Souki is kidding himself with denial of conflict
House Speaker Joe Souki may be "technically correct" about not having a conflict of interest in his real estate deal with Bishop Estate, but he is not "right" in this voter's mind.A slim difference exists -- as slim a difference as between being a well- placed incumbent and an arrogant, self-serving insider.
Joseph Uno
Kailua
Sales pitch won't work this time with voters, y'all
After reading stuff by Honolulu Lite columnist Charles Memminger 'bout state government, good ol' Joe Souki and all those folks at Bishop Estate, it's enough to make one wunder. I hear the economy in Hawaii is downright bad, but 'parently folks believe in what they got. Like the Dems being in control of the Legislature and the governor's office for 35, 40 years.No one asked questions when buddies of the governor were appointed to the Supreme Court. And when those judges picked good ol' boys for trustee positions, everyone must have thought that's the way things oughta be. I mean, people must believe all those legislators are nice guys.
I never seen a Legislature -- outside of Arkansas, maybe -- that promised so much and then ended up keepin' all the cuts of the pig for themselves. Kinda reminds me of smooth-talkin' salesmen who get you all worked up 'bout how they can improve your way of life. And when somethin' goes wrong, you get an ear fulla excuses.
I guess politicians are just salesmen, and I never buy a sales pitch from those fellers more'n once or twice.
Believe I'll ride with a female governor next time. I hear Lingle, that Maui gal, has done more good over there than any other politician in 50 years.
Ray Thiele
Kailua
Bishop Estate Archive
Fasi plays spoiler in GOP campaign
To campaign with some clever distortionFrank spends his considerable fortune.
It must make his spine tingle
To spoil it for Lingle
And get his political portion.
Loren Ekroth
Kailua
(Via the Internet)
Incumbents are scared of Lingle's chances
Linda Lingle forges onward, undaunted by unsuccessful attempts to thwart her quest for governor. Shady plays by Ben Cayetano are indicative of his failure to win approval of his overall legislation program.The "Stop Linda Lingle Bill" showed how low the state's powerbrokers are willing to stoop to hold on.
The people will not forget who tried to cheat them out of a fair election, thus leading to success for Lingle at the polls in November.
Marie E. Carleton
Leeward schools got lots of funding
In reply to your front-page article on June 8 concerning the doubtful re-election of incumbents, I take issue with an uninformed quote made by a Makakilo resident. She told your reporter, "What did we get accomplished this time (in the Legislature)? I don't see anything major that we got, particularly in education."Has she not heard of the Kapolei Middle School scheduled to open in August of next year? What about Kapolei High's completion in 2000?
Money was meager this year, but the summary of the 1998 (CIP) Capital Improvement Projects (in the area of education) includes:
Ewa Beach Elementary, equipment for cafeteria ($22,000).
This represents a whopping 17 percent of the state's entire CIP budget.
As a 27-year resident of Makakilo, my grandchildren will finally attend these new schools, which promise to be state-of-the-art facilities. I endorse the re-election of our representative, Mark Moses, for his determination and persistence in making these schools a reality.
Evelyn E. Souza
Makakilo
Followers of Islam don't slander Christians
Christine Abedor's bigoted comments in her June 8 letter about Islam, especially her assertion that Islam "reveals the end justifies the means," are outrageously ludicrous!The meaning of Islam is the peaceful submission to the will of God. Contrast that with the Christian Inquisitions, which spread Christianity by the sword and that have occurred over the centuries. They continue on in such places as Bosnia and Kosovo.
I find it astounding that Abedor would viciously slander the Holy Prophet. In contrast, Muslims love, honor and respect Jesus Christ, the son of Mary and wouldn't even think of slandering his name, although many people who nominally call themselves Christian do it everyday.
I urge readers not to be taken in by these venomous lies and educate themselves about the world's fastest growing religion, which is Islam.
A good start would be to contact the Islamic Center on Oahu for more information. The number is in the phone book. I would also like to extend the invitation to Abedor as well.
Sean P. Porter
Heco should preserve Waahila's natural beauty
With the growth of our population and the development it brings, each day we lose a piece of the natural beauty we know as Hawaii. While the advances of technology are inevitable, there comes a point that we must draw the line to preserve our surroundings.Options are available, albeit at a higher monetary cost, to bring the necessary electrical power to Pukele via an alternative route that will preserve the natural vistas and environmental integrity of Waahila Ridge.
We can no longer afford to freely spend the non-cash currencies inherent to the quality of our lives. Hawaiian Electric Co. must use one of its alternative paths around Waahila Ridge.
Scott B. Power
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