Don't go overboard in anti-drug measures

After the drug-busters succeed in establishing mandatory random drug testing for public school teachers (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 6), what will come next, pats on the back that the mess we call public education has been purged of druggies? No, I think not.

What will come next will be testing for dangerous ideas and incorrect thinking.

Sailors' tribute touches Pearl veteran

I was honored to attend the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but for me the following story summed up what it was all about, better than all the speeches and the pomp and circumstance.

They say it is going to be the last official gathering of Pearl Harbor survivors because they are in their mid-80s to 90s. Many of the survivors appeared old and frail, yet they were there at Pearl Harbor from all parts of the country.

Right before the ceremony started an elderly couple and their friend rolled down the aisle, the wife in a wheelchair and their gentleman friend with a walker. The two men were wearing their Pearl Harbor Survivor caps and jackets. The husband and wife talked so loudly that everyone could hear them five rows forward and back. Not only did they talk loudly, they also seemed irritated with each other when they talked. She called him George, he did not call her by name, just "dear." Their friend was quiet.

After the ceremony started, a huge ship that had just finished her tour of duty in the Persian Gulf sailed so close to us, it felt like I could almost reach out and touch it. Flags were flying from bow to stern and from every mast and tower. Sailors dressed in white lined the deck and bridge. The survivors were asked to stand and be recognized. George did not want to stand as it was difficult, but his wife ordered him to do so. He made a loud grumbling noise and slowly struggled to stand up, all the while hanging on to the back to my chair.

As the ship silently slipped by, George's wife said in a voice that once again could be heard five rows forward and back, "Look, George, at all those pretty flags and all those sailors in their white uniforms. Isn't it beautiful? They are all saluting you, George. They all are saluting you." And they were. George said, unlike his previous sarcastic tone, in a voice that was barely audible, "I know," and then his voice trailed off.

We salute you, George, and all those who survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor and those who did not.

Keep government out of health care

We need the freedom to choose how we want to care for our own health. The government lets cigarette and alcohol companies sell their products, which we know has been attributed to millions of deaths over the years, but it won't let people get quality nutritional supplements and herbs.

We allow the big pharmaceutical companies, American Medical Association and health insurance companies control, manipulate and restrict our freedom to choose what we want and need for health care. On top of that, millions of people are allowed to die from the treatments approved by these organizations and that is perfectly OK with our lawmakers, politicians and even the Food and Drug Administration that hides behind the protection and authority of the government.

What have I been serving my country for? I thought it was for freedom.

It might be smelly, but at least it's not smoke

An unexpected surprise greeted us during our annual pilgrimage to the islands for Thanksgiving: We were delighted to learn that smoking is no longer allowed in your airports, restaurants and hotel rooms. Mahalo for that concession to clean air and good health!

Just one complaint remains: We visited the Big Island and ventured to the Kilauea Volcano. While there, we noticed a very strong smell of sulfur. We also noted that President Bush was somewhere in the state around the same time.

Any connection? Or is that just a silly myth perpetuated by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez?

Columnist finally starting to get it

Poor George Will. He's really worried about civility and clear speaking in the nation's capital ... finally (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 3).

Concerning Sen.-elect Jim Webb (D-Va.), Will "shudders to think what he will be like" after being sworn in. Considering the fact that he's replacing George "Macaca" Allen in a town where Vice President Dick Cheney told a U.S. senator to "go (blank) himself" and that President Bush's dubious command of the English language is an embarrassment to the country, I have to ask, where's this concern been for the past six years?

Bush had been warned that Webb's son, serving in Iraq, had just had a brush with death and that the topic of his son was a sensitive subject for him. But that didn't stop the pretend cowboy from approaching the real Marine who was purposely avoiding him. That's not too civil or smart. But then again, those words aren't often used to describe George Bush.

I shudder to think what two more years of Bush/Cheney will bring. How many more Americans will die fighting Bush's illegal war? How many innocent Iraqis will die? Will our allies ever view us as the good guys again? How many trillions of dollars in debt will we be?

Bush once asked, "Is our children learning?" Well, how about our conservative columnists -- is they? Evidently not.