Letters to the Editor
Children of homosexual parents do experiment
Regarding the Nov. 18 article on gay and lesbian families: I suppose you have some excuse for putting forward only the viewpoint of homosexual activists and their allies on the issue.
One of the most blatant examples of your one-sidedness and inaccuracy of the article is your failure to take into account the University of Southern California study by Stacy and Biblarz (2001) that showed that children of homosexual parents are more likely to experiment with homosexual behavior.
Furthermore, common sense tells us that it is absurd to think that children raised by homosexuals would not be influenced in their sexual behavior by homosexual parenting.
Your failure to give credence to those who disagree with The Advertiser's pro-homosexual views on the issue, despite the fact that the majority of Hawai'i's people do not favor homosexual parenting, is proof that The Advertiser has no respect for the values of the majority of Hawai'i's people.
Mary Papish
Kailua
Style of leadership is Hirono's strength
Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono is the kind of leader Honolulu needs. Michael Reilly apparently knows nothing about Hirono yet claims that she has no discernible style of leadership (Letters, Nov. 15).
When her extensive work led to the passage earlier this year of a vital comprehensive educational package that contained the most progressive initiatives to improve education for our children and support teacher quality — that took leadership.
When she saved Hawai'i's businesses millions of dollars by working closely with the Legislature this year to pilot the repeal of the highly controversial Medical Privacy Act — that took leadership.
Just a few weeks ago, when she led the charge and became the driving force to ensure desperately needed health benefits for workers and families displaced as a result of the Sept. 11 tragedy — that took leadership.
Reilly appears to have a different definition of leadership than I do. Those who work with Mazie are impressed by her passion for fairness, her intellectual yet compassionate approach, her talent to bring differing views to the table. Mazie's distinctive leadership results in moving mountains for the people of Hawai'i. I like Mazie Hirono's style of leadership.
Joy Kobashigawa Lewis
'Peace advocates' are ignoring reality
Shane Pale in his Nov. 16 letter sounds like other so-called "peace advocates" who blame America for all the violence in the world and still believe we can appease and rationalize with terrorists.
Here's a reality check: Peace is a two-way street. Both sides must desire peace deep down inside. Negotiations, appeasement and diplomacy might work if the other side has somewhat rational self-interests such as food, political authority, economic aid or territorial objectives.
However, if a terrorist's sole purpose in life is to acquire nuclear and chemical weapons to destroy America and kill Americans (as they have freely admitted and even boasted about), no amount of diplomacy or peace overtures will stop them from killing.
Perhaps Pale and others from the far-left fringe would rather see thousands more American civilians murdered than admit that what our country is doing is actually just and right. These so-called "peace advocates" are not so much for peace as they are against America.
Finally, if what America is doing is so wrong, why are the Afghans in the cities and villages liberated from the Taliban dancing and celebrating in the street? Why are Afghan women rejoicing at being able to attend school and work once again?
Terence Yeh
Racial discrimination in sheep's clothing?
If you have no Hawaiian blood, are you a victim of racial discrimination by the Hawaiian sovereignty movement?
Consider that Rice vs. Cayetano clearly states that native Hawaiians are a race, dissimilar to Indian tribes. The revolution in Hawai'i, assisted by the United States, overthrew a constitutional monarchy, the citizens and subjects of which were of many races. Also, if the Kingdom of Hawai'i had persisted, everyone born in Hawai'i would be a citizen by birth. Many of us would thus have been equals, Hawaiian blood or not.
Sen. Akaka and our entire congressional delegation, pandering to the ethnic Hawaiian vote, support a bill that establishes a process toward achieving sovereignty by native Hawaiians only. Most sovereignty advocates seek land as an end desire. Ceded lands belonged to the Kingdom of Hawai'i, a multiracial government, and not to ethnic Hawaiians alone. Had the monarchy persisted, you, as a descendant of a Hawaiian citizen or a citizen by birth, would also be entitled to this land.
Doesn't this seem like racial discrimination in sheep's clothing?
Paul de Silva
Ignorance was also flying over Hawai'i
I grew up in Hawai'i, and since I left 14 years ago, I have been looking for a way I can afford to come back. But many of my friends who now live on the Mainland too have tried to dissuade me. They say that their eye-opening exposure to the rest of the U.S. prohibits them from enjoying what they used to love about Hawai'i — the naivete of its inhabitants, the innocence associated with living in paradise.
After reading the brouhaha over flying the U.S. flag over 'Iolani Palace, I now agree with them. I cannot return to Hawai'i. The ignorance of many of the people there would irritate me to no end.
The British (whom we defeated during the Revolutionary War) and the Germans (whom we fought during World War II) flew the American flag in solidarity. C'mon, Hawai'i — get real!
C. Amor Haines
Washington, D.C.
Flying flag appropriate
Alice Guild does not need to apologize to anyone. The Friends of 'Iolani Palace did the right thing by flying our country's flag. The sovereignty activists do not speak for the rest of us Native Hawaiians.
Jim Mee
There are other things that are 'off-putting'
I've never gone nude to a beach in my life, but I disagree with Lee Cataluna's recent column on that subject.
It's true that "a group of naked strangers just might be off-putting to some of our more conservative members of society." But so would wearing a thong bathing suit. So would wearing a two-piece or even a one-piece bathing suit.
Some Muslims are offended by the immodesty in not covering hair. Some are outraged when women don't cover themselves from head to toe in a burqa, and that they have the gall to be educated and hold down a job.
Do you eat pork or beef? Eat any meat at all? Drive an SUV? Drive at all? Gawk at imprisoned animals at the zoo? Some people take umbrage at these seemingly innocuous acts.
Is Cataluna willing to severely limit her choices in a futile attempt to please everyone? Or is she simply trying to impose her superior moral code on those less enlightened than she — for their own good, of course?
Jim Henshaw
Kailua
No incidents noted at beach-access lane
I am one of the owners of the controversial Portlock beach-access lane. Having lived here over 12 years, I have never had a problem with anyone using the lane. Most visitors are very courteous and keep the beach clean. The majority are families with small children, middle-aged surfers and occasionally fishermen.
One neighbor has reported wild late-night parties on the beach. There do not appear to be any police reports to support that claim, and I have never noticed such a disturbance.
This same neighbor stated, "My three little children are terrorized. All we want is security."
This is perplexing as his youngest "little" child is a 17-year-old son. If he has any new children, he is to be congratulated. More perplexing, however, is that he and his family moved to the Mainland recently.
It is time to forget this non-issue and allow the neighborhood the peace and serenity to enjoy the natural beauty of our ocean and beaches without a lot of pilikia regarding gates, locks and insincere claims.
Jay Freis
Portlock
Towering structure atop Tantalus terrible
Having lived on O'ahu all my life, I enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains. I particularly love to look at the skyline surrounding the city.
Recently, I have noticed when driving to work from the east side of O'ahu a towering structure of gigantic proportion atop Tantalus, with its satellite dishes sticking out in every direction. It looks like a weapon from the movie "Star Wars." It must be at least 200 feet high because it towers above the pine trees, which themselves must be 50 feet high.
Where was the Manoa Neighborhood Board, Life of the Land and the Outdoor Circle when this object was being constructed? I'm sure it was not built overnight. Power lines going across Wa'ahila Ridge would not even come close to the desecration of the beautiful scenery that has happened to Tantalus.
Dan Uyeda
Tobacco firms gave to local campaigns
Rep. Willie Espero's recent letter, "Med school should join anti-smoking fight," reeks of hypocrisy.
The truth is, many legislators, Espero included, receive their biggest campaign contributions directly from the tobacco lobby. Espero received $1,000 from both R.J. Reynolds and Brown and Williams tobacco companies.
To combine the med school and an anti-smoking fight is to try fighting the tobacco industry after their products have had their impact on the smoker. The Legislature decided to use the tobacco settlement money to help build the medical school ostensibly to treat cancer patients, but if they had really wanted to fight cancer, they would have put the money into stopping kids before they start smoking.
If one wants to determine why the Legislature does things, you only have to follow the money.
Garry P. Smith
'Ewa Beach
Restaurant that banned smoking doing just fine
Irony: The Japanese were the first to establish that passive smoking killed nonsmokers.
I have used a Japanese restaurant in a Waikiki hotel for some years. Two years ago it banned smoking to protect employees. The mainly Japanese customers made no protest, business stayed the same, and the chef appreciated that aromas and flavors of food were no longer spoiled by smoke.
Lois Raynor
Loyal Garner gave of herself unselfishly
I was just informed of the passing of Loyal Garner. I had the blessed opportunity to work with her in a number of community projects in the '70s and '80s in my volunteer capacity as director of public relations for the Hawai'i Jaycees, president of the Hawai'i Muscular Dystrophy Association and a member of the board of directors at Waimano Home.
Also, for many years I helped to organize a huge gingerbread village display at Pearl Ridge Center each Thanksgiving weekend, and Loyal was one of the first persons to volunteer her time and talent along with Danny Keleikini, Carol Kai, Checkers and Pogo and many others, who were given one of the gingerbread houses that were then donated to the charity of their choice for the Christmas holidays. One year, Loyal donated her gingerbread house to Geraldo Rivera, and it was flown by United Airlines to Willowbrook, a home for the developmentally challenged in New York.
She was so loving and generous and certainly spread the true aloha spirit throughout the Islands and beyond. She even traveled out here to the East Coast a few years back and shared Hawai'i's heritage, rich culture and aloha in a performance at the Somerville Theater in Massachusetts.
She will be missed, and her spirit will always live on. We certainly need more of Loyal's type of special unselfish love during these difficult days our world is experiencing.
Edward Colozzi
Winchester, Mass.
Enough, already, about negative news
I was watching the local news, and the newscaster went on and on naming several companies in Hawai'i and how many people got laid off. She had the biggest smile on her face, as if she were reading script.
But why should the newscasters care as long as they still have their jobs?
People want to be optimistic and have hope to keep their jobs, their apartments, their cars.
Why does the news constantly have to barrage us with "how bad is it here"? Please give it a rest. I saw a local couple yesterday buy a Rolex watch at an Ala Moana shop. That made me feel optimistic.
Monica Lewis
Where's the price cut?
As world oil prices continue to fall, I would like to know why we are still paying $2.08 to $2.26 a gallon for gas on Maui and why Hawaiian Electric continues to bill an energy cost adjustment with monthly electric bills. Where is our governor, when we need him?
R. Cochrane
Lahaina, Maui
