And since most criminologists agree that drug treatment, alternative sanctions and prevention programs are more effective and cost-efficient than imprisonment in terms of reducing crime, there's a chance we'll be able to save money and end up with safer streets, too.

This would be great news if only state leaders had a plan for making it so. Sadly, they don't. Instead of strategizing for a smart, safe reduction in our bloated prison population, policymakers have been extending prison terms, scrimping on treatment and prevention, and now fantasizing that there will be no bills to pay.

The likely result is that Hawai'i's prison population will continue to soar and that taxpayers are going to pay dearly for it.

CROSSINGS

PEDESTRIANS HAVE PRIORITY OVER DRIVERS

Recently I saw a letter by a writer who urged that pedestrians observe compassion for drivers, as they are in a hurry, have places to go, and it delays them to wait for pedestrians to cross. My heart bleeds.

The drivers are sitting in air-conditioned cars, with power brakes to stop easily, and 200 horsepower under the hood, more or less, to get going again.

The pedestrians are in the hot sun, or maybe rain, often carrying packages, and with blocks to walk and many crossings to make.

That letter writer has things badly, ludicrously reversed. As a matter of fact, before World War II and for a short time after, part of the duty of a driver was to watch out for pedestrians. If you were standing at the curb, drivers would stop to see if you wanted to cross.

Shortly after I arrived here in 1938, I tried to cross King Street downtown in the middle of the block, Mainland style: Wait for a short break in traffic, run to the center line, stand there and wait for another short break in traffic and run to the other side. Well, I got the surprise of my life. The moment I stepped off the curb, all traffic came to a stop, in both directions, smoothly. The drivers waited patiently for me to make my way across. There was no horn-blowing or rancorous looks. The pedestrian had the right of way. It was the local custom.

Drivers will just have to get used to the idea that they do not have priority; it is the lowly pedestrian who has it.

ROAD RIGHTS

BOTH THE PEDESTRIAN, DRIVER MUST BE CAREFUL

Regarding the Nov. 19 letter by David Cabatu concerning the safety of pedestrians and the reinstatement of mandatory driving tests: While I agree that there are some drivers who should be off the road, I also agree that pedestrians need to shoulder some of the responsibility.

No matter how careful a driver is, an accident can still occur if a pedestrian decides to ignore the traffic laws. As a driver, I can't begin to count how many times I've had to slam on my brakes because a pedestrian decided to cross in the middle of Kamehameha Highway.

It's time that both parties take responsibility for their actions and start learning to respect the other's rights to the roads.

ROAD TEST

DRIVER'S ED SCHOOLS SHOULD ALSO LICENSE

Regarding the inconvenience of getting a time for the road test to get your driver's license: I think that the schools that teach driver's education, both private and state, should have the ability to administer both the written and the road tests. The only drivers the City & County should test are the ones who are renewing, or taking a road test because they let their license lapse.

However, the majority of the drivers scheduled for road tests are the ones who had to take the driver's education course mandated by law.

GET HELP

COUNCIL, MAYOR MUST PRESERVE WAIMEA

Where is the backbone that our City Council and mayor need when making critical decisions to preserve our environment, history and culture?

Ahupua'a O Waimea is more than 300 acres. It was the area of highest sacredness, ruled by High Chief Hewahewa. It is more preserved and pristine than the Ahupua'a O Kahana that the DLNR saved from development.

The City Council and mayor once again need to announce that they will never upgrade Waimea from conservation to residential or commercial. This action would lower the value for the present owners and let them know they are not going to make a killing.

Waimea must be preserved at all costs. If more funds are needed, let's turn to the Nature Conservancy, OHA or others. We cannot let the threat of a long and costly lawsuit keep the council from doing the responsible thing. It has had plenty of time and should have known that this day was coming.

GREAT IDEAS

KAKA'AKO PROPOSAL MAKES PERFECT SENSE

I am all for green open spaces, but do we really need a 36 1/2-acre park along the waterfront that will either not be kept up or have an admission fee?

We have at least 10 golf courses on this island and several minis. Do we really want to develop another course there?

I hate commuting in traffic. My future home (one of the 14 projects under way in the area) is five blocks from my office. It is not a million-dollar condo. And I, like everyone else on this island who wants something, will do what I have to to afford it.

Why not have all these great ideas come to fruition and allow O'ahu and Hawai'i to be known for more than just the aloha spirit. With this proposal, we can have our own standout shops, restaurants, park space, pedestrian walk, amphitheater and more.

Oh, wait, this is Hawai'i. We'd rather be left behind than change with the times and be able to accomplish so much more. Guess this is why we young people decide to move away to more attractive locations.

KAKA'AKO MAKAI

DEVELOPMENT CANNOT BE ALLOWED

As one who has been active in preservation efforts for significant natural and cultural resources, including Diamond Head, I deplore the redevelopment plan now being promoted to redundantly commercialize and privatize the shoreline of Kaka'ako Makai.

The Hawai'i Community Development Authority was empowered by the Legislature to zone and regulate redevelopment in Kaka'ako. While development authorities are known to circumvent public uses, this does not mean the HCDA should be at liberty to ignore established land-use policies. It is incumbent upon the Legislature to ensure that such oversight does not go awry.

The state funded 80 percent of Kaka'ako's infrastructure improvements, and private landowners and utilities paid the remaining 20 percent. Given this investment ratio, the public should have a voice in determining the future of Kaka'ako's shoreline open space for future generations.

The privatizing of Kaka'ako's public shoreline area with 947 exclusive residential units and 1,683 private parking stalls in three 200-foot towers is the antithesis of sound planning practices and public open-space protection, and demonstrates blatant disregard for designated significant view planes and essential shoreline resource preservation.

What public purpose would be served with more redundant rows of dining establishments and commercial retail shops totaling 220,500 square feet in an already saturated commercial area? The bottom line is that public land is slated to be sold to provide high-end housing to patronize the added commercial component.

Instead of an expansive commercial development, this significant remaining shoreline redevelopment area begs to be set apart as a cultural and recreational district for the highest public purpose. The fundamental elements of a comprehensive plan benefiting local residents and visitors alike would reflect the "Hawaiian sense of place" with an extended shoreline park and signature cultural and recreational opportunities. This will require careful and sensitive planning, not the continuous shifting of priorities to gratify developers or, even worse, government exploitation and giving away of precious resources.

The Honolulu Primary Urban Center Development Plan's land-use policies and guidelines for Kaka'ako specify increasing and enhancing recreational open space, and preserving the mauka-makai viewplane from Kewalo Basin and Kaka'ako Waterfront Park toward Punchbowl and the Ko'olau Range, Diamond Head and other important landmarks.

The plan also encourages building partnerships between the city, state and nonprofit organizations. Had the HCDA taken this into consideration, there may have been a more enlightened undertaking of comprehensive planning efforts for Kaka'ako Makai.

The state is urged to act in the interest of the public trust on the urgent need for proper safeguards for sound planning practices and resource management — before it is too late.