Mark Middleton | Kapolei

GET INVOLVED

VOTING: A PRIVILEGE

THAT WE ARE ABUSING

On the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we should all take a moment to reflect on what a privilege it is to live in a time and place where our voices count for something.

It really wasn't that long ago that suffragettes and civil rights marchers were struggling to get all our voices heard. Heroes like Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. toiled, suffered and were beaten so that each of us could go into the voting booth and participate in the great experiment that is democracy.

That being said, we the people of Hawai'i should be ashamed of ourselves. Hawai'i has the worst voter turnout in the nation. With only about one-third of eligible voters actually making the effort to vote (and it's not much of an effort when you think about the people of Iraq who actually risked life and limb to vote in January), we deserve what we get out of our elected officials. Van cams? Yeah, we voted for the folks who thought they were a good idea. Banning beer at football games? Yeah, we voted for him, too.

To those of you who don't vote, shame on you. Make the effort, get up off your butts and do something about it. To those of you who do vote, don't imagine that you're getting off easy. You can do more to spread the word about why voting is important. Take the time to educate nonvoters or register new voters and make sure they get to the polls. Never any good candidates to vote for? Well, then maybe you should run and be the candidate that you'd vote for.

Let's make this anniversary of the Voter Rights Act the turning point for Hawai'i's voter turnout numbers and show the country and the world what we can do in the next elections.

Alika Campbell | Kailua

SCRIPTURE

RELIGIONS AREN'T ON SIDE OF GAY MARRIAGE

I found it amusing to read Dr. Stephen Wayles' argument in his Aug. 1 letter about how God is on the side of advocates for same-sex marriage.

I wonder how Wayles came to this opinion because he offered no scriptural evidence to support his conclusion. On the contrary, there is plenty of scriptural evidence in all five of the world's major religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism) pointing out how homosexual relations are contrary to God's will.

It is not God whom Wayles should be thanking for the increased acceptance of homosexuality, but Alfred Kinsey, Hugh Hefner, Gloria Steinem and other "progressive thinkers" who had a hand in orchestrating the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.

They are the ones who have been successful at lowering our nation's inhibitions and ushering in a society of teen pregnancy, abortion, rampant divorce, sexually transmitted diseases and, of course, "loving" homosexual relations.

Dr. Wayles should get real and leave God out of his duplicitous rationalizing. A same-sex marriage does not equal a normal and healthy family just because a few liberal churches have begun to ignore scripture and follow the current of moral decline.

Eddie Kamita | Waipahu

MEDICINE

LAWSUIT AGAINST ALGAE WAS REPORTED UNFAIRLY

On. Aug. 3, Jan Tenbruggencate reported on the lawsuit brought by Earthjustice against the Board of Agriculture for allowing the importation of genetically engineered algae into Hawai'i without requiring an environmental assessment.

By treating company statements as fact, and not conducting a true investigation of the facts from both sides, he is stating his bias.

He states that Mera's algae will produce antibodies that can be used in medicine, but fails to mention that no plant-made pharmaceuticals have ever been approved by the FDA for use in medicine. By using a few one-sided facts, he strays from the real reason for the lawsuit: The Board of Agriculture did not appear to follow the law.

Una Greenaway | Captain Cook, Hawai'i

KAMEHAMEHA

POLICY INDEED WRONG FOR RACIAL PREJUDICE

Kamehameha Schools policy was and is pure out-and-out racism.

Maybe we need a Hawaiians-only hospital, bathrooms, parks and fire department to add to your school?

Your racial or ethnic background should not matter regarding admittance or service. Your scholastic record should be the determining factor.

To poison the hearts of school-age children by segregating them and teaching them that it is proper to demand separation of the races in our schools is deplorable. The entire school board of trustees should be replaced with people who want to live in the year 2005. Segregation is a dying concept of the past. Let it die.

Fellow Americans, racism is a two-way street. If you can have a school for Hawaiians only, then I guess I can have a school for blond-haired, blue-eyed Anglo-Saxons only. Is that really the kind of country we want to live in? Let's accept and admit people for their individual merits, not their race.

Reject the anti-American, prejudicial, segregationist and racist attitudes of those who do not understand true aloha. Do not support those who choose to poison the minds and hearts of the children with their venom.

Guy Phillips | Kihei, Maui

KAMEHAMEHA

ALOHA SPIRIT WORKS BOTH WAYS IN HAWAI'I

In 1778, the Hawaiian Islands belonged to the Hawaiians. Within 25 years, we lost 75 percent of our Hawaiian population due to the diseases that came with our new visitors. Today these foreigners hold 90 percent of our land, and what's left of the monarchy holds a mere 10 percent.

Our ancestors invited these guests into our home, and 200-plus years later, they own our home and are now asking for private tutors to go with the accommodations. The obvious absurdity speaks for itself.

The Native Americans have reservations and land they can still call their own, to preserve what was once theirs. Why can't the legal minds of Hawai'i realize we too must preserve our land, our heritage, so we too can live on? The Bishop Estate is being whittled away with such legal actions that led to the Hawai'i Kai land sales and now its education of the Hawaiian population.

I would not be a physician today if I did not graduate from Kamehameha Schools. The spirit of aloha works both ways in Hawai'i. When will the legal minds of Hawai'i decide the Hawaiians can stop giving and maybe start getting?

Maile N.A. Kane | Satellite Beach, Fla.

KAIMUKI HIGH

REUNION COMMITTEE ALSO DESERVES NOTICE

Thank you for the article on Kaimuki High School's Class of 1975 30th reunion ("A blast with the past," July 31). The short article and wide-angle photos captured the spirit of the evening and the joy in the smiles of the classmates.

Each reunion wouldn't be possible without the efforts of a committee, and I'd like to lift up and recognize the efforts of Debra Ambrose-Cabral, Raenette (Chong) Auyong, Garret Fujita, Sue (Shishido) Saffery, Winifred (Matsuda) Tenno and Chester Wong. It was a team effort that made the evening happen.

Looks like a number of other Class of 1975s are also interested in celebrating their 50th birthdays with a bash in Vegas. Should be a fun and memorable time in 2007.

Ron Hashiro | Makiki

BLAME TAXES

RENT CONTROL ISN'T NEEDED IN HAWAI'I

Rents are a bargain in Hawai'i. In Tokyo, a one-bedroom apartment rents for more than $4,000 a month. On O'ahu, a one-bedroom apartment is about $900 a month. Any property should provide monthly rent of only 1 percent of the market value. A home valued at $600,000 should rent for $6,000 a month. An apartment valued at $240,000 should rent for $2,400 per month.

O'ahu renters pay way less than that.

Rent control will get more people out of the business of renting to others because landlords will not be able to cover their costs. Therefore, there will be way fewer units for rent and people waiting months or years to get a place.

The latest increases in rent are due in large part to the huge increases in taxes imposed on property owners by our governments in one year. Rent payments are taxed too and are pending to be taxed more. Surprisingly, taxes are paid by people — not businesses — so renters pay increased rent to pay these taxes and the other indirect costs that are now increased because those other businesses must pay the increased taxes too. A vicious circle — started by our greedy politicians.

Hey, maybe greedy landlords are a myth — just like greedy lawyers, greedy doctors and greedy everyone else.

Jack Martinez | Kapolei

SWAP DRUGS

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA TO COMBAT ICE EPIDEMIC

Hawai'i's ice epidemic was as predictable as tomorrow's sunrise. I know, because I predicted it. It is the unintended consequence of Operation Green Harvest, the Ariyoshi administration's war on marijuana.

I am not a marijuana advocate. However, of all the substances that people mess with, marijuana is by far the least harmful to society. For instance, it does far less damage to society than alcohol. Green Harvest drove the price of marijuana off-scale. So, people looked elsewhere for a cheap high. And, thus, the ice epidemic was born.

If Lt. Gov. Aiona is serious about combating ice, the best thing he could possibly do is push to legalize marijuana and encourage the rebirth of Kona Gold and Maui Wowie. A low-cost and relatively harmless alternative is the best thing we could possibly do to combat the disastrous nightmare that is the ice epidemic.

By the way, whenever I propose this, the response is invariably that "marijuana is a gateway drug; that 63 percent of heavy drug users previously used pot." My response is that 100 percent of them drank milk; that it's milk we should outlaw.

Rick Lloyd | Makiki

MISLEADING QUESTIONS

NOTHING TO FEAR IN THE AKAKA BILL

It's not surprising that David Rosen, an attorney who served as co-counsel for the plaintiff in Arakaki v. Lingle, would submit a commentary opposed to the Akaka bill. Rosen's entire commentary of Aug. 7 asked questions that were either misleading or that, as an attorney, he should already know the answer to — and knows the answer isn't as salacious as the question.

I expect Rosen already knows Hawai'i has no existing statute providing for referendum on this or any other issue, making it impossible to conduct a vote about the Akaka bill without enacting new state law and incurring significant burden to the taxpayers in the costs of conducting the unnecessary vote.

Surely Rosen already knows the Akaka bill requires agreement by the state, federal and reorganized Native Hawaiian governments before any transfer of assets to or exercise of any jurisdiction by the Native Hawaiian government occurs. The required negotiations guarantee the citizens of Hawai'i will have ample time and opportunity to have input about everything Rosen calls into question, and more. The citizens of this state, native and non-native, will decide these issues together.

I also expect Rosen knows that taxpayer dollars do not significantly "fund" Native Hawaiian programs now, and the Akaka bill does not contemplate the citizens of Hawai'i funding the reorganized Native Hawaiian government in the future.

As a condition of statehood, Congress created the "ceded lands trust" and determined that a portion of the leasing revenues must be used for "the betterment of the native Hawaiian people." That's where the Office of Hawaiian Affairs gets the bulk of its money, not from tax revenues or the general fund.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands manages a land trust created by Congress and funds most of its operations from revenues derived from those lands, or from the federal government. Again, few if any, tax dollars support this program. Let's not forget that Native Hawaiians are 20 percent of tax-paying citizens of this state.

As a non-Hawaiian who feels fortunate to have made Hawai'i my home and values the significant role that Native Hawaiian culture, language and people play in making Hawai'i a great place to live, I support passage of the Akaka bill and encourage everyone to take the time to get educated about what it really does.

I think you'll find no reasons to fear it, and many reasons to support it. Let's give the Akaka bill the chance it needs to empower Native Hawaiians and help heal longstanding injustices. As a state and a community, we owe ourselves that much.

Diane O'Rourke | Ka'a'awa