Letters to the Editor
Friday, September 20, 1996


Yet another drug appears for
the narcs to pursue

Rohypnol: Front-Page News! The New Scourge! Despoiler of Virgins! The Date Rape Drug! Where have we heard those charges before? Could it be the "Reefer Madness" of the 1930s?

We've already got an overstuffed prison, yet drug enforcement officials are beating the drum to have still another drug classified as Schedule I. They admit they haven't seen a significant amount here, but are frantically sounding the alarm in order to justify their jobs. In fact, the hype about rohypnol is likely to lead to a demand for it here, and then the drug police can say, "I told you so!"

It should be obvious by now that putting drug abuse under the jurisdiction of law enforcement is a losing proposition. We could never imprison all the drug users, and the problem of abuse continues to grow.

Giving the police another pill to watch for, and the courts another pill to lock people up for, is not going to solve anything.

James R. Olson Jr.



Gay marriage
would lead to societal aberrations

I'm a bit surprised to see the Star-Bulletin carrying the torch for the 1-2 percent of our population who would benefit from legalizing homosexual relationships.

In doing so, you are suggesting we open the door to other aberrations, such as bigamy, polygamy, marriage between parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, brother and sister, humans and pets - anyone who might benefit financially by living together.

Should a homosexual union be legally recognized as "marriage," all of the aforementioned possibilities will be able to cry out that their civil rights will be violated by the state's denial of their marriage.

I hope Judge Chang will recognize that, as the law stands now, everyone in our country has the same right to marry, and the same restrictions. Let's leave it at that.

Keith Haugen



Everyone will benefit if
gay marriage occurs

Your Sept. 16 article ("Gay attorney has opposition taking notice") about Evan Wolfson, attorney for the same-sex couples suing for the right to marry, gave the general public a glimpse of the man. But it really made me realize how difficult it is to get the sum of a man or even the sum of the issues of marriage for gays and lesbians into a single story.

Wolfson isn't just a skilled attorney, a committed activist or a humanitarian. Having spent hours on the phone with him in discussion, I can tell you that he's a warm and caring human who truly doesn't want to hurt the American nuclear family.

If anything, Wolfson believes that by pointing out the discrepancies and inequalities in the law, everyone will benefit.

Barry Wick
Rapid City, S. D.



There is a big difference between
civil and gay rights

Tuesday's edition vividly brought to public attention the state's argument that children "need mom, dad." There are some within our state who dispute this. I can't help but wonder how many of them have actually worked with young children on a long-term basis.

As a former pre-school teacher who came to know children being raised by "Mommy and Auntie," I had to cope with the sheer terror a small girl expressed each time a male administrator even came into view. In calmer moments, I asked the child why she was so frightened. Her reply was, "Mommy and Auntie say men are bad and they do bad things." Do we want more children to grow up with such thinking?

A headline on page A-6 asked, "Will Hawaii once again lead the way?" and cited examples of Hawaii's leadership in the area of civil rights. Lead in what way? In moral decline and debauchery?

There is a vast difference between civil rights and "gay rights." The first is sanctioned by Scripture, and the second is diametrically opposed to it.

Is this the sort of leadership on which to build our state's reputation? I should hope not!

Nellie C. Neumann
Waipahu



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