If not United States, who will stand tall?

As I read the featured article in the Sunday Focus section ("Will we never forget?"), I remembered my visit to Auschwitz, Birkenau and Dachau concentration camps. One walks away from those facilities with a deep gratitude to the leaders of the countries who had the moral courage to fight the tyranny that thrived on such evil deeds, and the brave men and women in our armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice to make sure the world would never again be faced with such reprehensible despots.

After reading that article, I next read the letters to the editor on the Iraq tragedies. Every life lost, every body torn apart and every mind forever altered by our brave military and civilian forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are precious and tragic to their families and friends. If the likes of Sens. Kennedy, Kerry and their minions would read "Will we never forget?" perhaps they would understand that there are moral leaders in the world who understand the need to commit and sacrifice the treasures of their nations to "stay the course" to fight evil. Those who saw the despicable results of terroristic acts committed in Auschwitz, Bosnia and Iraq surely understood "what our children are dying for."

The final paragraph in "Will we never forget?" says it all: " ... a fragile yearning for peace, democracy and liberty seems to be spreading around the planet. ... Mankind, divided and confused, still hesitates and vacillates."

One must ask himself, if not the United States, then who — France, Germany, Russia, Canada? Walking away and hoping things will get better is a failed Neville Chamberlain approach to peace.

Why were those Marines in Iraq?

The outpouring of emotion reflected, and stimulated, by your effusive coverage of recent Marine Corps deaths in Iraq was predictable and understandable, given human vulnerability. As a physician and as a recent widower, I deeply sympathize with the families and friends of the men, though not with those who swarm around them in their pain, for reasons of their own.

However, I wish that at least a voice or two would be raised, preferably from among the bereaved, asking, why?

The answer — will anyone ever offer it? — is that we were lied to by our own government. We were told bald lies repeatedly, for the sake of the corporate bottom line and the ambition of avaricious officials and the super rich (often the same individuals). Who will say it?

'Democracy' can still be a dictatorship

Amid all the "noble" pronouncements on democracy, we should stop and think about what that word means: It means "government by the people."

It is a fact that perhaps more than 90 percent of the people of Germany in the late '30s — fully aware of the fact that Hitler was a dictator — voted for him to lead and govern Germany. Which means that there can be a democratically elected dictator, even though we would call that a dictatorship.

Let us not kid ourselves. Our "definition" of a democratic government is one that is friendly to us and to our interests.

Provide tax credits for elderly not to drive

There is no need for a law that would require elderly people to take another driver's test when they reach a certain age. Elderly people have the common sense not to operate a vehicle when they are unable to.

Many elderly do not drive. They have others to transport them. But this is part of the problem. Many families and others are burdened by this problem.

What is needed is a tax credit for tax-paying elders who don't drive, who cannot drive or don't want to drive for various reasons.

These days, transportation is a necessity for the survival of the elderly.

This tax credit is for transportation to enable the elderly to move about in taxis, buses, ambulances, Handivans and other means of transportation.

Condo conversion repeal for the better

I want to thank Mike Gabbard for introducing Bill 53, as well as the current members of the City Council for seeing the bill through to passage. It is likely that our new mayor will sign the bill into law, thus finally repealing condominium leasehold conversion.

I know that many frivolous lawsuits will come forward from the lessees, but it's highly unlikely that any of them will stick. By law, the council members have the right to pass or repeal ordinances as they see fit.

But there is a bright side for the lessees. No landowner wants to lose tenants, so it is almost a certainty that no lessees will be thrown out of their condos. I have hope, with Chapter 38 finally off the books, that the landowners and lessees can develop a better and more harmonious relationship.

State must increase standard deduction

I commend Gov. Lingle for her leadership on taxes. Hawai'i is one of the most overtaxed states in the union. We can — and should — lower state taxes.

Especially, as the governor pointed out, we should lower taxes on the working poor. Every dollar of taxes is a crushing burden on the working poor, who have very basic needs that demand every dollar they earn.

The standard deduction on our state income tax is way too low. Let the Democrats in the state Legislature show that they truly care about the working poor by giving a tax break to those who need it most. Let us see by their deeds — not just their words — where the majority Democrats really stand.

The only shibai comes from Marcus Oshiro

I am disappointed by Rep. Marcus Oshiro's Jan. 14 letter labeling Gov. Linda Lingle's process to name a replacement for Rep. Sol Kaho'ohalahala as "shibai."

As the son of a farmer and grandson of farmers, I often heard the phrase "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." I see Gov. Lingle's gesture to include Democrats in the decision-making process as a gift and as evidence of her willingness to work together. The fact remains that she can pick any Democrat she wants. Her willingness to be inclusive and open in the process is far beyond what's required.

The only real disservice was committed by Rep. Kaho'ohalahala by withdrawing from his position shortly after being elected.

I'm afraid that Rep. Oshiro might not know a good thing when he's got it. I also think he is playing politics and being divisive. This is evidenced by the fact that his speech on the opening day of the Legislature had no references of working together and collaboration. Gov. Lingle's State of the State address had several.

Oshiro's rhetoric and spin are the real shibai.

Full investigation is needed at Punahou

In the article explaining that Punahou is going to stop "brawl day" with its wrestling team, there was little mention of the severity of the injuries to the student.

What I do not understand is how a coach in a full-contact sport is able to inflict such bodily harm and consider it routine. The athlete was "choking on his own blood." This is not a Super Brawl event at the Blaisdell; this is a wrestling practice involving a freshman at Punahou School.

Anytime a coach injures a player intentionally, and to the extent of the injuries suffered by this athlete at Punahou, that coach should be dismissed by the educational institution, banned from coaching, and be responsible for any medical bills for the family involved.

I hope that the administration at Punahou will conduct a full investigation into this matter and not jeopardize the safety of any more of its student athletes.

'Morning-after pill' is critical

For more than 50 years, since the successful syntheses of hormones, estrogen and progestins, safe and effective pregnancy prevention has been possible. Yet an estimated 3.5 million unwanted pregnancies occur annually, over one-third involving teenagers. So, why are we having such a difficult time getting the very effective method of "emergency contraception" into the hands of the women who need and want it? I will try to explain and offer some solutions.

What is "emergency contraception"? EC is a short-course, high-dose of oral contraception pills that will prevent a possible pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of having unprotected intercourse. EC, also known as "the morning-after pill," inhibits ovulation, fertilization and/or implantation of the fertilized egg. Thus, it is not an abortifacient.

An article in The Advertiser on Jan. 22 reports that once again, the Food and Drug Administration has delayed a decision about whether to allow women to buy the "morning-after pill" over the counter, a program called "Plan B." The FDA cites concerns that there was not enough data to support that young teens could safely use the product.

Hawai'i and several other states have successfully passed legislation approving dispensing EC through collaborative practice protocols between pharmacists and physicians. In Hawai'i, it is available to women 14 years and over, as is prenatal care without parental approval. This is very important because Hawai'i's unintended pregnancy rate is 78 percent in teens aged 15 to 19 years old. In this arena, we are very far ahead of other states, but we must get the word out and educate women (and men) that such is available.

Now, let me dispel a very common myth. Abstinence does NOT work. Teens are going to have unprotected sex whether we like it or not. It just is a fact of personal growth and development. Yes, sex education programs are needed. And yes, parents should be doing most of the work, but when they do not know how, then the schools must step in. Knowledge is not harmful — quite the contrary. I have never had a patient die of "terminal" intelligence.

But women do die of botched illegal abortions, and it need not happen. It has been shown in several recent studies that increasing access to EC does not send a mixed message on abstinence to teens. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy found that while educating teens about EC, it also is an opportunity to stress appropriate abstinence.

EC also offers other public health benefits. We know that teen mothers have more high-risk pregnancies and sick infants. Only one-third of teen mothers receive their high school diploma, and over 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare. Children of teen mothers are more likely to perform poorly in school and are at twice the risk for neglect and abuse. (Are you getting the drift of all this?) Pregnancy prevention is good for the health of this state and its children.

The task at hand is to improve access to EC by expanding the number and types of facilities where it can be obtained. Why not encourage women to obtain EC prior to the time of need? Education about EC for both physicians and the public must be improved.

This is the responsibility of our state Health Department in cooperation with the Hawai'i Medical Association, John A. Burns School of Medicine, and the state Pharmacists Association. Our goal: to get emergency contraception in the hands of women who need and want it.