Hawaii has history of ‘illegal’ invasions

It never ceases to amaze me how leaders of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement disregard inconvenient aspects of history.

For example, the indigenous people of Oahu were killed, had their lands stolen and were enslaved by warrior chiefs from Maui and Hawaii at the end of the 18th century. Does this mean the Hawaiian Kingdom was a "fake" kingdom?

Until a clear answer is provided detailing the difference between what native people from one island did to those from another around the turn of the 19th century, and what the United States did to the Hawaiian Kingdom in the 1890s, it is difficult to take sovereignty advocates seriously.

If, on the other hand, we’re willing to be honest and open about who did what to whom, then more people will be willing to work together on a process to return this land to its rightful owners. I mua!

Chris Monahan
Kailua

Homeless lacking social engagement

The "homeless," like "terrorists," have a uniform identity based upon labels, not inquiry nor valid knowledge.

Consequently, our responses, based on prejudice and fear, do not allow us to deal effectively or meaningfully with them.

Both labels refer to mobilized but socially disengaged persons.

We have the means and services to re-engage them, but we do not have the community support to reconnect them.

Government power alone cannot connect the disparate parts. It takes human contact — volunteers who can bring the alienated into contact with the existing services, available resources and engaging alternatives.

Otherwise, we’ll continue to force them out of sight, or permanently remove them by deploying well-armed drones.

In short, socialindifference kills.

Robert Tellander
Waikiki

Abercrombie was own worst enemy

Gov. Neil Abercrombie wants to now blame the LGBT community for his election loss?

I don’t think so.

If anything, his bravery was lauded by many straight people, myself included, when he signed the marriage-equality bill into law. It was one of the few things he got right.

His arrogance, anger and alienation of the general public with the statement, "I’m not your pal … I’m your governor," rankled many of us. We didn’t need a reminder that we are just cogs in the wheel with no power.

He used to care for the aina, we thought. He gave big-money developers carte blanche to do anything they wanted to do in Kakaako.

Abercrombie has only himself to blame. He needs to stop pointing the finger at everyone else, and needs to also remember that when he does point, he has three pointing back.

Michel Grotstein
Kaneohe

Voters upset about losing open spaces

Most people voted Gov. Neil Abercrombie out because ofhow the city is being overdeveloped, without regard to the infrastructure and thepeople who live here.

He can spin it any way he wants. He was in the newspapers and on television, with a shovel ready to break ground on yet another parcel of land. There is no more on this tiny island, so they are creating condo canyons.

The public wasn’t even invited to his last groundbreaking with the Howard Hughes Corp. forthecomplex that will have a$100 million penthouse. This is affordable housing?

He is right about the Republicans voting en masse, but it wasn’t over religion and gay marriage. It was about greedy developers and corrupt politicians creating the highest cost of living in the country, without regard to the natural beauty that Oahu once was.

Jackie Utkin
Waikiki

Surfers can learn a lot from nature

There’s a way to get your share of waves. You need to understand the ocean.

Prior to paddling out, I spend about 20 minutes stretching on the beach. When the set arrives, I set my stopwatch. I count the waves in the set. There’s usually three to four waves. I continue stretching. Then the next set comes. I check my stopwatch. By the time I finish stretching, I have a good idea what the ocean is doing.

I paddle out to the lineup. When the set arrives, I let the first two waves go. Why? Because everybody goes after them. By the time the third wave arrives, I’m usually the only guy in the lineup. I whip the board around and I have the wave all to myself.

There’s no need to bully ("Surfer ‘etiquette’ often about bullying," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 2). Just watch and learn. Nature teaches a lot.

Robert K. Soberano
Moiliili

It’s time to honor eminent UH coach

Tommy Kaulukukui, a legendary multi-sport athlete, served the University of Hawaii for nearly 20 years as a student-athlete, football and baseball coach and athletic director.

He is the greatest all-around athlete ever produced at Manoa.

He earned 17 letters during his brilliant career. Football was his major sport and he was Hawaii’s first football All-American.

In probably the greatest run in Hawaii’s football history at the Los Angeles Coliseum, against UCLA in 1935, in front of 90,000 fans he ran back a kick-off 103 yards for a touchdown. Although Hawaii lost, famed sportswriter Grantland Rice was impressed and honored him with national news media coverage.

It is time to honor Kaulukukui for his distinguished career. The citizens of this state will agree that he has earned and deserved to have the UH practice football field named after him.

Les Higa
Ala Moana