More data is needed before special vote

All Hawaiians and the general public should be very concerned about the "railroad job" Ha Hawaii is attempting to pull off in a Jan. 17 election for delegates to a Hawaiian Constitutional Convention to deal with sovereignty.

As a former OHA trustee (1984-96) and co-founder of the Hawaiian Movement for Justice, I am afraid of what is about to take place and of its ramifications for our future as Hawaiians.

It is too soon for any election of delegates to decide the future of sovereignty. We know nothing about these candidates, and their values or positions on any of the important survival issues facing the Hawaiian people today.

Most of the candidates have no track record in working with and for kanaka maoli. Others are politicians and those who see an opportunity to jump on the Hawaiian sovereignty bandwagon. There are also those who sincerely want to kokua the Hawaiian people yet don't quite know how to, so they have decided to run for this election.

There is too much at stake to allow this election to take place at this time. For that matter, there is also much question about the election being put together by Ha Hawaii.

Moanikeala Akaka
Hilo, Hawaii

Hawaiians are wary of Jan. 17 election

On Dec. 23, as a beneficiary of the native Hawaiian trust that funds the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, I questioned whether the trustees could release the OHA voter registration list for any purpose other than an OHA election. OHA had released this list to Ha Hawaii, a nonprofit corporation, which grew out of the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council and the native Hawaiian vote.

Isn't releasing the OHA registration list to Ha Hawaii a breach of trust? What credibility does Ha Hawaii have? Only 33,000 out of a potential 117,000 voted in the 1996 election for delegates to the convention -- only 27 percent of eligible voters. Sixty-three percent said "no" to Ha Hawaii.

On the other hand, in the 1998 OHA election, the total registration was 100,000 but 64 percent voted. Obviously, Hawaiians do not vote if they disapprove of the process. No matter how hard Ha Hawaii tries to manufacture credibility for itself, it cannot.

On Jan. 17, there will again be a non-vote by Hawaiians who are rightly suspicious of a process being crammed down their throats.

Clara L. Kakalia
Kailua

Saddam's people will take him out soon enough

The current U.S. military policy against Iraq, which consists of destroying any battery or missile site that attacks an allied patrol, is correct and sufficient to defeat Saddam Hussein.

Saddam is trying to provoke us into doing something stupid enough to bring other Arab countries into this war on his side. If we continue to demonstrate Saddam's military powerlessness, without being bluffed into overkill, his own people will take him out. When? Who cares?

Saddam has exhausted his repertoire of incredibly crude and destructive moves. There's nothing he can do now to draw attention to himself that will not also further destabilize the situation inside Iraq.

He's like a monster in a cage. If he roars, ignore him. If he sticks a claw out in a show of power, cut it off. Sooner or later the people of Iraq, who by all evidence can tolerate anything but powerlessness in their leaders, will kill him for clawlessness. Count on it.

Keolo Pettingill
Waipahu

'By-the-bag' trash fees are being investigated

In response to Rick Klemm's Dec. 18 letter, the city is evaluating the feasibility and desirability of "by the bag," also known as "quantity-based," charges for refuse collection. Such charges do promote waste reduction and recycling. But they also are more difficult and expensive to administer and tend to increase illegal dumping.

We will continue to seek waste management options that make good economic and environmental sense.

Kenneth E. Sprague
Director
City Department
of Environmental Services

Turn off the television to prevent violence

Take control -- the remote control, that is -- and turn off the violence. Wednesday will be the nation's sixth annual "Big Turn Off," sponsored by Parents of Murdered Children Inc. POMC encourages the public to join in the protest of TV violence by turning off their televisions during prime-time evening hours.

As countless numbers of innocent victims lose their lives so senselessly to murder each year, the debate over the influence of TV seems nearly as senseless. Currently, there are bans on actors smoking cigarettes on TV shows because of the negative influence this would have on viewers. At the same time, violence continues to be a major source of entertainment.

Viewing violent behavior on TV, in films and in video games can and does influence human behavior. We can help curb acts of violence by eliminating these images.

Fun activities include reading, playing non-violent games and spending time with family and friends. Letters to the networks protesting TV violence may influence future programming. You can also choose not to support industries that promote violence.

Terri Scott
Hawaii Representative
National Organization of Parents
of Murdered Children Inc.
Hilo, Hawaii

Filipino veterans are being ignored by Congress

The last Congress convened and adjourned. Many laws were enacted, but the Filipino Equity Act, a bill introduced annually for 12 years, once again got lost in the shuffle.

The Philippines (along with Guam and Puerto Rico) was ceded under the terms of the Paris Treaty in 1898, and remained a territory or under U.S. control until World War II. That's when indigenous Philippine military personnel were ordered by President Roosevelt into the U.S. armed forces, making them full-fledged American soldiers, entitled to G.I. benefits.

How incomprehensible for Congress to disregard the legal, just and moral obligations to heed the plea of these Filipino veterans, who fought with valor. How can equity be achieved if the bill is bottled up in Congress while these Filipino veterans are fading fast? Let these few survivors succumb to nature's call with dignity and honor.

Benjamin B. Velarde
Kaneohe

---

Write a
Letter to the Editor

Want to write a letter to the editor? Let all Star-Bulletin readers know what you think. Please keep your letter to about 200 words. You can send it by e-mail to letters@starbulletin.com or you can fill in the online form for a faster response. Or print it and mail it to: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802. Or fax it to: 523-8509. Always be sure to include your daytime phone number.