Bush's Iraqi puppet trailing in election

Well, President Bush got his wish for free Iraqi elections. It would appear that the Iraqi people have spoken in a clear, loud voice. Unfortunately for Bush, those courageous people risked their lives to vote against a U.S. puppet government.

The Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's party has a 75 percent winning margin going. That party fiercely opposes the U.S. occupation, and would put an Islamic theocracy in power.

If Bush expects his lap dog, Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, to be the elected Iraqi leader, he'll have to send Katherine Harris over there before the final votes are tallied.

Way to go, George, yet another "mission accomplished"!

Mike Crawford
Kihei, Maui

'Lite' columnist got it right

I have two words for "Honolulu Lite" columnist Charles Memminger regarding his Feb. 1 column ("Kaneohe Marines died for freedom") about the recent loss of 27 of our neighbors and America's finest citizens and his thoughts regarding the Iraqi election and Sen. Ted Kennedy: Mahalo and amen.

Kathleen S. Meier
Kailua

Elected officials ignore homeless problem

Wahiawa, like other communities on Oahu, is suffering with a high rate of homelessness, and the problem is compounded when our elected officials, state Sen. Robert Bunda, Rep. Marcos Oshiro and Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, show no interest in resolving the problem. They seem more interested in their own political agendas than in helping the homeless.

The Wahiawa Neighborhood Board has also shown a lack of interest in the problem.

Without the active support of our elected officials, the homeless population will continue to grow and our fellow citizens will continue to live on the streets and under the bridges and eat out of trash cans. It's time for our elected officials to set their egos aside and do something positive for the community for a change.

David Bohn
Wahiawa

Bush's changes will ruin security of elderly

George W. Bush caused my blood to run cold last week during his State of the Union speech. Just as with weapons of mass destruction, he is now lying to us about Social Security.

I'm old enough that his proposed changes won't affect me. However, I'm also old enough to recall that my grandmother was on "relief" during the 1930s, before Social Security. The food she was given was dog food.

President Bush is the greatest danger to this country I've ever seen.

Jo An Gaines
Honolulu

Everyone should be equal under the law

It seem that lawyers and people who donate more money than they are allowed by law get off light by the courts. Hey, judges, what has happened to "you do the crime, you do the time"? If it is good enough for the rest of us it should be good enough for the people who are higher up.

I believe justice should be equal to all, not just to the powerful.

By law doctors, contractors and others have to purchase malpractice insurance in Hawaii, so why not lawyers? Sounds only fair, and it might just cut down the number of bogus cases.

Bill Littell
Waikiki

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Seeking state symbols

Hawaii has a state bird, a state fish and a state flower. What other symbols should the Aloha State have? For example, should we have a state insect? If so, what should it be? Or how about a state bento? Come up with your own categories and share them with Star-Bulletin readers.