BIG YARDS

NOT ALL GREEN WASTE WILL FIT IN BLUE BINS

I see the mayor intends to use the blue containers for green waste with an automatic pickup twice a month. That is a great idea for folks in condos or apartments who do not have lawns, hedges and large trees with a lot of leaves.

Our yardmen come every other week to mow and trim. They usually fill three to four large bags with the green waste, and when our large mango tree is shedding leaves, they will fill another bag or two.

We have a large lot (15,000 square feet), and many other folks in Kailua and other areas have the same problem. What are we to do with all the green waste that will not fit in the blue bin? We have no problem now with the bagging and pickup.

Keep the blue containers for recycling and get that program going.

STADIUM

ALCOHOL BAN A RIPOFF

To ban drinking alcohol in the stadium parking lot but allow alcohol to be sold inside the stadium is nothing more than forcing the fans inside earlier to pay the outrageous price for a beer. If there is a ban, it should be a total ban — outside as well as inside.

COMPARISONS

U.S. MUST LEAD WAR AGAINST THE TERRORISTS

Comparing the Vietnam War to the war in the Middle East is just anti-war rhetoric. Vietnam was a totally different story. If you want to compare wars, then compare World War II and the war in Afghanistan and against al-Qaida. There were similarities. One of them was that both of the enemies attacked us in our own country.

History shows us that for any country that wants to achieve peace, it takes a lot of sacrifice from every person in that country. In achieving peace in World War II, millions of lives were lost on both sides.

Pull the troops out and bring them home, you say? Have you forgotten the two World Trade Center bombings or the one at the Pentagon? The terrorists were in our backyard twice. There could have been more tragedies had they not been caught before entering our country. If they were here twice before, do you think they will come back a third or fourth time, if they had the opportunity? Do you want our troops to fight them here or over there?

Use diplomacy, you say? Was diplomacy used when the World Trade Center, Bali, Spain and other countries were attacked?

In light of the 2,000-plus American lives lost, we must continue and accomplish the mission in the Middle East. Terrorists are terrorists, no matter what their nationality. Whether the terrorist groups throughout the world are connected or not, the whole world must work together to destroy all terrorism, and the United States must lead.'

KAMEHAMEHA

WHEN WILL U.S. SEE IT HAS GONE TOO FAR?

I feel compelled to respond to Mr. B.K. Anderson's Nov. 2 letter ("Kamehameha: Explanation isn't needed in ruling on discrimination"). While I understand his patriotic loyalty and pride for country, not everyone, including myself, shares his views.

The United States has a long history of taking with brutal force. Hawai'i never wanted to be a state. We did not voluntarily invite the U.S. to come here and take over. Hawaiians have only been fighting to preserve what little we have left.

The bottom line to the Kamehameha case is that this school is governed by a private will. Who is anyone to say they must change the will and go against the wishes of its benefactor? What next, do I have to worry that the U.S. government will try to change the conditions of the will I leave for my own children? When will they see they have gone too far?

FAITHFUL FANS

IT'S JUST TOO EXPENSIVE TO GO TO WARRIOR GAMES

The University of Hawai'i has a funny way of thanking its faithful football fans. After supporting the team through great and not-so-great seasons, the only thanks we got for spending our hard-earned money to support the Warriors was a huge increase in season ticket prices.

Is adding premium seat charges, higher parking charges and being kicked out of our seats to make way for the premium seating program that only upper-income and corporate types can afford the way to increase attendance?

I, for one, could no longer afford my season tickets this year. Add that to fighting traffic, competing for good parking and high food concession prices. It just did not make good financial sense to renew this year.

Compare all of that to watching the game on TV in the comfort of your home. It was a no-brainer to make that decision.

KAKA'AKO

STOP THE COMMERCIAL SELLOUT OF WATERFRONT

At the Oct. 25 Ala Moana/ Kaka'ako Neighborhood Board Meeting, the Hawai'i Community Development Authority (HCDA) discussed the proposed condominium/commercial waterfront project. Those present unanimously and vigorously rejected the ideas presented.

This last waterfront property should be kept for the enjoyment of the people of Hawai'i, similar to a small-scale Central Park in New York or Stanley Park in Vancouver.

Last year, the HCDA said no condominiums were planned. Why the change now? We don't need more expensive exclusive condos (80 percent would be unaffordable to most Hawai'i citizens). Why do we need another shopping mall when we have nearby Ala Moana, Ward Avenue and Aloha Tower shopping centers?

Once we develop this property for commercial use, we will never have a second chance. A design competition for open park use should be conducted for the use of our Hawai'i residents and for visitors.

The HCDA can drop this misguided commercial development, but will it? Is the good of the people to be sacrificed for short-term monetary gains?

Everyone should be concerned enough to contact the governor, state senators, representatives and anyone who has ever used Hawai'i's parks. Let's stop this commercial sellout.

KAKA'AKO

WE NEED BETTER DATA ON A&B'S DEVELOPMENT

As a long-time surfer/park user, I am open to the improvement of the Kaka'ako waterfront area, but not the way A&B is looking to do it.

The lack of awareness I've come across is shocking. No one I know has heard anything really specific about what's going on. Those who have have had to persistently dig to get any real information. It seems as if A&B is not about letting the public know its true intentions.

PEDESTRIANS

RUNNERS OF RED LIGHTS MAKE CROSSING RISKY

I've been observing cars approaching intersections. No wonder we're No. 7 in pedestrian accidents. I saw several cars try to beat the yellow light. Not yet at the crosswalk, they sped up, but before they reached the crosswalk, the light turned red, yet they continued on.

Pedestrians are just careless. Most of them start across the street even before the walk light comes on. They often cross when the yellow light comes on, and some cross on red. Jaywalking is also rampant.

I never cross immediately after the light changes, and lucky thing, too. A couple of times I would have been creamed by a car had I crossed.

VETERANS DAY

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO 'SUPPORT OUR TROOPS' IN IRAQ

This week on Veterans Day, we will honor all of those who have served our country through the military. It will be my privilege to speak in Ho-

nolulu that evening at the Church of the Crossroads, a "just peace" church. I will be asking that we take a closer look at these three words that have become so familiar: What does it mean to truly "support our troops"?

For some people, it means supporting our administration's decisions in Iraq. But are our troops supported by sending them into a war based on lies or into a battle without adequate body armor? By bringing home the wounded in the dead of night so we can pretend they don't exist? By cutting veterans benefits upon their return? By making them fight an unwinnable war that no longer has the backing of the American public?

Peace groups have been staging vigils in front of Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., to highlight the needs of injured soldiers. Aggressive "counter-demonstrators" have argued that the vigils are demoralizing to recovering soldiers. But how demoralizing must it be for these soldiers to have to fight for disability benefits? Or be faced with increased co-payments? Or be billed for equipment left in Iraq? Or be told that their post-traumatic stress disorder is not war-related?

More than 2,000 of our troops have been killed, and more than 15,000 injured. But our troops are not numbers, they are human beings. And we can take action to support them in ways that are far more meaningful than blindly supporting our president or slapping a magnet on the back of our gas-guzzling car.

This Nov. 11, as we honor the sacrifice and courage of our veterans, let us recognize that the best way to support our troops is to call for their swift exit from Iraq, to guarantee them the care they deserve when they return, and to make policy changes that will stop us from ever again rushing into a reckless, oil-hungry war.

FOIL THIEVES

CUT DOWN CHANCE OF BIKE THEFT

Recently, there has been a string of bicycle thefts downtown. Complete bikes have been stolen right from where they had been locked, and numerous parts, especially tires, seats and even handlebars, have been stolen from bikes where the frame had been too securely locked for a thief to steal quickly.

I thought I'd share a few suggestions to hopefully help stem the tide of bicycle thefts: