I love Hawaiian Airlines.
Everybody here does because the people are just so nice and the planes make it across the ocean non-stop.

But something is taking a bit of the shine off this love affair.

I’m a Hawaiian Miles holder just like everyone in Hawaii.

Shooting into my email box today was an invitation for a little contest.

The winner gets 85,000 free miles.

Please note: nothing is ever free.

Keep that in mind as we continue.

The wife and I can always use the miles for one of our jaunts to visit our money in Las Vegas.

It’s an easy contest – enter my name and email address after ignoring the other details and guessing the answers I’m supposed to know by watching too many videos and looking at too many pictures.

Click on submit and await winning my free stuff.

What could be easier?

Guess what?

It wants access to my Facebook profile and friend’s list before my answer wings its way to the winner’s pile.

Whoa.
Stop this runaway train.

One, what if I have no friends because I’m grumpy?

Two, if I had any friends they would stop being my friends if I handed out their FB information and Hawaiian Airlines starting spamming them.

Now in Hawaii – a contest, or drawing, is considered gambling if it meets any of these three criteria:

1. It costs something to enter
2. It’s a game of chance, not skill
3. Winning a prize worth something

We can agree 85,000 Hawaiian Miles is probably worth something to most people.

We can also agree 80-percent of the people in Hawaii want a lottery/raffle but the Legislature thinks it knows best.

Anyway, Hawaiian skipped around this dumb raffle law by making me answer some really easy questions.
That’s skill and not chance.

It’s now legal.

And those who won’t share their friend’s list – like me – can enter by following some convoluted process of mailing your name, address and so forth to a place in Michigan and wait for something to come back.

Yeah, too humbug.

I suspect most people will give Hawaiian Airlines their friend’s list because they didn’t think it through and, after all – it’s 85,000 FREE miles!

Here it is again…
Nothing is ever free.

It’s a bad idea and now I’m grumpy.

The limit of my Spanish is ordering stuff from the Taco Bell menu, badly.

On the mainland, it’s a big deal because something like a bunch of the population is Hispanic.

So the argument these days is whether people should speak English or something else at work.

Here’s the latest flap…

A LA school cafeteria has posted a sign for workers saying they should speak only English during working hours – for safety reasons.

As you can imagine – that has raised a ruckus.

One parent says, “I understand that we’re in America, but they should also understand that Latinos are one-third of the population here, especially in L.A.”

I say, “Okay, so?”

I’m scratching my head over all this.

If I moved to Mexico City, should I expect everyone to speak English just because I’m there?

Maybe we then should be speaking Japanese because so many Hawaii tourists are from that country.

Here in Hawaii we take pride in being in this state.
First, we’re Hawaii folks.

Second, we’re from a certain high school.

Then we have or share a certain ethnic background.

Other than that, nobody cares.
We marry each other, hang out with each other and speak a language that contains a smattering of a dozen other languages.

Then we go to work and speak English.

I realize each and every person thinks they’re special.
Guess what – you are – but only in your special way.

This may come as a surprise to some people but they aren’t more special than me or that person over there, or there.

People come to this country for a better life, greater opportunity.

Many have availed themselves of the free programs that educate and support them while they make the transition.

They have gone on to make positive, even amazing contributions to our nation.

They became Americans and our country is better for it.

Hunkering down in a small area, determined to make your place just like “home” does nothing for the person or society as a whole.

Trying to make their place just the like one they left just creates the problems they are trying to get away from.
Or is that too difficult to understand?

I don’t get it.
If someone really wants a place to be like the one they left – then go back.

Oh yea – the opportunities.

Guess what?
They only exist if they make an effort to join society.

I’m beginning to understand what my grandfather meant when he said we’re all going to hell in a handbasket.

Me hace mal humor.