Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

Favoritism occurs when one party dominates

The special treatment and pardon given Honolulu attorney Thomas Foley, a convicted criminal, along with the appointments of politicians and their friends to key government positions, are a result of having one political party in power for the past 40 years.

When the yin and yang of life are unbalanced, problems occur. For the good of the people of our state, proper balance in government must exist.

To obtain this balance, all U.S. citizens who have the right to vote must fulfill their duty by supporting independent-thinking candidates who want to improve our community.

Wilbert W.W. Wong

Cayetano is criticized for showing forgiveness

I don't believe it. Governor Cayetano does the Christian thing and it seems everyone except the affected family jumps on him. The governor is merely giving Tom Foley a chance to get on with life and to pay back society. Right on!

G.A. "Red" Morris

New university logo is too silly for jocks

Our new University of Hawaii athletics logo is a laugh. Look closely and you'll see an outfit with a low square-cut neckline and widespread legged pants with toes pointed outward and rick-rack trimmings sewn on each side.

It is exactly as depicted by Corky in his front-page cartoon on July 31.

Now do we want such a silly-looking logo for our brave UH athletes? Somebody must be kidding.

Kimie Ishii
Wahiawa

Pathetic reasons to change a nickname

I went away for a month and come back to find we're no longer the UH Rainbow Warriors but, instead, the H Warriors or something like that.

The reasons given for the change are mind-boggling. If an incoming athlete or coach is so concerned that his self-image can't withstand association with a rainbow, then:

He's got personal issues to deal with.

He's too homophobic and won't fit in well with the diversity of Hawaii.

He's not smart enough to recognize the difference between the UH Rainbow Warriors and Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition.

Such an athlete doesn't stand much of a chance of passing admission requirements.

Equally disgusting is the wholly undemocratic way in which this decision was made. As far as I know, no poll was taken of students. Certainly, the faculty and staff weren't asked, and I doubt that many alumni were, either.

How sad that a handful of insecure men can throw decades of tradition out the window so carelessly, and for such pathetic, market-driven reasons. We should continue to be Rainbow Warriors, be proud to compete and study under an emblem of natural splendor, and not worry about what the rest of the country may (but probably doesn't) think of it.

Scott Rowland
Faculty Member and Alumnus
University of Hawaii Waimanalo

Quotables "He is a coward for refusing to meet." Frank Fasi CANDIDATE FOR HONOLULU MAYOR Criticizing Mayor Harris for ducking debates and joint public appearances "He is not the most exciting public speaker. I know exactly how he feels." Gov. Ben Cayetano Saying that he can identify with the oratory challenges of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore "It's all a gimmick. They've got to sell books." David Robb UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS AND RECORDS On UH's ranking by the latest Princeton Review, which includes being the sixth worst college in the nation in providing financial aid, according to its students

Hawaii should prepare for new trade markets

It appears that the U.S. is ready to initiate full-scale diplomatic and trade relations with Communist countries such as China, Vietnam and North Korea. This will have a tremendous economic effect on the overall American economy, including Hawaii's.

The influence will be huge when the more than 1 billion consumers begin to accept our capitalistic system and all the benefits that accrue from it.

Thus, it behooves Hawaii's entrepreneurs to prepare for this huge onslaught and to have elected and appointed officials support the business community's attempt to capitalize on this phenomenon.

It will be similar to the Japanese business and tourism boom that hit Hawaii like a major typhoon in the 1980s.

Toshio Chinen
Pearl City

Many faces of Al Gore show he's a hypocrite

Al Gore, whose family has suckled at the breast of Occidental Oil for decades, claims that George Bush and Dick Cheney are beholden to Big Oil.

The staunch environmentalist stands silent while Occidental Oil threatens the survival of an entire tribe in South America. The heir aspirant to the "most ethical administration in the history of the nation" supported the sale of national oil reserves to Occidental.

Gore, who claims superior executive experience based on eight years as vice president, can't get plumbing repaired in his own rental property. The champion of the Little People is completely indifferent to the squalid conditions in his own run-down slums.

Al Gore, who takes credit for the current strong economy, can't tell the difference between an ATM and a Buddhist temple.

Is it stupidity or hypocrisy? Does it really matter?

Robert R. Kessler
Retired Navy commander

George W. Bush is not compassionate

Recently, within an hour, Texas executed two men, one of whom had an IQ that made him mentally incompetent. This is at least the second double execution during George W. Bush's governorship.

It costs about $16,000 a year to house, feed and otherwise maintain a convict. An execution costs slightly more than $1 million. It doesn't take much math to figure out that the economic break-even point is 63 years.

Add to this the value of what a convict produces during his or her sentence in manufacturing of school desks, license plates, uniforms or whatever else the state needs, and it becomes apparent that it is more advantageous to keep a convict alive than to initiate an execution. It's more civil and humane, too.

Governor Bush tries to hide behind the "power" of the Texas Parole Board, claiming that he is somehow unable to stop the executions. The simple fact is that this self-proclaimed compassionate conservative has failed to provide the necessary leadership to stop Texas' death machine.

Martin Rice
Kapaa, Kauai

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor?
Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think.
Please keep your letter to about 200 words.
You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com
or you can fill in the online form for a faster response.
Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509.
Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.