I have been a practicing physician in Hawaii for 36 years. During that entire time, there has been a nursing shortage in the hospitals (“Gov. David Ige approves emergency rules addressing health care staff shortage,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Aug. 11). “Fliers” from the mainland were brought in to fill in for nursing shortages.

I have been on staff at the Queen’s Medical Center for 31 years. Off and on over those years I occasionally received notice that QMC was at 100% capacity, “on by-pass,” unable to accept any more patients.

Hospital staffing shortages and hospitals at full capacity are not new to the Honolulu medical community. They are chronic problems, not unique to the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Rhoads E. Stevens

Hawaii Kai

Protect our watersheds from aircraft pollution

Mahalo to Kaeo Duarte for raising concerns about our islands’ water supply (“Protect water supply before it’s too late,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 7).

I worry about our watersheds. Specifically, I worry about air pollution disrupting our watershed’s ability to do its essential job: to catch and collect rain water. Every day on Oahu, more than 100 jets en route to the airport fly over the Koolau Mountains, our main watershed. Each jet as it passes spews toxic, climate-altering greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere where our water is born. More than 100 flights daily equals tens of thousands of flights annually. What is the cumulative effect?

We know that persistent air pollution interferes with the natural atmospheric processes that create rain. So why do we let the airlines pollute the air directly over our watersheds, where rainfall is essential?

If we learned anything from Red Hill, it’s that no industry or federal agency has the right to threaten our water supply. Water is life.

Frances Patton

Palolo

Stronger deterrents needed to fight crime

With crime soaring due to the revolving jail doors, inept legislators and bail, we need to start looking for deterrents that criminals understand and fear.

When criminals violently attack the police, it shows they have no fear of consequences. The only answer is the return of capital punishment and the kind of punishment they fear.

Fear is the only thing that will stop criminals from breaking our society’s laws. Obviously our current system is irretrievably broken as a deterrent. Perhaps we should start emulating how Singapore and the Middle East treat criminals.

It’s mandatory for voters to get rid of the legislators who think the perpetrators have more rights than their victims. Why do we keep on electing these legislators who offer no solutions, and say that the system unfairly targets poor criminals, as a justification for no cash bail? Do they think that the criminals put them in office?

Carlton Chang

Kaimuki

Navy is failing Hawaii by not upholding values

For its Red Hill debacle, the Navy is miserably failing Hawaii by not upholding its heralded core values of initiative, accountability and integrity. It also fails to operate with honor and commitment in dealing with its many fuel spills, and in implementing urgent defueling operations at Red Hill.

The Navy’s brass needs to start being totally truthful regarding its fuel spills to prevent further contamination of our precious water system. It also needs to come up with expeditious solutions in defueling its menacing Red Hill tanks. A two-year wait will undoubtedly spell disaster.

While I fully believe in the Navy’s important role in national defense, it cannot fail Hawaii as a partner and guest. Thus far, the Navy has only been part of the problem, and not part of the solutions that are critically needed.

Come on, Navy brass, you can do much better!

Ed Uchida

Hawaii Kai

Public sees ineptness in condition of Capitol

Seeing William T. Kinaka’s letter about the poor condition of the state Capitol and grounds reminds me of an adage: The fish can’t understand how it is to be outside the bowl they’re swimming in (“Capitol and grounds need to be refurbished,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 11).

If our elected officials and the state executive departments could see how we, the public, see them and the grounds that they inhabit, they would understand the distrust and disappointment we have for them.

The state could have trucked in some of the water that the Navy is dumping because of the Red Hill disaster to irrigate the burned-out grass and grounds, instead of letting it go into a stream. It’s been treated and considered “safe.”

Maybe it’s too much to ask?

Clyde Morita

Kaneohe

FBI search shows that no one is above the law

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s approval of the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is evidence that no one is above the law if there is suspicion that federal crimes may have been committed.

This is the first time in history that a former president’s home has been searched and boxes of documents confiscated.

These documents belong to the American people and should be placed in our archives. They do not belong to any individual who has a history of burning incriminating documents or flushing them down the toilet.

America’s security can be compromised if the documents fall into the wrong hands or are obtained by unfriendly nations.

Trump’s MAGA followers will try to characterize this as a political move by the left, but let’s not forget and just be thankful that there are still branches of our government that are looking after the well-being of our nation.

Hal Omori

Mililani

EXPRESS YOURSELF

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.

>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.

>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 210 Honolulu, HI 96813

>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), 529-4750 (fax), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter