Wheeler Intermediate isn't helpful to home-schoolers

We are educating our son at home for medical reasons. Last summer my wife, who has a Ph.D., went to a lot of trouble to find out about the syllabus and books being used at Wheeler Middle School. I was surprised when she told me that a syllabus was unavailable and that she could not see the textbooks.

Recently my wife had a meeting with officials at Wheeler. She was only allowed to look at a math text for a minute or two and was told that a syllabus was still unavailable.

She was given a list of potential texts that we could buy, but she was told that the educational value of the books was unknown.

I am writing this because I am a Ph. D. and an educator who came from a lower-class background. I know how education can release the human spirit, and let even the lowest of the low soar to great heights. So I am sick at heart to witness such indifference to the education of our children.

How can human beings treat a child's medical problem like a mosquito? Is this aloha?

David T. Webb
Mililani
(Via the Internet)

Clinton's a lawyer so what do you expect?

Let's get real. Since last January, people have been calling the president a weasel, liar, cheat, coward and a dozen other chosen adjectives which are all really flattering, considering what the president is: He's a lawyer.

Now they want to impeach him for doing things a lawyer does. Lie? Hell, they'll ask you what the truth has to do with anything. Screwing around? Hey, they screw people on a daily basis and they don't call it sex.

As for fooling people, lawyers excel. They can talk for hours and say nothing related to the subject in question. They so confuse people, that they win.

Bruce Tetreault

There is no single 'true meaning' of Christmas

In recent weeks, many in the media have used the phrase "true meaning of Christmas" when relating the tradition to Christianity. Actually, there is no single "true meaning" for the holiday.

Most are unaware that Christmas celebrations began in Europe less than 200 years ago. The date of Dec. 25 marked the winter solstice, but is more specifically related to Mithras, an ancient sun god worshiped 1,500 years before the current era.

The Catholic Church adopted the Dec. 25 date for its feast commemorating the birth of Jesus because the actual date of his birth is unknown. Most respected biblical scholars believe that Jesus was born in Nazareth, not Bethlehem, and that the nativity, as described in the Gospel of Luke (yet suspiciously missing from the other Gospels), is almost certainly a myth.

Astronomers know that it's impossible to locate a particular point on the Earth by tracking a single star. The word "Christmas" does not appear in any authentic translation of the Bible.

For the record, there is no "true meaning of Christmas." But, for whatever Christmas is not, it is certainly an occasion for great human fellowship, fond memories and best wishes.

Mitch Kahle

What kind of 'team' is Hannemann assembling?

In these days when people are growing increasingly skeptical about politicians at all levels of government, City Councilmen Steve Holmes and Duke Bainum have impressed me as men of integrity who are genuinely interested in the public good.

When Mufi Hannemann says that he has limited their committee assignments because they are not team players, I have to wonder what kind of team the new Council chairman intends on fielding.

Robert Chanin
Kailua

Airlines are merciless about ticket prices

Happy new year greetings to United, Delta, Hawaiian, Northwest and American airlines. Once again, they so faithfully gave us a Christmas gift as they raised their lowest ticket prices to fly round trip to Los Angeles from about $220 to $356.

I'm placing them in the same category as the companies that continue to gouge us with high gasoline prices. These airlines have no respect for the people living and struggling in Hawaii.

It is obvious that Uncle Scrooge is alive and well here, and once again the Grinch stole our Christmas. Perhaps as we rapidly approach the year 2000, we need to change the words to the Christmas song, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" to "I'm Broke and I'll Be Staying Home For Christmas."

James M. Lee
Kapolei

A new word is needed for gay-marriage supporters

Who is really biased? It has been very interesting reading all the letters to the editor on the same-sex marriage issue. I find it somewhat ironic that the majority of writers who are the most vocal and demonstrative are those who are pointing fingers and making accusations of hate and "homophobia."

It seems to me that, for the most part, those supporting traditional marriage have just been exercising their democratic right to preserve an existing institution. On the other hand, those in opposition to traditional marriage have waged a campaign that relies on name-calling and scare tactics.

Is it time to coin a new word: heterophobia?

Jim McConnell
(Via the Internet)

If you're prejudiced against gays, you're homophobic

Interesting, some of the "enlightened" homophobes out there seem to have found a new way to justify their prejudices. They have gay friends, they have nothing against gay people, but they just don't like the gay lifestyle because it threatens our culture.

These "enlightened" homophobes don't even like the word "homophobia." Its bad connotations make the smart homophobes look ignorant, scared, prejudiced and backwards. They don't like looking like that.

So these college-educated homophobes step up above the pack, flex their higher brains and proudly declare, "I'm not 'homophobic'; I just oppose the gay lifestyle for my children, who will surely grow up in the land of Sodom if the gay lifestyle is accepted in America!"

It is very possible to be racist without wearing a white sheet and burning churches. If you don't like the label you've been given, then change yourself, not the label.

Aaron Yoshino
(Via the Internet)

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