HOMELESS

UNHAPPY TOURISTS HAVE UNFORTUNATE ATTITUDE

This is in response to the Oct. 4 letter from James and Svetlana Tudehope of Peoria, Ariz. My suggestion is that they and any other tourists like them keep their money and stay right where they are.

They have an elitist attitude about people who are less fortunate than themselves and that is not what Hawai'i is about.

So they saw a few homeless people during their vacation. The world is full of hardship and strife, and the only way one can truly say they have participated in the world is to experience both the good and the harsh. These people obviously do not appreciate the bounty they have been blessed with in this life. If they did, they would not be looking with disdain at anyone they feel is "less" than they view themselves to be.

Our beautiful state and the beautiful attitude of aloha possessed by those of us who live in Hawai'i do not need the attitude of people who think their thousands of dollars somehow elevate them above everyone else.

FOOTBALL

UH SHOULD FOCUS ON RECRUITING IN ISLANDS

June Jones' idea of having two full-time recruiting coaches on the Mainland is intriguing but potentially risky.

When Jones says, "You're not going to get a blue-chip athlete if you've never visited him at his school or in his home," it's true but it doesn't go nearly far enough. Ask veterans of the many football and basketball programs investigated or put on probation in recent years what it took to haul in their blue chippers, and you'll hear stories of lavish entertaining and gift-giving to athletes, their families and even their high school coaches, on a scale that makes two $65,000 salaries appear like chump change.

Before we risk following the likes of Alabama, Kentucky and Oregon down that road, let's stop to consider. Infamy rarely appears fully grown in this world and neither do recruiting violations. Both spring up by degrees. We should be very careful what we wish for and start paying for.

Here's a less expensive idea: How about Jones visiting some homes in Kahuku, Wai'anae and all around the Aloha State to keep some of our homegrown future NFL players here at home and playing for UH?

MALULANI

MAUI DESERVES CHOICE IN ITS HEALTH FACILITIES

I am outraged that the government can prohibit the development of the proposed Malulani Health & Medical Center.

Is there not a legal challenge to the certificate of need process? The foundation of capitalism is that privately run enterprises are more efficient than a singular government-run entity. The certificate of need process should be abolished.

The state Health Planning and Development Agency ruled incorrectly on the four criteria that Malulani supposedly failed to meet. As to the first criteria, healthcare institutions nationwide all face staffing challenges. How can this be used as an argument to reject building a hospital on Maui? If this were an unsurmountable challenge, no hospital would get built.

As to the second criteria, another hospital may duplicate some services (it would also add desperately needed new ones), but the competition would help decrease costs and increase quality of care, not the opposite as claimed in the third and fourth criteria rejections.

Residents and visitors deserve access to a choice of care, a wider range of services and speedier adoption of up-to-date technology that a competitive, private enterprise can provide.

HALE'IWA

3 MILES NOT FAR ENOUGH FOR SHARK DIVE BOATS

Imagine this: You're out at Hale'iwa catching a few waves, when out in the channel you notice a fishing boat approaching. No problem, you say.

But, this is no ordinary boat. It's a shark dive charter boat with a monstrous steel cage hanging off the back. You notice not just one of these boats, but two and three coming and going in and out of the marina, all day long. No problem, you say. The boats are supposedly taking divers three miles offshore to view the sharks up close and personal.

These boat operators deposit large amounts of bloody chum into a shark feeding area to lure the sharks. The divers are then suspended into the ocean inside the relative safety of those monstrous steel cages.

That's a long way out, you say. The feeding activity should be at a safe distance from public beaches.

But, to a stimulated shark that's been conditioned to associate these boats and their human feeders with a food source, three miles isn't far enough, unless, of course, the state wants to install shark nets to protect the public.

TALK STORY

THOMAS SQUARE RALLY OPPOSED IRAQ WAR

On Oct. 5, there was a rally against the war at Thomas Square. Where were you?

There were aging peaceniks and energetic newbies coming together to talk story. Where were you? There were poets, professors, musicians and activists coming to the mike and stating the case against the war. Where were you? As brave soldiers fight and die, as billions of dollars are diverted from needed investments, the war continues without a strong opposition voice. Where were you?

We now know that our government manipulated the facts that drew us into the war. A majority of Americans and a majority of Iraqis don't want us there.

Confrontation has replaced diplomacy as our foreign policy.

We've lost our standing as an honest broker throughout the world. With Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, secret prisons throughout the world, altering the interpretation of the Geneva Conventions to weakening individual's right of habeas corpus, we've lost our moral compass. How did we let this happen? Is fear that strong that we capitulated our civil liberties to the government? Where were you? Where were we?

MARK MOSES

COLLEAGUES DISMAYED BY NON-ENDORSEMENT

As friends and colleagues of state Rep. Mark Moses, we were dismayed by your endorsement for his opponent, and cannot understand how you could come out against such a dedicated, compassionate and effective legislator.

Mark is unequalled when it comes to his dedication to his district. He is a legislator who routinely goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Mark is an effective advocate for his district and has been instrumental in helping Kapolei become the bustling community it is today. He helped secure the funding needed to build the Kapolei Middle and High Schools, the Kapolei Library and the Kapolei campus of UH West O'ahu.

Mark is the longest serving member of the O'ahu Metropolitan Policy Organization, and is dedicated to finding traffic solutions and road improvements for O'ahu.

As a former Marine officer, Mark's manner is focused and direct, which might be misconstrued by some as abrasive, but it is not. He is a team player, someone who can be counted on for being prepared and knowledgeable about issues before the Legislature.

TRANSIT

READERS OFFER SUPPORT FOR RAIL

COUNCIL NEEDS TO OK RAIL SYSTEM QUICKLY

I read The Advertiser's article, "Rail mass transit still awaiting vote" (Oct. 6) with great dismay. The City Council still hasn't made a decision on whether to use rail mass transit. What are they waiting for? Everyone is aware that traffic coming from the west side of O'ahu is horribly congested, getting worse by the day, with no relief in sight.

After growing up on O'ahu, I moved to San Diego three years ago and have seen the dramatic difference in the way traffic is handled here. We have chartered buses, dedicated express lanes, elevated light rail linking colleges and trains to and from downtown. This multi-pronged approach shows that elected officials in San Diego are making an effort to improve traffic.

I suggest O'ahu's City Council take a drive from Kapolei to the University of Hawai'i-Manoa during rush hour. I'm sure it would get them worked up enough to take action and pass the rail vote.

RAIL WORKS ELSEWHERE, CAN WORK IN HONOLULU

I want to comment on the transit symposium held at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

I was impressed with the information provided by several mayors and administrators from other cities that have built rail projects. Their residents are now reaping the benefits of rail with more mobility choices, reduced congestion, less pollution, and opportunities for "smart growth" and "livable communities" centered around transit systems. Rail works there, and it can work here, too.

Toll roads aren't the answer. Toll roads will only put more cars on the highway, and when you exit you'll find yourself in a traffic jam trying to get into town with everyone else.

Rail moves along in its own right of way, separate from cars, trucks and buses.

We should encourage our City Council to make their transit decision by the end of the year, and make that choice rail. It is the transportation infrastructure we need to ensure our future as one of the great cities of the world.