Real transition means electing a Republican
It is almost laughable listening to the rationale that we need to elect another Democrat to the Hawaii congressional delegation.
If we are truly thinking about the future of Hawaii in Congress, the best political position for Hawaii in this election is to elect a young Republican to Congress who can build the coveted seniority everyone one claims is so important. A member of Hawaii's delegation who will be a member of the majority party who currently controls the Senate, House and administration. A young member who can actually assist Sen. Dan Inouye when legislation moves over to the House.
It is time to vote Hawaii first and not party first. It is time to elect Quentin Kawananakoa.
Deron Akiona
Honolulu
Don't let smear taint education board vote
Politics brings out the worst in people. Until recently, I believed that the standard of decency for Hawaii elections was above smear campaigns. That belief, I have learned, was wrong.
With just a few days left before the Sept. 23 primary, former associates of mine have made public allegations of theft and harassment (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 16). According to statements released by the Liquor Collection, a liquor store in Ward Warehouse, I am accused of stealing thousands of dollars in wine during a brief period of employment. A separate e-mail distributed to the press by an anonymous source contains links to Web sites, whose authorship is attributed to me, containing accusations of sexual and emotional harassment. Also posted on the sites are objectionable images, purportedly of me.
The accusations leveled against me are patently false. Last November, while under the employ of George O'Hanlon at the Liquor Collection, I was accused of stealing both cash and wine from the store. Under threats of bodily harm and costly litigation, I provided the store with restitution for any items I was accused of taking, as well as a hastily written letter of resignation.
My resignation from the Liquor Collection coincided with a difficult period personally when people with whom I had intimate relationships were attempting to destabilize my life. During this time, several of my Internet accounts were usurped from my control, including a myspace blog, xanga blog and several e-mail accounts. Nearly every one of these accounts was subsequently used to malign my character. My xanga and myspace accounts were rewritten to allege harassment against former friends. Computer-altered images in which my head was placed on someone else's body were posted in an attempt to support allegations that was a sexual abuser and compulsive liar. I have attempted on numerous occasions to have the sites removed, but have received no response to my appeals.
No charges or judicial rulings have ever been issued against me for sexual abuse, theft or anything else. On the contrary, I have obtained legal representation and am considering taking legal action against those perpetuating a smear campaign against me. It is important to note that I agreed to comply with a TRO petition this June without the court making any finding regarding the veracity of the claims made by myself or my accuser. In fact, my accuser's petition for a restraining order did not mention abuse of any kind, which should cast some doubt on the credibility of those assertions. Our society is based on the rule of law, whereby an individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In the eyes of the law, I am innocent of everything I have been accused of.
The feelings expressed by those with personal vendettas against me do not speak for the rest of Hawaii. No one has the right to use the media to usurp from voters the right to judge my candidacy. Instead, those individuals associated with this smear campaign should leave their feelings at the ballot box where they belong.
Kris DeRego
Board of Education candidate
After taking signs, maybe they'll fix roads
I went to my friend's house in Manoa to watch a ballgame, and was surprised that his Ed Case signs had been taken down. When I asked why, what I heard left me shaking my head.
Apparently, someone complained that his Case signs were on public property. This was a surprise, as he had a recent survey of his property showing no indication that there was an encroachment issue.
What was amazing to me was that during the next six days, my friend received no fewer than seven visits to his home from Residential Code Enforcement Branch inspectors, including a crew of four on the final day spending hours taking detailed measurements.
After all of this, he was told that the signs were "likely" a few inches on public property.
I suppose one way to look at this is that the Hawaii Government Employees Association-membered inspectors showed great diligence in carrying out their duties. Perhaps it is only coincidence that the HGEA has endorsed Akaka.
In any event, I suppose the good news is that if this is any indication of the level of attention to detail and responsiveness other public union-membered government workers are showing, our sewer and pothole troubles will soon be solved!
Chris Dias
Honolulu
Peters would protect Hawaii from casinos
As a registered voter in state House District 23, which encompasses Waikiki, Ala Moana and Kakaako, I have received flyers in the mail and heard radio campaign commercials from Anne Stevens and Mike Peters and was still undecided.
Then I picked up two voter guides, one by the Hawaii State Coalition Against Legalized Gambling and the other by Hawaii Family Forum and decided Peters will get my vote because he is the only candidate that opposes the legalization of gambling.
The last thing I want is for Waikiki to become another Las Vegas. I hope my fellow voters feel the same way. Now I know Peters is telling the truth when he expresses his desire for a more beautiful and safe community.
Lawrence Medeiros
Honolulu
Wasting one's vote is foolish and costly
In response to the editorial "A vote for Coffee would be wasteful" (
Star-Bulletin, Sept. 18), I would have to agree. Why would anyone vote for someone who's not running?
However, let us not forget that it was only a few years ago when Sen. Dan Inouye urged everyone to vote for the late Patsy Mink "to honor her." In one of the most ridiculous events in Hawaii politics, a dead woman was elected to a seat in Congress, which forced another election costing Hawaii taxpayers more than a million dollars. All this just to keep the Democratic party in power.
People should no longer vote for candidates based on political party. They should at least vote for the candidate whom they believe will be the right choice. Some people would blindly vote for their Democratic or Republican candidate without really knowing what they're voting for. I think most Democrats will blindly vote for Dan Akaka because that's what the Democratic Party leaders will tell them to do.
Fletcher Young
Honolulu
Menor was right all along about gas cap
I live in Kapolei and my daily drive to Honolulu has become very expensive because of the high cost of gasoline. When we had the gasoline price cap, I didn't know if it was working. Some people said the price of gas would be lower without it. Now, I read in the newspaper and see on TV that if we still had it, we would be paying less -- a lot less.
It looks like Sen. Ron Menor was right and the governor and her agencies were wrong. The gas cap was working. The governor should do what's best for the people of Hawaii, not the oil companies that contribute to her campaign. She should bring back the gas price cap.
I am voting for Menor because this problem is not just in Hawaii. We need somebody in Congress who is not afraid to stand up to the oil companies. I believe Menor will fight to stop the oil companies from overcharging consumers in Hawaii and all over the country.
Mar Apuya
Kapolei
HPD doesn't have to be incompetent
The police say they need to close the H-1 for hours to investigate traffic accidents thoroughly. How do residents get to decide how much thoroughness is worth how much inconvenience? Well, the mayor appoints the police commission, which in turn chooses the police chief and passes on all appointments and promotions within the Honolulu Police Department, so the responsibility lies with Mayor Mufi Hannemann.
The Honolulu Police Commission is the board of directors of one of the largest businesses in Hawaii. It's up to them to insure that HPD is effective and efficient. We need police commissioners who are up to commanding at that level.
There is no lack of information about how to do this. There are many thousands of police departments in the country. There are dozens of university departments of police administration, with professors who study and publish papers about every conceivable aspect of police work. There are many other national agencies such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which serves as a clearing house and supports studies to make police work more efficient. There are many progressive police jurisdictions that we can learn from. In an industry as large as policing, there are consultants galore.
If Mufi is looking for a way to make a significant difference to our lives in Honolulu, he could look at police efficiency.Oh, and instituting some scientific traffic management would have a big payoff, too.
Harold G. Loomis
Honolulu