Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has written to Governor Cayetano asking his support for legislative efforts to ban what he called "this appalling blood sport."
McCain notes that 45 states already prohibit "no rules" contests. Last month New York Gov. George Pataki signed a ban in his state, calling such events "a Neanderthal blood sport."
McCain said the promoters seek out jurisdictions that have no state-supervised safety regulations to protect the competitors. When, prior to an outright ban, New York attempted to impose safety regulations, "ultimate" fighting promoters moved their event to Alabama. Now Alabama is close to imposing its own ban.
Star-Bulletin columnist Pat Bigold reported that a participant in such contests who testified against a ban here was photographed stomping on the back of his opponent's head in a match at the Blaisdell Arena while the referee made no attempt to stop him. In "ultimate" fighting, Bigold wrote, fighters are allowed "to kick, pummel, elbow, knee, choke or head-butt their opponents into submission."
Ina Percival of the state Commission on the Status of Women said that these events "serve only to further desensitize children and adults to the real horrors of violence."
John McCain is a former Navy pilot who was shot down over North Vietnam and spent six years as a prisoner of war enduring torture and deprivation. He knows something about violence and the difference between brutality and sport. "Ultimate" fighting is brutality, not true sport. It has no place in civilized society.
The anti-irradiation campaign is reminiscent of the mainland-based letter-writing campaign opposing the alleged destruction of the Hawaii rain forest for the development of geothermal power although there was no virgin forest to be destroyed. It's time Hawaii government refused to be intimidated by boycott threats and made irradiation of fruit a reality here.
Cayetano further indicated an indifference to the First Amendment when he named Rey Graulty to succeed Metcalf as insurance commissioner. Graulty is claiming that the Senate version of auto insurance reform could increase the cost of insurance. The Senate rejected that concept because it would result in more lawsuits and higher litigation costs. Instead, it approved a measure aimed at further restricting lawsuits. That doesn't please lawyers like Graulty and Cayetano who earn their living from litigation. But it would be good for consumers who would otherwise be paying attorneys' fees out of their premiums.
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor