Frank Lutz asked supporters of sanctuary to open their houses to undocumented immigrants and spare him the imagined costs of a sanctuary program (“Sanctuary houses, not sanctuary state,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Feb. 11).
Most undocumented immigrants don’t need a house or a handout. Typically, they have been here for a decade or more, have homes and U.S. families, and pay taxes to the IRS. The Mexicans deported last year include: Andres Ortiz, who supported his U.S. family with a coffee business; and Tania Venegas and Minerva, both of whom supported their U.S. children as housekeepers.
Also, supporters of sanctuary have opened their houses. Harris United Methodist Church declared itself a sanctuary congregation recently, calling the decision to help undocumented immigrants “a celebration of God’s creations.”
Thomas S. Dye
Chinatown
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Chinatown needs bicycle stations
City Councilmember Carol Fukunaga’s bill to remove Biki bikes from Chinatown was both baffling and unwise. The area’s problem isn’t bicycle parking; it’s too many cars and inadequate street capacity.
Bikeshare Hawaii is an example of Honolulu getting something right. The system works, reducing the demand for cars and providing an important alternative means for residents and visitors alike to travel about still-limited portions of the city.
The greater the range of the system, the more successful it will be. Extending it westward toward Iwilei and Kalihi can’t happen if Chinatown access is removed from the system. Bill 82 unfairly favored the alleged interests of a small but vocal part of Fukunaga’s district over the interests of the city. As importantly, it failed to understand the importance and potential of bike share to Honolulu.
Paul Migliorato
Makiki
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This Denny’s isn’t close to tourists
Your claim that the soon-to-open Denny’s is “smack dab in Waikiki’s tourism-filled district” just doesn’t pass the common-sense test (“No beer with your bacon burger at Denny’s,” Star-Advertiser, Off the News, Feb. 13).
This new Denny’s is bordered extremely closely by residential condos on its makai side and Ewa end, the zoo on its Diamond Head end and residential condos and Jefferson Elementary on its mauka side.
The nearest hotels are at the far end of the block at Paoakalani and around the sharp corner across Cartwright on Kapahulu. This entire block of Kuhio has no commercial frontage, except for the new Denny’s.
That is not “smack dab in a tourism-filled” area.
Waikiki has had two other Denny’s that I have dined at since my first visit as a tourist in 1985. One was at the corner of Kalakaua and Kapahulu; the other was adjacent to the old International Market Place. Both qualified as “smack dab” in the tourist district. Both of them kept very healthy table counts and turns, yet neither served alcohol.
William E. Owens
Waikiki
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Don’t publicize flat-Earth theories
In response to “Flat-Out Lie” (Star-Advertiser, Feb. 11): Please do not give print space to anti-science conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality.
Flat Earthers do not deserve any mention, other than clear rebuttal and immediate dismissal, and should not be given any encouragement. The article should have discussed the Falcon Heavy rocket and SpaceX’s achievements; instead, you gave plausibility to nonsense.
Jack Mitchell
Makiki
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Homeless can live without too much
I am frankly amazed at the city and state officials and their policies designed to ignore our homeless population.
They think everyone should have a fancy house with walls and a roof, when just a patch of dirt and a bathroom would be fine. We have the ideal climate for simple, easy homeless camps and yet we fumble about like idiots tripped by red tape.
It seems that we have lost sight that these are human beings and that they have feelings, hopes and dreams just like the rest of us. We should afford them the smallest of opportunities to get back on their feet.
Ryan Routh
Kaaawa
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Loud helicopter disturbs peace
It was supposed to be a quiet Sunday morning until a black helicopter loudly buzzed one block from Ala Moana Center to deliver supplies to a construction site.
The helicopter created extremely disturbing noise pollution from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., making it impossible to sleep, causing babies to cry, and dogs to cower from the loud sound.
I’m all for progress, but why can’t helicopter deliveries be made on a weekday? Can’t we town folks have a single morning of reprieve from disturbances? I can’t emphasize how maddening a helicopter sounds. It’s impossible to ignore.
Lynne Puglese
Ala Wai
