Will public outrage last until next election?

A true test of the sincerity of Margery Bronster's supporters will come in the next election. They and the public will have the upper hand at that time, and the power to evict incumbents and replace them with responsible representatives.

This arrogant power game focuses on a political system that is hostage to the Ol' Boy Network and vested interests, such as the Bishop Estate trustees and public employee labor unions. However, we are also culpable for tolerating the game playing and not demanding competence from legislators.

Perhaps the firestorm unleashed by the Bronster issue may affect the preposterous logic displayed by the Senate. Tune in for the next edition of "Trouble in Paradise," as reported in the May 10 issue of Newsweek magazine.

A. Locascio

Trustees don't know what hit 'em

Famous quotes:

"What the hell was that?" -- Mayor of Hiroshima
"Where the hell did all these Indians come from?" -- Gen. George A. Custer
"What the hell did I do wrong?" -- Richard "Dickie" Wong

Bruce Wong

Judge's ruling marked sad day for Hawaiians

Na Pua and other critics of the recently ousted trustees must be ecstatic. They succeeded in their quest. What a sad day for Hawaiians, though. This just validates the echoes of non-Hawaiians that Hawaiians are incapable of handling their own affairs.

Trustee Oswald Stender, who resigned, should be ashamed of himself. Why the charade of "I'll step down, if the others do?" If Stender had been sincere, he would have resigned long ago, regardless of the actions of the other trustees.

L. Hanohano
Ewa Beach

Quotables "We were with our son at the hospital throughout the night. We believe he passed away at midnight (of his graduation day), which gave him enough time to 'attend graduation' and then a 'celebration ceremony' afterward." Len Johnson Father of Mark Johnson (pictured above) Describing the death of his son, a Chaminade University graduate, and his daughter, Jennifer Johnson of California, who both died from injuries suffered in a massive landslide at Sacred Falls State Park "In the '50s, if you didn't crash into a tree, you were a good driver." Leon James University of Hawaii psychology professor On how driving is much more complicated today than several decades ago

President of Senate underestimates power

Norman Mizuguchi has it wrong. The Senate president says that "there's only so much government can do" to fix the economy. Yet many states have long turned their economies around through legislation and are enjoying unparalleled prosperity.

The problem in Hawaii lies with lame characters like Mizuguchi.

Gene Dumaran

Which Hawaiians should be compensated?

As we move from the question of "if we should invest" to "how much we need to invest in an ill-advised wealth transfer from the general population to an ethno-political elite," perhaps it is time to define the recipients.

With no serious legislative debate, we have decided that we owe native Hawaiians money for past grievances. If we follow the logic, the state needs to catalog all full-blooded Hawaiians and distribute the wealth directly to them. Annual lump sums of $50,000-100,000 could be paid to each of the beneficiaries, who could distribute it among their mixed-blood relatives as they see fit.

If we try to distribute the wealth to anyone with any Hawaiian blood at all, there are two problems. First, this dilutes the concentration and effective power of the wealth. Second, if we give to those with less than 100 percent blood quantum, we are in effect trying to correct a grievance between their great grandfather and great-grandmother.

I fear that a logical resolution of this insane premise is impossible, as the majority of both OHA and the population that considers itself Hawaiian are of mixed blood.

Bob Beach
Via the Internet

Hate crime isn't any worse than another

In response to Carolyn Golojuch's April 24 View Point on hate-crime legislation: By its very nature, committing a crime is a hateful act, no matter who the victim or why the crime is committed.

Under the definition of such legislation, the brutal murder of tiny Cedra Edwards, allegedly abused by her mother, would not have been classified as a hate crime. On the other hand, the brutal murder of Kenneth Brewer, allegedly for making a sexual advance toward another man, would be.

Does it not diminish the lives of the dead victims when one murder is considered more "hateful" than another? For whatever reason a murder or other crime is committed, the outcome is the same. And so should be the punishment.

Janice Pechauer

Chinese demonstrators are hypocrites

I find it hypocritical for the Chinese students to demonstrate at the American embassy in Beijing. The bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was an accident.

Yet almost 10 years ago, when China's government cracked down on its own young people, hundreds were massacred in the streets. The university students then called on the United States to come to their aid, even though it would have meant that the U.S. would be "interfering" in China's internal affairs.

Now the students are reportedly cooperating with that same oppressive government's encouragement for demonstrations. I guess they need some excitement every 10 years. Don't they have anything better to do -- like study?

Jason Wong
Via the Internet

Teamsters are lucky Reed represents them

This is in response to the April 22 letter by May Welsing, who wrote, "Let's hear from the wives of the Teamsters drivers who would have missed employment had the governor not interceded and convinced everyone to work together for the good of us all." She also criticized my father, Leo Reed, for his stand against the "Baywatch" producers.

My dad is an experienced labor leader who has negotiated contracts all over the U.S. and Canada. The wives of Teamsters drivers should count their blessings that their husbands have someone like him to represent them.

Jonathan Leo Reed
Kahuku

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