Posted on: Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Letters to the Editor
Excising God's name ongoing for millennia
How sad that people would make it their life's ambition to try to remove God's name from oaths, pledges, schools, etc., until we realize that these types of attempts have been going on for thousands of years.
Just the mention of His name has been a stumbling block to some — and yet the Lord endures and always will.
You can try to take God out of our country by removing His name, but it is impossible to take Him out of our hearts. He will prevail.
Patty Kamahele
Lingle is committed to following through
Ben Cayetano faults Linda Lingle's "Agenda for a New Beginning" as being ideas from public relations experts; however, regardless of how derived, she is committed to following through on the ideas presented. All political manifestos are a compilation of the ideas of the best and brightest for all "kitchen cabinets." The buck stops with the person who signs. The problem is that after a 40-year Democratic stranglehold on the institutions of Hawai'i, the Democratic "gray eminences" (Walter Heen, et al.) have been unable to come up with a cabal to write an "agenda for change" for Mazie Hirono, other than to draft Andy Anderson to serve as a "spoiler" to prevent the nomination of Ed Case, a truly independent Democrat for change.
Mazie has been part of the "business as usual" crowd for over 20 years; it's going to be hard to divorce herself from that marriage.
T.J. Davies Jr.
All primary elections should be nonpartisan
Richard Weigel's Sept. 25 letter alleging that Republicans almost "sabotaged" the Democratic primary has it completely backward. Ed Case lost because thousands of people who would have voted for him in the general election pulled Republican ballots, whereas you could probably count on the fingers of one hand Mazie Hirono supporters among Republican primary voters.
The quasi-open primary system we have penalizes people like Ed Case who straddle the political center, leaving us with polarized representation — conservative Republicans, liberal Democrats, and precious few people who understand both perspectives. This is a recipe for legislative gridlock if Republicans gain control of the governorship or state House.
We need the exact opposite of Richard Weigel's prescription — we need all primary elections to be nonpartisan, just like the City Council primaries, with the top two vote-getters regardless of party advancing to the general election. Only then will voters near the political center get fair and equal representation.
Jim Henshaw
State should appeal Sacred Falls ruling
Taxpayers should demand that the state appeal Circuit Court Judge Dexter Del Rosario's ludicrous decision because no one can get to Sacred Falls without becoming aware that rocks fall, and that large rocks are most likely to fall on one's head.
A judge ought to be bright enough to understand that when entry to Sacred Falls is prohibited, people climb over, knock down or destroy barriers to get to Sacred Falls. Neither the state nor God can, or should, be held responsible.
Rico Leffanta
Hula Show crowned my list of memories
My memories of Hawai'i date back 50 years to my arrival as a GI. I remained through the 1950s as a civilian. I was married at Pearl City, and my eldest was born at Queen's Hospital. I fondly remember The Advertiser and especially the Bob Krauss column. It was my day brightener.
I have seen many changes in my favorite city, from a distance, not all pleasant, but I was crushed to see the demise of the Hula Show. This regular event, along with regular visits to the old Waikiki Tavern and Queen's Surf, crowned my list of Waikiki memories.
Although I am now rather long in the tooth, I hope to return and try to recover some of the flavor of those bygone days from before the big change on the "beach" that created a little Miami.
Chuck Bullock
Kanoe Miller taught us well about marriage
Kanoe "Kanoelehua Kaumeheiwa" Miller is a class act. She probably knows, as all great wives do, that by honoring her husband, she makes him a better man and herself an even greater lady.
It is such a pleasure to read of one so beautiful, chosen as Miss Hawai'i 1973, having the greatness of spirit to devote her life to the happiness of someone else.
She gave the perfect answer in the article to those who don't seem to quite understand that the union between a man and a woman in marriage is the most glorious human relationship possible. You should preserve and reuse the articulate, thoughtful, considerate expression used by Kanoe in the article, namely that "I love my husband (John) dearly and was honored to take his name."
I imagine that, in turn, he worships her as I do my wonderful wife, who honored me by doing the same. There is no greater happiness in life than that found in marriage and the family.
Phillip C. Smith
Cataluna is without a political agenda
Lee Cataluna is the only articulate member of your staff. She is one of a few without a political agenda, and probably the only journalist in Hawai'i without fear of the Democratic Party and unions of Hawai'i.
I look forward to the day when she becomes the editor.
Tom Kinney
• • •
More on Patsy Mink's death
Issues won't wait for special election Less than a day after Patsy Mink's death, Democratic politicians were asking us to vote for her anyway. Doing so is not in our best interests.
Only four Congress members represent Hawai'i. We are on the brink of war with Iraq, in a war on terrorism, and there are serious threats from the federal government against our liberty. These issues need to be debated now. The debate will not wait for the state to organize a new election in several months.
Lloyd Jeffery Mallan, an antiwar candidate from the Libertarian Party, is running against Republican Bob McDermott, who will support the president's policy. Either candidate will be able to take your phone call, read your petition and hear your voice. They will ultimately answer to us in the next election. If a special election is called, the issues will be debated without us.
Gerard Murphy There are better uses for that $4 million
Whether or not you agree with Patsy Mink's political views, no one can deny her dedication to public service and impact on women's equality in academics and athletics. However, the voters of Hawai'i need to realize that the $4 million that may go to having two special elections could be used to better education and decrease traffic congestion, just to name two. I will choose to honor Patsy Mink in my everyday life when, for instance, I watch women playing sports at UH or when I visit my pediatrician or dentist, who are both women. I believe these are all ways that the people of Hawai'i can remember Rep. Patsy Mink.
Rachael Duncan
Democrats politicizing Patsy Mink's death
Two million dollars. That is what it will cost the citizens of Hawai'i in taxes to hold a special election if Patsy Mink wins the general election in November.
Sen. Inouye said the cost is worth it to put someone in Mink's place who will carry on her tradition, and the voters should memorialize her by voting for her in November. The Democrats accuse the Republicans of politicizing the Iraq debate; I am accusing the Democrats of politicizing Patsy Mink's death.
The incumbents in Congress and the Democratic leadership of Hawai'i do not care if the taxpayers of Hawai'i have to foot the bill for a special election; they will do anything and say anything to keep a Republican from getting that seat.
Bob McDermott is a hard-working, honest and truthful man.He deserves the votes of every citizen of Hawai'i in November.
James Roller
Manipulating system is dishonest, corrupt
Part of the genius of our political system is the idea that we elect people of different parties and points of view. This not only helps to keep the system honest, it gives us the benefit of new ideas and approaches to old problems.
Call me cynical, but I find it remarkable that after a month of hospitalization, Patsy Mink, up to the day before she died, was by most accounts expected to recover. Now we are poised to have a dead Democrat win an election. Would Mink, if she could choose, be proud to leave, as her final legacy to the people of Hawai'i, a $2 million special election? What will the turnout for that election be?
Sen. Inouye said that this kind of speculation was "ghoulish." I find this manipulation of the system dishonest and corrupt.
My condolences to the Mink family, but add my voice to the mantra for change.
Steven Maier
Bottom-line culpability must rest with voters
The Sept. 28 editorial discounted the convenient timing of the Mink announcement that she would be unable to serve (a day too late to name a new candidate).
My first response was to fault Democratic Party arrogance for this latest improbability. Surely elected officials and party leadership could have stepped in earlier. But bottom-line culpability must rest with the voters.
By continuing to allow Democrats to shamelessly manipulate us (the Heftel smear, last election's "whisper" campaign, threats of unemployment to the state's union members, and now, buying time to mount a successor campaign), we will get what we deserve: a $2 million special election and a party that feels it can do anything it wants and get away with it.
Had enough?
C.E. Lusk
Democrats should pay for new election
If the Democrats are serious about people voting for Patsy Mink and she somehow manages to win the election, then the Democratic Party ought to pay the costs of staging the special election. At an estimated $2 million, the special election would be a colossal, insane waste of money.
Encouraging people to vote for a deceased person, regardless of the expensive and wasteful consequences, is simply another demonstration of the unbelievable arrogance of the Democrats — and it is logical to suspect they conspired to conceal Mink's real condition from the public.
Are the Democrats so addicted to power that the thought of a Republican inhabiting one of our House seats is that unbearable? Can't they wait two years to try to reclaim the seat?
James Ko
Public figures have no right to privacy
With the passing of Rep. Patsy Mink, I could not help but reflect on the primary election of Sept. 21. Her illness was kept from the public under the guise of personal privacy, which does apply to the basic citizen.
Rep. Mink was not a basic citizen; she was a public servant, and however unfortunate it may be, those who choose public life cannot expect the voting public to look the other way when illness presents itself. Those who choose public life have a responsibility to be up-front and honest about their ability to serve.
Now I sit and listen to Sen. Inouye speaking about the upcoming election. The idea of keeping Rep. Mink on the ballot is another ploy from the Democratic Party to take votes away from others who can serve.
To top it off, Sen. Inouye is more than willing to spend "our" tax dollars to hold a special election after the general in case Rep. Mink wins the seat.
Time for a change!
Scott Glasgow
Kapolei
Kailua
Princeton, Minn.
Kane'ohe
'Aiea
9th-grade homeschool student, Kailua
Kane'ohe
