TRANSIT

ALTERNATE WAIKIKI ROUTE SUGGESTED

I want to suggest a route for the Waikiki branch of light rail. Beginning at University Avenue, it would run along the mauka bank of the Ala Wai Canal to 'Ohua Avenue (pedestrian bridge over canal, short walk to hotels and Kuhio Beach), continue to Kapahulu, and down the right side of Paki to Kapi'olani Park near the Shell (easy walk to zoo, beach, and across grass to Sans Souci Beach and Aquarium).

Compared to Kuhio Avenue, this route would be less disruptive, shorter and much less costly. If the railbed were built at the 9-foot level, visual pollution would be reduced. Together with mainline stations at Atkinson Drive and University Avenue (pedestrian bridge), this would give Waikiki four stops, one at each end, two in the middle. Would this plan be acceptable to Waikiki residents?

ELECTION 2006

HIRONO HAS EXPERIENCE NEEDED FOR CONGRESS

The campaign is in full swing for Patsy Mink's congressional seat, lately warmed by Ed Case. In our eyes, Mazie Hirono stands above the pack! Mazie has served as lieutenant governor and was in the state Legislature from 1980 to 1994. She was named Legislator of the Year by the Hawai'i Leaseholders Equity Coalition in 1984.

The U.S. Congress is not a place for beginners. We need to win Democratic seats in Congress and Hawai'i needs experience in that seat. Mazie Hirono in Patsy Mink's seat is a vision we hope to make reality.

KAPOLEI

MAYOR'S COMMITMENT PUT ROAD ON FAST TRACK

It takes many hands to build a city.

So while Kapolei Property Development has pledged $15 million to build Kapolei Parkway (Advertiser, "Road Relief Coming to Kapolei," July 25), it is important to note that it is Mayor Hannemann's continued commitment to Kapolei that will put this project on the fast track. Pushing the building of new roads as well as championing mass transit alternatives are important steps toward making Kapolei a major job center and enabling more people to work closer to where they live. Public-private partnerships like this demonstrate that no task is too large when done by all.

SENATE RACE

HAWAI'I NEEDS A TEAM PLAYER IN CONGRESS

Ed Case has based his whole campaign against Senator Akaka on convincing us that seniority is unimportant and that we need new leadership.

This seems a bit hypocritical of Case, given that in his last campaign against Mike Gabbard he kept bragging about how he was in his third term in Congress, and how important it was that he get re-elected to Congress so he could continue to build up his seniority in the U.S. House.

Seniority is everything in Congress. It concerns me that Case has put his self-interest above the interest of the people of Hawai'i. Doesn't he know that if he wins, we will have a freshman senator and a freshman congressman? How are we going to get things done?

It also worries me that if Case gets in, the Hawai'i delegation will be fractured and we'll have a harder time in getting the funding for rail transit, etc. Case is definitely not a team player and this is what Hawai'i needs in Washington.

RADIO

CARLOS RIVAS PAINTED BASEBALL WORD-PICTURES

Back in the early 1950s, when Iolani School first moved to the Ala Wai campus from Nu'uanu, it shared the property with KPOA radio (650 am), one of the few stations on the air at the time.

I spent many of my eighth-grade lunch hours there, peering through the studio window to watch and listen to Carlos Rivas and his sidekick, John Henry Russell, take a few lines of teletype copy and a bunch of sound effects and turn them into mid-day baseball re-creates.

The obit in Tuesday's paper, reporting Carlos' passing at age 82 earlier this month on the Big Island, described him as a canoe paddler, surfer, sailor, pilot, fisherman, sportscaster, KGMB radio and advertising executive, promoter, columnist, rodeo official and raconteur.

It left out artist and magician for the way his word-pictures whisked us off to St. Louis, Chicago and Pittsburgh, faithfully reporting balls and strikes, runs, hits and errors, and probably making some games sound a lot more exciting than they really played out.

Carlos set a high standard for play-by-play folks who followed. Those were golden-age days.

OVERCROWDING

'TENT-CITY' PRISONS A SOLUTION FOR HAWAI'I

Your July 19 editorial on the financial and social costs of shipping inmates to the Mainland makes many valid points, but fails to address an alternative to the $1 billion you say is needed to improve and expand the prison system.

A few words should suffice to remind us of an alternative to this cost: cheap and affordable "tent city" low- and medium-security prisons.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., has successfully operated an affordable tent-city jail facility for years, so the model exists and should be quite easily investigated and duplicated.

MAHALO

BUS DRIVERS PATIENT WITH RIDERS, DRIVERS

Just a short note to say mahalo to the bus drivers!

Recently, due to car trouble, I've had to ride the bus on numerous occasions, primarily between town and Waikiki.

Each and every time, the drivers were courteous and patient with the riders as well as with the drivers who constantly weave and cut in front of them!

GOLF

FANS, MEDIA PUT FALSE EXPECTATIONS ON WIE

In the Focus section on Sunday, the editor defended the paper's stand of giving Michelle Wie plenty of space.

I agree with him, Ms. Wie is news and all the news does not have to be bad. I disagree with the false expectations placed on her by the media and some fans.

Those who try to put her in a box because of age or gender or say she must win do not know what they are talking about. She is not a member of either the PGA or LPGA but an independent golf pro. She turned down more money and has won more money than most people make in their lifetime.

I have always hoped she would make a PGA cut. Heat exhaustion can get to anyone.

BIOMASS FUEL

BAN GASOLINE-BURNING VEHICLES IN HAWAI'I

Rep. Kirk Caldwell's "Biomass Fuel" column (July 25) is the best on the subject your newspaper has run.

I hope you will rerun it once a month until the logic of his observations finally register and are acted upon by a sufficient number of our elected representatives to accomplish the goal of our state no longer being dependent on imported oil. If Brazil can do it, Hawai'i, with all of our magnificent resources, can certainly do it, only better, because we have so much more to work with and our needs are more critical.

The first thing that needs to be done is to set a date after which we will not allow the import into the state of any new or used vehicles that burn gasoline. That act will get everyone's attention and make our position very clear.

OHA

HAWAIIAN NATIONHOOD CAN'T BE CALLED TREASON

Regarding recent letters by John W. Goemans and Paul M. Sullivan: I find it difficult to accept the hostilities expressed by visitors toward a host culture. Haven't Mr. Goemans and Mr. Sullivan heard of the expression, "No Hawaiians, No Aloha"?

Personally, I would not term the Native Hawaiian movement post-Akaka bill as treason. U.S. military bases have extra-territorial rights in host nations, The Hague has its own protocol in Belgium and the Vatican is an example of a city state within Rome. Must the kanaka maoli be tribal to warrant self-determination and self-sufficiency?