Inouye is helping local shipyards

Sen. Daniel Inouye recently announced that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense included $23 million for ship depot maintenance to be performed by the private sector in Hawaii.

From my position, it may seem heresy to applaud the efforts of our senior senator. However, he is absolutely correct.

A strong private-sector ship maintenance capability is necessary and must be supported. When Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workload exceeds its workforce, which has been the situation for the past few years and should continue for at least the next two, there is no choice but to bring in workers from mainland shipyards.

It is far better for Hawaii if local private activities could supplement our workforce when necessary. For them to retain a sufficient workforce to assist the Navy shipyard, they must have sufficient work to remain in business.

Bravo, Senator Inouye. Your vision and leadership are deeply appreciated.

John Priolo
President, Chapter 19 Pearl Harbor
Shipyard/Area Federal Managers Association

Clinton is shameless commander in chief

As a retired member of the armed forces, it pleases me to start hearing creditable, retired, high-ranking military officers speak out against our commander in chief.

This past week, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf made some very critical remarks about our president, characterizing him as an inept military leader. Recruitment has deteriorated to a point that Navy ships and Army divisions are undermanned and ill equipped.

As a politician, Clinton is by far the most gifted president in our century. He knows how to present the "hot button" issues that get people excited. As for moral character, he's a complete failure. How can we expect our young generation to be honest, truthful and morally responsible after what he has put the country through?

Let's hope that our next president is one who we can all look up to with pride, someone who "walks the walk" and "talks the talk" that the oath of office prescribes, without splitting hairs and applying new interpretations to simple words.

George Elbert
U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Locals would not put up with insults

I write in response to Kalani Perry's May 25 letter, "Banning words is a ludicrous idea."

Words can take on a totally different connotation, depending on how they are used. For example, while the term "haole" doesn't bother me, it certainly does when proceeded by a vicious insult as in "f---ing haole."

The word "local" is just a term of reference -- until proceeded by the same insult. Locals would not put up with such insults.

Perry wrote, "Funny how quickly the calls for racial justice come forth when they realize they are no longer in the majority." Just who is this "they" that Perry refers to? I get the idea that he would be all for the ethnic cleansing of the haole if not deterred by law.

Michael P. Badget
Waipahu

Quotables "Any time you have a problem here, you can talk to someone. If you can't talk, it keeps building up and then one day it can explode." West Poindexter WAIAU ELEMENTARY SECOND-GRADER On how he was made fun of initially as the only black student at the school, until he sought help from a counselor and made friends "If you spend tens of thousands of dollars pursuing what you thought was a good faith appeal, and you get a one-line order saying you lost, that's not satisfying." Paul Alston FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE HAWAII STATE BAR ASSOCIATION Critical of changes made by the Hawaii Supreme Court to dramatically reduce its backlog of cases, which include issuing short "you win, they lose" notices

Most Americans don't accept homosexuality

I wasn't impressed by Geneva Overholser's April 7 column, "Americans still can't accept homosexuality." Is this supposed to be a surprise?

From 1972-91, the National Opinion Research Center's annual survey -- probably the most accurate barometer of how Americans feel about social issues -- showed that 70-77 percent of us say that sexual relations between same-sex couples are "always wrong."

In November, Hawaii and Alaska voters rejected homosexual marriage by margins of 69 and 68 percent, respectively. In the last three years, 31 states have passed laws refusing to recognize homosexual "marriage."

Of course, Overholser doesn't explain why this is so. What she does is take the hackneyed, arrogant, liberal left tactic of labeling us "intolerant," just because we don't accept homosexuality as normal and natural.

The reason the vast majority of people will never accept homosexuality is that most folks worship a Supreme Being, who says quite clearly in the Bible, Koran, Torah and the Vedas that certain sexual behaviors -- homosexuality, incest, adultery, bestiality, etc. -- are displeasing to Him and are, therefore, morally wrong.

Mike Gabbard

Cops don't deserve special treatment

A federal law was enacted in 1996 making it illegal for any person ever convicted of a domestic violence crime to carry a gun. Some argued that the law's retroactive nature was unfair; others debated whether police and military should be exempt, since losing their guns could cost them their jobs.

Across the nation, domestic violence advocates urged Congress to keep the message clear: Domestic violence is a serious crime that results in serious consequences. The issue is not how perpetrators are inconvenienced but how families are made safer by the law.

We did not accept the notion that police and military personnel should suffer fewer consequences for their behavior than other individuals convicted of abuse of family or household members.

I hope that we have seen the end of pardons for police officers in Hawaii.

Carol C. Lee
Executive Director
Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Aiea

Bishop Estate should help all students

Hawaii must teach its children to delay parenthood until they are educated and responsible working adults. A public school system that has so many teen parents is a crisis that adds to our bloated welfare rolls.

Many Hawaii residents will not have children unless they can afford private schools. Perhaps the Bishop Estate could use some of its billions and take over the public school system.

It could mandate statewide school uniforms and discipline youths. Someone needs to teach students that there is more to life than a lifetime on welfare.

Tod Stein

Bishop Estate Archive

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

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