Start at top of command
to correct military abuse

Reports of sexual abuse of female soldiers at Aberdeen and at other Army installations made me recall my first days at West Point, some 40 years ago, when I learned the professional military code of obligation and responsibility. Like most military officers, I accepted it as a personal code during my career of service.

The code can be simply stated:

A commander's obligation is to accomplish his mission and to look out for the welfare of his troops.

A commander is responsible for everything his organization does or fails to do.

The American public has a right to demand that its military officers live strictly by this code. That is what their profession demands of them.

It's not enough to punish the drill sergeants and company officers who sexually assaulted their soldiers. It's more important to hold accountable the higher officers in the chain of command - the colonels and generals - those who failed to establish the procedures that allowed them to protect their female troops and who remain personally responsible for the criminal behavior of their subordinates who preyed upon these young soldiers.

The glue that binds the military together is the trust and confidence between commander and soldier. When that is ruptured, deep trouble follows, and the country needs to be concerned. Corrective action needs to begin at the top, not at the bottom.

T. J. McAniff
Mililani

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Dress code is proper
although not popular

No matter how well-written school dress codes may be, there are bound to be strong reactions from students who feel their rights of self-expression are being challenged (Rant & Rave by Liane Kaneko, Star-Bulletin, Nov 5).

Students can spend a lot of effort lobbying for exceptions to the rule, but when the school bell rings, they should be ready to start the day, properly dressed with school supplies on hand.

Dress codes give general guidelines for appropriate and decent attire while in a learning environment. Hopefully, the administration, staff, parents and students will have a hand in developing the code every step of the way.

If students want to show school pride, honor the dress code and get on with education.

Bernice Ramos Clark

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Construction plan will
‘kick-stop’ state economy

Governor Cayetano's first "kick-start" of the economy was the $350 million convention center, which reduced public services. Next came his West Oahu construction scheme.

According to the Star-Bulletin on Nov. 19, he has another kick-start, a billion-dollar building program that will require more taxes and reduce more services. Hawaii has had more than enough construction and far too many subsidies going to buildings, the hotel industry, and tax-exempt estates. That is why small businesses are going bankrupt and the most capable people are departing.

By raising taxes and cutting services to residents, Cayetano's latest billion-dollar construction plan will kick-stop, not kick-start, the economy.

Jerome F. Manis

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UH students face paying
more tuition for less

In a View Point on Nov. 5, University of Hawaii President Kenneth Mortimer outlined the strategic plan being developed to take the university into the next century.

Central to this plan is that UH be able to attract significant outside funding to supplement that provided by the state. As Mortimer notes, however, potential donors are extremely sensitive to the possibility that their donations will be replacing state funds rather than supplementing them.

On Veterans Day, Governor Cayetano called for the repeal of legislation that returned tuition directly to the UH and established a base level of funding for the university.

Given the history of his administration's conservative fiscal projections, it is hard to understand why Cayetano signed it into law in the first place. If this law is repealed, UH students will pay more tuition for fewer services.

The prospects of UH attracting significant private donations seem bleak when potential donors look at the current funding situation for the UH and see that the state doesn't honor the commitment to higher education.

James Heasley
Kailua