Brainstorm! Challenge

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Paper trails needed in electronic voting

I guess you've heard that Vice President Dick "Foul Mouth" Cheney used profane language on the floor of the U.S. Senate when he became upset with Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy.

If Cheney or President Bush can't stand the Fahrenheit 9/11, they should get out of the kitchen. This November, you can help make it happen and vote them into political KP.

Evidence of White House lies and/or incompetence appears to be overwhelming. One would think that there is no way Bush and Cheney will stay in office for another term.

But wait, there is, since some states will use an electronic voting system without a paper trail that can be audited. As it stands now whoever writes the software to count votes may decide who voters selected in those states. Before the presidential election, there should be a way to ensure audits of electronic voting machines.

It would be a shame to be governed and cursed at for another four years by a White House team that most Americans did not elect!

Ron Rhetrik
Mililani

Media should follow Moore's '9/11' lead

Although some see Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" as a political issue -- a diatribe against Bush and neo-cons -- it is not more than a scathing, factual indictment on government as we know it today.

Seemingly partisan, yes, but its message is consistent with his previous films, "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine."

The essential issue is suppression of human dissent, oppression of impoverished, persistence in failed and immoral policy, and not the rule of law, but the rule of elite fiat.

What was most stark for me, however, was a speech offered by Bush at a fund-raiser.

Dressed in a tux, he refers to his audience as the "... haves, and have mores," and then calls them his "base." Faces in the audience slyly smirk and snicker. As Moore portrays in his work, create enough fear along with cognitive dissonance and people will follow the leader without question.

Moore's work confirms the awakening of America. At no other time in our history was it possible to convey that true patriotic action is not "follow the leader," but committed effort to discover facts, make informed choices leading to actions for greatness.

Our greatness as a people is at risk. I suggest this may work for the print media, too.

Ron Carlson
Honolulu

Police take pride in solving 'cold cases'

My sympathy goes out to Larry Weis, his family and all of the families who have been devastated by violent crime (Letters, June 28). Honolulu police officers assist victims every day, and we see firsthand the pain and suffering that violence inflicts on crime victims and their families.

Since 1998, there have been 127 murders on Oahu, and 108 (85 percent) have been cleared in accordance with FBI standards. We are proud of our officers and their work, and we remain committed to the pursuit of justice in unsolved cases. We are also committed to working hard to make sure that Honolulu remains the safest major city in the nation.

Lee D. Donohue
Chief
Honolulu Police Department

Irksome phrase ought to 'go missing' forever

The June 27 story on the missing fisherman reads: "He and other fisherman helped search for Roy Takatsuki of Kauai, who went missing during the Hanapaa Jackpot Fishing Tournament..."

Please tell me where "missing" is and how it is that people these days seem to be going there a lot. I hate the use of this phrase! I believe it is a regional expression that has crept into general usage. The next thing I expect to see in the media is "y'all," as in, "Hey y'all, Bubba Jones went missing yesterday."

Robin Makapagal
Kailua

Cost, distance inhibit East Coast visitors

Regarding the story "The other East/East Coast may be Hawaii's next Japan," Star-Bulletin, June 20:

When my family (five of us) came to Hawaii on vacation in the late '80s, we spent almost $12 k, including plane fare, hotels, food and tours. We spent four days in Waikiki and four days on Maui.

The worst part of the trip was the plane ride from New York -- about 13 hours, plus almost two hours getting to LaGuardia from Long Island. Previously, we had vacationed in the Bahamas. The flight was only 3.5 hours, and we spent less than half, excluding my casino gambling, than we spent in Hawaii.

The only way that I can see to get a big up-tick of visitors from the East Coast is if they build a plane that flies a thousand miles per hour. I can't even get my brother from Connecticut to come here for a month or two; he prefers to go to Florida to avoid a long plane ride.

Fred Cavaiuolo
Waikiki

Subtract taxes to tally true price of gasoline

Frank Young's June 27 letter showed the level of logic his small group will stoop to trying in vain to prove its point. He claims the threat of legislation to cap gas prices has kept prices down, therefore the gas cap law is already working. Oh, sure.

The major oil companies have cut prices hoping that legislators will see they are behaving and not punish them with this dumb law. I can just imagine the discussion at the Evil Oil Inc. management meeting.

I am, however, very encouraged by Young and his friends finally admitting that prices in Hawaii have been below the West Coast "for more than 16 months." Of course, this group and the media never bother to adjust for taxes. The actual price of gasoline (without taxes added) has been lower on Oahu than California for years. Let's do people a service and tell them what the price of gasoline is, not what dealers are required to collect on behalf of government!

Today (June 28), the AAA reported that the average price of unleaded regular in California (removing taxes of 45 cents) was $1.83. It also reported that Honolulu's price (removing taxes of 60 cents) was $1.64.

Brian Barbata
Gasoline jobber
Kailua

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] The city owns a large, underground facility at Fort Barrette in Kapolei that is sitting empty. What could it be used for? Some sort of archive? A place to stash gigantic holiday decorations? A temporary storage site for Evan Dobelle’s ego? Send your ideas -- include your name, address and phone number -- by July 16 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or by mail: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Or by fax: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750