Governor’s Race

What was Hanabusa doing?

Nathan Eagle’s story, “Hanabusa Softens Criticism of Ige But Syas On Message,” July 25, says “When asked how she would have handled the missile alert … Hanabusa said she would have called the media much faster to help them get the word out to the public about it being a false alarm.”

Where was Hanabusa that morning? I was listening to CNN. About 8:20 a.m. an anchor announced there was important news for people who live in Hawaii, followed by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard informing everyone that the alert was a false alarm. She stayed on the line for several minutes saying she had spoken with governmental agencies and there was no missile, no attack.

Why wasn’t Hanabusa doing the same as her congressional colleague? Where was her leadership then?

Most of us have moved on. But Hanabusa still talks about the 38 minutes.

— Lynne Matusow, Honolulu

Body Cameras

Make sure they’re always on

A good step in the right direction, (“HPD Hopes Body Cameras Will Reduce Confrontations — And Lawsuits,” July 24) but it must come with strict usage laws. Both the video and audio must always be turned on once any interaction with the public starts, and must never be turned off until a supervisor gives direct permission. In several cases on the mainland, certain parts of bodycam video were mysteriously missing, or audio wasn’t turned on. Hearing what officers say to each other or suspects can make a big difference in the context of video evidence.

— Sean Goodspeed, Ala Moana

Political Signs

Candidate approval needed

It is interesting that the candidates are speaking up to have more regulations for their campaigns. (“Political Signs Must Include Disclaimers Starting Aug. 20,” July 25) Putting the name or organization on the signs or advertisements is good, but what if someone campaigns for a candidate and the candidate doesn’t want their support. It could put a negative image on the candidates campaign that they didn’t want. 

The federal campaigns require the candidates to “approve” any messages. Why don’t they just require that for all candidates? The donations etc. should go to the candidate’s campaign organization and the candidates should be responsible for any campaign literature, signs, advertisements, etc.

— C. Murakami, Kailua