Please speak out for the monk seals

Recently a 5-month-old female Hawaiian monk seal, RF58, was bludgeoned to death on Kauai.

She and her offspring could have helped recover the Hawaiian monk seal, a native endangered species long relegated to the Leeward Islands and now recovering in the main Hawaiian Islands.

Nine seals, including RF58, have died of suspicious causes in the main islands since 2009 — the species numbers only about 1,100. Their deaths undermine recovery efforts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. People should contact those agencies if they have any information about RF58.

Sharing, balance, respect and kapu allow our future generations the same survival opportunities passed to us by our kupuna. Indiscriminate killing of any animal in the realm of Kanaloa goes against the teachings of our kupuna and threatens the survival of future generations.

Please speak for the monk seal and all the species that enrich our lives and, we hope, will enrich the lives of our children and all future generations.

Tim Ragen
Team chairman, the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team Anacortes, Wash.

Our leaders should heed these letters

I read the letters to the editor pretty regularly.

Many of them, from concerned citizens of our fair state, contain genuinely excellent, thoughtful solutions to the multitude of issues we face in Hawaii.

I just wish that the governor, mayor, city and state policymakers, regulators and directors of the city and state agencies would read and consider some of these solutions before knuckling under to political pressure or whatever expediency controls their decision-making.

I understand that there are many sides to the big issues such as the Hoopili development, the Hawaiian Electric Industries sale, Hawaiian Electric Co. plans, Kakaako development and so on. But in general it seems that rational thinkers, when presented with many of the elegant solutions offered by the public in letters to your paper and other written testimony, would never choose the paths we’ve seen politicians take on these big issues of the day.

Kevin Johnson
Kaimuki

Big-name coaches critical to success

I like sports, but I must object to the thinking of politicians and others who think it is OK to spend our tax dollars on a sports program that loses millions of dollars every year.

This is our money. It would be wiser to spend taxpayermoney that goes to the University of Hawaii on educating the students. Isn’t that what higher education is all about?

If UH wants a sports program that does not lose money every year, then we have to go out and find big-name coaches for football and basketball.

Yes, that would cost a lot of money, but in the long run it would be better than what we are doing now. Otherwise we are just spinning our wheels and we should drop all sports at UH.

Steve Loring
Ewa Beach

Low-class behavior drives fans away

University of Hawaii head footbal coach Norm Chow is not the problem, nor were his predecessors.

We stopped attending home UH football games becauseof the low-class behavior of the folks we sat around. Disgusting language, flat-out drunkenness, vomiting and more, all in the name of UH football. No wonder no one wants to go anymore.

Blaming the coaches is ridiculous.

Leigh Prentiss
Kailua

NextEra should engage with public

Kudos to state Rep. Chris Lee for his helpful analysis of Next-Era’s bid to purchase Hawaiian Electric Co. ("NextEra’s offer to buy HECO prompts questions about Hawaii energy future," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Dec. 7).

Lee succinctly manifested our Hawaii community’s concerns regarding the proposed purchase.

I hope that NextEra chooses to engage the entire community in a dialogue that explores the next era in 21st-century energy production and distribution. We now live in a time, which, as Lee so rightly states, "demands leadership from everyone."

It would be a lost opportunity for NextEra and the state’s citizens not to openly and honestly meet prior to state and federal consideration of NextEra’s proposed purchase in a series of well-facilitated and informal public fact-finding and image-clarifying community meetings.

Perhaps Lee can lead us to a next era, where citizens can effectively be heard and their concerns addressed before state and federal agencies and officials decide on Hawaii’s energy future.

Tom DiGrazia
Kailua

Bike track serving very few bicyclists

On Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. I drove down King Street and started counting those on bikes using the bike lane. I drove until Keeaumoku Street, which took about five minutes.

During this drive I counted three people on bikes. However, on King Street, three lanes of traffic were almost bumper to bumper with hundreds of cars.

Be honest: Is this a way to spend our tax dollars?

Mike Eberle
Waikiki

Bike track making it safer for everyone

I am so happy that the King Street Cycle Track is up and running.

One thing I enjoy about living in town is that I can commute by bike. I live in Waikiki and often commute downtown. The new cycle track makes me feel much safer and makes drivers more aware that cyclists are on the road with them.

I am so proud to be part of a community that is taking steps toward a more sustainable, walkable and bikeable city.

June Chee
Waikiki