Story promoted lie about 'war on terror'
The
Jan. 9 front-page story about U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's unwillingness to fund the president's troop increase in Iraq states that "Congress has approved about $500 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and other terrorism-fighting efforts." This implies, incorrectly, that the U.S. incursion into Iraq is somehow connected to terrorism or the so-called "war on terror." This supposed connection has been so thoroughly discredited that even President Bush has been forced to acknowledge it.
But is it any wonder that a large percentage of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein was somehow responsible for the 9/11 attacks when a newspaper of the Star Bulletin's caliber is still mindlessly parroting this disinformation?
Beverly Johnsen
Lahaina, Maui
How dare Abercrombie not send more troops?
How does this state put up with U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie? What unmitigated gall he has to tell us, the U.S. fighting man and the president that
he won't pay for U.S. troops if more are sent to Iraq to help the ones who are there already. There are a lot of brave young men and women in harm's way daily, and I am sure they would love some more support from fresh troops, but Abercrombie won't fund them?
Despite all the promises and pledges in this last election to support our troops and not to leave Iraq prematurely, we are seeing that Democrats really are the same "cut and run" group that hung the Vietnamese people out to dry, leading to death and misery for millions. Democrats were supposed to have a better idea. I didn't think this was it. Did you?
Scott McAdams
Honolulu
Surge should be first step in impeachment
President Bush's
Jan. 10 call to deploy more troops to Iraq certified his rejection of the key elements of the bipartisan U.S. Iraq Study Group. Let this be the first step in his impeachment by the new Congress. His errors in judgment and leadership, which have resulted in the loss of more than 3,000 American lives and severely degraded the "American image" throughout the world, are far more serious than the impeachment charges made against former Presidents Clinton and Nixon.
We can no longer tolerate him thumbing his nose at the vast majority of the citizens of our country and arrogantly disregarding similar opposition by most other nations, many of which are former allies. He is the root cause of the monumental mess we are in at home, in Iraq and throughout the world. He is obviously not going to change. Therefore, we must impeach him before he drags us down to where we won't feel as proud to be American as we were just a few years ago (before he became president and led us down the tubes).
William E. Mossman
Kailua
We don't need another expensive beach study
Regarding your
Jan. 6 headline "DLNR wants $1M to study beach," and follow-up story: There have been studies and more studies on beach erosion, Waikiki Beach, shifting sands, etc. made in the last 45 years. Why do another study for $1 million? Rubbish!
The Department of Land and Natural Resources staff and heads of departments are already paid handsomely. They should pull up these studies and look at the conclusions drawn and go from there. Or they could hire John Clark, retired deputy fire chief and author of "Hawaii Place Names" (shores, beaches and surf sites) as a consultant for a fraction of that. He knows all there is to know about this subject. Then the balance of the money could do some real good for the people of Hawaii.
Suzanne Teller
Honolulu
Beefed-up DLNR is welcome news
I was pleased to read in your
Jan. 2 article that the state plans to increase its conservation enforcement staff and equip it with more vehicles, boats and gear over the next two years to improve enforcement of the rules designed to protect Hawaii's natural resources.
Hawaii's conservation enforcement capacity has long been underfunded and understaffed given its broad responsibility. The result is that many natural resource violations go undetected and unpunished.
Conservationists, local fishers, Hawaiians and other concerned members of the community are all worried about the decline in the health of our nearshore ocean resources, and many have lamented the problems of overfishing and lack of enforcement.
Last year, the Legislature provided critical additional enforcement funding. The administration's proposed increase is a much-needed next step toward ensuring full compliance, including prosecuting violations and imposing strict penalties when needed.
I applaud Gov. Linda Lingle, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Legislature for working together to make enforcement a priority and moving forward with these efforts to better protect our vital land and ocean resources.
Suzanne Case
Executive director
The Nature Conservancy
Wie now makes up excuses ahead of time
Last year we were subjected to a barrage of excuses by the Wie camp every time Michelle did poorly. Reporters, officials, insects, heat, her caddie ... everyone and everything but herself was blamed for her lack of success. And after every tournament we heard her say she believed she had played well and she had "learned" a lot. She was certainly consistent in coming up with excuses after every game.
This year she proved she learned a lot. She now comes up with an excuse before she plays. By showing up with a bandage around her wrist and saying she injured it last year and that it is a minor injury, Wie sets herself up very well. If she plays poorly she can point to the "injured wrist." If in spite of the injury she plays well, she can say it was only a minor injury. She is for sure an honor roll student at the "School of Excuses."
John Pinero
Waipahu
Humans, not coquis, threaten the balance
I can think of a far better use for citric acid than the indiscriminate and inhumane use on a little innocent coqui frog ("A little pain now will save us from coqui,"
Letters, Jan. 11). The problem is not the coqui frog or any other living creature that in one way or another inconveniences us. The problem is human beings.
You simply can't eliminate or kill every living thing that disturbs or inconveniences you, but apparently the human mentality is to try to, and in many ways is succeeding. It will, however, bite us in the end -- and an end there will be. Humans' insatiable need and greed for space, land, power, water, food and consumable materials is overwhelming, taxing on the ecosystem and is ultimately destroying the Earth's balance. This planet cannot support the human population at its current growth rate, period.
It sounds horrific but perhaps there should be a limit on the number of births a woman is allowed or perhaps the male population should be sterilized at some point, and that's a conservative solution. If a global holocaust doesn't do us in, we will do it to ourselves anyway. It's a no-brainer.
Cheryl Zarbaugh
Honolulu
Judge gives Hale Koa a lesson in history
It has been almost 50 years since the march in Selma, Ala., where residents were beaten while trying to assert their First Amendment rights on a public sidewalk. It is unbelievable that 50 years later in the 21st century, workers at the Hale Koa Hotel are threatened with physical force for trying to assert those very same First Amendment free-speech rights on another public sidewalk (
Star-Bulletin, Jan. 5). I guess the Hale Koa management and the Army have never read U.S. history. Thank goodness there is a federal judge who has read history and stopped the Hale Koa from repeating what happened in Selma.
Ray Uyeno
Honolulu
Salt Lake rail route makes no sense
Designating Salt Lake Boulevard as the major alignment for rail transit as proposed by City Councilman Romy Cachola ("Island Perspective,"
Star-Bulletin, Jan. 9), instead of the airport alignment, makes no sense. If the primary premise for rail is to transport Ewa residents to educational facilities and their workplaces to ease long commute times and traffic congestion, why should the route traverse residential areas instead of major employment centers that include military bases, a shipyard and other large industrial areas? Stops at the stadium and Puuloa Road could accommodate residents along Salt Lake Boulevard.
Thus far, none of the planning for rail makes common sense. So please, Councilman Cachola, use some here.
Janice Pechauer
Foster Village