Brainstorm! Challenge

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Speedy settlement is one to emulate

I am not a union person and I will never support such crippling organizations. However, I must give kudos where they are due. I thank the Young Brothers Ltd. managers for not being too tight with their wallets, and I also thank the tugboat union members for not taking advantage of the situation. All is well now that the strike is over and prices on our shelves should not be affected much, if at all.

I just hope TheBus management and bus drivers, who walked off the job last year, look at what Young Brothers and its union members did: rectify the matter expeditiously, fairly and with little inconvenience to all of us.

Remember, we have only a few years to plan countermeasures in the event that TheBus management and union decide to use their okoles instead of their heads.

Bob Ruiz
Honolulu

HSTA endorsement is a source of pride

One of my opponents has written a letter to the editor of the Star-Bulletin questioning the Hawaii State Teachers Association's judgment in endorsing my candidacy for another term as the 23rd District's senator ("HSTA casts its vote before filing deadline," July 5).

In his resentment at being passed over, Jim Henshaw says the endorsement shows why Hawaii ranks dead last in the nation in SAT scores and says that anyone who wants to improve our public schools should vote against anyone endorsed by the teachers union.

Our teachers, their students and their parents have listened to this kind of mean-spirited criticism for too long. By indicating his contempt for Hawaii's teachers and the work they do, he has shown himself to be unworthy of their endorsement.

This has been a year of positive change for public education in Hawaii and much of it is due to the tireless effort of Hawaii's teachers, who made sure lawmakers knew what kind of reforms they thought our school system needed. This year, teachers, school administrators and parents have a range of new opportunities to improve the schools in their communities, and they deserve our support.

I am proud to have supported the Legislature's educational reforms, and I am proud to have won the endorsement of the teachers in my district.

Sen. Melodie Aduja
D, Kaneohe-Kawela Bay

See 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and decide for yourself

I went to see Michael Moore's movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" on the Fourth of July. I was not going to go. I am not a fan of propaganda of any kind and that was the word on this movie. Many of my friends saw it and recommended it. I told them "no," I didn't like Bush, but I hated half-truths even more.

But as I watched the movie, I started to realize it wasn't all that bad, some gruesome shots of Iraqi and American bodies shocked me, but that's what happens in a war. I needed to see that ... a reminder of the price really being paid by some families. When the movie was over, a strange thing happened; I started clapping and so did most everyone in the theater. As I walked out, it occurred to me to ask one of the employees who clean up if any other audiences had applauded after the movie. The three kids working there said "Every time." At every show, people applauded. I was moved. This audience was not a bunch of old hippies. It was made up of our neighbors ... all colors, shapes and sizes. I left feeling more American and sensing that others felt the same way. This movie struck a chord in us and gets you thinking.

Henri Proulx
Honolulu

Insanity, greed, religion got us where we are

The war of independence freed America from the tyranny of the unelected British monarchy (the mad King George III), the greedy aristocracy and the corrupt church.

Today, America has Bush II (stolen election), supported by Christian fundamentalists and corrupt and greedy corporations.

Full circle in just over 200 years.

Lois Raynor
Honolulu

Trial will prove extent of Saddam's terrorism

The international anti-war crowd is going to have a hard time shutting out the upcoming "Trial of the Century" in Iraq. Already Reuters news service is reporting of the eye witness accounts of Saddam Hussein personally executing prisoners with gunshots to the head. Saddam and his henchman, Chemical Ali, will have to answer for thousand of Kurds killed and horribly disfigured by chemical attacks in the late 1980s.

With the death toll in the hundreds of thousands for political opponents and the long-suffering Shiite population, there will be hell to pay. When Saddam's crimes against humanity are spelled out, only the most rabid Bush haters will cling to the fantasy that this monster was not a terrorist threat.

Paul Mossman
Kailua

Sudan may become another Rwanda

As you read this, Sudan's government is committing genocide in its Darfur region, whose people questioned the authoritative rule of the government. Happening this very minute are large-scale killings, rapes and poisoning of water and natural resources. Estimations of the death toll go higher than a million and, at this moment, there is very little stopping it from becoming another Rwanda.

Andrew Natsios, head of the U.S Agency for International Development, said "If nothing changes we will have a million casualties. If things improve we can get it down to about 300,000 deaths."

We may think we are powerless, but that's not true. Please write to government officials, especially Secretary of State Colin Powell, and let them know you are concerned. Congress.org is an amazing resource with every possible address and connection for every member of our government. You may be able to make a change.

Silas Standard
Hawi, Hawaii

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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