I could only laugh when I read Rep. Ed Case's comments in your July 7 story "Hawai'i Democrats laud pick."

Sen. Edwards' upbringing and charismatic persona greatly complement those of Sen. Kerry. I would not, however, stretch that complementariness into their politics, as Case tried to when he called Edwards "a moderate Democrat" representing "moderate, middle-ground views."

The Kerry-Edwards campaign may speak emphatically about moderation, but actions speak louder than words.

The National Journal, a nonpartisan organization that observes the voting patterns of all senators, ranked Edwards as the fourth-most liberal senator in 2003 (Kerry was No. 1). According to the publication, Edwards did maintain a moderate voting record during the first four years of his six-year term, but as he began preparing for his presidential campaign, his votes abruptly moved to the left.

This ranking system is based on statistical analysis, performed by the Brookings Institution, of how senators vote on social, economic and foreign policy bills, as opposed to their political rhetoric.

The GOP will try to characterize the Democratic ticket as the most liberal of our time, while the Democrats will try to assure America that a Kerry-Edwards administration would be balanced.

Both senators shrugged off their liberal ratings in the primaries, but what should we believe: the words of politicians or the analysis of their actions?

Whether or not being "liberal" is beneficial or detrimental to our nation, Sen. Edwards and his supporters should be forthright about his ideology: He may have once been moderate, but ever since his political aspirations extended beyond the Senate, he has flaunted a very liberal agenda.

Temporary traffic light is hard to see

Can something be done about the traffic light at the intersection of Farrington Highway and Kahuali'i Street, fronting Waipahu High School?

The light in question is probably 6 feet high, and it's hard to see it when you are behind a truck or bus. It's the only one that you are supposed to adhere to. The other two lights in that intersection just tell you when you can turn left.

I'm sure that this light is supposed to be temporary, but it's been a few months now; how long does it take to replace? Something should be done before it causes an accident.

City road project doesn't make sense

I was very upset to see in Sunday's paper that the city is going forward with this silly Wana'ao Road project. Despite what the article ("Road plan draws late protest") says, we were never notified about this project, until some concerned citizen photo-copied a flier and placed it in our mailbox.

Our family chose not to live on Wana'ao because of the high traffic volume. Wana'ao is a main artery connecting Enchanted Lake to the beach. Fishermen with trailered boats, several canoe clubs and the entire community will now be forced into downtown Kailua, which is already too crowded.

The people who live on Wana'ao, of course, want the speeders to slow down; we all want that. But spending over $200,000 on questionable measures is silly. Why don't we spend the money more wisely and enforce our current laws? We can pay for a cop for a few hours a day, for several years on $200,000.

My concern is our voice is not heard. I also have noticed the city is already removing parts of the Kihipai failed project. Can't we learn from others' mistakes, and even our own?

Michael Moore might look at the other side

I, for one, am all for freedom of expression and speech. However, as people line up to praise Michael Moore and his film, they should realize that it is a depiction of only one side of the story.

Would Mr. Moore like to go to Iraq and document the evil of Saddam Hussein, his massacre and gassing of innocent civilians, his thievery of millions of dollars while his country is mired in poverty?

Would Mr. Moore be willing to go to Iraq to interview the thousands of troops who are over there fighting for what they believe in and what their commander in chief has asked them to do, and for which they do so willingly, even enthusiastically?

Would Mr. Moore be willing to point the camera at the schools, hospitals, public works facilities that U.S. troops and citizens have put back into operation to benefit the Iraqi citizens, which include women with the freedom to learn, work, teach, drive or just appear in public without their husbands or a male "escort"?

The bottom line is: There is evil in this world, and thanks to President Bush and the United States, there is one less dictator free to use his evil powers to bully other countries. Unfortunately, appeasers and leftists would rather have us wait to see what Saddam would do next. Can you say "nuclear holocaust"?

The cause is just and moral and right, the sacrifice worth the freedom it brought.