Emergency personnel tend to overreact

I realize the tough and sometimes life-threatening scenarios that emergency personnel endure and the fairness, courtesy, respect and quick response they extend to the public.

But I've noticed, no matter how minor the incident, an excessive "flies on the jam pot" syndrome of police vehicles, motorcycle officers, majors, minors, cadets and detectives, plus the fire department and ambulances, pouncing on the scene in a frenzy. It's a veritable army, responding on the slightest impulse, as if they are bored sitting in the patrol car under a tree or tired of playing cards and entertaining friends in the firehouse: "Let's get outta here!"

Some time ago in the dead of night, I once was asked to "step out of the vehicle." It seemed like a film set, with about six cars with headlights, roof lights in full beam, plus six or seven now-defunct scooters, a fire engine, and I'm pretty sure a helicopter hovering above, with a penetrating searchlight. Talk about a wake-up call.

I was asleep, in a parking stall, and I had to think, is there any crime going on elsewhere in town, and does the nature of the incident befit the appropriate response or is it a matter of overtime at our expense?

John L. Werrill

Mercury suit could spark more complaints

When I took chemistry in high school back in the early '50s we played with mercury all the time. We would place a quarter or a dime into mercury to see how the pretty mercury made the coin shine.

We used to break thermometers and take out the mercury and play with it. Dentists in the '50s used mercury in dental fillings. Some old people still have mercury in their teeth.

So if Diana Bounds wins her lawsuit ("Complaint asks for damages due to exposure to the toxic metal at Puuwai Momi," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 28), I guess I may sue, too.

Lester Forrest

Letters persuaded switch in party

I've seen many letters to the editor recently naming Republicans Linda Lingle and Dalton Tanonaka as the best team to lead our next state government. With all this positive sentiment coming from other readers, I decided to check out the two for myself. I reviewed each candidate's Web site and found that Lingle and Tanonaka are indeed very similar in their approach to our state's future and are well matched for each other. Both candidates want to revive our stagnant economy by creating new business opportunities, stamp out political corruption, revamp our broken education system and support the University of Hawaii drive toward excellence.

As a long-time Democrat, it seems my party has lost its political focus and ability to reach out to the public. I'm going to vote Republican for the first time. I'm giving my support to Lingle and Tanonaka. I'd like to thank the writers of the previous letters. They were eye-openers that helped me make a tough decision to switch parties, at least for this election.

Elaine Eddy
Pearl City

Lingle's plans for Hawaii are unrealistic

Linda Lingle is no more suited to be our governor than my dog. The "Maui Miracle" is probably a name she now wishes she never had. Her proposals are pie-in-the-sky deals. She has continuously hammered the administration about cronyism (and probably rightfully so), but her track record is no better. Try out some nepotism. If you did it once, you will probably do it again. The first time is the toughest.

Clearly the Lingle campaign has initiated a policy of domination of the letters to the editor to both of the major local newspapers to continue her facade. Her campaign thus far has been hypocritical.

She claims she is only running against her Republican counterpart, but her campaign is based on lambasting the Democrats. If she wants to criticize them, that's OK, but she should be ready to defend her position in public debate instead of hiding behind the primary. If she is truly running against her Republican opponent, she should be criticizing his ideas and save her criticism for the Democrats for the general election.

It seems as if she and GOP party chairman Micah Kane are on a one-way street: We are perfect, and the rest of the world is screwed up. It brings up memories of Newt Gingrich, and that should scare the heck out of every voter in Hawaii.

Bill Nelson
Haleiwa

Preacher was just spreading the faith

This is in response to Roland Halpern's letter, "'End time' believers ignore Bible teachings" (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 26). He claims preacher David Hocking ignores the Bible teaching in Matthew 5:43 about loving our enemy. On the contrary, Hocking shows Christian love by revealing what the Bible says about Islam, Israel (God's chosen people) in the end times and interfaith.

In John 14:6, Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the father except through me." In other words, you can't get to heaven except through Jesus Christ, period. So that eliminates Islam, Buddhism, Bahai, Hindu, Unitarian and other faiths that say Jesus Christ is only a prophet or just a man and not the son of God.

Hocking has been preaching and teaching the Bible for more than 40 years and is generally regarded as one of the top Bible expositors in Christian circles.

There are those who claim Hocking doesn't know Bible teachings, when they themselves says the Bible is alien to their faith and teachings.

Melvin Partido

False prophets like Hocking are many

David Hocking, a Christian preacher, sees the end of the world coming (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 24). Many preachers in the past preached that the end of the world is coming for a number of reasons, but they've all been wrong. With the passage of time, Hocking will join the others, yet hundreds listen to his preaching. No human can predict with accuracy when the world will end.

On another subject, he blasts Islam. True Christians believe in love and tolerance for others who different in their views on religion. Instead of sowing hate, he should be preaching love and tolerance.

There have been so many false prophets. In the end, all they prophesize will turn out to be false.

How Tim Chang

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