Letter to the Editor – 6/12/13

In the swim

Regarding the Old Friends feature on retiring city lifeguards chief Ralph Goto: What a nice article about such a nice person. Ralph has done so much for so many over the years.

One of his achievements was not mentioned: Back in the day when the state Department of Education was more intelligent, Ralph helped put together the state wide basic water safety/learn-to-swim program for all fourth-graders. We are an island state, so hopeully before he retires Ralph can help bring this program back, for the safety of all the children.

Danny Sullivan,
Waikiki

Rail = Godzilla

Godzilla lives! The real-life monster known as Rail is rampaging across Oahu, destroying homes and small businesses. Its voracious appetite, inflamed by cost overruns, will exhaust supposedly guaranteed federal funds and ultimately bankrupt local taxpayers.

David Swift,
Aina Haina

GMO research

Despite what we hear from Monsanto’s Fred Perlak and th UH’s Karl Seff, GMOs are not safe. In a recent study by two independent scientists – Anthony Semsel and Dr. Stephani Seneff of MIT – which appeared in the journal Entropy, quite the opposite was found.

Glyphose, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, contributes to autism, cancer, gastrointestinal issues, IBS, colitis, Crohn’s disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, obesity and cachexia. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Hesh Goldstein
Honolulu

Idiots everywhere

Regarding Don Chapman’s column “Idiot Drivers, Idiot Walkers: Bad Mix” – my 3-and-a half-month-old daughter will be walking around in no time, and eventually here and there with friends, and I am terrified in advance of what drivers will be driving like in the years to come.

My husband always says, “Pay attention – it’s free!” I want to shoot a paintball gun at people sometimes because of how rude and careless they ar – can’t even get them to use a turn signal and it comes free in every car!

How I wish I could be deputized to cite pedestrians who walk when it isn’t their turn, making us miss another light, or the texting driver who could cause a head-on collision killing others and walk – drive, actually – away oblivious of the whole thing due to updating their Facebook status.

As for the lovely girl who flipped off Mr. Chapman for not running her over – she’s headed for extinction with that practic and that attitude.

Nicole Harbottle
Kailua