New Orleans mayor should blame himself

I am so sick of people trying to once again blame our president for something he was not responsible for. It's even worse that the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, is trying to cover his own failure at protecting his citizens by yelling about the "lack of response" by the federal government.

Where I grew up we had a saying: "The one who places the most blame is the one who is most at fault!"

Here's another little gem that Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco should remember: "When you point a finger at someone else, you are pointing three back at yourself."

If FEMA head is so bad, why was he confirmed?

Reading your editorial Wednesday regarding Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, I have two questions. First, if he's such an incompetent, why did the Senate confirm him? Second, if having FEMA as part of the Department of Homeland Security is such a bad idea, why did the Senate, including Hillary Clinton, vote to make it so?

Black leaders should help, not just criticize

I am disturbed that the black leaders in Congress have been so verbal in turning the disaster relief situation into a race issue. I would love to have asked each of them exactly how many families from New Orleans have they invited into their homes? Jesse Jackson showed up later in the week and I wonder how many displaced folks did he take home with him? Oprah Winfrey also showed up this week. She has probably five or six homes across the country and also a home in Hawaii. Did Oprah bring a bus down to the Astrodome to take homeless folks to one of her homes?

But on one of the news station I saw white families walking around the Astrodome carrying huge signs saying "Will take a family with four children and pets into our home." And these folks did not appear to be people of wealth. Pastor Rick Warren (author of "The Purpose Driven Life") stated on the Larry King Show that he knew of churches who were taking 500, 300 and even 1,000 people to their churches where they would be housed and eventually relocated into their communities.

Donating money is necessary to the relief of these thousands of folks in the badly damaged states; however, to actually go there and bring families back to your home and show them love and compassion is truly putting your money where your mouth is. Too bad the black leaders in Congress do not focus on the good that is being done by many people who do not consider the color of someone's skin.

Bus passes cheaper than building rail

If we really want mass transit, just lower the price of bus passes to $10. Let students ride for $5 and there won't be a need for trains to the University of Hawaii. We need managers who are smart enough to add buses to routes that constantly have standing room only. We could spend $13 million a month for the next 15 years and not spend all of the money needed to build the rail. I cannot picture the mess traffic will be in while the rail is being constructed. I also cannot picture thousands of people parking their cars, waiting for a train and then transferring to a bus to get to their destination.

Building and operating a rail will only increase the cost of living for our taxpayers. If we get it built. Remember what happened to our sewer and road funds?

Lawmakers caused gas prices to go up

Wednesday's headline "Expect a big price increase Monday" leaves no doubt that our elected officials have created a gas price emergency in Hawaii.

Hawaii legislators rejected the advice from numerous professionals not to enact the law as it would contribute to higher prices. Price increases that would not be in line with price increases elsewhere in the United States. The Legislature passed the law anyway.

On Monday, Hawaii's prices will have increased nearly 90 cents a gallon in two weeks. On the mainland, prices have increased about half that amount. Our governor sidestepped the issue when she let the law go into effect. She indicated she would repeal the law when it proved not to be working. Clearly it isn't, and thus far she has been silent.

We're fortunate not to have a hurricane emergency. Unfortunately, we have a gas price emergency. Much has been said about governments' inability to respond to a hurricane caused by nature. It appears our local representatives can't respond to an emergency created by their actions, either.

Where's the protection from Akaka Bill?

Deceptive public statements continue to be made by supporters of the Akaka Bill who insist that we need immediate protection against the legal assaults on Hawaiian trusts, programs and entitlements. They declare -- with absolute statements -- that upon the Akaka Bill's passage the programs will be protected. These statements instill fear among people so that they become willing to sacrifice anything, including their birthright, to protect these programs.

The Akaka Bill is not federal recognition; it only describes and allows the process toward that end. Section 7 of the bill outlines approximately 17 steps that must be fulfilled before federal recognition can be extended to the native Hawaiian governing entity. How long will this process take? Best-case scenario is that it is a three-year process, but realistically, it could take five years or more.

Bruce Fein, the constitutional lawyer who opposes the bill based on racial reasons, has declared that the constitutionality of the bill will be challenged in court -- if it passes. He has also predicted that it will be years in litigation. This should not be a surprise to anyone.

I am sympathetic and care for the programs that help our people. However, in consideration of court challenges and elapsed time of at least three years or more before federal recognition could be extended: Where is the immediate protection for the programs? And how do the supporters propose to protect the programs in the interim? The Office of Hawaiian Affairs should be forthright and provide an answer to all the stakeholders.

Rather than leadership by vision, we kanaka maoli are witnessing leadership -- by fear -- into an eventual universal settlement with the state and federal government resulting in the extinguishment of title to our remaining lands forever, slam the door to all future claims and provide second-class citizenship as wards of the federal government. Where is the vision for a better life for our people?

U.S. took even more land from Mexico

I have been giving some thought to the Akaka Bill and the apology that is often cited as its genesis. If my memory serves me correctly, we also stole Texas and most of California from the Mexicans. Sounds like Mexico lost a whole lot more territory than the Hawaiian monarchy.

Perhaps, in fairness, we should offer some sort of reparations to Mexico. Personally, I would be in favor of giving them Louisiana and Mississippi. I can't imagine that President Fox could do less than President Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in providing timely and substantive relief to the flood and hurricane victims.

Then there is the question about how we should apologize to Tony Blair for that spiteful little rebellion those many years ago ...

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