On Saturday, I walked with the students and other adult supporters in the Ala Moana Park “March for Our Lives,” and was inspired.

The program began with a Hawaiian chant and concluded with everyone joining hands to sing “Hawai‘i Pono‘i.” These young people are an intelligent, thoughtful voice for change.

When you hear them speak, read their own impassioned poetry, articulate the awareness that their schools — a supposedly safe place — are not safe anymore, you understand that it’s their lives and future at stake and they can’t escape that knowledge.

A young man said he’s usually asleep at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning, like most teenagers. But life is not usual when Columbine, Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas are now part of their teen vocabulary.

They know that advocating and passing sensible gun laws do not deny “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” They’ve also learned too many grownups and lawmakers are abdicating their responsibility to write and pass those laws.

I believe they will make the difference.

Judy Goldman

Ala Moana

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Use container fees to improve recycling

Great article about the increase in the beverage container fees (“If approved, a state Senate bill would increase can and bottle deposits to a dime,” Star-Advertiser, March 19). Increasing the fee means nothing if you refund the entire amount of the fee, except for 1 cent.

It would be better to keep the fee at 5 cents, but make it a non-refundable fee. That fee could be used to hire a larger staff, because the public doesn’t always place the HI-5 containers in the proper place. Any remaining money could be used to keep modern machinery, like those that separate different types of recyclable material, up to date.

I would like the money in my pocket, but I think that money is much needed to sustain the environment through a sound recycling program for future generations.

Michael Nomura

Kailua

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TV stations shouldn’t advertise e-cigarettes

A recent editorial opened my eyes to the fact that e-cigarettes are not considered a tobacco product (“Stop e-cigarette use among kids,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, March 26).

I was wondering how those recent commercials for e-cigarettes could start appearing on TV. Those commercials may not be violating any laws but it seems a bit greedy for TV stations to accept those ads for broadcasting.

Lee Kaneshiro

Palolo

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Wise to assume DMV will make mistakes

The system for renewing either the driver’s license or state ID at the Kapalama location is much more efficient. No more standing in line for two hours. You can make an appointment online. The wait time does vary, but I was able to help a number of seniors renew their state IDs smoothly, with 30 minutes for the whole process.

When I started the process of adding a gold star to my license last month, I was told by the clerk that my documents were not in the system. Aware of the occasional incompetency of the system, I did bring all those necessary documents with me. So it was inputted into the system for the third time, as I had renewed my state ID two years ago and my driver’s license last fall.

This new system is great, except you need to know how to use a computer. And it is always wise to assume that anything bureaucratic will either fail or fall short, so always be prepared to compensate.

Julie Chiya

Makiki

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Warn public about possible DMV scams

It’s bad enough that the vendor lost the driver’s license data for 66,500 people (“Computer crash loses driver’s license data for 66,500,” Star-Advertiser, March 23).

I’ve seen disclaimers that there was no hacking and that no data was stolen. I believe that’s true. What I don’t understand is why I haven’t seen warnings about the potential for scammers to use this incident to try and get your data.

The city will not contact you by email, text or telephone asking you for your personal information. Do not get conned into giving out information that you would normally safeguard.

If your data was lost, the city is supposed to contact you via U.S. mail. And it is not supposed to ask you to submit documents electronically or via fax.

Jacob Goodman

Kapahulu

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TMT will sanctify land on Mauna Kea

Just build the Thirty Meter Telescope. We know that the land on Mauna Kea is sacred — so are all public lands sacred to the state of Hawaii, which includes all of us.

Don’t TMT opponents realize that the TMT will make the property a thousand times more sacred? It will be built to explore space. With every new discovery or finding, it will make the people more aware of Hawaii.

Remember the past, but build for future generations. Don’t people realize how important this project is? Spain is just waiting to see if Hawaii is foolish enough to give the project to the Canary Islands.

So speak out, Hawaii, before it’s too late.

Toshio Kishi

Kahului

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Zinke’s ‘konnichiwa’ not proper at hearing

A lot depends on the setting: In Hawaii, you should use the Hawaiian language whenever you can. When in an august body like the U.S. Congress — no (“Nothing wrong with ‘konnichiwa’,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 21).

Perhaps it would have been acceptable if U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke were greeting one another in the hallway, but a Japanese greeting to a U.S. representative is inappropriate during a session of Congress.

Would you greet an Italian- American or a Norwegian-American in their ancestors’ language? It’s the U.S. Congress, for heaven’s sake.

Zinke may have meant well, but he didn’t do well by his greeting.

Jerald S. Takesono

Kaneohe