NEWS COVERAGE

THE ADVERTISER MISSED COVERAGE OF MARINES

I would like to express sincere disappointment in The Advertiser. There were over 500 Marines and sailors who returned from Iraq on Saturday afternoon to Marine Corps Base Hawai'i. There has been absolutely no mention of them or their families. I wish The Advertiser could have been there to experience the anticipation, gratitude, reunions, and collective sigh of relief that occurred as they all filed off the airplane.

To the men and women of 1/12 and 1/3, there are people who care about you and are glad that you are home safely! Thank you for your service!

POOR HEADLINE SHOWS NEED FOR MORE BALANCE

Your headline "Maui opposes Hawai'i Superferry bailout" was very misleading. Since when do 400 people (some of whom were in favor of the ferry) represent the entire island of Maui?

Is this because this is what your paper wants to believe, or a simple oversight?

How about a little more balance in your reporting please?

CANCER

EARLY DETECTION KEY TO WINNING CANCER FIGHT

We acknowledge the increase of cancer in our society, regardless of what kind of cancer. Some of us get it from the lifestyle we live, the environment we live in or the jobs we do for a living.

But some, like myself, are genetically carriers. I have breast cancer and stomach cancer and actively battled and lived with it for the past 10 years. I am writing this to remind everyone to get their annual checkup. The earlier you discover it, the better your chances are.

Never let your everyday busy life label you as a procrastinator. A lot of the time when I talk with cancer survivors, the one thought is, if only I checked it earlier and did my annual checkup, if only. So as a cancer survivor and an ongoing patient, look in the mirror, get it done. It's not just for you, it's for your loved ones.

SUPERFERRY

SUPREME COURT DELAYS REST WITH THE COURT

In trying to defend the timing of the Hawai'i Supreme Court's ruling that blocked Superferry operations just five days before its interisland service was scheduled to begin, Court Administrative Director Thomas R. Keller seems to miss the big picture.

Mr. Keller, in a media release issued by the Judiciary, blamed Superferry officials for causing delays in Court proceedings during August. Those brief delays were inconsequential, however.

The main point, as Gov. Linda Lingle pointed out earlier this month, is that the Supreme Court sat on this very important case for a year and a half. And when the justices finally did issue their controversial ruling on Aug. 23, there was limited time for Superferry officials or the state Department of Transportation to respond before the service was scheduled to set sail.

Out of fairness to Hawai'i's people and Superferry employees and investors, the Supreme Court should have decided this case many, many months ago.

It is true, as Mr. Keller pointed out, that the justices had other legal cases to consider over the last 18 months. But did all of those cases have widespread repercussions that might affect our state economy for years to come? I think that is truly the big picture, which some people can't see right now in the midst of this contentious debate.

Clearly, the Supreme Court waited far too long to issue its ruling. As a result, it put the Superferry service — which the overwhelming majority of our residents support — in jeopardy.

Fortunately, the Legislature, whose members were elected by the people, have worked collaboratively with the administration to convene a special session to clarify the law that will allow this important transportation alternative to resume.

KAUA'I BELONGS TO THE REST OF THE STATE, TOO

I support the Superferry. Really, I don't know what the beef is about. The environmental arguments seem extremely flimsy. Some say it's really about Kaua'i and Maui being anti-development. Tired of more tourists. Especially fearful of O'ahu cars suddenly filling their beach parking lots. I say grow up. Change happens. If you drive out to the North Shore of O'ahu on a weekend, there is hardly any traffic. On a weekend, you make do. The beach is still pretty.

Some Neighbor Islanders think O'ahu is ruined. My daughter does. She moved to Pahoa. But I think O'ahu is beautiful. Just a lot more cars. But they number in the hundreds of thousands, not hundreds. I lived on Kaua'i three years. The problem is that the Kauaians can't grow up and put a second lane both ways from Kapa'a to Po'ipu. Bite the bullet, it's going to happen. You might even think of six lanes. The world's not going to stop because you have a pretty island and you want to keep it that way. I had to leave Kaua'i because I couldn't make a living there. Trying to stop progress puts the brakes on economic development, too.

Finally, it's my guess that the roads and lots of the improvements on Kaua'i were paid for by State of Hawai'i or federal dollars. So, it's not just yours, Neighbor Islanders. It's ours, too.

OPPONENTS SHOULD GET THEIR FACTS STRAIGHT

Reading some of the anti-Superferry complaints, I come away with complete amazement and disbelief of some of these comments. From worries about the 'opihi crop being decimated by Oahuans, to traffic and crowding from the same visitors (how many of these people were born and raised on Kaua'i, Maui or Big Island?) and invasive pests: I believe most of these issues are emotional reactions to the sound bites from the most vocal protesters, whose objectives are to scare the silent majority to their side.

How many of these so called environmentalists know the origins of two of our worst non-indigenous pests, the African snail and the mongoose? Remember the Whale Foundation boat that ran over a whale and her cub with its props last year? How about the deliberate black water spill from one of the cruise ships in our harbors? Let's get our facts straight!

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MAJORITY RULE?

Watching protesters demonstrate against the Superferry and against the military makes one wonder if we are going from a majority rule democracy to a minority activist protest system. Activists refuse to understand that in a government as ours laws are made to serve the majority and not the opposite. And if splashing water on officials and flattening tires are accepted practices to effect favorable legislation, we better prepare for worse ways in the future.

LINGLE SENDING WRONG MESSAGE ABOUT VALUES

In the debacle now playing out in Hawai'i over the Superferry, we have heard the arguments both for and against.

The Lingle administration argues that Hawai'i's global reputation will be harmed by complying with existing law and the decisions of the Hawai'i Supreme Court and Second Circuit Court. Is that really the case?

What message does it send for the governor to call the Legislature into special session to write new legislation overturning environmental law and judicial review to benefit this one well-connected business? That in Hawai'i we are willing to reverse our stewardship of the environment and go against trends at work around the world?

We depend on both the perception and the reality of demonstrating to the world that Hawai'i is a global leader when it comes to our stewardship of the environment. Decisions made now contrary to this concept may very well come back to haunt us in the future in ways we do not yet understand.

MISSING WOMAN

COMMUNITY HELP IS NEEDED IN SEARCH

The release of the www.findMasumi.org Web site on Oct. 10 marked a new phase in the search for Masumi Watanabe, a 21-year-old woman from Japan who was fatally abducted in Pupukea this April.

This tragedy is not about a Japanese visitor gone missing; far from it. This tragedy is about a young woman, in daylight, abducted, killed, her body vanished from a peaceful neighborhood street on this island. This should be of great concern to anyone who calls Hawai'i home.

The purpose of this Web site is to produce the one tip that will lead to Masumi's body recovery so she can return home to Sado Island, Niigata, Japan.

Since its release, the Web site has logged over 2,500 new visitors and they posted numerous condolence albums and prayer book entries.

Masumi is gaining new friends every day.

Masumi's parents are extremely grateful and appreciative to all those who have searched and continue to search for their precious daughter. They were uplifted to read the response and the heartfelt love from Hawai'i's people. They desperately need your help and prayers.

The race to find Masumi is a marathon rather than a sprint. We are prepared for the long run and believe Masumi will be found.

We plead to the people of Hawai'i, to help speed up Masumi's body recovery and return her home to her loving family.

If you or someone you know has any information about Masumi, call Honolulu Crimestoppers at 955-8300; they are waiting for your call.

BEACH ACCESS

OFFICIALS DOING A POOR JOB OF ENSURING ACCESS

People who move in along our beaches have to expect noise just as those who move next to a recreational park do.

It reminds me of people who moved next to existing animal farms, then complained about the smells and wanted the farms shut down. It wasn't the farmer's fault that developers bought the surrounding land and built homes too close. Everyone that moves has an opportunity to check on the neighborhood environment beforehand.

What I see in Kailua are transplants that think they can own their own private section of our beaches by locking others out. Their greedy, selfish, this-is-all-mine-and-you-can't-have-any Mainland attitudes don't belong here.

All of these shoreline developments that are going up all over the islands will create the same problem. The state and city and county have done a very poor job of maintaining access as they are mandated to do.

HILTON HOTEL

LAGOON RESTORATION BENEFITS ALL IN WAIKIKI

As a longtime Waikiki resident, I would like to offer my thanks and congratulations to the Hilton Hotel Corporation for the soon-to-be-completed restoration of the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon.

This beautiful restoration will not only benefit Hilton hotel guests but all Waikiki residents and visitors who will be welcome to come and enjoy this wonderful restoration.

It will be, in my estimation, even more attractive than it was many years ago when the site was originally deeded to the Hawaiian Village by the Territory of Hawai'i in September 1955.

Now that the lagoon work is complete, Hilton Hotel personnel will, no doubt, take on the responsibility of maintaining it.

However, their people do not have police authority, so it will be up to the state to carefully monitor activities in and around the lagoon if it is to retain its beauty and appeal in the years to come.