About the May 17 article, “Official admits he stole $3 million from school”: As the financial future gets tougher, episodes like this are going to be more common. These thieves are without morals. Time and again, we read of a church office, kids’ sports organizations or Christian schools, as was this latest case, being targeted. When will people learn? Always have two sets of eyes guarding the cookie jar.
My eyes go skyward when I read about full restitution ordered by a judge sentencing a thief. When will this charade end? What, this jerk is going to have his wages garnished? Forever? It was poor money management that made him steal in the first place. There is no way he will be able to repay $3 million in this lifetime. And, we taxpayers get to pay some judicial clerk’s wages to keep track of this mess?
The saying needs to be rewritten: Crime does pay.
Timothy Fern
Kaneohe
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Anti-Trump efforts go to fake extremes
One takeaway from observing the anti-Trump movement is the remarkable extreme to which those who espouse that ideology will go in order to undermine Donald Trump’s presidency (“Start impeachment steps against Trump,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, May 19).
It began with the imputation of collusion with the Russians to win the election. Current hysterical baying for Trump’s impeachment exposes an ongoing desperation. Charges of alleged sharing of classified information with the Kremlin and declared meddling with an FBI investigation are, at this writing, entirely without basis. The latter has already been relegated to the junk heap of fake news by recorded testimony of the FBI director himself provided to Congress on May 3.
The usual suspects in the mainstream media, citing specter-like “anonymous sources,” lob bombs to ignite firestorms of rage among their breathlessly awaiting and willing disciples. If you think you’ve seen it all in whatever the kerfuffle du jour might be surrounding the Trump administration, just give it 24 hours.
Steve Hinton
Waialua
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Mental health pros sign Trump petition
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.
People are generally sympathetic about others with physical ailments, but not so much those with mental health issues. More often that not, mental health issues are regarded as character flaws, i.e., the fault of the victim.
A petition started by John Gartner, Ph.D., stating that Trump is very likely mentally ill and needs to be removed from office, has already been signed by over 50,000 mental health professionals, who stated their name, address, email and mental health degree.
Mental health victims, including Trump, should be regarded with the same compassion as anyone with a serious physical condition. However, they have no business running our country, with their finger on the nuclear button.
Don Lofland, Ph.D., and Ann Lofland, L.C.S.W.
Kailua-Kona
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Hawaii’s AG should tackle issues here
I see Hawai’s attorney general is in the news again on national issues. First, it was opposing President Donald Trump’s travel bans. Now, Doug Chin is calling for an investigation into whether Russia influenced our last election. Sounds like he wants to be U.S. attorney general instead of our attorney general.
I have a better idea. Here in Koolau, Kauai, uber-rich landowners like Mark Zuckerberg and the Wilcox family, are trying to privatize large swaths of coastline. Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho, eager to appease these landowners, outrageously supports a $70,000 county fencing project to block a state-owned historic trail. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and Chin are doing nothing to stop this.
Chin’s kuleana is to uphold Hawaii’s public trust doctrine. He should order Kauai County to stop the project, DLNR to take charge of its trail, and sue the landowners. Hawaii’s taxpayers expect our attorney general to work on Hawaii issues.
Richard Spacer
Kapaa, Kauai
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Quicker action for East Oahu brush fire
I attended a graduation party Wednesday night in East Oahu where the graduate was largely overshadowed by the brush fire burning in the near distance. As we all took turns walking down the driveway and into the neighbor’s yard to view the dramatic flames, one neighbor wondered about the fire department’s response. He had called to report this fire at 3:50 p.m.
Your Thursday morning paper, as well as KITV.com, reported that the fire department responded at 5 p.m. It also was reported that this was the 14th brush fire in that area since March. So why was it not taken more seriously?
We all are grateful for those firefighters who remained overnight to keep an eye on the fire. But whoever made the call not to respond immediately put those firefighters’ lives in danger and caused residents unnecessary anxiety.
Lyssa Reese
Hawaii Kai
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Portlock accessway won’t come cheap
Given that the price of land on Oahu is $690 per square foot, where is the City and County of Honolulu going to get the many millions of dollars to obtain the Portlock land, under right of eminent domain, that requires just compensation at current market value (“End beach access dispute for public,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, May 18)? How many teachers or police officers will have to be laid off so a few people do not have to walk a half-mile to swim in the Pacific Ocean?
One apparently referenced court case, County of Hawaii v. Sotomura (1973), was regarding use of the beach, not access to the beach. The issue at hand is whether a person has the right to cross someone’s property to gain access to public property.
Carl L. Jacobs
Aiea
