HAPPY NEW YEAR

LUCKY WE LIVE HAWAI'I? TAXES, FEES ALL RISING

My property assessment went up 50 percent. My association fees went up 20 percent. My excise tax went up 0.5 percentage point. My gas tax went up 11 cents. My electric bill will increase 10 percent. My sewer fee has increased 20 percent. My telephone (enhanced 911) bill increased 20 percent. My vehicle license fee went up 20 percent.

Did you vote, and are you still lucky you live Hawai'i?

Happy New Year.

SADDAM HUSSEIN

BEING FORCED TO FACE HIS VICTIMS WAS JUSTICE

Before the moment is lost, I hope Americans take a breath from their personal attacks on our president to realize what just happened.

A criminal thug who held Iraq's people hostage by brutal murder, maiming and torture found himself facing those people as his peers instead of victims. Then, in a civilized exercise of law, those peers gave him the death he deserved, instead of the "community of nations" spiriting him and his wealth away to a life of pleasure in the free world — as has been the past norm.

Never before has a nation sacrificed its own warriors and wealth to do that, and then, like George Washington who refused to be America's king, refused to take the dictator's place.

So, I am proud of America, its magnificent warriors and a president who ignored the unseemly personal attacks that should shame all Americans who permit as well as spawn them.

Thank you, America.

CAMPAIGN FUNDING

NOTE OF CAUTION RAISED ON OBAMA CANDIDACY

Barack Obama is a wonderful person. I love his liberal views and agenda.

But after reading your Op-Ed piece by Brian Schatz and Chuck Freedman (Dec. 28), I felt I should add a note of caution. We all must consider Obama's quick rise to popularity.

The problem involves the money it takes to run for president and the obligations that ensue. I refer to an article in Harper's (November 2006) titled "Barack Obama Inc.: The birth of a Washington machine," by Ken Silverstein.

Two quotes from this article express the gist of it. "It is startling to see how quickly Obama's senatorship has been woven into the web of institutionalized influence-trading that afflicts official Washington." And "For Barack Obama, mounting a successful career, especially one that may include a run for the presidency, cannot even be attempted without the kind of compromising and horse trading that may, in fact, render him impotent."

He's not a savior, he's a politician. My "hope" is that he can go where he wants to go without becoming a different, lesser, more compromised representative of the people rather than the corporations that give him the money he needs to win.

IN MEMORIAM

FUJIE'S PERSONALITY, COUNSEL WILL BE MISSED

You don't expect to open the morning paper and read of the unexpected passing of someone you know and respect. It was with a heavy heart that I read of the untimely death of Lloyd Fujie.

When I was executive director of the Historic Hawai'i Foundation, I had the pleasure of working with him as a trusted and hard-working board member. His upbeat personality and wise counsel were a wonderful asset to HHF.

His commitment to our community will be sorely missed. My heartfelt condolences to his wife and family.

POLITICS

GERALD FORD'S VALUES SET EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

As our nation mourns Gerald R. Ford and remembers his presidency, I hope it is a sign of good to come in 2007.

Our present national leaders of both parties should emulate the politics of President Ford and his generation. It was a politics of decency, civility, comity and bipartisanship.

They should also take to heart his Midwestern values — a quiet patriotism, fiscal responsibility (including a balanced federal budget), a more modest federal government, a respect for individuality and privacy. I hope President Bush and congressional members of both parties resolve to come together in 2007 on such major issues as an Iraq policy.

DEMOCRATS

CONFLICTING REPORTS REFLECT MEDIA SPIN

Did I miss something? What is going on with the media?

On the front page of The Advertiser, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer were elated. Their hands were raised together in victory, and they wore huge smiles. She had become the first woman speaker of the House. They were celebrating, and so was I.

At the same time, Fox news pundits were growling that "the Democrats are in disarray" and "she was already a failure" because of the Murtha-Hoyer race for majority leader.

Give me a break. What a giant nonstory. The right wing will never change. They're already trying to undermine her. The 24-hour news channels are simply trying to create news.

EMERGENCY DEVICE

COAST GUARD URGES USE OF NEW BOATING BEACON

I'd like to talk about a relatively simple device that can help save lives on the water. Recent news reports alerted local mariners of a change to a device called an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPRIB), which helps the Coast Guard determine a mariner's position by using satellites and GPS technology.

On Jan. 1, mariners were required to switch to digital 406 MHz EPIRBs, which are much more reliable than older models that use the 121.5 MHz frequency. Some national news reports indicated that the Coast Guard will no longer monitor the 121.5 MHz frequency for at-sea emergencies while those older models are phased out for the next two years. This is simply not true.

As the senior Coast Guard officer in Hawai'i, let me reassure you that our rescue professionals will still continue to monitor 121.5 MHz EPIRBs for the next two years. However, I do ask boaters to switch now to the improved 406 model. With the additional information you provide when you register the EPIRB, search and rescue specialists are better able to respond to your location with the best resources available. The 406 MHz frequency is a dedicated frequency so we do not have to worry about interference from adjacent channels.

LOST ANIMALS

HUMANE SOCIETY HELPS REUNITE PETS, FAMILIES

The photos and stories showing the dog Raven reunited with his family in Windward O'ahu provided holiday cheer to all animal lovers and warmly captured the spirit of the season — the love of friends and family, whether they are two- or four-legged.

More than 3,300 dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, turtles and other animals were reunited with their families on O'ahu last year. The best chance of finding your lost animal or returning one home is through the Hawaiian Humane Society. Our staff is there to help around the clock. As the official pet lost-and-found center on O'ahu, the society knows that losing a pet is heartbreaking.

If your pet is lost or if you find someone's pet, report it right away to the Humane Society. If you've found an animal, bring it to the shelter, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Information and photos of found animals are on the "Lost & Found" section of the society's Web site, together with helpful advice and forms for reporting lost animals. At the same time, we know that worried pet owners often need instant advice, and sometimes, it's easier to talk with a person — therefore, we encourage you to call in your report to 946-2187, ext. 1.

IRAQ

IMPEACHING THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO BE ONLY WAY OUT

In order to correct a gross mistake, the person who made it must first admit to it. George W. Bush will never make this admission. That's why impeachment of him and his administration is the only way that we will be able to get out of Iraq with the least amount of further dead Americans and Iraqis.

I have previously suggested using the strength of the 140,000 American troops in Iraq to dump the present puppet government and to forcefully establish a constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and minority rights for all Iraqis.

This would require the forceful disarming of Muqtada al-Sadr's 20,000-man militia, and forbidding the establishment of Sharia law by the Shiites.

If this were to happen, the Sunnis would tell their al-Qaida assistants to go home, and a government of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiities would be possible without partitioning the country.

The only way that this can happen is for the Democrats to relieve George W. as the decider. The Republicans tried to do it to Bill Clinton for a much weaker justification.

THE COST OF THIS WAR GOES BEYOND THE DEAD

Iraq: More than 3,000 dead Americans and counting. Hundreds of thousands Iraqi dead and not counting. Multiply by 10 to get the number wounded. I saw this math in the Vietnam War. Fifty thousand Americans and 2 million Vietnamese dead. Why then? Why now?

We knew the French got kicked out of Vietnam, but we forgot that they also quit Algeria because the locals wanted them out and the French would not resort to massive killing to stay. Vietnam and Iraq are the result of profound American stupidity, plus the unchallenged, bald-faced lies of amoral politicians.

Once again, our troops are on a fool's errand. The survivors will be studied just like Vietnam vets.

Lt. Ehren Watada stands out as a true American patriot. The rest of us are silent reeds that bend and tremble with the wind.

Wake up to the lies. Wake up to the violence we are visiting upon people who never attacked us and were never a threat to us.