The mayor could have gotten lots of points by indicating that he would like to see the commission's evidence and work with it to find a cure for any problem. Also, it is hard to understand how a mayor so devoted to micro-management could mismanage his own campaign funds. I guess the adage of a true leader, "The buck stops here," does not apply to the mayor.

Then I read the newest allegations by Mr. Watada that go back to 1996. Read that again: 1996. Where was Mr. Watada and his commission in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001? The timing of the most recent charges is just too perfect to ruin the mayor's chance for the governor's office.

I am beginning to think that the forces that wrecked Cec Heftel are back at work and functioning like a well-oiled machine.

It would be nice to hear from Mr. Watada as to why his commission has waited five years to bring these issues to the public's attention.

Ray Jeffs

Harris' campaign spending legitimate

Although I've read every story about the alleged campaign finance problems of Jeremy Harris, I had not made up my mind what to believe. Maybe the Harris campaign really was guilty of serious, knowing violations. Or maybe Bob Watada was improperly using his office and violating the public trust to go after Harris for personal reasons.

Then I made up my mind when Watada attacked the Harris campaign for its spending, not its fund-raising. Harris' travel is absolutely a legitimate campaign expense. He gets to decide how to spend his campaign funds, and if he thinks this trip or that trip would help, more power to him. And when staffers use their personal cars for campaign business, the parking tickets they receive are a legitimate expense, too.

Since the latest round of charges seem so bogus to me, I've made up my mind to give Harris the benefit of the doubt on the other charges, too. I look forward to the race for governor between Linda Lingle and Harris without all these side shows.

Walt Barnes
Kapa'a

Separation of church, state is vital to us

This letter commends you and Mitch Kahle for presenting the issues on the church-state problems that have arisen in this community.

We are fortunate to have a knowledgeable and keen observer of this issue in Mr. Kahle. He is conversant with the laws and has brought out significant violations of the precious principle of separation of church and state. Despite his personal views on religion, he has done a great service that places him at risk in the community.

What is remarkable in this ongoing controversy is that those who stress personal faith and direct relation to God through prayer and devotion are the most ardent in trying to secure the power and influence of the state to protect their religion. They seem to be unaware that it is in America, where there is strict separation of church and state, that religion thrives, while in countries with state-sponsored religion, it is dead and formal.

The free practice of religion in our nation is one of the glories of our society, and we should make every effort to maintain that condition, particularly in these times of stress and struggle in our world. Vital faith is a matter of the heart and mind, a personal commitment, not the formalism of state sponsorship.

Alfred Bloom
Kailua

Use of the word 'hero' misused at Olympics

The glorious young people we saw entering the Olympic Stadium are many things. They are stellar athletes. They are a beautiful exemplar of what we would like all of the children of the world to be. They are luminaries in a world grown darker since 9/11. They are a symbol of hope when we need one.

But they are not "heroes" for what they do in their sports.

We all know what heroes are. We saw them on 9/11 and in the following days, and we honor them or their memories.

So I would suggest to all of those who write or talk about sports that they spend a few minutes with the Thesaurus, find good words to use, and save the word "hero" for those who have truly earned it by heroic actions.

Betsy Alau
Kane'ohe

Property rights more important than birds

Regarding your Feb. 7 article on endangered species and the restrictions on landowners' property: Who gave EarthJustice Legal Defense Fund the God-like power to tell landowners what they can or cannot do with their property? That should be a function of government.

I read an article about 10 years ago in National Geographic that there were about 400 billion birds on planet Earth. Do these people from EarthJustice know what happens when these birds do their "doo-doo" every day? Are they there with their "pooper scoopers," cleaning up, as dog owners are required to do? Have they ever been to Kuhio Beach and watched the pigeons poop on the tourists every day? They should take a look at my lanai and see what these birds do to it.

If these people from EarthJustice have nothing better to do than to worry about two crows on someone's private property, then this country is in worse trouble than I thought.

Fred Cavaiuolo
Waikiki

1895 'arms smuggling' simply wasn't true

Thurston Twigg-Smith's question in his Feb. 8 letter — "Why didn't queen create public school?" — demands a response.

Did President Cleveland actually allow U.S. arms to be smuggled "in to the queen" and "her counter-revolutionists"?

Sure, the queen was arrested in 1895 based partly on the lie that there was an arsenal of arms buried in the grounds of Washington Place. Mellon ("An Island Kingdom Passes") writes: "Witnesses who saw the bombs taken from the pit ('outside the hedge' surrounding Washington Place) declared they had been 'planted' there ... "

On the other hand, a "widely based uprising" supported by "Native Hawaiians" is not exactly true. The uprising was not "widely based."

Suspicions are that the approximate 35,000 Hawaiians (an overwhelming majority of adult Hawaiians at the time) who signed petitions against the 1898 annexation of Hawai'i were similarly against the uprising.

Why would Princess Pauahi provide for native children any differently than other (St. Albans, which is now Iolani, and Punahou) schools operating at the time (mid to late 1800s)?

Clarence Ching
Waimea, Big Island

Tree snake shows why we need quarantine

The poor lady from Guam who complained about our quarantine system to keep out rabies should have mentioned how Guam's lax system allowed the tree snake to enter Guam and wipe out most of its bird population.

If the only safe way to prevent babies is abstinence, then the only way to prevent rabies from infecting our current pet (and ultimately human) population is the 120-day quarantine system.

I've heard from my legislator how much technology has improved to screen out animals with rabies. Yet I've heard no guarantees that the method proposed is 100 percent safe. With the thousands of pets coming into Hawai'i, all it takes is just one to infect the rest of us living in the Islands.

Is the government going to pay for my doctor fees if I then get rabies? (Do they still give those painful shots in your abdomen?)

G. Chung

Admissions policy could cause trouble

Thurston Twigg-Smith, in his Feb. 6 letter, was correct in stating that Pauahi never specified racial criteria for attendance at Kamehameha Schools. That, in my opinion, is as plain as day.

So plain that a trustee might worry about whether or not there may be personal liability for continuing an admissions policy so clearly outside the scope of authority granted by the provisions of the will creating the trust.

They might also worry that damages for perpetuating this myth might come from their own pockets, not the trust's.

They may be in a very precarious position. It's time to get real about racial preferences.

Paul M. de Silva

'Vagina Monologues' lacks social merit

When a theater production comes into town heralded as a "phenomenon," it shouldn't have to shock the public into attendance.

Full-page ads and radio voice plugs feigning embarrassment at the indelicate title are guaranteed to fill the seats by that part of the public ever in search of something titillating. But "entertaining"? Only if you've lowered your sights to lewd and bawdy humor. In fact, when you've heard the title, you've heard it all.

After decades of fighting to erase the concept of woman as merely a sex object, this self-described "phenomenon" now guarantees that will be the unavoidable male perception. And that plaintive cry of sometimes bona fide "sexual harassment" has surely been stalled, if not stilled forever.

Any of the segments attempting touching sentimentality could have achieved better results in more uplifting dialogue. Instead, the emphasis again and again is drawn to the isolation of a body part not usually mentionable in social dialogue. Short on props, this phenomenon is even shorter on propriety. And original? Just recall any quote from Larry Flynt.

It is indeed a curious world when refinement risks public ridicule while vulgarity reaps public acclaim.

Jane Hays

Healthcare industry should be regulated

So the vice president of HMSA as well as others in the healthcare insurance industry do not believe they should be regulated. They say the state Insurance Commission already regulates them. As usual, they do not tell the truth.

The only oversight the Insurance Commission has is to make sure the companies are solvent. The commission has no authority to even look at rates, much less assure you that increases are justified. So when HMSA raises your premiums by five times the inflation rate, you have to take its word that the increase is necessary. When it says "trust us," you have no one to rely on for the truth.

It's been said in testimony that HMSA has $600 million in reserves, invested and producing income. This is the money it has left over after all expenses. Moreover, due to its nonprofit tax status, it does not pay any taxes on this money. It conveniently forgets this when it sets your rates.

The healthcare insurance industry needs regulation. The people of Hawai'i deserve no less.

George Fox

Dumping cameras is disappointing

I know there has been a firestorm of criticism over the traffic cameras and their implementation, but there are some people who appreciate the opportunity to go a little slower and survive the commute.

To just dump the cameras is giving the slower drivers the middle-finger salute by telling the bullies to go ahead and push and shove, it's OK.

I am very disappointed in the Republicans' stonewalling opposition. Clearly there is no real rationale, just a political opportunity to one-up the Democrats. The community loses, not the Democrats. The Democrats fare no better, but at least they tried to do something about speeding.

Until there is the political commitment to repeal the laws of physics, there remains valid reason not to go too fast and little valid reason not to go slower.

Grant W. Merritt

Bottle deposit tax bad idea for Hawai'i

Your Feb. 8 editorial on the bottle deposit tax reminded me of the comment: "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."

As a plastics manufacturer, I know that market prices are at historic lows.

As a Hawai'i manufacturer, I know that the costs associated with loading and shipping containers offshore, to the Mainland or Asia, are high.

As a business person, I know that you cannot operate for long when the revenue you receive is lower than your costs — unless you receive a subsidy. It just does not work otherwise.

Let's not create garbage-sorting jobs that will depend on government subsidies. Rather, use H-Power as the most cost-effective way to dispose of combustible waste and create electricity as a beneficial by-product.

Paul E. Smith

Lucky we live Hawai'i

The average price of gasoline in the United States last week was $1.14 a gallon. The bad news?