Doctors' union won't degrade medical care

I was a Hawaii delegate to the American Medical Association annual meeting in Chicago, where the AMA House of Delegates voted to create a National Negotiating Organization.

In my first 24 hours back home, I spoke with a member of Congress and numerous friends. All of them said, "So I hear the doctors of America are going to form a union." I'd like to make a few comments, strictly as an individual.

The AMA's action is in response to huge mainland for-profit managed-care organizations that have put profits before medical care and left physicians powerless to advocate for their patients.

The AMA simply wants to provide individual states with options. In Hawaii, we will be able to utilize these principles to continue ongoing positive discussions with our third-party payers, with the guiding principle being the primacy of the patient/physician relationship in medical decision-making.

Fred C. Holschuh, M.D.
Emergency Physician
Hilo, Hawaii

AARP treated local lobbyist badly

As long-term caring members of AARP, we were disappointed by the way in which Ruth Ellen Lindenberg was summarily dismissed from the state AARP legislative committee. The national leadership and their appointment representatives in Hawaii are out of touch with the AARP membership.

We are proud that the Kokua Council, perhaps the oldest advocacy group for senior citizens in the state, is entirely locally controlled. As kapuna, we also advocate for our keiki and our ohana of Hawaii. We welcome diversity and discussion of all controversial issues, provided it is done democratically and with civility.

Lindenberg is a valued, active member of the Kokua Council. We expect to see many more years of good community service from her.

Sam Cox
President
Folly Hofer
Legislative Chairperson
Kokua Council

Government should pay for hula show

My goodness, I nearly fell off my chair when I read that the Kodak Hulu Show may end. What a shame. That is one of the best shows in Honolulu and it is free!

I have visited Hawaii five times and, believe me, there are very few things that are free for visitors to enjoy. This is one thing that your government should fund, so it can repay all those tourists who spend millions every year.

Heather Stewart
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Via the Internet

Legalizing evils isn't the way to go

In response to Ted Chernin's June 28 letter, "Prostitution won't go away, so legalize it" -- oh yes, let's legalize it. And, while we're at it, let's legalize murder also. Let's just throw away all standards of right and wrong, since evil is so prevalent and always has been.

Seriously, where are we going to draw the line? When are we going to stop our society's downward spiral toward lawlessness and chaos and realize that our dance with these so-called freedoms destroys the fabric that holds America together? May God have mercy.

Paul S. Oh
Via the Internet

Quotables "All the hard work I put into baseball has taught me I can survive mentally as long as I give it my best effort." Michael Chung BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER UH BASEBALL PLAYER On how he has coped without the ability to use his arms and legs after a tractor-trailer slammed into his Volkswagen and left him a quadriplegic 14 years ago "The biggest thing we could've arrested him for was littering." Jim Kennedy BLOOMINGTON, IND., POLICE CHIEF Whose officers had previously questioned white supremacist Benjamin Nathaniel Smith about distributing racist pamphlets before he went on a two-state killing spree that resulted in two dead and seven wounded, all members racial or religious minorities. Smith later killed himself as he grappled with police officers.

Authors shape truth to make literary point

I was one of the first to purchase and read W.S. Merwin's beautiful "The Folding Cliffs," a book tribute to the poignant story of Koolau and Pi'ilani. However, I take exception to a statement made in your June 15 article on Merwin and his book: "It [the Koolau and Pi'ilani story] is a tale of legendary proportions in Kauai's folklore, told countless times with embellished details. It also became a book of melodrama and sensational inaccuracies by Jack London."

Just a few weeks ago, I presented a paper at the American Literature Association's annual conference in Baltimore, Md., on Jack London's "House of Pride," the collection of six stories, which includes his well-known short story, "Koolau the Leper." One of the most important points in my paper focused on the changes London made in his story of Koolau to emphasize the heroism and humanity of Koolau the Leper.

Both London's and Merwin's works are meant to be fiction, not journalistic accounts of actual events. Writers of fiction have the freedom to shape and select the details in their work to convey a specific effect or image.

Since Jack London did as many fiction writers did -- shaping his Koolau story to his purpose -- he should not be maligned as one who used melodrama and inaccuracies.

Jane Romjue
Via the Internet

Elderly, young need help crossing street

Until all drivers are sober and respectful of pedestrians, the elderly and the very young need to be assisted and protected when they attempt to cross the street. I'd like to see more able-bodied women and men assisting those less able to cross our most dangerous roads.

It would also help if crosswalks were marked by overhead lights (with flashing yellow Xs) similar to those found in other cities. Drivers who ignore those lights would be ticketed and fined as they are in Seattle, where drivers not only stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk but even when they are standing at the curb.

I don't want to believe our community has become so accustomed to the routine slaughter of pedestrians by oblivious drivers that, by inaction, we give a green light for the mayhem to continue.

Tom Dolan
Via the Internet

Generator safety should be a concern

After watching some disaster preparedness specials on local TV, I feel more should be said about the safe operation of emergency generators. The thousands of gallons of gasoline in portable containers that would be required to keep Oahu residents powered up in the event of grid failure represents a potential for disaster even greater than nature's fury.

In event of a hurricane, flammable debris would abound, with the infrastructure for emergency response such as passable roads and an operable phone system severely degraded.

At the very least, safe storage of gasoline and the importance of having a good fire extinguisher on hand should be considered when purchasing a generator.

Herb Fune
Koloa, Kauai
Via the Internet

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

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