Letters to the Editor

Only half of new AIDS cases are male to male

While Kathy Martin may make some valid points on AIDS (letters, Dec. 29), she employs some shoddy statistics to support her claims. She claims that 82 percent of the new AIDS cases were from male-to-male sex. According to the state Department of Health Web site (http://www.state.hi.us/health/resource/comm_dis/
std_aids/aids_rep/1-2003/2003-1.pdf), 27 of 54 cases reported through June 2003 were from male-to-male sex, which computes to 50 percent. In 2002, the rate was 67 percent (85 of 131).

Ms. Martin concludes that gays are on a path toward self-destruction. If that's the case, then the gay community will soon not exist. However, a rate of 100 new cases per year in a segment of the population that numbers in the tens of thousands probably won't be enough to wipe it out.

Instead, Ms. Martin and the rest of us will have to deal with AIDS for what it is, a horrible disease that can strike anyone who is exposed to it, whether it be through sex (hetero or homo), drug use or medical procedures. Let's leave the judgment thing to God.

Frequent listeners not offended by shtick

Much has been said of "Loveline" and the comments of comedian Adam Carolla. Granted, the nature of Carolla's humor is a bit abrasive. Frequent listeners of the show, unlike columnist Lee Cataluna, are familiar with his shtick and find little offense in it.

I'm baffled by the outrage of those who know so little about the show. There has been no mention of the indispensable information provided by co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky, a leading addiction specialist. Dr. Drew has counseled listeners for the past 15 years on a variety of topics ranging from teen pregnancy to eating disorders.

Due to pressure from a few biased individuals, the show was pulled, yet another valuable resource a casualty to misinformation.

Coach Jones warned against bowl violence

Regarding the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl and the letter titled "Coach Jones takes a beating for brawl": There is another side to that story. Coach June Jones warned officials that if precautions were not taken, the situation might deteriorate.

No matter how much we stress good sportsmanship to our children when taunting and physical threats are aimed at them, human instinct to survive sets in.

Here is something to think about: Winners celebrate while losers are usually distraught and sometimes find reasons to brawl.

Game was epitome of good sportsmanship

In the wake of the university-level show of poor sportsmanship, I was pleased to watch a high school basketball game between Kailua and Nanakuli that displayed from both players and coaches the epitome of good sportsmanship.

Both teams played hard and well — the game even went into overtime. During the game, I observed players from opposing teams help adversaries to their feet — basketball is a contact sport.

It can be done — at any level — if the people in charge take the responsibility of showing our young people that while you do your best, you respect that the other person is also doing his.

Focus on education, not football violence

No one seems surprised that June Jones' Warriors, who have been told repeatedly that they are "warriors" and expected to "fight," are going to react under pressure and resort to fighting on a gridiron that is designed for athletes and for the "playing" of sports.

Instead of "kill, kill, kill," maybe a coach should be yelling "study, study, study."

Sportsmanship falls to coach Jones' contract

Ferd Lewis in his Dec. 27 column suggests that it is time for Coach June Jones to mete out a suspension or meaningful punishment in reaction to the brawl at the conclusion of the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl.

While I heartily agree with Mr. Lewis' thinking, why should Coach Jones be expected to take action that could possibly result in a pay cut for himself? Doesn't his much-publicized compensation package reward him for winning games?

The answer seems to be that we, as a society, place a higher value on winning than on sportsmanship, and this is reflected in Coach Jones' compensation package. How sad.

Try a reusable tree

Nobody wants your old, dead tree. Not the Health Department, not the store that sold it to you last month, not even your neighbors who share your sidewalk. If nobody buys a tree next year, then a whole evergreen forest can continue living and breathing.