Others know the glare of golf-whiz spotlight

When Michelle Wie's name comes up in the news ("Wie fails to make cut in tourney," Star-Bulletin, Nov. 25), Laura Baugh pops up in my mind. Today I did a Google search for this one-time darling of golf and found an interesting tale.

Back in the early to mid-1970s, Baugh was the hottest young female golfer in the media spotlight. Japanese advertisers were stumbling over themselves trying to get her to endorse a product. Never mind that Baugh hadn't won a major golf tournament, the media were in feeding-frenzy mode.

Baugh managed to survive the hype, liquor, marriages and second-place finishes. She did have something to say about Michelle Wie, if only to comment on how life can turn out very differently from media expectations. Let's hope Michelle takes time to read Laura Baugh's book about life, golf, and Col. Harlan Sanders.

Budget cuts put HPD at disadvantage

I am troubled by the recent sexual assaults in two of Oahu's parks. I am more troubled by Mayor Hannemann's comment on TV, "If any person out there is contemplating doing it again, I want to be real clear, I'm not going to tolerate that kind of behavior."

While the mayor is wagging his finger at the bad guys, I wonder if he is remembering he cut the police department's budget by tens of millions of dollars this fiscal year.

So what is the mayor going to do? Put them over his knee and spank them?

When kids go bad, it isn't school's fault

Please don't let this story die ("Girl reports gang rape at Aala Street park," Star-Bulletin, Nov. 24). It is most important, and of course, most horrible. It is an indictment of the parents, who are guilty of child abuse in raising sons like these, and, of course, of our entire culture.

Although the schools are mentioned individually with each of the five boys, the schools are not responsible. The parents are.

And what will become of the girl? Her parents can't afford private school. How will she be able to face her classmates, what to speak of the boys responsible? Will special assemblies be held in each of the schools on the subject, and in the process, will the five boys receive indirect acclaim, attention and even praise?

I am a public school teacher on the Big Island, and too often, the schools are made responsible for raising the children. I wish more people understood that it is the homes the kids come from, not the schools, that are the creators of children who are capable of raping other children on a park slide in Honolulu. What is the world coming to? What can be done?

What kind of pain can legally be inflicted on those boys? I wonder.

Don't miss next year's world hula fest

Those of us who attended this year's World Invitational Hula Festival enjoyed probably the finest cultural performances to ever grace the stage of the Waikiki Shell.

Participants representing Mexico, Japan, Samoa, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New York and Rhode Island displayed brilliant interpretations of our national hula, and it was a cultural treat.

A special highlight during intermission was a fabulous display of the music and dances of our neighbor, Mexico.

We need to provide better support to this outstanding annual event. Mark your calendar now to not miss the 15th annual World Hula Festival next year.

President misled by bad intelligence work

A liar is a person who makes a false statement knowing it to be false. If the person believes in the truth of the statement, then he is not a liar. He is merely mistaken.

The president did not go to Iraq and did not personally investigate the existence of weapons of mass destruction. It is obvious to any fair-minded person that the president must rely upon the intelligence he is given. The following is true:

1. While denying it to the world, Saddam wanted his enemies to believe that he had weapons of mass destruction and acted accordingly.

2. Iraq was a closed, secret society making the gathering of intelligence extremely difficult.

3. British, French, Russian and German intelligence believed he had WMD.

4. He had at one time had it and used it to kill Kurds and Iranians.

5. The United Nations threatened him with sanctions for thwarting inspectors.

6. Everyone was wrong.

These and more prove that the president had a reasonable basis to have believed the intelligence to be true. Conversely, the president would have been imprudent to have believed otherwise. The intelligence was, in fact, flawed.

In time of war, those who continue to disparage the moral authority of the commander-in-chief with such unsupported accusations are irresponsible.

What does governor think of Bush now?

I just wonder what George W.'s favorite fan in Hawaii, Gov. Linda Lingle, thinks about him today? After all, she campaigned for him beyond the call of duty and is at least partially responsible for his still being in office. So tell me, Governor, are you proud of the way our puppet government treats its prisoners? Does the Who song with the words "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" mean anything to you?