Posted on: Thursday, May 13, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Abercrombie bombastic on call for resignation

It's unfortunate that we must have Neil Abercrombie representing the people of Hawai'i in Washington, D.C. In his usual bombastic and unprofessional nature, the congressman is calling for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld before any investigation or explanation of facts.

Yes, the Iraqi prisoner abuse was deplorable, and those responsible at every level should be held accountable. However, a recent ABC News-Washington Post poll shows 70 percent of Americans do not feel Rumsfeld should resign. In fact, only 20 percent of Americans feel the incidents should cost the secretary of defense his job.

I cherish the professionalism and thoughtfulness of Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, as well as Rep. Ed Case. Abercrombie, however, has been a professional embarrassment for years. Three out of four is still very good.

Media are hypocritical over choice of photos

I find it so ironic that the mainstream media (your paper included), which were so opposed to showing the pictures of the charred American corpses hanging from the bridge in Iraq, have no problem splashing the photos of abused Iraqi prisoners all over their outlets.

What editorial judgment allows the public to be sheltered from the difficult images of Americans being tortured and abused, but without hesitation displays pictures of Iraqi prisoners in distress?

I can only conclude that there is an agenda at work here, and that agenda is to suppress support for the war effort. Were the public to see the atrocities perpetrated on the American contractors, perhaps they would have a keener sense about who and why we fight. But no, we citizens shouldn't be allowed to feel such rage. Instead, we should only feel a collective guilt for the terrible deeds committed against the Iraqi prisoners.

The pictures from both of these events are incendiary in nature, but the left-leaning media would prefer that Americans save all of their contempt and outrage for our military and ourselves rather than for our enemies.

Wake up, America. You are being sold a false bill of goods. We are fighting a real enemy, and our cause is just. You need only look at the pictures from 9/11 to know that.

Public misunderstands threat to our soldiers

Reading the May 8 issue of The Advertiser kind of got me down. A series of articles on atrocities in an Iraqi prison point to a fundamental public misunderstanding that unnecessarily threatens our soldiers.

Our naiveté and obsession with whether these photos represent a larger problem of abuse within the military places us at risk of missing the trees for the forest. As the "Reactions to Photos" piece suggests, few try to justify the atrocities (only one person), but many believe them to be the result of a "few bad apples."

The fact that most soldiers are not currently sadists should not be comforting.

These cases are simply the most extreme. We can rest assured that many more of our boys and girls are put in situations that challenge their moral values. In response to inquiries about Lynndie England's participation in brutalizing Iraqi prisoners, her family claims "that's not the type of person she is."

I don't doubt for a second that they believe this. However, their naiveté — reinforced by smiling vacation photos of England and her boyfriend Charles Graner — reflects a national denial about the realities of war and its effect on the psyche of our children.

Justified or not, such crimes are inherent to war, and our continued participation is the sacrifice of our soldiers' and children's moral values. We need only look to the experience of many Vietnam veterans who returned scarred for much of the rest of their lives by the violence they witnessed and committed. The longer we wait to leave Iraq, the further we damage the future of our youth and sever them from us here at home.

There are better ways to deal with terrorism.

Gas-price cap would create bigger problem

I hate high gas prices. That being said, those who propose the new gas-price cap are looking for public reaction over good economics.

Gasoline is a commodity based on supply and demand. We have no control over the nations that supply that commodity. A price control will only lead to shortages in gas if the price to acquire the commodity exceeds the price that the retailer needs to charge to maintain profitability. So not only would smaller retailers in local communities go out of business, but those who do remain in business may only be able to purchase a lesser quantity because of reduced profitability.

Let the free market reign and reduce demand for gas and the price will go down. Let's learn to conserve, not legislate ourselves into crisis.

Reciprocal beneficiary law should be the model

The national policy for same-sex marriage could be developed similar to Hawai'i's own "aloha solution."

While we soundly defeated attempts to legalize same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships and civil unions, we wanted to encourage compassionate behavior. We solved this dilemma by passing the Reciprocal Beneficiaries Law (1997). It confers many of the benefits provided married couples to unmarried individuals who are committed to caring for each other.

The difference is that the law is for everyone, not just homosexual couples or unmarried heterosexual couples.

For example, a widowed mother and her adult son, two siblings, other relatives, or two unrelated individuals committed to caring for each other can declare a reciprocal beneficiary relationship in Hawai'i. Any committed couple, whether related by blood or not, gets equal rights and benefits such as hospital visitation, healthcare decision-making, inheritance, etc. Revising federal laws and related provisions to confer rights granted married couples to reciprocal relationships should satisfy proponents of same-sex marriage.

This "aloha solution" encourages people to take care of and look out for each other. It also achieves the compassionate aims of most Americans without undermining the institution of marriage or giving social approval to homosexual behavior or relationships.

Judges' criticism of Jasmine unwarranted

I am tired of the stupid judges on "American Idol" and most of the reporters writing articles referring to Jasmine as "Hawaiian."

The last time I checked, Hawai'i was part of the United States. They are acting as if they don't know that.

The way the judges ripped into Jasmine Tuesday night after her performances was not only unnecessary, but totally unwarranted.

If my 11-year-old son is any indication of what the voters thought, they voted Jasmine in even if she wasn't their favorite. They kept her on because of the shameful actions of the judges.

Mother Marianne didn't create Hansen's refuge

Regarding the April 19 article by Mary Kaye Ritz, "Kalaupapa nun takes 'venerable' step to sainthood": A correction is in order. Mother Marianne Cope did not "establish" the Kalaupapa Hansen's disease home for young women, over 90 percent of whom were Hawaiian.

According to the 1965 book by H.W. Kent, "Charles Reed Bishop — Man of Hawai'i," the greatest Hawai'i philanthropist and widower of Princess Pauahi, Bishop built the Bishop Home at the request of Father Damien, who wished to shelter the young women from sexual assaults by male patients.

In 1888, at a cost of $5,000 ($750,000 to $1.5 million in today's value), he had built a compound of several buildings, including quarters for the nuns and a chapel, and paid for the maintenance of the buildings during the next 17 years.

Mother Marianne of the order of St. Francis was invited by Bishop to run the Bishop Home in 1888.

Mother Marianne wrote about Bishop: "I am sure, if he knew how many poor girls he has saved from immorality, he would feel more than happy for having founded this home. God bless him."

Charles Reed Bishop: Blessed by saints — ignored by Hawai'i.

Is the Waiahole Ditch adding to the problem?

Maybe this is a question for the "Bureaucracy Buster," but do the recent rash of floods across Kamehameha Highway in Waiahole-Waikane valleys (six times in the last six months) have anything to do with the status of the Waiahole Ditch?

I've lived in Ka'a'awa for nearly 10 years and have never seen flooding like this.

As a side note, between the deep water across the road (about 18 inches the other night) and the deep and numerous potholes in the island roads, more and more of my neighbors are feeling the need to buy trucks and SUVs.

It's too bad the DOT's incompetence has encouraged so many to buy more vehicles than they really need. What a waste.

Drivers should know where taxes are going

Just what is the price of gas before tax? How much are the state, county and federal taxes on a gallon of gasoline? If all things are equal, there should not be such a vast change of prices from station to station.

Why is it that we the consumers don't know from day to day what we are paying for at the pump? Why can't the stations post on each pump the price of gas before tax, then how much the state, county and federal governments collect from the sale?

This is only fair to the consumer to see where his or her dollars are going. Just where are all these taxes going?

More votes bought

It's very refreshing to observe, in the override of Gov. Lingle's veto of the HGEA pay raises, the Legislature continuing to embrace the time-honored tradition of buying votes.

Regular-ed children are the ones being ignored

Regarding Larry Geller's May 3 letter "Felix far from being successful": I could not get the phrase "Who says life is fair?" out of my mind. I am tired of hearing that not enough is being done for special-education students.

Is it fair that single individuals must pay for the education of other people's children? Is it fair when bus fares and lunch costs are increased that these same individuals must cover the cost of those receiving free or reduced lunches and passes? Is it fair that services provided for a single disabled child could cover the cost of books for an entire school? Is it fair that the government has no authority over who should have children? If this same child is born with a disability, is the state responsible for his education and care? Should parent licenses be issued to establish how competent parents should be when raising a child? Is it fair to always think that average and gifted/talented children need less because they are able to survive without additional support?

I am a parent with a child who has a specific learning disability. I am also a medical technologist and know that a normal child is not a guarantee. I have accepted this risk and responsibility. My wife is also a special-education teacher. We have worked hard with our child utilizing the supports and accommodations that have been provided by all the teachers and school staff members.

For the past 17 years, I have taken my parental role seriously. I have volunteered my time and efforts one month of every vacation period and one day each week (as often as my job allows), to support all my children's teachers. During those years, I have developed the highest respect and appreciation for all educators. They are the experts, not me.

There are two words underlined in this article: "Children ignored." If I looked at the services being provided for special-education children, I would say that regular-education children are being ignored.

Yes, special-education children do need more, but how much and at whose expense?