Letters to the Editor
Thursday, September 12, 1996

Why is mainland company
choosing library books?

I am disappointed to learn that a North Carolina firm is currently in charge of selecting and purchasing books for the Hawaii state libraries. Under the guise of cost-cutting, control over the libraries' collections has been taken out of the hands of local librarians.

Perhaps this mainland firm is responsible for the State Library's recent purchase of 61 copies of Newt Gingrich's novel, "1945" - a book notorious for its extremely poor sales.

Hawaii's libraries have more copies of Gingrich's novel than they do four out of five of the local fiction best-sellers. This disparity is not due to readership demand - 59 of 61 Gingrich novels were on the shelves on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Hawaii's librarians have experience serving Hawaii's library patrons. They know their readers and can monitor and respond to local requests and tastes.

Please contact the state librarian, Bart Kane, at 586-3704 and urge him to put Hawaii's librarians back in charge of Hawaii's books.

Holly J. Huber


Legalizing gay marriage
would affect all the people

Dan Foley, the attorney for same-sex couples who are challenging Hawaii's marriage law, has stated that same-sex marriage would have no effect on the people of the state. I beg to differ.

There are more than 300 sections, i.e. laws, of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that would be affected should same-sex marriage become legal here.

Among the laws are the public employees health fund, public employees' pension and retirement system, public lands, tax law, social services and housing, workers' compensation, Hawaiian Homes, life insurance, rules of evidence, and veterans' rights and benefits.

Moral and ethical questions aside, the legalization of same-sex marriage will have a definite impact on the system of laws that govern the people of Hawaii.

I have always felt that for this reason, there is a "compelling state interest" in limiting marriage to persons of opposite genders.

Whitney T. Anderson
State senator


One woman doesn't prove
anything at The Citadel

When Shannon Faulkner left The Citadel during "Hell Week," many pointed to her as evidence that women cannot cut it in a rigorous military school. (These critics conveniently ignored the effects of an exhausting legal battle that Faulkner endured to gain admission.)

This year, 16 men dropped out of The Citadel after the first week, while all four female students survived. So now the women have a higher survival rate than the men - yet nobody has been so foolish as to argue that this means men can't cut it.

Any statistician will tell you that even four women don't make a statistically significant sample. As the number of female cadets increases, we'll see how they do. Some will leave, some will succeed.

And, I hope, we willsee the end of another myth about what women "can't do."

Mike Morton
Mililani


Abercrombie paid dues
to serve us in Congress

In a recent letter to the editor, a supporter of Orson Swindle called Congressman Neil Abercrombie a "carpetbagger." I looked up the word: It is used to describe a "non-resident who meddles in politics."

Congressman Abercrombie moved to Hawaii in 1959. He attended the University of Hawaii more than 30 years ago, earning a Ph.D. He was employed as a lecturer at the Manoa campus.

He was first elected to public office in Hawaii nearly 25 years ago. He married his one and only wife here, and has been a part of Hawaii's history and culture.

Before being elected to Congress, he earned his way there by serving in the state House and Senate, as assistant superintendent in the Department of Education, and in the Honolulu City Council. He has been continuously working for the people of Hawaii, every day, for 37 years.

Swindle never went to school here, never worked here, and has never been elected to any office here.

Who's the real "carpetbagger?"

Scott M. Moore


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