10 percent maximum increase would then apply, beginning with the following year.

TERRORISM

EDITORIAL POSITION ON SPYING WAS OFF-BASE

What is it The Advertiser's editorial staff doesn't understand about tracking down terrorists and protecting our country?

To say that President Bush is hiding behind the Iraq elections to deflect criticism over the NSA is just plain inflammatory and irresponsible. The transformation that is taking place in that country is of monumental importance not just to Iraq, but to the region as a whole — and by extension the entire free world.

It would seem that rather than the president hiding behind this exciting moment in history, he he is up-front with and justifiably proud of the accomplishment. It is another glaring example of the mainstream media raining on his parade and putting politics above the national interest.

Further, these intercepted phone calls that you are in such a lather over are, by all appearances, intercepts that require instant action to have any value. Terrorists worldwide can purchase prepaid phone cards that require no registration and are virtually untraceable. That the NSA has figured out ways to hack in to these phones with some of their wizardry makes me feel a little more comfortable that "Big Brother" is watching over me, not spying on me.

I am certain that if the NSA were to miss just one clue that led to a terrorist act here at home, your staff would be the first to jump all over it (and President Bush) for "not connecting the dots!"

Your motives are suspect, your reasoning flawed. It would seem that it is you rather than the president who needs to come clean.

DISASTERS

PREPAREDNESS MUST INCLUDE PET SHELTERS

A Dec. 10 article highlighted many wonderful components of Gov. Lingle's plan for disaster preparedness. However, the article did not include mention of her plans to establish pet-friendly shelters, which affect 56 percent of O'ahu families and more than 330,000 pets.

Windward, Urban Honolulu and East Honolulu have the highest concentration of pets on the island. As we have seen with Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, many people are unwilling to evacuate their homes without their pets.

Florida leads the nation with the first disaster plan for animals, and other states are working to design their own plan. We applaud our state's leadership and commitment in making this a priority. Our research shows that the majority of our population have pets and that safety of the people is closely linked with providing for the safety of their pets.

The Humane Society has been in discussion with the state Civil Defense for months, and the enthusiasm and commitment of this collaboration make us confident that a tangible plan will be in place by next summer. Efforts will require state, county, nonprofit and corporate partnerships.

We all must work together to devise a creative, workable and integrated model that will shelter pets and their owners from future disasters and allow us to respond quickly and effectively to their rescue if needed.

IMMUNE SYSTEM

BIRD FLU DEFENSE: EAT RIGHT, SLEEP, EXERCISE

When the bird flu comes, there will only be enough vaccine for one of every four people in Hawai'i. Our best defense is strengthening our immune systems now. Eat right, sleep enough, and use our bodies productively — walk, bus and bike at least partway to work and to activities.

We can also defend against the flu carriers. Feeding wild birds now is like feeding rats before the bubonic plague. Let wild birds reach their sustainable level in nature now by not feeding them leftover bread and rice. When birds get the flu, they will start dying near feeding zones, endangering your neighbors. This is a public health matter, not a personal preference.

No matter how much we may like wild birds, they carry diseases, even now. An elderly parent of my friend died from contracting an incurable bird-transmitted disease, cryptococcal meningitis, because he napped daily near a window where birds perched.

HUI MALAMA DOES NOT OWN MOEPU; THEY BELONG TO ALL

Regarding Lee Cataluna's Dec. 13 column on moepu: I find the spreading of misinformation about Hawaiian culture to be insensitive to the rest of the Hawaiian community who do know and care about our culture.

Let's look at the facts. First, who started all this? Hui Malama. They decided for everyone. Moepu is a word created by Hui Malama, along with a list of other words they use in their mumbo-jumbo, so-called rituals.

In my dictionary, the proper word is moepu'u, a noun that is totally different from the meaning Lee Cataluna gives a verb. And her argument seems to favor and justify breaking the law because it's "pono." It is one-sided, and encouraging this kind of behavior is irresponsible.

I find it hard to compare a religious icon to a combat medal — two very different objects and intentions. A better comparison would have been an Egyptian tomb. Would the Egyptian people put the treasures of their culture in a position to be stolen?

The Hawaiian term for this is hana 'ino. This is mistreatment of sacred objects and iwi. These were treasures of our culture, and they belong to all the people of Hawai'i, including the future generations, to look upon these things and judge for themselves what is the spirituality of the Hawaiians.

The point, however, and the judge agrees, is that Hui Malama does not own these things, and a loan is just that, which makes their actions and admitted intentions theft. So they stole them to make it pono?

The insinuation that the claimants are want of money for these precious objects and not the iwi is very insulting to the families who followed the process and put their genealogies on the line, only to be denied our rights by this organization. To say or imply that our iwi don't have the same value as the artifacts is hewa.

You would not let a mortician bury your family the way the mortician wants. Nor would you allow the taking of your kupuna's bones to be hidden where you may never find or visit them again, even under the guise of doing the wishes of the ancestors.

These iwi were not related to Hui Malama, nor are they the ancestors of Hui Malama. They took the family right of burying our ancestors away. That is not even common decency.