I was offended the first time I saw it, and I'm sure anyone of any race would be offended.

I have relatives of almost every race you can think of, and I would have been upset if any of the other three babies' surnames were used as an example. I wonder if any local people had a say in the final decision of making this commercial.

The Department of Health was very callous and offensive and should apologize and pull the commercial.

Randy Avilla
Waipahu

Bob Kerrey cartoon thoroughly tasteless

Daryl Cagle's cartoon of Bob Kerrey with a hangman's noose around his neck fashioned from his Medal of Honor was thoroughly tasteless and off the mark. What's his point? That Kerrey's combat record has doomed him for evermore?

Your cartoonist apparently believes one individual's unverified allegations, which have been denounced by the rest of Kerrey's SEAL team, have the power to doom him. Or maybe The Advertiser believes the 32-year-old recollections of people who live under one of the world's most repressive regimes.

Most editorial cartoonists strut like peacocks when their work is described as tasteless and exhibit pride that they can offend large numbers of readers so easily. It's a sign of immaturity and irresponsibility.

Among newspaper staff members, only editorial cartoonists seemingly have a license to "report" in their fashion with no need to be balanced, reasonable or fair. They can do great good with their talent, but in this case, your cartoonist has done needless harm.

Doug Carlson

Steve Alm served state with distinction

I would like to thank Steve Alm for the outstanding service he provided as U.S. attorney for Hawai'i.

Under Steve's leadership, Hawai'i made positive strides in the ongoing war on crime. By employing a combination of federal, state and local resources, he fostered a synergistic strategy that has proven successful in reducing crime.

One example is the Weed & Seed program. This collaborative effort teams federal, state and local agencies with the community to identify problems, weed out the criminal elements and seed in community building elements.

I had the privilege of observing his skills when Weed & Seed launched its program in Waipahu last year. The results were almost immediate, netting 31 individuals for drug trafficking and establishing community projects that fostered better relations between neighbors and created a sense of pride throughout the community.

The success of Weed & Seed's first site in the Kalihi-Palama-Chinatown area has been nothing short of phenomenal, reducing Part I crimes (murder, negligent homicide, rape, robbery and burglary) by 75 percent and Part II crimes (drug law, DUI, prostitution, gambling, family offenses, weapons and stolen property) by 69 percent.

These examples are mere footnotes in what will undoubtedly be a prosperous career on the bench. Steve has proven his abilities as a protector of our community, and with his appointment to the Circuit Court, he will continue to serve the people of our state.

Congratulations, Steve, and thanks for all of your hard work in making our island state safer for everyone.

John DeSoto
Council member, District 4

California has no plan to bury all utility lines

Calling it "The next power crisis," The Washington Post recently stated, "There aren't enough transmission lines to carry the nation's electricity."

As we work our way through the important issue of transmission reliability in Hawai'i, it is important to keep the facts straight. In a letter from Jeremy Lam, he asks if we are "aware that the California PUC has had a plan to underground all utility lines there for the last 30 years."

There is no plan in California to bury all utility lines. There has been a plan in place to bury lines on a limited basis, and the focus is on conversion of existing overhead lines, both electrical and communication.

Interestingly, the California Public Utilities Commission is reviewing the effectiveness of that program, stating that, "The benefits of undergrounding must be compared to its costs and balanced against consumers' willingness to pay for the program."

As a point of information, over half of the electrical lines on O'ahu are underground. Lines in new subdivisions have been buried for over 30 years, with the developers and ultimately the homeowners paying for the cost to underground.

And HECO has in place a cost-sharing program for communities willing to share the cost of burying their existing neighborhood electrical distribution lines.

Ken Morikami
Hawaiian Electric Co.

Legislative leadership should be commended

There were many distractions during the 2001 legislative session, including, but not limited to, the state teachers' strike. However, Senate and House leadership steered their respective ships through the treacherous waters, coming out of the session with the first true governmental reforms in decades.

The leadership in both houses was not swayed by public union opposition to the privatization bill and the Public Employees' Health Fund bill. Other noteworthy items that passed were raising the minimum wage, defining a "Felix" child and increasing the operating budgets of the departments of Education and Human Services over the next two fiscal years by over $200 million and $80 million respectively. This effort took great courage and leadership.

I have personally been involved in past legislative sessions, and it was nice to witness a session where true changes were made. Let us all commend the leaders of the 2001 Legislature who made the tough and unpopular decision to protect Hawai'i's future and enact serious changes for the betterment of the state.

Christian Fern

Campaign complaint was just harassment

I am happy to hear that Carol Gabbard has been cleared of a complaint filed by gay activists involving alleged campaign spending violations. I voted for Carol Gabbard and think she is doing a super job in her new role as a Board of Education member.

It appears to me that many gay extremists are dissatisfied with the democratic process and are trying to do everything in their power to harass her and damage her reputation. One of the basic principles of our free society is that we can engage in discourse about the issues, while refraining from personal and mean-spirited attacks.

It is obvious that the charges made by the gay activists are motivated out of hate for Carol Gabbard and not out of any concern for supposed campaign spending violations.

Mike Hinchey

Why did Life of Land get involved in case?

As former members of Life of the Land, we were disappointed to read that it was a party to the case against the Mu Ryang Sa temple in Palolo. That seems a long way from the original high purpose of the organization suggested by its name.

We don't see where cutting 6.2 feet off the height of the roof of that temple is of any benefit to the few homes situated behind it, nor is it essential to the Life of the Land.

Harold and Robin Loomis

Gambling proponents will return next year

In your May 2 editorial regarding the prospect of tax hikes raised by House Speaker Calvin Say and Senate President Robert Bunda, didn't you overlook the obvious? Both are proponents of legalized gambling (or to use its apologists' smarmy euphemism, "gaming").

Most agree that the overall size of government should not grow, but with the already-scheduled tax reductions, recent settlements with teachers and others and increasing cost to fulfill the Felix mandate, some form of "revenue enhancement" indeed may become necessary to avoid cutting vital services.

Everyone well knows, though, that raising taxes is a virtual political nonstarter. Thus any talk of it now probably is nothing more than a straw man. When the full force of the inevitable outcry against any serious tax hike proposal develops, guess what? As surely as night follows day, gambling's proponents again will advance gambling legalization and tax revenue as the solution to the problem.

Wrong as they are, they seem never to give up. We can never forget this.

Douglas P. Luna

Free booster seats available from Ford

Regarding Michele Brune's May 5 letter on booster seats being too expensive: Ford Motor Co. is currently giving away a million booster seats for free in its program "Boost America." All you have to do is go to a Ford dealership in your area and bring in your children.

They will give you a voucher, one per child, that is redeemable at Toys-R-Us for a free Evenflo Right Fit booster car seat.

For more information about "Boost America," the Web site is www.boostamerica.org and the toll-free number is 1-866-BOOSTKID.

Allyson McAdams

Boys aren't winning their share of awards

The May 7 Advertiser reported that 58 students received the Maoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation Awards, but only 12 of them were young men.

I cannot believe the girls of Hawai'i are more intelligent than the boys. I can only believe the boys are not using the brains they have and are spending too much time in other pursuits.

The boys have a definite challenge to get on the ball to improve their education and win their share of the educational awards.

Thomas E. Mullenniex

June Jones: Gutsy or just stupid?

I am an avid proponent of the use of seatbelts. I am also an avid sports fan and one who shared everyone's concern over June Jones' Feb. 22 automobile accident.

I had always figured that once he recovered, June would use this opportunity to be grateful for his recovery, to express gratitude to his doctors, and then join the crusade for the use of seatbelts. Until the May 6 Advertiser articles, many people had surmised that June had temporarily unbuckled his seatbelt to reach for something on the floor of the car (an unwise decision, but at least a plausible excuse). Instead, Jones said he must have merely fallen asleep (implying that he regularly drives without a seatbelt).

Jones went on to boast about how taking risks has its rewards and how he gets a thrill from living on the edge. He admitted that, since leaving the hospital, he has already driven his motorcycle around O'ahu at illegal and excessive speeds just to prove to himself that "I'm back." He went on to say that he intends to again drive at 120 mph. He likens this type of thrill to being "fourth-and-1 when you throw the ball."

Jones' demeanor (as portrayed by the newspaper's staff writers) was one that showed little or no regard for the thoughts of well-wishers, including the president of the United States, whose personal letter appears to have been merely glossed over, then filed away.

In one article, Jones was quoted several times as saying that his unchanged style "probably isn't the smartest thing to do." He attributes the fact that he lived through the near-fatal car accident to luck (with which I agree) and that "the good Lord saved him for a reason ... and that reason is football." Say what?

Mr. Jones, my advice to you is to get your priorities straight. Instead of burdening your young son with a discussion about the world of responsibilities that would have fallen onto his shoulders if you had died, be thankful that you are alive. Recognize that, like it or not, all sports figures are examples to our youth, not just the athletes themselves, but especially leaders such as coaches and members of university faculties.

It is time for you to humble yourself to a worldwide community that hoped and prayed for your recovery and take this opportunity to set an example of responsibility. Use your influence to remind everyone that seatbelts save lives and vow that, from now on, you will buckle up every time you get into a car (and mean it).

Please encourage all drivers to operate their vehicles within the boundaries of the law and take a few moments to reflect on the fact that, when one exercises prudent behavior in daily life, such behavior is not tantamount to a "lack of guts."