I'm angry if you haven't noticed

This was in the paper today:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Aug/31/ln/FP608310356.html

I'm thinking of writing a letter to the newspaper (maybe just copy and paste my blogs on this subject, heh) because this article is awful and misleading.

My letter:

"I am writing this letter in response to the article you published on Thursday, August 31, 2006, describing the arrest of a Windward Oahu man suspected of arson. My parents are the owners of the gas station mentioned in the article and in my opinion, they have been treated unfairly by HPD and HFD.

On July 22, 2006, the man you mentioned in your article started a fire at my parents' gas station. This is the fire you referred to in your article as having occured "last week." The suspect started the fire by holding a lit cigarette while pumping his gas. The pump caught fire on both sides and the suspect fled. A witness followed the suspect, took down his license plate number (which was given to the police when they arrived), and called the fire department. HFD never came to the scene. From what I have been told, HPD showed up around 30 minutes after the incident. I have a hard time understanding this, since the police station is only two blocks away from the gas station.

I wasn't there to see the fire, but was told by my mother that the flames reached as high as the top of the pump. My parents put out the fire by themselves with a fire extinguisher. This first fire was worse than the more recent fire you mentioned in your article. It caused more damage and threatened more lives because it occured on a busy Saturday morning.

What upsets me is the fact that no one seemed to take the situation seriously. A few days ago, my mother made a phone call to the detective who was handling the case. She asked him about the progress, emphasizing the fact that she wanted the suspect to be arrested. She also expressed her concern that he might come back and start another fire. This detective dismissed her worries and told her that he did not believe this suspect would make a repeat offense. Well, he did.

I would like to see this detective and HFD admit that they were wrong in how they handled this case. HPD had all the information they needed to make an arrest, but it was never done. My parents are hard-working taxpayers and they deserve to receive the services that their tax money supports."

Whew, finally got it all out.