I’m a sixth-generation Kahuku resident. I support the wind project, like the majority of people in the area. Two letters to the editor correctly said the developer received a lot of input (“Say no to Kahuku wind energy project,” “Community doesn’t want more turbines,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 28).
But it did not “fall on deaf ears,” as one writer claimed. In fact, more than a dozen changes to the project were made, including moving turbines farther from the community and cutting the number of turbines.
Na Pua Makani has been a good friend to the community and provides strong financial support for youth organizations, including several Kahuku High School sports teams.
Many people see the wind turbines as a statement that our community cares about the environment and a sustainable future for our keiki, my family’s seventh generation here. Maybe that’s why at every hearing on the environmental studies, the comments submitted for the project far outnumber those against. That’s a matter of record.
Melissa Primacio
Kahuku
Funds cut because of politicization at UH
We have received support from around the country because of all the articles (including in The New York Times) about our decision to defund our support of the University of Hawaii-Manoa art department (“Donor pulls funding for UH arts after Trump protest,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Nov. 22).
One major donor to UH-Manoa even contacted us and said they are exploring following our lead in cutting off major funding because of the one-sided politicization of the art department.
UH professor Gaye Chan is missing the point (“UH can’t depend on private donations,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Nov. 29). Although she posted on her personal Facebook page (which most of her art students follow), she did send out a call to arms to hold an anti-Donald Trump protest and gave instructions to meet on UH property to make signs. Can you imagine if it was a pro-Trump rally?
A UH representative admitted to me that the issue fell in a gray area and that he would take it to the legal department.
May I suggest a public debate on the politicization of publicly funded UH in any forum Chan would like?
Mark Blackburn
Black Point
Don’t let donors stifle public debate
Art is the ultimate exercise of freedom and is therefore the most political form of expression.
That is why Mark Blackburn’s withdrawal of badly needed funds from the University of Hawaii-Manoa art department is so troubling. Blackburn said he didn’t think a chairwoman of a department should use state property to promote a political agenda, i.e., participation in the Nov. 13 anti-hate rally.
The art students participated in this event to challenge the hateful rhetoric, xenophobia, sexism and racism expressed by Donald Trump and his supporters. The dependence of public educational institutions on private donors like Blackburn is a clear indication that we are failing as a society.
Public educational institutions need to be fully funded by the public, so that the ideas, dispositions and talents meant to be cultivated in these institutions are not held hostage to those who feel threatened by free speech and democratic action.
Amy Perruso
Diamond Head
Make Democrats more democratic
The Democratic National Committee robbed U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of the Democratic Party nomination by rigging the primaries. The primary vote in Hawaii, for example, was 70 percent for Sanders and 30 percent for Hillary Clinton, but many privileged Democratic Party superdelegates could vote against the wishes of the people and did. This was also true in many other states.
When will the “Democratic” Party become democratic? Without new laws, likely never.
We Americans supposedly believe in freedom and justice for all, so let us prove that we can have justice for all, including for Sanders. If Sanders had won the nomination and then the presidency, the riots after the election likely would never have happened. Many American voters now feel robbed of this election and rightly so.
We have a long way to go to becoming a truly democratic state and nation with truly democratic elections, including primary elections.
Bill Russell
Mililani
Don’t like America? Move to Europe
University of Hawaii professor Alan Howard, perhaps distressed by the election of Donald Trump, suggested that Hawaii and the West Coast could secede from the union (“Hawaii should consider seceding from U.S.,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Nov. 29). This would follow the example of South Carolina, one of the states that seceded from the union after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860.
Instead of inviting another Civil War, however, it might be better simply to emigrate to Europe. Many Europeans reject American values and welcome immigrants who have established areas that resemble colonies of Middle Eastern and African countries. That offers a smorgasbord of cultural anthropology that’s there for the taking as soon as the next flight reaches Amsterdam.
John P. Dellera
Kahala
Tolerance replaces need to secede
Alan Howard provoked a discussion about the culture wars in the U.S. and whether Hawaii should secede (“Hawaii should consider seceding from U.S.,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Nov. 29). It was a well-done article, but it missed our traditional escape hatch.
We don’t have a theocracy in the U.S. because doing so is inconsistent with the market system and is bad for business. Also, many Americans believe they should mind their own business and avoid probing into the lives of their neighbors. As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis put it, we value “the right to be let alone.” That’s the solution and it’s not new. No need to secede. Just be less intolerant.
Lloyd Lim
Makiki
