BROKEN OATH

OBJECTOR SWORE TO OBEY LAWFUL ORDERS

The United States Army does not need individuals, especially officers, of the ilk that is refusing to go to Iraq. He cites the war as illegal and immoral.

If so, when and how did he determine the war was illegal and immoral? Was it when he realized that he may be shipped overseas, maybe into a combat zone? Fear of serving in a combat zone is understandable and acceptable, but cowardice is not.

It appears that serving in the Continental United States was fine.

I remind this officer to think back when he raised his right arm to accept his commission. He swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. He further agreed to obey the lawful orders of those appointed over him. What happened?

I pity those soldiers who are under his supervision. If this officer follows through with his threat, he should face a court-martial and whatever punishment it may direct.

AKAKA BILL

IT'S NOW TIME FOR ALL OF US TO MOVE FORWARD

With the effective defeat of the Akaka bill, now is the time for all of Hawai'i's citizens and politicians to look forward instead of backward.

The U.S. Constitution guarantees that all Americans, regardless of race and national origin, are treated equally under the law. The Akaka bill was anathema to those principles, and fortunately for Hawai'i and the country as a whole, enough senators understood that.

Hawai'i's politicians who supported the Akaka bill would better serve all the citizens of the state by tackling the real problems of education, environment, housing, transportation and healthcare instead of pandering to one small group of people who claim historical wrongs.

TIRELESS

SENS. AKAKA, INOUYE DESERVE RECOGNITION

I watched CSPAN2 the past two days because I am very interested in the Akaka bill. I was amazed and disappointed to see several senators from other states attempt to stop the bill from going forward by distorting information about the intent of the bill.

Mahalo, Sen. Daniel Akaka, for your continued and tireless efforts in helping the Hawaiian people obtain federal recognition. Mahalo, Sen. Daniel Inouye, for your unwavering support for the Hawaiian people in trying to right the wrong of the past.

Both of you should be congratulated for attempting to bring this issue to the Senate floor. You are honest, humble and straightforward. I am proud that we have both of you representing us in Congress. You are true sons of Hawai'i. I mua!

MEN'S GOLF

WHAT IS THE AGENDA OF MICHELLE WIE?

One of the headlines on The Honolulu Advertiser's sports page was "Wie's goal is to master golf world." The article also said that Michelle "never really realized that it (the Masters) was only for men." "That explains a lot," the article went.

What does it explain?

What kind of statement is Michelle Wie trying to make when she competes in men's tournaments? "It's always been my goal to able to compete with the men," The Advertiser quoted her as saying.

What is her agenda? Is she promoting equality between men and women? That she is on a personal crusade against discrimination in this world?

Does she feel that golf tournaments should never be designated male nor female nor junior nor senior? That all golf tournaments should just be for anyone who qualifies in terms of sheer talent?

I guess Michelle may not mind spending the rest of her golf career trying to make the cut at golf tournaments. But I wonder how Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb or Morgan Pressel would feel?

BLACKOUTS

WOULD A RAIL SYSTEM MAKE MATTERS WORSE?

The recent blackout by HECO has been an inconvenience, at best. More blackouts are said to be a "certainty" because of increased demand with no increase in generating capacity.

To alleviate the situation, HECO has plans to add a new 100-megawatt plant that would burn either naphtha or ethanol. However, if demand does not decrease, the addition of this new plant would still fall short of "ideal reserve margins." Result, more blackouts.

What I would like to know is, what will happen if we construct an electricity-driven mass transit system? Where will the extra electricity for this system come from, when we are already facing power shortages, with no viable remedy in sight?

FUNDRAISERS

STOP THE BEGGING FROM STREET CORNERS

Recently I have been seeing more and more organizations standing at street corners asking for monetary donations.

Today, I saw young men accompanied by adults with fish nets asking for monetary donations for their club. I couldn't help wondering if that was such a good role model for our young adults?

These strong young men could be out there raising funds through car washes, or selling Huli-Huli chicken or Zippy's chili. But, instead, they were only learning how to ask for money at street corners.

What kind of messages are we sending or teaching our young people today? I think hard work is a better role model than what I saw. I blame these adults for not being more responsible with these children.

Children only learn what they see. They do as we do.

JAYWALKING

CROSSWALK IS NEEDED MID-BLOCK ON KAHEKA

Last week, I was cited as I left Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul on Kaheka Street and jaywalked to the front of the Daiei store. Hundreds of people cross there each day.

The officer informed me that an elderly lady had been struck and killed in that street the week before and said "yes, there should be a mid-block crosswalk; however, there was a loading zone and yellow fireplug on one side of the street."

The problem as I see it is that the fire hydrant needs to be moved to make enough room.

Father Travers, the pastor, told me that he had made a couple of telephone calls and that Mayor Hannemann's office had told him that since there were crosswalks on both street corners, they could do nothing.

Poni Street has a crosswalk mid-block serving the same store on its mauka side. It would be for public safety to make a crosswalk mid-block on Kaheka, of course.

And yes, I know that even crosswalks can be dangerous, but who dares to bring that up?

PLAN AHEAD

BUSINESS OWNERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR DISASTER

The best time for a small-business owner to respond to a disaster is before it happens. A relatively small investment of time and money now may prevent severe damage and disruption of life and business in the future.

Recent events clearly show that small businesses in Hawai'i are as susceptible to some kind of disaster — flood, hurricane, earthquake, wildfires and landslide — as small businesses in the rest of the country. Man-made disasters — oil spill, terrorist attack, fire — can devastate the surrounding neighborhood and economy as well.

Even though an area has never been damaged before, there is no guarantee that it will not happen tomorrow. With proper planning, business owners will increase the likelihood of their business' survival and be able to rebuild, recover and get back to business sooner.

Protecting critical records by making backup copies and storing those records in a secure, offsite location will save time and money. Business owners should meet with their insurance agent to make sure they understand exactly what is covered. And buying business-interruption insurance can cover lost profits and necessary expenses while the company is out of operation.

The building should be examined to identify the risks based on its geographic area. Common-sense measures and communication with employees, suppliers, customers, the local media and the general public will make a big difference.

Without a disaster-preparedness plan in place, business owners risk losing everything they've worked hard to accomplish. The resources available at the Small Business Administration's Web site (www.sba.gov/disaster) provide additional disaster-preparedness tips and links to other sites with information on protecting homes and businesses.

BIG ISLAND

MEDICAL CARE CRISIS IS WORSENING

Is it true that Sylvia Luke, Rosalyn Baker and Colleen Hanabusa do not agree that there is a problem with access to medical care here in Hawai'i? How can that be? I know these facts as both a physician and a patient: