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Editorial

US-China relations

In the closing years of the Cold War, as relations between the Soviet Union and U.S. thawed, Ronald Reagan adopted a Russian proverb: trust, but verify. These days, with Sino-U.S. relations chilling rather than warming, there is precious little trust, and limited ability to read the other’s intentions accurately. Relations were deteriorating long before the Chinese balloon floated into U.S. airspace and the military shot it down. Everyone knows that the U.S. spies on China and vice versa; it is also obvious, despite Beijing’s feigned outrage, that it would take swift action against ...

Making do on Maui

“You can’t always get what you want.” When the Rolling Stones released that song in 1969, folks on Maui could relate. From cabinet hinges to heart surgeons, the island’s small population had limited choices. Much of the state’s inventory was held on Oahu, meaning Maui residents often had to order the items they wanted. Many also had to fly to Honolulu or the Mainland for medical care. We know someone who built one of the first homes in Maui Meadows in the early 1970s. Half-acre house lots could be purchased for around $16,000 in those days. Two memories stand out. One is ...

EU defense spending needs boost

Vladimir Putin has thrown 97 percent of his army into Ukraine, U.K. officials said this week, and the Russian dictator is betting he can grind down the West’s will to resist. So it’s good news NATO members are rethinking their current defense commitments. North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that the alliance would this summer revisit the pledge that members spend 2 percent of their economy on national defense. “What is obvious is that if it was right to commit to spend 2 percent in 2014,” Mr. Stoltenberg said, “it is even more ...

Deer crisis grows dire

Spotting several axis deer approaching the walking path at Keopuolani Regional Park, the Wailuku woman pulled out her cell phone and began recording the moment on video. To her astonishment, the deer just kept coming. More than 80 crossed in front of her, she said this week. The clip on her phone backs that estimate up. A retired police officer we mentioned the story to said he and his son witnessed about 200 deer grazing on a Keopuolani Park playing field last month. To have such a growing herd in the center of the island’s urban core illustrates the population explosion that is ...

Objects in the sky

When President Biden gave the order Sunday for a fighter jet to shoot down an unidentified aerial object over Lake Huron, aides said he did so out of an abundance of caution and on the recommendation of military commanders, amid concern it was floating at altitudes that might jeopardize civilian aircraft. It’s the third such object downed over North America since the Chinese spy balloon that generated public outcry during its transcontinental voyage was shot from the sky above the Atlantic Ocean the previous weekend. Unlike China’s craft, the subsequent trio showed no signs of ...

A deeper look at Black history

What do you know about these great Americans? Black History Month is observed each February across the U.S. to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans since the forming of the nation. Of course everyone knows of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks — and rightly so — but they are far from being alone when it comes to important and meaningful contributions of Black Americans. While school children all know the names of Paul Revere, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and the roles they played in American independence, do they ...