OHA Candidates

Not beholden to outside influences

In your story titled “OHA At-Large Candidates Have Raised Little Money So Far,” dated July 13, you listed that I did not raise any money nor spent any. 

FYI, I signed a Campaign Spending Commission form stating that I will not spend more than $1,000, and therefore am exempt from filing reports.

By not accepting donations, it lets me be free to make decisions which benefits my beneficiaries and not be “beholden” to outside influences — and, it also “levels the playing field” for those millennials who need to get their names’ recognized.

Mahalo nui for your story.

— Lei Ahu Isa, Trustee at Large, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Honolulu

Con Con

Implied support for a constitutional convention

Corie Tanida and Civil Beat do well to bring this subject more to the fore; the primary election has some races garnering virtually all attention. While both Common Cause Hawaii (“Con Con Decision Should Not Be Made Lightly,” Aug. 7) and Civil Beat (“Get Ready For Scare Tactics To Ward Off A Constitutional Convention,” July 25) neither endorse nor oppose another “con con” for Hawaii, there is a thinly-veiled implied support for a constitutional convention.

The fear of the “dirty unwashed public” on the part of authors of the U.S. Constitution, and the seriously flawed vote in United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union, underline the fallacy of presuming “the voters know best.” Impulse can rule the day and open the door to all kinds of mischief on the parts of various individuals and groups. 

Most assuredly, Common Cause has an agenda, which would be put forward in a new con con along with agendas from a variety of other groups. It would be best if both Common Cause and Civil Beat focused on what needs to be changed, adjusted or “fixed” in the current constitution, and work through amendment, rather than a “tabula rasa” approach.

— Willis H. A. Moore, Adjunct Faculty, History and Political Science, Chaminade University of Honolulu

Tokelauans In Hawaii

Still feeling the energy from the Pacific

Rachel Reeves’ story about Tokelau was touching (“How A Tight-Knit Pacific Island Community Is Saving Its Culture,” Aug. 17).

My memory of Tokelau comes from the Festival of the Pacific when it was held in Western Samoa.

The most memorable of the many dance programs was that of Tokelau. I can still feel the energy of the drums and movements of the dancers. It was almost hypnotic.

— Pearl Johnson, Kaneohe

Hoary Bats

A stable and growing population

Your Aug. 14 article by Madison Lee Choi concerning wind turbines and Hawaiian hoary bats failed to reference the leading study concerning this species population (“Wind Farms Want Permission To Kill More Bats — A Lot More,” Aug. 14).

I am enclosing the Hawaii Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Technical Report HCSU-041.

This five-year study conducted by Frank J. Bonaccorso and others, studied the bats’ occupancy on the island of Hawaii from 2007 to 2011. Survey samples collected during that time frame indicates a stable to increasing trend in the Big Island hoary bat population.  

— Richard D. Hardin, Chico, California

GOP In Hawaii

Why won’t the media investigate?

In response to Mr. Sanford Lung’s letter (“Letters: There’s A Reason Hawaii Dems Are In Charge,” Aug. 21), unfortunately Mr. Lung totally missed the point of my letter. I hope Mr. Lung will re-read my letter.

I was not questioning why Republicans don’t get elected.  Based on Hawaii’s political history, I have a very good idea why Republicans have a tough time being elected in Hawaii. However, I was not giving an opinion.

Instead, on a day when some of Hawaii’s news media was following the herd about the “press not being the enemy of the people,” I was questioning why the Hawaii news media does not research and report on various issues, some of which I cited.

One of the examples I cited was to research and report why more people in Hawaii are not voting. Another of the examples cited was Democrats challenging whenever a Democrat switches to the Republican Party but Republicans not challenging whenever a Republican switches to the Democratic Party. Another example cited was the booming national economy. 

While tariffs may eventually impact America’s economy, Mr. Lung’s example of tariffs and proposed tariffs have yet to impact America’s booming economy and the lowest unemployment rates in decades.

— John Riggins, Kapolei