Start now to protect Earth’s environment

Thank you for bringing the reality of global warming to our attention by running an article on the front page ("Carbon dioxide is at its worst," Star-Advertiser, May 11).

Only by understanding that this problem is not going away will we, our businesses and our lawmakers begin to make the changes necessary to preserve our planet as we know it.

If we start now, the adjustments for the next generation will not be so difficult. But action now is imperative.

Jan Pappas
Aiea

Some guidelines for next UH president

As a graduate of the University of Hawaii, I offer these parameters for the hiring of our next UH president:

» The next president will be hired on an "at will" basis to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Regents. There will be no golden parachutes, no tenured faculty position, no severance, no litigation.

» The pay level should attract qualified, committed candidates, and be less than the present salary. I suggest $300,000.

» The Board of Regents must establish itself as the governing body of the university. The regents currently have a document that declares they are in charge but will not stand up to our lawmakers under pressure.

» The governor and the Legislature must let the regents run the university. Right now, everyone wants the credit for things that go right, and the ability to blame the other party for the things that go wrong.

Nolan Ahn
Lihue, Kauai

UH-Manoa needs sports-savvy leader

University of Hawaii-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple’s total lack of experience in administering a Division I athletic program has been painfully obvious from his comments during the "Wonder Blunder," his inept negotiation of the contract for the athletic director, and his latest statement: "If we are not breaking even in three years, I really have to look at whether we will continue Division IA athletics."

Everyone realizes the need for the athletic program to become financially more self-sustaining. Hopefully, the new president will hire someone to oversee the athletic department who knows something about intercollegiate athletics.

Linda Estes
Koloa, Kauai

Has UH quality really improved?

Dane Lee compared the University of Hawaii ranking of 785 out of 3,500 (in the top 22 percent) to 150 out of 300 (in the top 50 percent) and indicated it was an improvement ("Next UH president must sustain quality," Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 12).

The numbers don’t add up.To be in the top 22 percent is better than being in the top 50 percent.

Lou Faulkner
Hawaii Kai

Rape in military is leadership issue

Rape and sexual assault are systemic problems in America, and as a subset of the larger community the military is beset with all the same problems.However, one of the ways the military is different is its command structure.

As such, rape and sexual assault must be addressed at the highest level of the military command, with a zero-tolerance message and firm follow-through actions.When a command is populated with responsible and honorable women and men, rape and sexual assault cases can be appropriately addressed.

All active-duty and military family members need to trust and see proof that the police, investigators, prosecutors and family support workers will do their jobs well, providing victims the protection, support and counseling they need, while holding perpetrators accountable and providing them access to appropriate rehabilitation services.

Haulani Medeiros
Kailua

Kudos to mechanic for owning mistake

Brant Swigart, the mechanic for the small helicopter that crash-landed downtown last week, took responsibility for the aircraft’s problems ("Mechanic blames himself for causing copter’s crash," Star-Advertiser, May 11).

In this age of pointing fingers, avoiding blame, lawsuits and shifting responsibility to other people (see politicians, government officials, generals and the "Wonder Blunder" bandits), one only has to re-visit Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem, "If."

Swigart is, indeed, a man.

Chip Davey
Honolulu

It seems HSTA ads are a distraction

This latest Hawaii State Teachers Association ad is really well done, and admittedly heartwarming. But it’s running on multiple channels several times per hour from morning to night. How much must that cost?

Why is the teachers union trying so hard and spending so much to make the public think good things about teachers? After all, they’ve already won their contract with substantial pay raises and their health insurance contribution reduced to less than half.

Or is that the point — to create warm fuzzies that distract from the millions of dollars this will cost taxpayers in the coming years, with no real relation to whether students are getting better educational results?

After all, if the teachers are so dedicated and doing such an incredible job, wouldn’t we already know that from the spectacular results the students are achieving?

Sometimes advertising is meant to inform. More often, though, it’s meant to convince.

Jim Wolery
Kaneohe