honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, March 19, 2003

Letters to the Editor

Stay out of the culture, traditions of Hawai'i

I'm strongly opposed to the anti-cockfighting bill, and so is the Hawaii Game Breeders Association. Legislators should stay out of the culture and traditions of Hawai'i.

How is it you can put two men in the ring, but not two chickens? People tell me that the men can choose not to fight. Well, if you put two cocks in a ring and one of them walks away, the fight is over. They can choose, too.

These chickens are well taken care of. I spend $80 to $100 a month on vitamins and medicine. If these chickens get hurt, they get surgery.

Virginia Spence


Cutting library funds doesn't make sense

I was sorry to read that our state librarian, Virginia Lowell, is being attacked for trying to stay within the budget boundaries being set up by the Legislature for 2003.

If the Legislature and governor cannot provide the funds necessary to keep our library system functioning properly, cuts have to be made in hours, personnel and services. The library patrons are not happy.

In our rural areas, the library is not only a source of information and reading pleasure, but it has become a community center for adults and children. And now Hawai'i may lose federal support of $900,000 because the proposed state funding will be $500,000 less than the standard the federal government requires for state support. This does not make sense.

Ms. Lowell is a dedicated, professional librarian doing her best for the people of Hawai'i. Let's give her our support.

Alice Stanley
Board member, The Friends of Waialua Public Library


Long-term-care plan isn't just for the elderly

The proposed long-term-care insurance program before the Legislature is not just for the elderly. It would be available when needed for those of all ages who now or may in the future suffer from Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, other chronic diseases, genetic diseases, injuries from head trauma, surfing or automobile accidents, and other disabling accidents.

Four out of 10 long-term-care cases involve those under age 65. This may be the only help these people get. Unlike private insurance, the state program would not be based on health status; it would cover all residents who pay the premiums.

The $70-per-day benefits for 365 days would go a long way to help the families who are caring for most of these people at home. The 365 days need not be taken consecutively.

Laura Manis
Legislative chair, Coalition for Affordable Long Term Care, Kokua Council


Aliens also responsible for roadside 'Call Box'?

Like many of your readers, I, too, was amused by the letters ridiculing the impractical and misleading airport signs recently installed (and then revised) at Honolulu International Airport.

Retired judge Joe Gedan suggested in his letter that these signs must have been designed by aliens who have no idea what is involved in traveling by commercial airline. Perhaps he's right. If so, I suggest the same aliens must be responsible for the blue signs that say "Call Box" by each roadside emergency telephone.

What the heck is a call box? I always thought a call box was the thing a night watchman reported in on. Like not understanding the airport signs, non-English speakers wouldn't have a clue what this means. I only read the English language, but I can recognize the words "Emergency Telephone" in just about every language that uses the Roman alphabet.

And what's with the color blue? Every other emergency sign is either red, yellow, orange or a shade thereof. Actually, some human must have pointed this problem out to the aliens because a few years after the blue "Call Box" signs appeared, someone (or thing) added a second sign above the first that says "Emergency." But again, it's in blue.

Jack Schmidt


State's 'New Beginning' already is under way

Regarding Emi Chiharu's March 5 letter, "A new beginning? When will it begin?": Hawai'i's "New Beginning" started Nov. 5, 2002, and the governor's early results speak for themselves:

  • Payment to Native Hawaiians. As part of her effort to fulfill the state's obligations to Native Hawaiians, Gov. Lingle worked with lawmakers and Native Hawaiian leaders to pay $12.3 million in ceded land payments to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
  • Federal funding to fight drug abuse. The governor brought home $900,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help fight the "ice" problem on the Big Island.
  • Improving the business climate. With the assistance of Mark Recktenwald, director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Gov. Lingle has cut online business registration fees and reduced licensing fees for the securities industry, saving businesses thousands of dollars.
  • Immediate prescription medication assistance for needy residents. The governor's Prescription Care Hawai'i program brings immediate relief to at least 20,000 needy patients. It fills the gap left when the Legislature passed a prescription drug law last year that does not take effect until January 2005.
  • Cleaning Lake Wilson. Gov. Lingle has made eradicating Salvinia molesta from Lake Wilson and other state waterways a priority. Under the leadership of Peter Young, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, a collaborative state, city and military effort is making significant progress in resolving a problem that started over a year ago.
  • 71 percent approval rating. The people of Hawai'i see the positive changes taking place under Gov. Lingle's leadership, as evidenced by a recent Honolulu Advertiser poll.

Are we done? No way, as this is only a partial list of results Gov. Lingle is delivering to the people, and it's just the start of Hawai'i's "New Beginning."

Bob Awana
Chief of staff, Office of the Governor



The looming war against Iraq

Hawai'i should go on higher alert level

Are we that stupid? We are close to war, the nation goes on terror alert level orange and I read in the morning paper that our governor states there is no added threat to Hawai'i.

We publish the fact that we will remain at a lower terror alert level — do we want to send an invitation to the terrorists that Hawai'i will be a good place to start? Does the governor think that staying at a lower terror alert level will do anything positive for the state's economy?

You've got to be kidding. Let's be as safe as we can be, not sorry.

Gary G. Osterman


I'm giving president benefit of the doubt

There has been a lot of debate during the past year, pro and con, about the upcoming Iraq war. The debate seems to revolve around the correct historical model and the credibility of information.

In terms of historical model, the debate is what you think the Iraq war is most similar to. Is it like Vietnam, where the premise was shaky and our effort in vain, or is it like World War II, where historical hindsight shows how getting in earlier would have saved millions of lives?

In terms of credibility, we have the administration telling us that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and that it supports terrorism, while peace activists state that Iraq has destroyed its stock of WMD. Well, soon enough we will find out.

I am a life-long Democrat, but I am willing to give President Bush my support and the benefit of the doubt. If it turns out he misled us, I will keep voting Democratic; but if he is right, I may never vote for a Democrat again.

Cliff Halevi
Kailua


Colossal arrogance could be our undoing

We stand at either the beginning or at the end of the American Imperium. White House strategists believe we will win a short conflict, frighten potential opponents into submission on a global basis and impose a Pax Americana that erstwhile contenders like the French could ignore only at their political peril.

But events may well play out much differently.

Even if the Iraqi army collapses in short order, our colossal arrogance toward world opinion at the outset, plus a long, costly and basically ignorant occupation of a major Muslim country, can do irreparable damage to the one asset we have historically had — our worldwide moral standing. If then, God forbid, al-Qaida inflicts another ghastly wound upon our civil population, will the rest of the world rush to our side?

Osama bin Laden wanted to start a major war — it looks as if he has succeeded.

Stephen O'Harrow
Director of Southeast Asian Studies, University of Hawai'i


No justification to wage war against Iraq

U.S. territory has not been attacked by Iraq.

U.S. citizens, their property abroad or our armed forces have not been attacked by Iraq.

No country has been attacked by Iraq and asked us to honor a treaty obligation to go to war.

The U.S. Congress has not declared war on Iraq.

NATO and the United Nations have not requested the use of our armed forces to put down a threat to world peace.

We are not sending soldier-peacekeepers to Iraq to enforce a negotiated peace.

The United States has never committed our armies in such a disproportionate response to a threat with so little justification.

If we depose Saddam and install our own government — even if Saddam is a bad man and the government we install is democratic — then we become a bigger bully than Saddam could ever hope to be. We become a nation that doesn't respect international law.

Walt Barnes
Kapa'a, Kaua'i


Stop another 'supreme international crime'

U.S. citizens have a moral and legal duty to non-violently resist a U.S. war against Iraq. The war against Iraq would be a breach of the United Nations Charter and hence of international law unless it is authorized by a new and unambiguous resolution of the Security Council.

If the United States wages war on Iraq, it would constitute a war of aggression by international standards, which is the most fundamental violation of international law. In the language of the Nuremberg trials of 1945-46 against Nazi war criminals, a war of aggression is a crime against peace and a crime against humanity. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, chief U.S. prosecutor at the first Nuremberg trial, called waging aggressive war "the supreme international crime."

Citizens have a duty to resist the crimes of their government.

James V. Albertini
Kurtistown, Big Island


'Rallies for America' again this weekend

Over the last few weeks, tens of thousands of Americans have been coming out to support our president and our troops at a series of "Rallies for America," held across the country, from Washington, D.C., to Hawai'i.

This coming weekend, March 22 and 23, is "Liberty Weekend" — a full weekend of "Rallies for America" all over the country.

Forest Anders
First sergeant, USMC (retired)


War 'human shield' volunteer is naive

It was with no small sense of incredulity that I read Ken O'Keefe's remarks ("Iraq expels 'human shield' group," March 13). He stated, " ... I say what I believe, and the Iraqi government wants submissive easy robots."

This can't be new information to him. In my view, to jaunt to Iraq as facilely as one might join a peace demonstration in New York City suggests a surprising naiveté.

"The Iraq government was acting absolutely very stupid," O'Keefe states. "If they had only cooperated and let us do part of what we wanted to do, we could have worked with them." There is a pretentiousness about such a statement that, while easily dismissed, sadly accentuates the view of many around the world that Americans are at once arrogant and somewhat crazy.

Bette-Jean Black