'Family' project deserves its makeover
As you reported yesterday, Ty Pennington with "Extreme Makeover" chose Momi Akana's nonprofit organization "Keiki O Ka Aina" for an extreme home makeover and a new Family Learning Center.
Please note "Family" is in the title. This is a perfect example of what our keiki and families need in Hawaii. Families are our children's first teachers.
I'm grateful to Momi and her special consideration of our families and youngest keiki -- with or without disabilities -- to be included in all walks of life of their families' choosing.
I could have been a bit jealous because we weren't called by the "Extreme Makeover" crew, but I couldn't be happier for our Hawaii winner!
Hooray to Momi and the entire Keiki O Ka Aina Family!
Linda Elento
Member, Hawaii Down Syndrome Congress
Tuberculosis is nothing to sniff at
I beg to differ with Thanh Nguyen's letter (
"TB-infected fliers pose little risk," Star-Bulletin, June 6). I test positive to the TB skin test indicating exposure and formulation of antibodies to the disease. I didn't as a child, but did as an adult. Periodic lung X-rays indicate that I do not have active TB and am, therefore, not contagious. Considering that I have never known anyone in my life with TB, one can only surmise that my exposure was casual, especially since all my family members test negative. Yes, I could be treated with drugs that would clear my body of the inactive virus, at great expense to my liver!
While my case might fall into a small statistical category, it is one case too many when it comes to a dangerous, infectious disease.
And don't get me started on the efficiency of airline air systems. If they're so wonderful, how come I and so many others usually get sick after airline travel?
Lisa Seng Dooling
Honolulu
Bush takes failure past embarrassment
Gary Rogers' defense of President Bush (
Letters, June 7), while criticizing President Clinton, becomes impotent when you look at the facts. Our stock market soared to new highs under Clinton's term, but dropped like a rock when Bush took over and it has taken six years to recover. Clinton created 22 million jobs, but Bush has one of the worst job-creation records of any president in 70 years. Clinton created a huge budget surplus, but Bush blew it all and created an enormous debt.
Clinton successfully imprisoned the terrorists responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and thwarted terrorist attacks on Los Angeles during the Millennium. Bush failed to act on several warnings of terrorist attacks months before 9/11, resulting in thousands dead, and then he failed to kill Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora when he had the chance. Instead, Bush invaded Iraq under false pretenses, killing thousands more and fueling new terrorism, despite Iraq having nothing to do with 9/11.
Furthermore, Bush has destroyed our reputation in the world, failed with Katrina disaster relief and ignored protecting our precious environment.
I wish Bush were merely an "embarrassment," but unfortunately he is really a disaster.
Adam Lee
Honolulu
Police commission gets valuable input
On May 22 and 23, the Honolulu Police Commission hosted the 2007 State of Hawaii Police Commissioners Conference at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Many interesting subjects were discussed. However, one of the subjects that was interesting to all of us was: motivating friendliness, compassion, professionalism, commitment and creativity -- in partnership with the community and law enforcement. The conference was a huge success due, in part, to the many attendees from the different counties and the many people who worked hard to make sure everything went right.
The Honolulu Police Commission would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Mayor Mufi Hannemann and the many others who brought visibility and recognition to the conference, support and facilitation for everyone, quality services as a police commissioner and, finally, wealth, where the demand for services outweighs the demand for commodities.
Boyd Andrade
Honolulu Police Commission
Don't use Hawaii's poor as laboratory rats
In contrast to the column by Marya Grambs and Beth Giesting (
"Legislative Matters," June 3), I urge Gov. Linda Lingle to veto Senate Bill 1004, which would permit psychologists to prescribe psychoactive drugs to Hawaii's poorest residents.
There is no convincing scientific evidence that the small amount of medical training required by this bill is adequate. Being poor in and of itself presents great challenges for survival. Psychologists are well trained to help people learn how to face these challenges, and routinely collaborate with medical professionals when a psychoactive drug might help.
But being poor provides no justification to being subjected to an experiment on the effect of second-class medical treatment. As a psychologist, I am saddened that some of my colleagues and some legislators wish to treat Hawaii's poorest residents as laboratory rats. All psychologists are free to practice medicine by completing nursing or medical degrees and many have done so.
Elaine M. Heiby
Licensed psychologist
Honolulu