Letters to the Editor
Thursday, July 4, 1996

We've forgotten God's role in
Independence Day

It saddens me to see how we have forgotten America's godly heritage. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence marked our freedom from Great Britain. Its most famous sentence is, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

If we do not believe in the creator, how can we be provided with and enjoy the inalienable rights which he has given us?

Congress opens up with a prayer. United States' presidents are sworn into office with their hands on the Holy Bible. Naturalized citizens take their oath of allegiance ending with "so help me God." Notice the words "under God" in our pledge of allegiance. Our currency declares "In God We Trust."

From the moment that (verbal) prayer was banned in the public schools in 1963, divorce rates, suicide rates, STD rates, crime rates and alcohol consumption increased while SAT scores declined.

Our founding fathers would be unhappy with the present spiritual condition of our nation. George Washington said, "It is impossible to govern rightly without God and the Bible."

Paula Maeda


Somebody should sink idea of
building research vessel

It is hard to believe, in these times of budgetary problems, that anyone would suggest building a new oceanographic research vessel (Star-Bulletin, June 27). Much as I respect both Sen. Daniel Inouye and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, I can't see how constructing the proposed vessel for the Navy, to be operated by the University of Hawaii, is anything but pork.

In order to obtain backing for this proposed $45 million investment, both senators must have had to agree to support other legislators who want a new bridge here, a new federal building there, a park over here, etc.

It is apparent that the three public or quasi-public agencies - the Navy, the UH and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - really didn't feel this was an important enough item to include in their respective budgets. Consequently, why should Congress spend hard-earned taxpayer money on this project?

If Inouye is so interested in helping the UH and Hawaii, why doesn't he suggest spending one-tenth of the $45 million on completely refurbishing and modernizing the Moana Wave, using local facilities such as Honolulu Shipyard? In this manner, funds would be injected into Hawaii's economy instead of elsewhere in the U.S.

Edward H. Carus Jr.


New vessel will help us maintain
scientific ranking

Your story ("Inouye backs $45 million ship for UH") depicts Sen. Daniel Inouye aggressively pursuing this funding in the face of opposition, implying that it's another pork barrel project of questionable utility.

In fact, the ship is sorely needed, and it has been at the top of the university's list of projects for which federal funds are being sought for some time.

Through major refitting and modifications, we have endeavored to maintain and expand the operational capabilities of our existing ship, the Moana Wave, to keep pace with the increasing demands of its users. In the time we have operated the Moana Wave, it has been used for a broad range of oceanographic operations including geological, geophysical and chemical, physical and biological oceanographic cruises. The vessel is now almost 23 years old; maintenance requirements - and downtime - increase as the ship ages, making it increasingly expensive and inefficient to operate.

Further, the trend in oceanogrpahic research toward lengthy, multidisciplinary research programs truly pushes the Moana Wave to the limits of its capability; it's just too small and the hull shape precludes outfitting it with the latest in side-scan sonar (sea-floor "swath" mapping) technology.

The university's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology now ranks fifth in the U.S. for peer-reviewed ocean science funding from National Science Foundation. With no ship to drive the research enterprise, that ranking will fall. Although there is no guarantee that UH will be chosen to operate a new ship, we are grateful that our congressional delegation has sought to remedy the situation.

Any criticism of Inouye for including the funding in the 1997 defense budget is undeserved. Considering the importance of a strong academic teaching and research base for economic development in the United States, the upgrading of science and engineering facilities at colleges and universities is clearly in the country's best interest. This need for new capital facilities and equipment is widely acknowledged. The federal government can and should play a leading role in this.

Dean O. Smith
Senior Vice President
for Research and Graduate Education
University of Hawaii


Residents should be able to carry
concealed guns

In the June 29 Star-Bulletin, Honolulu city prosecutor candidate Peter Carlisle states, "We have to create a new approach to stopping crime, one that borrows the best from effective programs elsewhere."

May I suggest we follow the example of Florida, another tourist state, and allow people to carry concealed weapons. It has been successful there; it could be successful here.

We wouldn't have to have a great number of citizens actually carrying concealed weapons. Just the thought that an intended victim might be one of them should be enough to deter many violent attacks.

Arthur Y. Sprague, M.D.
President, Hawaii Chapter
Doctors for Responsible
Gun Ownership


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