Letter to the Editor – 7/3/13

Unfair cartoon

Roy Chang’s June 19 cartoon pictures 41-year-old Brian Schatz as a baby in a high chair. If age is an issue, an equivalent caricature of 62-year-old Colleen Hanabusa would have shown her with gray hair and a cane.

Not very even-handed.

Patricia Donegan
Hawaii Kai

It’s about time

After reading Mufi Hannemann’s column on the subject, I wish to laud Waipahu High School for its Early College Program, which allows students to take UH college courses in partnership with UH West Oahu and Leeward Community College. I have been advocating such a program through letters to MidWeek and the Star-Advertiser and its predecessors for at least 10 years. The actual college courses are more credible than AP courses and should be transferable to most other universities and colleges. Other high schools also should follow suit. Another option is to allow students to attend classes at the various UH campuses.

Russell Noguchi
Pearl City

Marching words

The photo of former UH professor Oliver Lee leading a student demonstration in 1980 brought back a lot of memories. What I remember about those times was the passion shared by so many people for positive change in society, and the belief we could make it happen. I’d love to see young people today speaking out and taking to the streets to protest the loss of our liberties and freedoms, the intrusion of snooping big government and the rush to get the U.S. into another Middle East war. But I guess they are too busy with other, more important matters, like the latest phone or game.

Elizabeth Lee
Honolulu

Limit terms

Nice column on Ann Kobayashi by Dan Boylan. While it’s good that she was a budget conservative who cared about taxpayer dollars, the fact remains she was in public office for more than 23 years. It would be wonderful if a parting gift from her would be the introduction of a term limits law.

Ted Silva
Honolulu

More idiots

May I add another group to Don Chapman’s idiot drivers and idiot walkers? That would be idiot bicyclists. One of those guys in tight shorts came within inches of me as I came to a stop sign as he darted around a blind turn in my lane, and the next day another biker seemed to be playing “chicken” with a big pickup truck. I loved the line from a letter-writer on this topic: “Natural selection.”

Raymond Ellis
Honolulu

Send your letters to dchapman@midweek.com.