Lingle should do more about isle gas prices

The weeks and months roll by and we still languish with the highest gas prices in the nation. What gives? The latest Lundberg study of 8,000 stations lists the national average price of gasoline down to $1.54 a gallon and still dropping, so why is Honolulu averaging $1.95, and here on Kauai it's a whopping $2.19?

It appears Governor Lingle is content to let us suffer while allowing the oil companies to prosper as we all wait for the price cap to be implemented a year from now. If Lingle really wants to help the people here in Hawaii, she should take up the challenge and help out all of us who have to grit our teeth every time we fill our tanks. She should instruct the Attorney General's Office to investigate the possibility of price-fixing by the oil companies. Her lack of concern makes me question whether we made the right choice for governor.

John Tobin
Koloa, Kauai

It is time to focus on rebuilding Iraq

There is no major resistance to the war in Iraq now. There are sporadic attacks by loyalists, guerrillas and terrorists. Therefore, the United States and other nations should accelerate the rebuilding of Iraq physically, economically and with a democratic government.

Iraq has a huge oil reserve. It should be used for the benefit of the Iraqis.

The United States and other nations should demonstrate that they are there to help the Iraqis. They will respond and cooperate to build a new Iraq.

How Tim Chang

Segway gives the rich another overpriced toy

The governor's logic in allowing Segways on our city sidewalks escapes me. But at $5,000 a pop, I doubt we'll be dodging them soon.

The Segway Human Individual Transporter is a toy for people with too much money. The acronym says it all.

Barbara Holm
Waikiki

Hypocritical Lingle is no consensus-builder

Former Democratic Party Chairman Richard Port (Letters, June 22) isn't the only one who's seen through Linda Lingle's campaign gimmickry about "positive change," "plans for reform" and "new beginnings." Far from being the moderate consensus-builder many voters hoped for, she epitomizes arrogance, partisanship and hypocrisy.

Not only does she vilify those who disagree with her as "childish," "unprofessional" and "politically motivated," or worse, she threatens to work for their ouster from public office and gives new meaning to "rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies." Former Gov. George Ariyoshi is only her latest victim.

Who can blame Republican functionaries for demonizing Democrats and writing puff pieces on Lingle? What better qualifications for getting one of the few remaining cabinet, board or commission spots in her administration?

Pat Daly

Island children lucky to be part of rainbow

Thank you for Cynthia Oi's "Under the Sun" column on the editorial page Wednesday. As the mother of hapa children I also had noticed that children raised in Hawaii don't have the cultural baggage to deal with that many children on the mainland have.

My children are comfortable with their haole family and with their Chinese family. They were never made to feel different or unaccepted. When they went away to the mainland for school or work they were a gift to those around them because they accept others for who they are, not what they look like. They have friends of all races and backgrounds and though I am truly sorry they can not live in Hawaii right now, I see them as part of the answer to the healing that our country needs.

Hawaii's children break down barriers because they don't see the barriers. Our rainbow families are the beginning of something wonderful.

Dorothy Au

Screaming sirens offer rude awakening

Here in Waikiki, no matter what time of the night or day, we are assaulted by the screaming sirens of ambulances and fire trucks as they race down the streets. Both residents and tourists living and staying in the buildings along the Ala Wai Canal are rudely and abruptly awakened almost every night.

Perhaps the city should be a good neighbor and think of the impression it makes on our visitors when they are awakened out of a peaceful Hawaiian sleep.

Mark A. Linett
Waikiki