Enjoy outdoors but be careful

I agree with Steven Poor ("Don’t let stray rock close Mokuleia trail," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Sept. 4).

We should enjoy nature’s beauty. Unfortunately, nature doesn’t play by any rules and regulations.

On May 9, 1999, seven people were killed and many others injured in a landslide at Sacred Falls. I hiked that trail many times prior to the tragedy. At the trail head, there were signs that said you are entering a nature preserve: "Enter at your own risk." I was sad at the loss of life and injuries, but the courts ruled that the state was liable and awarded millions in settlements. The trail has never reopened.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is trying to be proactive. We live in a sue-crazy society where nature is taken to court. People don’t hold themselves accountable for their actions or understand the inherent dangers of what can happen.

When dealing with nature you should plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Robert K. Soberano
Moiliili

Eastwood was convention star

As Clint Eastwood savors his smash hit performance at the GOP convention, he recalled having made it up extemporaneously.

The use of such an ordinary item as a chair to weave together so magnificent a creation before the widening eyes and dropped jaws of a stunned audience is the essence of fine art. Eastwood is an extraordinarily gifted artist whose talent, like fine wine, has only improved with age. He employs breathtaking talent to dazzle and thrill an audience, and with an astonishing economy of words.

No wonder the current occupant of the White House and his amen corner in the news media have convulsed themselves in a helpless frenzy of rage and frustration at having been so thoroughly skewered by a master craftsman, to the delight of millions who witnessed this triumph.

Clint, you made my day.

Thomas E. Stuart
Kapaau

Read more on Spain, Hawaii

Michael Lilly writes with great certainty about the supposed Spanish arrival in the Hawaiian islands before Captain Cook in 1778 ("New evidence supports idea Spanish arrived here before Cook," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Sept. 6).

Before your readers accept his "new evidence" they should read more. There is nothing new about the details, much less that they confirm his opinion.

I recommend reading much more careful historians like Donald Cutter in his article "The Spanish in Hawaii: Gaytan to Marin," Hawaiian Journal of History 14 (1980) 16-25; or E.W. Dahlgren, "The Discovery of the Hawaiian Islands." New York: AMS Press, 1977.

Your newspaper is a great place to begin learning, but it should not take the place of more thoughtful analysis.

James B. Tueller
Professor of Spanish history, Brigham Young University-Hawaii

Roundabouts help with traffic

I know this is a hard sell in Hawaii, but the city should seriously consider more roundabouts at smaller intersections.

Europe uses these a lot because it makes sense and it works. You don’t have to wait for those annoyingly slow traffic lights (especially when there are no cars) and it reduces serious accidents by eliminating perpendicular collisions.

Think of how many cars you’ve seen running red lights and not stopping at stop signs. Also, the cost of the purchase, installation and maintenance of each traffic light is probably huge, and any savings could certainly be used elsewhere.

Wes Ogawa
Pearl City

Song captures isle policy trend

Regarding the recent decisions to allow the development of Ho‘opili, Koa Ridge and the Kyo-Ya resort, perhaps the state Land Use Commission and city Department of Planning and Permitting should use Joni Mitchell’s "Big Yellow Taxi" as their official theme song. Auwe!

Chris Jansen
Mililani

Build elevated bicycle highway

Before rail construction gets too far along, I propose building a flat pathway that runs the whole length of the elevated rail tracks.

Enclose the pathway with a cage for safety and put a solid roof on it for weather protection. Call it an elevated bicycle highway and encourage cyclists to use it for free. Cyclists can enter and exit the pathway at every rail stop.

We’ll leave the details for the engineers, but the idea is solid.

The distances on Oahu are small. A cyclist can easily make the commute. There are tourism and economic opportunities as well.

I am confident an elevated bicycle pathway would demonstrate our commitment to the environment, promote public health, strengthen our economy and further encourage alternative transportation on Oahu.

J. Douglas Anderson
Makiki

Living will proved useless

Instead of the courts ruling on whether a power of attorney takes precedence over an advanced directive in the case of Karen Okada, I think family members should ask themselves if this is really a question of what the family wants or whether Mrs. Okada’s wishes should be complied with. It appears that Mrs. Okada was very specific in her wish.

An advanced directive is useless if someone else has the power to ignore the wishes of the individual.

In medical matters we have to rely on the doctors to give an honest assessment of the patient’s condition. If a decision is based on emotion rather than a clinical assessment, does the family honestly believe her quality of life will improve, given enough time?

Melvyn S. Masuda
Waialae

Court decision on rail correct

The city is asking the Hawaii Supreme Court to reconsider its unanimous ruling that the archaeological survey to identify Hawaiian burial sites that would be affected by rail’s elevated guideway should not be carried out in segments ("City wants court to revisit rail construction shutdown," Star-Advertiser, Sept. 7).

The city claims that by conducting the survey in segments, only the burial sites that most probably lie in the path of the guideway will be disturbed by the survey. However, support columns already positioned on the basis of segmented (i.e., incomplete) surveys might aim the guideway at hitherto unidentified burial sites and may therefore have to be moved — an avoidable, scandalous waste of time, labor and money.

Only when the locations of all potentially affected burial sites are identified in advance can an optimal path for the guideway be intelligently planned.The Hawaii Supreme Court should uphold its original ruling.

Kent Hirata
Punchbowl