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Saturday, November 21, 1998

Election in hindsight

Two big reasons Ward lost to Abercrombie

Your Nov. 12 analysis of the Ward-Abercrombie congressional race left out two important explanations of why I lost this race:

Money. I spent $500,000 to Abercrombie's $1.5 million. My opponent outspent me 3-1 or by almost $1 million, if you add the Democratic Party's mail and TV commercials, plus the $250,000 of mail sent at taxpayer expense from his Capitol office 15 months prior to the election.

Negative campaigning. For every positive TV ad I aired about fixing Hawaii's economy, Abercrombie aired three negative ads against me. He inaccurately but very effectively portrayed me as someone against schools and teachers, when all I did (with the rest of the Republican caucus back in 1995) was to vote against a bloated $12 billion state budget. Likewise, I did not vote against punishing polluters of toxic wastes, but voted against a tax increase that would have raised our already highest gasoline prices in the nation.

Abercrombie very effectively overpowered my message to the public by redefining who I was. From this could have come the conclusion that 1) contrary to public opinion, negative campaigning does work in Hawaii and 2) he who has the gold, makes the rules of truth in advertising.

Gene Ward

Linda Lingle would make fine commentator

After numerous media-related job offers for her to consider, now we have a bunch of journalism professors from the University of Hawaii telling us what Linda Lingle can and cannot do, in the name of "ethics."

Perhaps they should tend to their knitting and, at the same time, observe the unethical practices that have become the bedrock of governmental procedures here, and more than likely contributed to our present-day decline, both economically and morally.

We surely need a watch person of Lingle's sincere and sensible caliber, who can remind us daily on TV of what's ethical and what isn't, and at the same time keep the elected governor and his army awake.

John L. Werrill

Here's real difference between Democrats, GOP

The trouble with the Republican Party is that it lets its leadership choose the candidates. Democratic leaders let the people choose.

Shane Halmos
Ewa Beach

Questions abound for absentee voters

Is there anyone out there who can provide a reasonable and intelligent reason why I was to use a pen with black ink on my primary election absentee ballot, but a #2 pencil was enclosed with my general election absentee ballot?

Also, why were the voters who went to the polling places required to use a black felt pen that was provided rather than a #2 pencil? Why did we do away with the old punch method of making our choices -- or is the answer too obvious?

When I went to City Hall to turn in my ballot, why was there no ballot box or other secure container into which I could place my ballot? Handing it over to an "official" who offered to walk it back to where ballots were purportedly being counted was less than comforting.

Wendy Craven
Kailua

Dems should be grateful to loyal Fasi supporters

I hope that the Democrats thank Frank Fasi for his support. Without Fasi and his voters, we could be seeing a different picture today. Wake up, Democrats!

Audra Palomares
Wahiawa

Hawaii is in good hands with Cayetano at helm

Although you'd never guess it by reading most of the letters to the editor that you've published, more people voted for Governor Cayetano than not! Those of us who voted for him are thrilled that he won the election. We all know that we were discerning enough to see beyond the GOP hype.

The Democratic Party has improved the lot of the majority of people in Hawaii and we are working diligently to do even better. We look forward to the next four years, as Cayetano and the Democratic Legislature continue to build an even better Hawaii.

We invite all those who voted for the other candidate to join us in this effort.

Roy L. Benham

Rumor, rumor, who spread the rumor?

The recent campaign strategies were a learning experience. "Spreading rumors" of "the other guy spreading rumors" is a little clever and a little pathetic. Conceptual art is alive and well!

Stan Kawasaki
Kaneohe

Just install pumps in the Natatorium

Regarding the Natatorium, it seems to me that the addition of pumps that draw a specific amount of off-shore sea water, circulating in and through the pool, would take care of any health concerns.

R.L. Sallee
Kamuela, Hawaii

Cayetano does about-face on gay marriage issue

In a Nov. 18 letter, the governor's communications director "clarified" his boss's position on same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships. It left me totally bewildered. The two benefits mentioned, hospital visitation and shared insurance benefits, are already in the reciprocal beneficiaries law that passed last year.

So why is Cayetano pushing a new domestic partnership law when those special benefits are already available?

As the governor said on the evening news, he wants exclusively homosexual couples -- not aunties and nephews or brothers and sisters -- to have all of the benefits that married couples have. The only difference is Cayetano wants to call it domestic partnerships.

I say, "Shibai." I say, "Domestic partnerships equal homosexual marriages." I also say, "Cayetano speaks with forked tongue."

Celine Logan
Pahoa, Hawaii

Optimism ended forecast discussing the year 2003

Whenever I see something in print that might have been handled better, I remember a comment of A.A. Smyser's: Publishing a newspaper is like filling a pint-size jar with a gallon of water. Something always gets lost in the process.

For the most part, I liked your Nov. 19 coverage of a recent forum in which speakers, including myself, were asked to describe life in Hawaii in the year 2003. Anyone reading this article quickly got a feel for what was said during the hour-long program. The pessimistic statements attributed to me were said by me, so I can hardy complain about the content.

I just wish there had been room in that pint jar for the ending of my talk: "The future is up to us.

Because I'm an optimist, I believe that we will figure out a way to shift directions between now and 2003. But that will require that a lot of us stick our heads out of our foxholes. Leadership is not easily found in a "go along to get along" environment like ours."

Randall W. Roth
Professor, School of Law
University of Hawaii-Manoa
(Via the Internet)

Lack of quorum portends future chaos at OHA

Is Orientation Week, Nov. 16-20, a precursor of the next four years at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs? No quorum, no business conducted.

Trustees Mililani Trask, Haunani Apoliona and Frenchy DeSoto were unable to be briefed on the status of the negotiations with the state on the revenues owed to OHA on the ceded lands covered in the Heely decision. The board could not make a decision on millions of dollars owed to Hawaiians.

This critical issue must be negotiated by Dec. 5! If OHA and the state do not agree, the decision will be left to the Legislature.

Where was Louis Hao? Clayton Hee? (Trustees Springer and Machado were excused.) Rowena Akana flitted into the meeting to challenge DeSoto's right to be chair. Yet after an election, one would assume the chairperson would maintain her position until a new one is elected.

OHA voters need to watch their leaders in action or "inaction."

Lela M. Hubbard
Aiea

Palmyra should be great home for UH laboratory

Your Nov. 10 article reporting that the Nature Conservancy may purchase Palmyra Island is the best bit of Pacific Islands news that I have heard in a long time. Most people who have been to Palmyra will probably agree that making it a U.S. national park makes much more sense than turning it into a site for a gambling casino, big hotel, nuclear dump, etc.

Palmyra is located at the subtropical convergence zone, which results in a great deal of rain that produces the verdant growth on the island. One thing that could be done is to have a small marine biological laboratory on Palmyra, perhaps a satellite of the University of Hawaii's Institute of Marine Biology. There is a precedent for this as the HIMB at one time operated a satellite marine laboratory on Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands.

Robert T. B. Iversen
Pacific Fisheries Consultants Australasia
Elwood, Victoria, Australia
(Via the Internet)

Nude sunbathing is not a harmless problem

In an Oct. 20 editorial cartoon, Corky Trinidad drew three of Honolulu's finest sitting in full uniform on a beach and referring to the police presence at Makaleha Beach deterring nude sunbathers. The cartoon erroneously implied that the police are out of their element and perhaps "off-base" with their enforcement of the ban on nude sunbathing on the beach.

The enforcement at Makaleha is in response to complaints from nearby residents. Warnings and citations were issued but failed to stem the problem.

Some say this is a "victimless" crime and not a true police concern. I disagree. Everyone with car insurance is a victim of increased premiums due to the numerous vehicle break-ins where the sunbathers park. Police have had to handle armed robberies and car thefts as the sunbathers are unsuspecting victims and easy targets in this remote area. This takes police officers out of their usual patrol duties thus providing the public with less protection.

I applaud the work of the police to curtail this unlawful behavior.

Bart Huber
Haleiwa

Corky is a talented editorial cartoonist

Corky Trinidad is a wise and gifted cartoonist. He is able to speak the truth and hold up a mirror to our society with his cartoons. One recent example was his outstanding one that showed two members of the clergy arguing over how Jesus would vote on a constitutional amendment with the caption, "Taking the name in vain." That said it all! Thank you, Corky.

Gloria Kaneshiro

Newspapers shouldn't run ads for hostess bars

The Los Angeles Times recently dropped all advertising from "adult clubs" or sexually oriented businesses from its sports section. I applaud such a magnificent decision, because it was done at the expense of great revenue loss.

Every advertisement that degrades womanhood, such as we see everyday in our local sports sections, leads to greater disrespect, dishonor and unfaithfulness toward our families. I only hope that our local newspapers will be as courageous as the L.A. Times, and also decide to cut out these ads that only reinforce immorality.

Willis Maeda
(Via the Internet)

Was columnist hiding religious motivation?

A.A. Smyser lacked fairness in his Nov. 3 column on confusing tactics by the opponents of the same-sex marriage ballot measure. Yes, the opponents raised irrelevant issues, but does Smyser think that letting gays marry would actually destroy traditional marriage?

Smyser's own support for the measure may have blinded him to the confusing exaggeration by his fellow proponents. His comments left me wondering if his position on same-sex marriage is driven by a religious affiliation that he didn't reveal.

R.C. Johnson
(Via the Internet)

Reporting on St. Louis was negatively slanted

We take umbrage with the Star-Bulletin's reporting on the St. Louis High School football team's behavior in Las Vegas. The pernicious and insidious innuendo, biased perspective purported as sports reporting and harping about an incident that occurred two months ago smack of a calculated campaign to discredit an entire institution and its supporters.

What ulterior motives must your reporter be entertaining? If he so desires to be the sole authority on student/adolescent morality, the interpreter of teen-age behavior and the ultimate dispenser of redress, let him establish his own school. Do sports reporting, not yellow journalism.

Edward L. Gomez
SLH Class of 1956
Franklin Pao
SLH Class of 1954

UH football coach should stop blaming everybody else

As a UH graduate student who has friends attending the UH football games on a weekly basis, I was offended by the comments that Coach vonAppen gave during a recent interview with KHON-TV. Vonappen said that UH football fans do not care about the players' academic accomplishments and the hard work in football practice; all they care about is winning games.

I believe my friends and fellow fans recognize that these are college, not professional, football players who are doing a difficult job balancing academics and athletics. I believe the people of Hawaii view winning football games as secondary to winning in the game of life by getting a good education.

For vonAppen to accuse the fans of having a one-track mentality is not welcome in this Aloha State. Coach, stop blaming everyone else for your problems. Just win and you'll get the practice field and charter jets that you took for granted at the University of Colorado. Remember this moral of life: "For every finger you point, there are three fingers pointing back at you."

Byron Toguchi
Kaneohe
(Via the Internet)

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