Letters to the Editor
Americans already targets of violence
In Noel Jacob Kent's Sept. 20 letter, he says that an attack on Iraq will make "Americans the targets of violence." Does he know what happened on Sept. 11, 2001? I hate to point out the obvious, but we are already targets.
I sometimes wonder that if the U.S. were planning an attack on al-Qaida and the Taliban before Sept. 11, would people like Kent be saying that Osama bin Laden poses no threat to the U.S. because there is no credible evidence that he will fly planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?
Ronn Miyashiro
Kane'ohe
Peace Corps article brought back memories
Mahalo for David Polhemus' insightful Focus piece of Sept. 22 on the Peace Corps — one of the best I have read as to the influences of the experience for both the volunteer and the host country nationals — that's what we used to call them.
As a former volunteer in Micronesia from 1968-71 and then as Peace Corps training officer in Sri Lanka, 1985-86, I consider my Peace Corps experiences as seminal moments in my life — experiences that shaped my world view, allowing me to better understand some of the more profound needs we all share as humans.
The Peace Corps afforded me the opportunity to better understand so many others outside of my American world. The excellent Focus article succinctly pointed out the pros and cons of such an experience.
Vinnie Linares
Kula, Maui
Central O'ahu plan ignores residents
The City Council will hold a public hearing today on the Central O'ahu Sustainable Communities Plan. The primary focus of this plan is to redirect some of the planned growth in the "Second City" area to Central O'ahu, in contravention of the General Plan and Mayor Harris' 1998 State of the City address.
The plan also continues to ignore often-voiced residents' concerns about the education and transportation implications of the additional 25,000 homes in Central O'ahu it proposes. Residents of the Mililani area have repeatedly raised these concerns since they first became aware of the plan in 1999, but despite numerous public meetings and working groups hosted by the Department of Planning & Permitting, the most recent version of the plan is not substantively different from the original version.
As a result, in meetings last spring, both the Mililani and Mililani Mauka neighborhood boards unanimously passed resolutions in opposition to the plan.
What is particularly disturbing in this whole process is the apparent attempt to ignore the concerns of those who will be most affected by the plan — the residents of Central O'ahu — in its formulation and adoption. From a perceived attempt by the Department of Planning & Permitting to sneak the plan past the community in 1999, to a short notice of a public hearing at the City Council today at 2 p.m. (when most people cannot attend, instead of an evening hearing in the community where citizens have a real opportunity to voice their opinions), only lip service is being paid to the concerns of the residents of Central O'ahu.
Douglas C. Thomas
Mililani
Battle was difficult, but we fought hard
I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who worked so hard to make this campaign a reality. I thank our hard-working volunteers, my supporters and everyone who voted for us. Your hard work and dedication will resonate in untold ways for many years to come.
It hasn't been easy running in this state as a Republican.
Republicans stand for new ideas and change. We have brought solutions for the economy, government accountability, education and growth to the legislative floor and the executive office.
People said that we were shooting at the moon when we entered this race. We might have missed the moon, but we got people in this state to gaze at the stars.
I firmly believe Hawai'i should be led by an anti-abortion governor. One who understands that doctor-assisted suicide is a grave evil. A governor who will do whatever it takes to make sure that marriage and all its inherent rights and benefits exist forever between one man and one woman.
Man fights for far more than the mere hope of winning.
We, our small band of friends, hunters, zealots, pastors and pilots, have fought hard and clean with what we had.
This campaign was for much more than winning a governor's race. This campaign was about making Hawai'i the best place in the world to live. It was about the Republican platform and all that it stands for.
I support the Republican Party. I ask each of you to go to the polls in November and vote Republican.
It's time to give Hawai'i the benefits of a true Republican philosophy: compassion, values and strength, as well as new, practical, actionable thinking to help Hawai'i recover its economic strength.
God bless Hawai'i. God bless America.
John Carroll
Voting experience was pleasant, rewarding
Kudos to the Office of Elections for a well-run primary. I found my polling place well-staffed with courteous and very helpful workers.
I was also impressed with the addition of the person who explained the ballot as well as the good-natured person who helped us feed our ballots into the machine.
It's unfortunate that more voters did not take advantage of their right to vote. Besides being a demonstration of good citizenship, they would have found it a pleasant and rewarding experience.
Dave Young
Democratic machine controlled election
The strategists of the Democratic political machine that has controlled the state of Hawai'i for the past 40 years are brilliant. They faced a serious threat in Ed Case, an independent-thinking Democrat. To overcome the threat to their political control, they convinced long-time Republican Andy Anderson to run for governor as a Democrat, to be the spoiler stopping Ed Case from being the Democratic candidate for governor.
This is shown by the primary election results: Hirono, 75,180 votes; Case, 72,753; and Anderson, 32,663.
If the Democratic machine, headed by U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, wins the general election, it will keep control of our state for an additional eight years or more, for its best interest.
Wilbert W.W. Wong
Kane'ohe
Republicans nearly sabotaged primary
Let me see if I can put together the events of primary election day in a more sensible fashion than Kevin Dayton and other political pundits did.
The Republican primary had a much-lower-than-expected turnout, while the single liberal candidate in the Democratic primary barely managed to squeak out a victory over her conservative opponents, despite holding a double-digit lead in polls shortly before the vote. It shouldn't take a political scientist to determine that Hawai'i's open-primary system allowed tens of thousands of Republicans to nearly sabotage the Democratic primary — a logical choice for those who would enjoy the prospect of Linda Lingle facing not one but two votes versus conservative opponents.
I am proud that Democratic voters have rejected the Clintonian anti-government ideology of the Democratic leadership, but while Mazie Hirono escaped, others, including Bob Nakata, the Senate's most progressive pro-labor and pro-environment legislator, fell victim to the votes of outsiders.
Democratic Party leaders should reflect on these events and act to change the nation's most open primary system. If no commitment to a party is required to vote in its primary, partisan primaries become meaningless.
Richard Weigel
'Aiea
Mink needs to let us know what's going on
Sens. Inouye and Akaka argue that U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink has a constitutional right to privacy ("Senators back Mink's family on privacy issue," Sept. 20). Have they forgotten about my constitutional right to be represented?
Rep. Mink has missed several votes during her illness. Gov. Ben Cayetano tells us that she doesn't need to campaign, and that her record speaks for her ("No word yet on Mink's condition," Sept. 23). But how can I, as a responsible voter, make an informed decision when I can't get information about her?
It's difficult to fight an illness, but as a public servant, Rep. Mink needs to let her constituency know what's going on.
Kevin Schlag
La'ie
Why move voting to McCoy Pavilion?
Whose bright idea was it to change the voting location for Waikiki District 12 from Ft. DeRussy to McCoy Pavilion?
Everyone knows that Ala Moana Beach Park, where McCoy Pavilion is located, is one of the busiest areas on a Saturday. There is no parking anywhere near the pavilion.
My husband and I were lucky that we found a parking space on the street on Ala Moana Boulevard, but we had to walk a ways to get to the polling place. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the elderly. My daughter had to walk from our apartment in Waikiki to McCoy Pavilion because there was no parking.
Why would anyone choose a place where there is no parking? If we couldn't find any parking, we were not going to vote. It's very discouraging because everyone (candidates, news media, etc.) is saying to go out and vote, but government makes it difficult to vote because of the location.
L. Nakamura
God holds patent on biotechnology
As a holder of a bachelor's degree in plant pathology from the University of California at Berkeley, I completely concur with John Willer's letter of Sept. 21, "Rant on biotechnology ill-informed, unfortunate."
I would just like to add that it is in my opinion that God or somebody like Him holds the patent on biotechnology. A guy named Darwin called it "survival of the fittest." Were it not for God's patent, we would still be amoebas, or less.
Wm. P. Wrixon
Keep politics out of our center
In early June, the Filipino community joyously celebrated the grand opening of the long-awaited Fil-Com Center. Many organizations, businesses and corporations, along with hundreds of Filipinos from all walks of life, pooled their resources to see the project become a reality. It took us decades to create this institution.
The Fil-Com Center, a symbol of ethnic pride and unity, faced its first major crisis before its doors even opened. Many Filipinos spoke out against plans by Fil-Com officials to hang a "Bahay (House) Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation" sign on the building to honor the foundation's $3 million donation. Quite a number protested that the Fil-Com Center was not for sale. The center's faceplate, they argued, is its flag and should be protected at all costs.
To head off the growing dissatisfaction among Filipinos, I met with Fil-Com Center officers and offered to discuss the matter with officials from the Weinberg Foundation in hopes of finding a middle ground. That we did. A compromise was reached and we put the controversy to a peaceful rest. Fil-Com Center and Weinberg Foundation leaders should be commended for their understanding and cooperation.
Now, three months later, the Fil-Com Center is faced with a more serious crisis. The center's officers and directors have been rumored to be using their positions of influence to support their respective political candidates, be they Democrats or Republicans. Such actions threaten not only the center's tax-exempt status, but has also created a rift within the Filipino community, which will grow larger and nastier as we proceed in the election process.
The alleged actions of these Filipino leaders are compromising the Fil-Com Center and all the ethnic pride and unity that it symbolizes. Although I am friends with these Filipino leaders, it is with deep regret that I must speak up now. For the sake of the Fil-Com Center and what it stands for, the right thing to do is for these leaders to step down from their positions with the center immediately.
We Filipinos are passionate about politics. Though each of us has the right to support a candidate or get involved with a particular political campaign, a line must be drawn whenever such actions threaten the Fil-Com Center and all that we Filipinos have worked for.
Let the Fil-Com Center serve as a testament to the resilient spirit of the Filipino people and their significant contributions to Hawaii's history — and remain untainted by the divisive and oftentimes ugly nature of politics.
Romy M. Cachola
Honolulu City Council member
