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Friday, September 25, 1998

Mentally ill are often targets of victimization

I find abhorrent the resistance to situating the Clubhouse mental health program at the Fort Street Mall. I spent two years as a volunteer at a day program for the severely mentally ill in New Jersey and have several friends who suffer the ill effects of schizophrenia. My experiences indicate that the mentally ill are far more likely to be victims than victimizers and are often targeted by those who would take advantage of their vulnerability.

These members of our community deserve our support and protection, not our fear and loathing. It is true that the mentally ill may "cycle," go off their medication or otherwise need adjustment in their treatment. Yet rarely does this result in criminal activity.

The current maelstrom of anti-mentally ill sentiment will only drive the mentally ill away from the care that is our duty to provide them.

David Tumilowicz
Kaaawa
(Via the Internet)

Vote yes or no, or is it the other way around?

OK! Now I think I've got this right. If I want to say "no" to same-sex marriage, I must vote "yes" to an amendment on the upcoming ballot. But, if I want to say "yes," I am in favor of homosexual marriage, I need to vote "no" to an amendment, which means "yes" to same-sex marriage.

If I am uncomfortable with this issue, have no opinion or spoil the ballot, my action will be counted as a "no" vote, which means "no" to an amendment and hence "yes" to same-sex marriage in the state.

Last year in the Con Con vote, a blank or spoiled ballot was also counted as a "no" vote but, at that time, a "no" vote meant "no," instead of a "no" vote meaning "yes," like this year.

That makes perfect sense to me; this is Hawaii after all. Now history can remember us as much by our commitment to judicial and legislative contrivances as for our contributions to civil rights.

Mike Colgan

Sweet smell of change is heavy in the air

Primary election '98 was incredible! At the polls, thousands of voters, even rank-and-file union members, came to the realization that zealous support of politics as usual would cost them dearly.

Voters heeded the Cayetano campaign epithet, "We're not stupid!" They abandoned the party line and voted for change.

Viewers watched on primary night as Democrat sycophants stood at Cayetano's side, desperately trying to "spin" the primary election results. They denied that they had failed the voters.

They ranted about past accomplishments. They demonized anyone with diverse or innovative ideas. They laid blame for Hawaii's faltering economy anywhere but at their own feet.

In short, they sounded desperate and pathetic. They revealed a party bereft of solutions and visions, and rife with favoritism and cronyism.

Sunday morning, I awoke to a fresh scent in the air as the stench of politics as usual began to lift. The primary was the first step, the general election is the next.

Kerry A. Krenzke

Lingle talks out of both sides of her mouth

Governor Cayetano made hard decisions and took tough stances to wipe out the state budget shortfall. On the other hand, Linda Lingle says she will not allow cronyism to award nonbid contracts.

Yet, she gave a $77,000 non-bid contract to her then-husband. The Supreme Court later ruled it was illegal. She also handed out $518,000 in contracts to her GOP friends on Maui.

Lingle is quick to accuse others of things, but forgets what wrongs she herself has committed. She claims to have grass-roots support. I'm one of many, many grassrooters who don't support her.

Henry Kim

Voters must sweep out corruption of Democrats

Democratic values were indeed exemplified by the party die-hards who manage the Bishop Estate. Sweetheart deals, disregard for ethics and fair play, deception, etc., have been the hallmark of how the old boys' network chose to operate the charitable trust.

The debacle is a microcosm of Hawaii's nagging image problem, which continues to be perceived by mainland investors.

Governor Cayetano and Democratic Party chairman Walter Heen will not be able to provide the leadership to restore the "Broken Trust." The responsibility lies with the people of Hawaii to rid our state on Nov. 3 of these carriers of corruption and hypocrisy.

Robert P. Webb

Don't blame Cayetano for Hawaii's poor economy

Ten years ago, Hawaii had essentially the same government, taxes, unions, a Democratic governor and the economy was good. Why then do the Republicans continue to blame these things for our current problems?

What changed were external economies, foreign investment and our visitor count, things over which any governor is powerless. The economy might improve under Lingle, but correlation is not causation.

Cayetano has made good appointments, such as Bronster and Wilson. He was poorly served by the Economic Revitalization Task Force proposals, but he has helped to modestly trim government and personal taxes.

The Lingle campaign so far is full of borrowed slogans and vapid jingoism. Fasi's surprisingly accurate ads raise serious questions about the "Maui Miracle" and Lingle's hiring practices.

The Republicans have no new ideas and have abandoned few of their dated ones. The last thing we need now is a return to the days of anti-environmentalism, union-busting and trickle-down economics.

Mark McCullough

Clinton: Keep him,
kick him out

Bill Clinton has lots of company in sin

If every man in the United States who had cheated on his wife, and lied about it at least once, lost his job, the unemployment rate would be 90 percent. I say Bill is Hillary's problem. Give her time; she'll deal with it.

Jo DesMarets
(Via the Internet)

Starr had no choice but to prosecute

I find it amusing that Clinton supporters decry Kenneth Starr's highlighting of the sexual details surrounding Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky, since Clinton himself made sex one of the primary issues by arguing a "legal definition" of the term. What choice did Starr have but to clearly illustrate how ludicrous Clinton's assertion was?

Many letters to the editor suggest that everyone is making a big deal out of a man's "private affair." Somehow they avoid the fact that it occurred on taxpayer time and property, and that there are much bigger issues at stake, namely the abuse of power, perjury and obstruction of justice.

Sure we should learn to forgive Clinton, but like any other man who commits such crimes, if he is found guilty he must accept the consequences.

The noble thing to do would be to relinquish the honor of serving to Vice President Gore, so he can take care of the nation's business at hand.

Bryan Yamashiro
Ewa Beach
(Via the Internet)

Independent counsel has overstepped his power

There should be no impeachment of our president. It is not warranted because the provision for an independent counsel has been abused by Ken Starr to the extreme of a fishing expedition.

This purely political effort is endangering our constitutional future.

Janet Pettengill
Kailua

Man with poor judgment is leading this country

For 60 percent or so of adult Americans, the whole Clinton affair (no pun intended) is still just a matter of consensual sex between two adults, and nothing more.

Yet consider that this man -- a habitual liar, a man of incredibly bad judgment who is always willing to use his family and his most trusted advisors as cannon fodder to save his own skin -- has the power to commit our troops and has the responsibility to make the final decision as to whether to push the nuclear button. God help us all.

Tom Kenney
(Via the Internet)

GOP should be ashamed of disgusting behavior

I was born a Republican, raised a Republican, and voted for every Republican candidate for president up to and including George Bush. I was district chairman for the Republican Party and ran for the state House as a Republican.

Today, I declare, I am no longer a Republican! In no way will I be associated with this hypocritical lynch mob. You who call yourselves the religious right wing or Christian Coalition have failed to abide by the pages of your own text: "You who is without sin cast the first stone" or "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

The man has disgraced himself. Now the Republican Party has disgraced the office.

Foster Hull
Lahaina, Maui

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