He should tape his mouth shut, too
I see that Rep. Neil Abercrombie, in my view, finally has done something worthwhile. He has tied his hands together . Hopefully, this is part of a three-step process. The next step should be to bind his feet and then, to complete the process, he could ask Rep. Ed Case to duct tape his mouth. Considering his achievements, it won't affect his value to Hawaii.
Ken Stevens
Kapolei
Is it HCDA's role to lobby governor?
I find it odd that a free-standing agency, the Hawaii Community Development Agency, created by the Legislature but responsible only to its own board (granted, it's now going to form a community advisory committee), should be lobbying the governor to veto a bill that would limit what the agency can do.
This seems to be what is known as bureaucracy -- government by bureaucrats.
Further, where is it written that whatever is done in Kakaako should be "lucrative," as stated in your June 12 editorial, to developers?
Tom Huff
Honolulu
Clearly it makes sense for state to collect tax
I suspect every voter knows it will cost less for the state to augment its existing general excise tax collection machinery than it will cost the City and County of Honolulu to reinvent that wheel (
Star-Bulletin, June 14).
And every business woman and man in Hawaii knows it will cost businesses more time and more money to deal with two independent, uncoordinated agencies, two sets of forms and two sets of regulations.
Governor Lingle: Please stop using the law's ambiguity to demonize Mayor Hannemann. The collection ambiguity was one reason why Republican legislators opposed passage of the tax bill you and the Democratic majority initiated, and it is a reason why they asked for your veto. You have an obligation to cooperate with the county for the benefit of taxpayers and businesses.
Mayor Hannemann: Please don't let your ego lead you to the same mistake Gov. Ben Cayetano made in the 2002 gubernatorial election. He overreacted to personal criticism by making himself the focus of an election he wasn't even in. His ego let the real issue -- the actual Democratic candidate -- be pushed aside. You owe it to the voters to ignore personal criticism, and just speak clearly for less total cost and less reporting burden. Then cooperate.
George L. Berish
Honolulu
It's up to individuals like Watada to lead
It is said that wars will end when men (and now women) refuse to fight them. The same can be said for terrorism and terrorists. It is most cost-effective, of course, if major political figures will take the lead. But as General MacArthur observed, "The leaders are the laggards." So while they and supporting publics catch up, individuals
like Lt. Ehren Watada join the historical ranks of soldiers who have done an about-face. It deserves a matching response from terrorist ranks. In either case such actions deserve cheers, not jeers or worse for the future advancement of peaceful global civilization.
Glenn D. Paige
President, Center for Global Nonviolence
Honolulu
If orders are unlawful, it's right to refuse
I have noticed a great many letters castigating Lt. Ehren Watada for refusing to fight and kill in Iraq. The writers usually point out that Watada is bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice to follow orders. What is not mentioned is that the oath taken contains the phrase "lawful orders."
Can orders that violate the Constitution and the concepts upon which the United States was founded be considered "lawful"?
Iraq was never a threat to the United States and the lies given to justify invasion are responsible for more than 2,500 U.S. deaths, many thousands more maimed and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian casualties.
The Nuremberg trials after World War II established that a defense plea of innocent because the defendant was following orders is not acceptable. Nazis were told that they knew better and that conscience dictated another course of action.
Lt. Watada has a conscience and has chosen to follow it. Cowardice has nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, it takes a great deal of character to do what he's doing.
Charles Luce
Veterans for Peace
Honolulu
More courage is needed all around
Last week we witnessed a complete lack of morale courage from many sources.
It started with the announcement of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada that he would not deploy with his unit to Iraq.
In my opinion, Watada has made accurate assessments on the nature of warfare and this war in particular. Yet he fails to realize that such insights have nothing to do with our oath of service or our duties as soldiers. I am a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, who until recently was on active duty.
I reeled against the Bush administration's original reasons for the Iraq war (weapons of mass destruction), but such concerns become meaningless to military officers once their soldiers are in harm's way. Consequently, I volunteered and did my personal best to make as great a humanitarian and military impact as possible.
On another matter, our U.S. senators voted against the constitutional recognition of traditional marriage. Their vote further demonstrated that Hawaii's political leaders lack the morale conviction to lead.
Noah Hough
Honolulu
Sometimes a mind needs to be changed
Someone wrote "Real men don't quit." Real men know when to quit!
Winston Churchill said, "I would rather be right than consistent." Some people say, "Don't confuse me with the facts; my mind is already made up."
People keep asking, "Why did Ehren Watada change his mind about the war?" Ehren weighed the facts, and the facts changed his mind. It was not a quick decision. He knew what the price would be. Call him whatever you will, but he is not a coward.
Yoshie Tanabe
Honolulu