Governor's rebate is more than you think

A recent writer who suggested that refunding $300 million tax surplus would only amount to "the price of a hamburger" might not be aware of some arithmetic: There are only about 600,000 individual Hawaii tax returns filed, so the average surplus per return is $500. Even that amount would help offset some of the property tax increase. Half of the surplus can be attributed to the general excise tax receipts; maybe a reduction of the excise tax rate would be more appropriate since this tax is so regressive.

Hawaiian community is not divided

The Jan. 2 Star-Bulletin editorial on Hui Malama claims that the Hawaiian community is divided by this issue and that this is indicative of the community's failure to achieve common goals. I am Hawaiian, and I do not feel less bonded to other Hawaiians over this issue. No matter what side of the issue we stand on, all Hawaiians who are physically able will show up at the next "Ku i ka Pono" march to demonstrate our solidarity and objection to the greater issue: the continued illegal occupation of the Hawaiian kingdom by the United States, which ignores kingdom law and implements its own laws to the physical and political detriment of Hawaiian nationals.

On July 5, 2001, the Hawaiian kingdom government filed a complaint against the United States with the Security Council of the United Nations regarding its occupation of the kingdom. It is only there that the issue can be fully appreciated.

ACLU supports abuse of First Amendment

If the American Civil Liberties Union supports the street performers who set up business on Kalakaua Avenue (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 4), then I am afraid that our local ACLU chapter will have lost its focus. Street performers are the same as the T-shirt vendors who used to set up card tables on Kalakaua. The fact that street performers don't charge spectators but rather encourage contributions is a distinction without a difference. They are in business on our public streets.

Claiming that it is a First Amendment right to conduct business on the streets cheapens our cherished First Amendment. Let's show some courage and not be blackmailed into a compromise. If the city is so worried about attorneys' fees, why not ask the business community in Waikiki for support?

Let people drink in stadium if they behave

When someone is caught creating trouble or being drunk within the infrastructure of Aloha Stadium, let's have the police or security forces register this individual as an offender and for the rest of the season make him check in at the downtown police headquarter within 30 minutes after the game starts and 30 minutes before it ends.

If he fails to do so, throw him in jail. If he is a visitor, throw him in jail for the day and let him miss his flight, with a trial a few days later.

Just forget the ban on serving alcohol, and let responsible people enjoy the game with a beer.

Cartoons have always been political

I'm writing because I found Cliff Coleman's "Get politics off of the comics page" (Letters, Jan. 4) to be quite humorous -- if not outright dangerous.

Comic strips have been a barometer of our nation since its inception. To deny that demonstrates that we, as a nation, deny that very fiber which we supposedly are fighting for. It seems that those of Mr. Coleman's mind-set are set on approving only the views that they share, as evidenced by his call against "left-wing, liberal, Democratic wisecracks."

Interestingly enough, Mr. Coleman cites Mort Walker's "Hi and Lois" as one of the "good strips." One of Walker's sons was on National Public Radio Tuesday relating how even a strip as "good" as "Hi and Lois" had to be censored because of people with the mind-set of Mr. Coleman.