Letters To The Editor
December 16, 2009 - MidWeek
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Del.icio.usNo visitor aloha
Susan Page’s column, “How Dare Germans Criticize U.S.,” is in response to a previous Dan Boylan column about showing Honolulu to some visitors. Did Ms. Page read the same column the rest of us read? Her vicious attack on visitors she has never met, comparing our country to their country, is overkill. Are not people in a democracy such as the U.S. allowed to speak their minds? What is Ms. Page’s real point, to make use of any opportunity to spew venom?
Rev. Wayne W. Gau
Honolulu
It’s a b&w world
I’m not sure what world Susan Page is living in, but after reading her out-of-line anti-German diatribe, something tells me it’s still in black and white, like the TV shows she grew up watching.
Tony Cruz
Honolulu
‘Blue eyes’ again?
So what is it about Larry Price that he so resents anyone who is not from Hawaii? His attack on a U.S. assistant secretary of education, who very rightly criticized Hawaii’s public education debacle, was way over the line, and reminded me of his earlier attack on an “outside expert” because Mr. Price assumed he had “blue eyes.”
It’s a big world, Mr. Price, and you would do well to listen to expert advice from someone who didn’t happen to be born on a Hawaiian island. As our schools show, Hawaii does not have a monopoly on smarts, much less wisdom.
Arthur Pestana
Nuuanu
Low isle standards
In response to the Aiea teacher: Parents are not blaming the teachers for the low standards in Hawaii, they are blaming the state of Hawaii for not being able to budget properly and letting education be the first to go. They are blaming the school system for rescheduling waiver days that fell on furlough days (at Aliamanu Middle). Yes, workshops are important, but so is instructional time. Hawaii does not even meet the federal guideline of 180 school days. This is not mainland America. Hawaii standards are OK if you plan on living here your entire life, but not if you plan to live, attend college or work on the Mainland. I do agree it is ultimately up to the parents to reinforce what is taught at school, and sadly some do not care.
Parents are not happy about the doubling of the price of the school bus; some parents don’t have a choice. Parents are not happy about the price of lunch almost doubling when it’s not even nutritious.
I have learned that Hawaii only cares about meeting the minimum standard, not exceeding it, and this does not only go for the schools, but also businesses as well. My family is leaving Hawaii at the end of the school year, and sadly I cannot say I have enjoyed my stay.
Wendy Weatherington
Honolulu
Early, not hasty
Dan Boylan missed the mark in his column on the EMILY’s List endorsement of Sen. Colleen Hanabusa for Congress. In calling the endorsement “hasty” and “single-issue,” he fails to understand both the purpose of EMILY’s List and the significance of pro-choice Democratic women as a political force.
The acronym “EMILY” stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast,” with the emphasis on early. The organization was started in 1985 by a group of 25 women who were fed up with the political status quo. They understood the necessity of getting money and training to women candidates early in any race. So, no, the endorsement was not hasty, but early.
As a delegate to the 2008 National Democratic Convention and a contributor to EMILY’s List, I know it does have a vetting process and they are well aware of the strength of the Hanabusa candidacy. She has an excellent track record on issues that affect Hawaii women and their families.
As to the single-issue concern, “pro-choice” is not the only criteria by which EMILY’s List assesses a candidacy. That and membership in the Democratic Party are, however, the value touchstones by which candidates can demonstrate whether they are for full participation of women in our society or whether we are to be subject to the dictum “biology is destiny.”It is my belief that women are the cement of civilization, being the nurturers of families and communities. Therefore it is essential that more women hold high public office as a guarantee to a more peaceful and just future for this and the next generation of women and men.
Finally, while male candidates may well be pro-choice, it is not the purpose of EMILY’s List to raise money for them. They have many more avenues of support than women.
I hope that Dan takes a deeper look at EMILY’s List.
Ann S. Freed
Mililani
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