Don’t dump your dog, call Humane Society

On the evening of July 13, I was walking my dogs along Iroquois Point Road, past Keanui Street. At the access gate to the old cane fields, I found a reddish pit bull mix by the side of the road with a small bucket of food and another that might have held water if it hadn't been knocked over. Scared at our approach, it tried to hide under some scrap metal.

Since I didn't want it to run into traffic to get away from us, I returned home, called the Hawaiian Humane Society (answering machine), then return later by myself, but the dog was gone. I called the Humane Society again the next morning; they said they'd send someone out.

What kind of person dumps an animal by the side of the road? The Humane Society has 24-hour drop-off and there are other organizations to help prevent such a stupid, thoughtless act.

Hannemann is a man of the people

Opponents of the city's rail transit project are accusing Mayor Mufi Hannemann of injecting race in the rail controversy, but their allegations are ridiculous.

As someone who happens to be of Filipino ancestry, I consider him one of us. By that I mean he's a man of the people, someone who is for the little guy, the man on the street - no matter what your ethnicity. We always know where he stands on the issues, even when it's not necessarily what we want to hear.

Hannemann is not one to shy away from controversy, and the rail project, sewer upgrades and park cleanups are examples. He has been front-and-center in creating solutions for the challenges we face, and that's more than I can say for most of our elected officials, who oftentimes run at the first sign of danger.

Legislators erred on absentee voter bill

We watched Iraqis proudly bear their purple fingers celebrating an honest and free election - one vote per Iraqi voter. They knew too well the effects of a stolen election.

Americans and our representatives should guard our elections all the more strongly because our nation has never existed without honest and free elections.

The Legislature's override of the governor's veto of Senate Bill 156 means Hawaii registered voters will no longer be required to request absentee ballots every time they wish to vote. While in principle this sounds like a good idea, permanent absentee ballot status poses risks without proper measures to safeguard against fraud. Now that SB 156 is law, the Office of Elections will continue sending absentee ballots to the voter's mailing address regardless of whether the resident who originally requested the absentee ballot is still at that address. Accountability of voters and the credibility of a free election have been seriously jeopardized by the very Legislature whose primary job it is to protect it.

It seems as though the absentee ballot, designed to preserve a democratic election by making sure that distance does not negate an American's right to vote, has now become a venue to destroy its credibility.

Hey, it’s not that bad ... if you’re Big Oil

What's all this hullabaloo about statements by Republican pundits that America is a nation of whiners?

It's true. Americans are whining about a recession that is simply not happening.

America's major corporations are doing just fine. For example, Exxon has just made a bigger profit this last quarter than any company - ever.

Gas prices are going to go down now that our president has opened up our coastlines for offshore drilling.

Very few banks are failing. Unemployment is barely rising. Less than a half-million jobs have been lost this year. Most homeowners still have enough income to pay their mortgages. The stock market has fallen only 20 percent.

Quit whining.

HPD motto means little if not acted on

There's been much talk about how the economy has affected tourism in Hawaii. Two weeks ago, my brother was visiting the islands, made a right turn into a hotel's valet area and was yelled at by a Honolulu Police Department officer, demanding his information, telling him that there's no excuse for ignorance no matter where he is from and then arresting him for questioning why he was receiving a citation. Most folks I've talked to think this is a common occurrence.

I've lost faith in HPD; its motto of respect and honor is just that, a motto.

Voters don’t always exhibit best judgment

In his letter to the editor Sunday, concerning the high-density transit controversy, Bud Ebel finishes with, "This project requires our clearest thinking and honest analysis of all the facts. Let the people decide."

Although Mr. Ebel might not have realized it at the time, these two sentences represent probably the biggest contradiction that it would be possible to present in the shortest and most concise statement that I have ever seen!