Letters To The Editor
September 17, 2008 - MidWeek
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Del.icio.usStabbing Sevey
As Bob Sevey, the most talented and respected newsman in the history of Hawaii television, struggles with terminal cancer, Bob Jones writes a column full of petty and spiteful attacks on him under the guise of saying goodbye to Sevey. At one point, Jones tries to soften his jealous back-stabbing by saying he kissed Sevey goodbye at a recent reunion of former KGMB employees. That brought to mind the image of Judas at the Last Supper.
Jones closed his diatribe against Sevey, “He’ll be an obituary sometime soon. Always the hard to control journalist, I want to get a jump on the story.” To those of us who worked with and love Bob Sevey, Jones comments are a strong reminder of the major difference between Sevey and Jones. Bob Sevey has class.
Joe Moore
Honolulu
Adair adulation
Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo for adding Dick Adair’s editorial cartoon to MidWeek! The Advertiser did us all a huge disservice by laying him off. I am no artist, but he has a talent that takes him way beyond other cartoonists, and I greatly missed his contributions to local events, both humorous and tragic. It’s wonderful that you will continue to honor us with his work!
Catherine E. Davis
Waikiki
MidWeek balance
I’m a Democrat but have long admired MidWeek for presenting a broad spectrum of political opinions. The addition of columns by liberal Arianna Huffington and conservative Patrick Buchanan just adds to your reputation for balance. The addition of cartoonist Dick Adair is also positive. This reader appreciates it.
Richard Yee
Honolulu
Double standard
Rick Hamada’s echo that Sarah Palin is “off limits” to criticism illustrates the outrageous double standard currently used by the Republicans. They enjoyed the most vile misogynistic insults against Sen. Hillary Clinton and ridiculed everything they could get away with. There is much to criticize about this woman who would be a heartbeat away from being “The Leader of the Free World” and her thin and questionable record.
Nancy Bey Little
Makiki
Must be satire
What a hilarious MidWeek last week! I almost fell over laughing!
First, Dan Boylan castigates the Republican vice presidential candidate for “only” having 21 months of experience as governor, when the Democratic presidential candidate’s experience consists of 143 days in the Senate voting “present.” What a hoot!
Then Roger Simon criticizes reactions to the press frenzy surrounding Mrs. Palin, when she’s received twice the press scrutiny in the past 12 days as Mr. Obama has in the last 12 months! Hee hee! As if he and the press are incapable of looking up Frank Marshall Davis, Saul Alinsky, Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, Tony Rezco, etc. in Wikipedia. I nearly busted a gut at such clever, outrageous satire.
But, honestly, you really should put a disclaimer on their columns, because there might be a few readers who are just stupid enough to take them seriously.
Patrick McCabe
Aiea
Senseless rail
Back in the 1970s, I supported a rail transit system. It made economic and logistical sense to me then. It’s now some 35 years later, and the current project makes no sense to me.
Back then, we had an opportunity to plan and control growth in the central plain. Now, we have to undo some of these homes and businesses to make room for a heavy, elevated rail line. Back then, the federal government was willing to fund the majority of the cost. Now, we may receive 10-20 percent of the cost in federal funds if we can even get on the list of programs.
The city estimates land acquisitions will cost $70 million and that construction costs will be $3.7 billion. These estimates are in 2006 dollars with no consideration for inflation. The final cost could very well be closer to $5 billion or $6 billion. I have yet to see any accounting of the .5 percent GET surcharge. This costly and unfettered project could very well bankrupt our city.
I look forward to some honest answers by the city and the perceived users of the rail.
Will you take the rail to work, to school or to the bank? Will you take it to Longs, Safeway, Foodland, Times or Costco? Is the line close to schools or Kaiser, Straub, Kapiolani, Kuakini or Queens? Does it pass by your mom and dad’s or your in-laws’ homes? Will you take it to child or adult daycare, to soccer practice, to your favorite surf spot, to dance lessons? Will you take it to get to your part-time jobs, on your date or in an emergency?
Cathe Meier, CPA
Honolulu
Rail is ugly
Stopping the rail project is about saving our beautiful Honolulu from becoming a congested, industrialized, bankrupt, urban ghetto. The steel on steel heavy rail plan calls for 22 massive stations (graffiti targets), elevated tracks, huge pillars, and the train will travel at an average speed of 25 mph and has nothing to do with solving traffic problems.
It appears to be about campaign contributions from those who will make money to those in power.
Stopping rail will allow us to focus on fixing the sewers and the roads, and develop real solutions to solve the congestion problem that will help those in the leeward areas who are stuck in traffic every day.
The city is allowing 60,000 homes to be built on the Ewa plain, with no plans for road improvements. If rail is built some of those folks may use it, what about the current mess? Traffic will be much worse.
The real solution includes a fleet of modern buses that travel at higher speeds on improved roads, including an elevated road with multi on and off ramps, allowing cars to use it as well for a toll to help cover expenses and to clear congestion from other roads. Save Honolulu from those who want to ruin it!
Nancy Nagamine
Kailua
Correction
Roy Shimonishi was incorrectly identified on the Sept. 12 cover featuring Hawaii Restaurant Association hall of fame inductees. MidWeek regrets the error.
Send your letters to MidWeek Letters, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 500, Honolulu, HI. 96813; by fax to 585-6324, or by email to dchapman@midweek.com. Please include your name, address and daytime and evening phone numbers. We print only the letters that include this information, but only your name and area of residence will appear in print. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
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