SENATE RACE

AN AKAKA WIN MEANS RISKING SEAT IN 2012

Assuming Sen. Dan Akaka wins his re-election primary, who will be the candidates in the 2012 election?

Will Ed Case still be in politics? No. Who will be the Republican candidate? Linda Lingle? Yes.

A strong Democratic candidate could emerge in the next six years but if not, would Dan at 88 be able to take on Linda, a young popular former Hawai'i governor? No.

Wouldn't Ed Case be a stronger candidate against Linda Lingle after serving as a U.S. senator for six years? Yes.

Do Democrats want to risk losing the Senate seat in 2012?

If the answer is no, then vote for Ed Case. If the answer is yes, vote for Dan Akaka.

CASE POLITICAL SIGNS SPROUTING UP ON H-1

I live on the west side of the island and drive to work every day on the H-1.

It's bad enough that I have to put up with the traffic, but now I've got to look at Ed Case's political signs on the freeway.

I've given him a week or so to take his signs down, but it seems like every day more signs are sprouting up on public property.

I'm asking Case to do us a favor and take down those signs on the H-1. It's the least he can do for us people out here in Wai'anae.

ELECTION 2006

HAWAI'I NEEDS TO VOTE DEMOCRATIC THIS YEAR

Since the United States is in its most dreadful crisis ever, I urge the people of Hawai'i to vote Democratic this election.

Hawai'i needs Sen. Dan Akaka because he has seniority and is on the most important committees.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie is needed because he has seniority and is on the most important committees.

I urge people to vote for Mazie Hirono as she is experienced and gets the laws through.

I think that William Aila will be a good candidate for governor.

TRY OUT ELECTRONIC VOTING AT ABSENTEE SITE

One way to avoid any confusion voters might have with the primary election ballot is to use the new electronic voting machines at the polls.

I did so at Honolulu's walk-in absentee voting site. The machines guard against voter errors. The machines will tell you if you've voted incorrectly, such as voting on more than one ballot.

The machines will also print a paper trail for you to check before pressing a button to cast your ballot. And if you have any problems, all you need to do is ask for help from a poll worker. Try them out.

IRAQ DUTY

PASSENGERS SHARED JOY OF RETURNING MARINES

I arrived home recently from a trip to Alaska on a United Airlines plane half loaded with Marines returning to their base in Kane'ohe. I felt I had to share the joy, respect and love the other passengers showed the troops during the flight.

It started when the pilot introduced the troops, who were returning from Iraq. That brought fantastic applause from the rest of the passengers and the crew. I was thanked personally by a Marine for wearing an American flag pin in my coat lapel, which I do often.

To end the fabulous flight, we were met by wives and babies, friends and just plain onlookers all cheering, and then to top it all off a roaring Marine band. There were lei for all. It was a moment to treasure.

I will also not forget the beautiful little T-shirt on a 2-year-old that said, "My Daddy Is a Hero." I completely agree.

PHOTOGRAPHS

MEDIA ARE ACCUSED OF SANITIZING WAR IMAGES

The Advertiser ran yet another photograph of a wounded Iraqi civilian on Sept. 10.

It was a shot of a bandaged child with his mother. But never do we see photos of injured American soldiers, save for those of nicely patched-up vets back home.

Burned in my mind are pictures of dead, dying and wounded soldiers from the Civil War through the Vietnam War. Such photos are the starkest reminders of the harsh realities of war.

Shame on The Advertiser and the rest of the American news media for failing to visually chronicle the most hellish experiences of U.S. soldiers in the battle zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sanitized journalism is not true journalism.

SEPT. 11

AMERICANS MUST STAY VIGILANT ABOUT TERROR

On Sept 10, 2006, the former president of Iran, Mohammed Khatami, spoke at Harvard on the topic of ethics. This from a man who was in power when hundreds of students at a Tehran university demonstrated for tolerance in his country. He also staunchly defends the current president and policy of Iran, which includes the extermination of Israel.

He speaks of the West's rampant phobia about Islam and how it is only driving more terrorism. I find it distasteful to have this man make any address on American soil at the time of this solemn remembrance of the deadly day for Americans.

If we choose to let this remembrance fade into insignificance, we will again experience a day as deadly as 9/11, if not worse.

Our vigilance must stay up; we must sacrifice some liberties to ensure our safety and security. If America is so bad, why are so many people trying to get in? God bless America and those who died and will die to keep us free!

GASOLINE

PRICE CAPS ARE HISTORY, COST STILL HIGHER HERE

I just returned from a two-week trip to Detroit, where I saw the price of gasoline come down from $2.57 a gallon to $2.30. When I arrived back home, I noticed the price of gas stayed pretty much where it was when I left.

Isn't it great that we removed the price caps and let market forces work, so the oil industry could "regulate" itself?

I guess we just enjoy paying nearly a dollar more a gallon for gasoline when we don't have to.

KUDOS

DOT COMMENDED FOR REPAVING OF FREEWAY

It is now the third weekend of returning my college-aged daughter to the dorms at the University of Hawai'i. I noticed it the first weekend, but only now do I have the opportunity to say that the freeway is so beautifully smooth after the repaving.

For the most part, it's a smooth and exhilarating round-trip drive between Mililani and UH at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Department of Transportation has probably been inundated with calls and letters about potholes and lane closures.

I would now like to thank the Department of Transportation and all workers involved with the repaving of the roads on O'ahu. The fruit of your labor has not gone unnoticed. Excellent job!

PHILIPPINES

ARROYO ALLEGATIONS ORCHESTRATED BY FOES

This letter is in response to John Witeck's letter of Sept. 8 about Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Opposition lawmakers failed to impeach her because of an overwhelming vote of confidence in the lower house. Mr. Witeck's conviction about President Arroyo's martial law, electoral fraud, corruption and political killing is premature.

He assumed Lindy Aquino's commentary on Sept. 3 as "fact." First, President Arroyo never declared martial law. She issued an executive order to suppress lawlessness because of the imminent danger to the republic.

Second, Mr. Witeck accused President Arroyo of being "the major perpetrator of terror against her own people." Perhaps he should go to the Philippine congress and testify that he can show some proof about his accusation.

Don't you think that the perpetrators are her detractors themselves since they're so desperate to grab power?

Finally, the allegations about electoral fraud and corruption were orchestrated by her opponents. We should bear in mind that a person is innocent until proven guilty. President Arroyo deserves to be respected on her Hawai'i visit.

EDUCATION

READERS LAMBASTE SHON FIRING

SCHOOLS WON'T IMPROVE UNTIL POLITICS REMOVED

We should all be very angry. My kids graduated long ago, but I am still angry.

Everyone, including politicians, says we need better schools, but when someone does something about schools, he gets fired.

I knew Jim Shon long ago. He is good, hard-working and humble.

We will never get good schools as long as they are in the political arena. I say get rid of the Board of Education altogether. In the meantime, we can use our votes to get rid of the current board, (with the exception of Cec Heftel, who seems to have supported autonomy for the charter schools).

AUTHORITY, CONTROL ARE BEST AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL

The shameless power play by Board of Education Chairman Randall Yee in firing charter schools leader Jim Shon tightens the noose of centralized bureaucratic control over education in Hawai'i.

Yee is determined to stop the flow of authority and control down to the school level, where it will do the most good.

Instead, he'll keep the reins tight, starve the schools and stay the course of universal mediocrity in public education.