Hawaii offers much to be thankful for

I’m a free woman born in the USA and living in the most beautiful state in the nation.

It’s November and I get to ride my motorcycle all year.

I wake up in a little condo I own in Kaneohe and greet the wondrous Koolau mountains outside my home every day.

My next-door neighbor, Krista, is my best friend, like the daughter I never had and closer to me than my own sister who lives in Arkansas.

I have my health, a decent job that I’m grateful to go to every weekday, and my weekends are mine.

There’s good friends, an abundance of happiness and three cats who greet me every day and sleep with me at night.

There’s a gentle man in my life who makes me want to be the best me I can be. He’s kind, sweet and generous and loves motorcycles as much as I do.

There are rainbows almost every day, waterfalls, the sweet scent of tropical flowers where I live, and geckos chirping happily outside. My Creator has given me a life beyond my wildest dreams. It’s a simple life, and I’ll never be a millionaire but I wouldn’t trade my life here in Hawaii nei for anything.

Malama pono and Thanksgiving blessings to all.

Michel Grotstein
Kaneohe

Time with parents is a wonderful gift

On Oct. 6, my beloved mom fell down and suffered a concussion. She spent one week in the hospital and has been in rehabilitation since. The doctors say that she can come home for four hours on Thanksgiving Day.

This will be her first trip home since the accident. This is a life-changing event and I realize how thankful I have been to have both my parents for 59 years.

I am thankful for the guidance, love and support my parents have given me. Even though four hours is a short time, it’s time that I’ll cherish on this special Thanksgiving Day.

Donna M. Cadiente
Waipahu

Improper use of art has long tradition

Regarding the appropriation of Francis Haar’s photograph of Hawaiian kumu hula Iolani Luahine’s image without permission or recompense ("Arts director quits over photo misuse," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 21):

» Duane Preble, UH professor emeritus of art, says that improperly reproducing artworks in the digital age is "an international problem" and "quite common." He’s right, but the problem predates the digital age, especially in Hawaii.

When I came to the Islands in 1970, I was amazed and amused to hear radio commercials from Hawaii auto dealerships appropriating, without permission or recompense, popular songs like The Beach Boys’ "409" to sell their cars.

» I wrote a satirical play about a local public relations firm, titled "Parallel Realities," which was produced by The Actors’ Group last year. In it, one of the characters (an employee of the company) defends the use of the Hawaiian language to promote a client’s financial interests, saying "Assimilation of native languages and cultures is a hallowed tradition in American advertising. How do you think they named the Pontiac?"

Pontiac was a chief of the Native American Ottawa tribe.

John Wythe White
Haleiwa

Legislature did well to get public input

Common Cause Hawaii Executive Director Carmille Lim’s commentary about the recent special session was an excellent assessment of the problems of public access at the Legislature ("Work to improve public access at the Legislature," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Nov. 20).

While there have been some complaints about who could give testimony and for how long during the often tumultuous session, the fact remains that a record number of people were allowed to speak, many in opposition to gay marriage, and legislators allowed the hearings to go on far beyond the number of hours and days originally planned in order to accommodate as many people as possible.

On the other hand, everyone agrees that we need more opportunity for neighbor islanders to speak in real time at hearings, and that proposed amendments to bills should be posted online immediately for all to read.

These will enhance the goal that we all have of giving the public maximum opportunity to give input during the legislative process.

Larry Meacham
Wahiawa

Jones Act increases cost of goods here

The Jones Act prohibits ships not built in the U.S. and ships with foreign crews from carrying cargo in and out of Hawaii. That means there is little competition for Matson andit can just increase its freight charges any time.

This time it is increasing charges 5.5 percent and that will be added to the cost of all goods we buy. Companies that ship their products to the mainland will pay more, hurting their businesses.

Unfortunately, unlike the mainland, where rail and trucks are used to transfer goods, we are in the middle of the ocean and we use shipping 95 percent of the time.

If the people of Hawaii do not wake up and demand that our congressional delegation to Washington try to reform the Jones Act to allow shipping competition in Hawaii, we will always be paying higher prices for everything we buy.

Samuel Sonson
Hawaii Kai

Iran deal is like Nazi appeasement

Israel, in Iran’s cross-hairs, wasn’t invited to the Geneva negotiations ("Deal with Tehran only temporary," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 25).

Czechoslovakia, with its borders on high alert, wasn’t invited to the Munich negotiations.

Appeasement in 1938 didn’t stop World War II.Will appeasement in 2013 prevent a nuclear holocaust?

Kathy Novak
Moanalua Valley