Let buyers know what they’re eating

I would like to respond to a question posed by Fred Perlak, vice president of research and business operations for Monsanto in Hawaii (“GM foods are safe; labeling not needed,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 22).

He asked, “Why should we bear added expense just to accommodate those who oppose GM foods because of lifestyle, ideological or religious beliefs?”

The answer lies in Perlak’s question.

It is Monsanto’s responsibility to let consumers know what they are purchasing, whether they like our reason for wanting to know or not. He goes on to suggest that “many foods are already labeled organic or all natural, which address ‘right to know’ concerns.” What about those of us who live in Hawaii who cannot afford to eat organic or all-natural foods, because as he points out, “Hawaii leads the nation in the price of food”?  Don’t we also have the right to know what is in the food we are eating?

If the “added expense” to label GM foods is too much for Monsanto to bear, then I suggest he find another state in which to do business.

Jamie Elwood
Manoa

Fame can be hard for young to handle

Regarding the Manti Te’o travesty, allow the delicate and private nature of the matter to rest.

Granted, Te’o has become a public figure. But he is a very young and impressionable one. He could be your son, older brother, or little nephew or even your neighbor’s boy next door.

Fame may wreak havoc on young minds ill-equipped for the glory and power accompanying the fanfare. Further, the frenzied paparazzi belies the loneliness encountered by a media-made celebrity.

The Manti Te’o story is one of hard work, dogged determination and perseverance to realize a dream.

Sadly, the nightmares that followed are also part of the tale. Some might have already rendered the verdict as a fall from grace. What we take from this shattered dream is a more telling verdict of who we are and may become. After all, we can still conjure new visions to replace the unfulfilled hopes. Manti may yet teach us that much.

Vernetta A. Hall
Laie

Questions remain about Te’o incident

The real hoaxers are Manti Te’o and the Notre Dame coaches.

Why did they wait until after the “Blarney” post by deadspin.com to reveal the hoax? They knew about it on Dec. 26. Could it have been the possible loss of ticket sales?

Answers, please.

Bob Reed
Kaneohe

Oahu roads have become deplorable

Having just returned from a business trip to Oahu, it pains and saddens me to write this honest observation of just how bad the socio-economic foundation of Honolulu has gotten.

Traversing the roads and freeways in three days opened my eyes how things have digressed on Oahu — from potholes on city streets and H-1, to homeless squatters along Nimitz and other primary streets, to the overall traffic snarls on every avenue — it makes me want to cry.

Having lived on Oahu in the early to mid-‘80s and being from the Big Island originally, the state of Hawaii’s ambience is evaporating and soon will cause a downward trend in tourism visits to Oahu.

The deplorable condition of Honolulu’s roads and non-stop impediments in driving from Point A to Point B are enough to create a road-rage scenario. It won’t be long until this type of environment is prevalent on Oahu’s highways and byways.

J. Kimo Dejon
Bend, Ore.

‘Need’ not function of individual rights

Recently we have looked into making stricter laws regarding firearms both here in Hawaii and across the nation.

While I agree that violent crime is abhorrent, I cannot agree with taking firearms away from law-abiding people who did nothing wrong with them, and then punishing them by telling them that all of a sudden a firearm they have possessed for years is now too dangerous and must be surrendered or they will be labeled a criminal.

The Second Amendment gives us the right to bear arms. When I’m asked why I need a firearm that has been dubbed an assault rifle, it feels like you’re asking me why Rosa Parks needed to sit in the front of the bus. In a free country, there is no requirement to show a “need” to exercise a right.

Adam Lipka
Wahiawa

Gun control talk ignores other issues

Lots of talk about gun control, no talk about keeping criminals and the mentally ill locked up.

Jack M. Schmidt, Jr.
Kailua

Turtle Bay project would add traffic

Danna Holck of Turtle Bay asks, “Traffic issues on the North Shore have been ongoing for years. Why blame Turtle Bay?” (“North shore always bedeviled by traffic,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 17).

Well, because this proposed redevelopment would add 25 percent more traffic to an already overburdened traffic system.

That’s 25 percent more even after adjusting for 758 new resort workers (assuming that all 758 new hires would be local residents, not commuters from elsewhere). And, in the meantime, we’d have 3,263 construction workers coming in. Are they all going to be local hires, too, or will they also drive in from other parts of the island?

The traffic impact of all this would be a disaster for the North Shore. If you really care about “the economic future of our people,” lobby the city and state for a direct access road to, say, Kahuku. That would provide reasonable commuting access for far more than 758 jobs.

Beau Sheil
Haleiwa