A gift of grace for Thanksgiving
We humbly ask thy blessing
on the turkey and the dressing,
on the yams and cranberry jelly,
and the pickles from the deli.
Bless the apple pie and tea,
bless each and every calorie.
Let us enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.
Tomorrow we can all get thinner.
For all thy help along the way
we're thankful this Thanksgiving Day.
We're thankful too, for all our dear ones,
for all the far away and near ones.
Although we may be far apart,
we're together in my heart.
Keep us in thy loving care,
This is my Thanksgiving prayer.
Arsenio Ramirez Pelayo
Aiea
School staff, students honor their elders
I was extremely honored to be a guest at "Grandparents' Day" held Tuesday at St. Louis middle school. It was a joy to be felt at no other event, special and unique, shared only between a grandparent and grandson.
From the moment I entered Mamiya Theatre to the ono lunch served, I felt deeply moved at the commitment St. Louis shares toward family and education. The feelings of immediate respect and encouragement of St. Louis staff and faculty are to be commended.
I got a chance first hand to see how valuable an education is. Thank you to St. Louis, my grandson is being afforded every opportunity to excel in life. Please continue this proud tradition.
Gayle Nakama
Honolulu
Sun exposure boosts risk of cataracts
The article "Goggles are a sight for sore eyes" (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 20), about sun safety while engaging in water sports, was a timely public health message. As ophthalmologists, we see more than 50 percent of patients in the 70- to 80-year age group with cataracts. There has been strong research evidence since the 1980s that sun exposure to the unprotected eye accelerates the development of cataracts. In fact, in Melbourne, Australia, children are not allowed to play outside at recess without protective clothing to prevent skin cancer and sunglasses and caps to prevent cataracts.
In Hawaii, because of our proximity to the equator and sun exposure, these public health measures should be strongly supported by the community. If cataract surgery, paid by Medicare and insurance companies, could be delayed by even five to 10 years, there would be a huge cost savings in health care.
Malcolm R. Ing, M.D.
Professor of ophthalmology
John A. Burns School of Medicine
Democratic governors show their bias
I have taken a deep breath and the passage of time has quelled my passion.
On Nov. 4, your paper featured three former Democratic dynasty governors, George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano, in a news article. They said "Republicans in the Legislature should be irrelevant given their numbers." How sad that their horizons are so small and their prejudice so grand.
In recent legislative elections, Republicans garnered approximately 40 percent of the entire vote, in addition to overwhelmingly electing Gov. Linda Lingle. Obviously we lost many elections by narrow margins. What the former governors should have understood a long time ago is that monopolies, including political monopolies, do not work in the best interest of anyone except those exploiting the situation. The Democrats' status quo monopoly had produced one of the nation's most expensive per child and poorest performing education systems, an anti-working-man economy, a poor business climate and a regressive tax system that taxes the poor the most. Republicans led by Gov. Lingle have made a difference.
It seems the former governors are blinded by their political bias and extreme partisanship. Too bad.
Sen. Fred Hemmings
Senate Republican Leader
R, Lanikai-Waimanalo
Urge lawmakers to act on pedestrian safety
The tragic accident involving Gwyne Isa, an AARP volunteer working to raise awareness on pedestrian safety, is a horrible and recurrent theme in our streets. She is in critical condition after being hit by a car on Friday (
Star-Bulletin, Nov. 17).
Hawaii has been ranked one of the most dangerous states to be a pedestrian or bicyclist. And few people venture to walk or bike because it is so dangerous. What can we do? Tell the governor and your representatives that the state must take action to comply with federal guidelines on pedestrian and bicycle safety immediately. In addition, the governor must release funds to implement Senate Bill 1191. And tell the City and County to implement the publicly mandated Charter Amendment 8.
The longer our government waits, the more of us will die.
Jessica Wooley
Kaneohe