Equal access
As we contemplate the new school year and paradigms for reopening our schools, we have to think carefully about all our keiki.
The coronavirus has revealed more clearly than ever before the stark divide between the haves and the have-nots in our society, and one of the ways that is expressed is internet access.
We must make sure all children on our islands have equal access to our educational resources and also to safety. Whether the return to school is online, in person or some combination of the two, the wealthy and the poor should have equal access.
Our democracy and our future depend on it. Please support providing internet access to all our keiki.
Karen Turner
Keaau
Lesson in colors
This is in reference to Roger Schweitzer’s letter “White House” (Your Views, July 17).
Mr. Schweitzer might be interested to know that in the world of realism, there is another color that is the sum of all possible colors. That color is black.
White is the sum of all possible colors “in motion.” Black is the sum of all possible colors “combined in a stationary mode.”
This is from an old schoolteacher trying to just keep it real.
Carrie Kowalski
Pahoa
Risky ballots
Just received my ballot for the Aug. 8 primary election. It does not inspire confidence in our electoral process.
First, has anyone ever had something lost in the mail? I know I have.
Isn’t your vote more valuable than, say, a car payment? Shouldn’t there be a chain of custody, like registered mail, for instance, for something as important as your vote?
Next, your name, address (mailing and physical) and your signature appears on the outside of the envelope. Isn’t this a security risk?
If I knew how, I could go to the dark web and get your Social Security number and date of birth and steal your identity.
I hear the U.S. Postal Service makes a digital image of all mail that passes through its systems. Think that hackers will be unable to get that? Wouldn’t count on it.
The “ballot secrecy sleeve” barely covers the ballot. Why is this not a full, sealed envelope for actual secrecy? Don’t know, but it seems like it might be prone to abuse in some way. Maybe by seeing how people vote or discarding ballots that have voted the “wrong way” before the actual counting?
I am sure vote-by-mail could be made secure, but Hawaii County has some work to do to achieve that, in my opinion.
Arman E. Wiggins
Honomu