Gunmakers should be sued for carnage

The Xerox victims' survivors should start suing gunmakers, whose products murdered members of their families. These companies should be held responsible for producing the murder weapon.

Why do we allow gunmakers to flood the world's markets with deadly weapons for huge profits and then let them go free, when these firearms are used in crimes, murders and wars?

Gunmakers can be controlled by making them responsible for the killing of innocent people everywhere. It's the best, indeed only, way to settle, once and for all, the controversial gun-control issue.

Carl Hamashige
Lihue, Kauai

Media made all gun enthusiasts look bad

Well, here we go again. When will the media learn their job is to report the news, not create it?

As we sat watching in horror, as the catastrophe at the Xerox building unfolded, the media were already dancing in the blood of the victims.

Their nauseatingly one-sided conclusion was that, since the shooter had a fascination with firearms, anyone with even a passing interest in shooting as a sport is somehow an uncivilized Neanderthal capable of carnage.

Let's remember that it was guys like John Browning, Hiram Maxim, John Garand, Gordon Ingram and Gene Stoner who also had a lifelong fascination with firearms. They designed and built the weapons that won the wars and guaranteed the freedoms we all enjoy today.

We hope and pray that our lawmakers don't use this tragedy as cover for their militantly lethargic record and start passing even more firearms restrictions on the law-abiding gun owners of Hawaii.

While our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the Xerox victims, let's not forget that more than 2,000 people each year use their lawful firearms to avoid becoming victims themselves.

Mark Genovese
Haiku, Maui

Quotables "We're looking into any possible defense, including mental illness." Jerel Fonseca Attorney for murder defendant Byran K. Uyesugi On how attorneys will consider defending the Xerox employee charged with fatally shooting seven coworkers "Fish people are pretty calm people. They just enjoy watching the fish. That's why it's such a shock to have a member go off." Vernon Wong Member of the same HawaiI Goldfish and Carp Association to which Byran Uyesugi belonged

UH coaches aren't teaching right values

When volatile University of Hawaii special-teams coach Dennis McKnight talked back to a fan after the Texas Christian football game -- leading to an exchange of obscenities caught on tape recorders and videotape -- what was he showing to his players?

That perhaps, in defeat, if someone shows you disrespect, it's all right to show disrespect right back. In fact, that it may be even a sign of strength.

Unfortunately, UH Coach June Jones then condoned his assistant coach's actions by saying that McKnight was simply defending one of his players. Jones further stated that he would go to "battle" with McKnight.

I was under the impression that this was a collegiate athletic activity, not a war. Furthermore, student athletes are young, impressionable men who someday will be husbands, fathers and our leaders.

Contrary to popular belief, it is a sign of strength and courage to show respect to someone who shows you disrespect. This is true especially in defeat, because in life there will be many adversities.

Each time, we must handle it with dignity and pride, in a way that perhaps was once taught us by a coach.

Glenn Martin
Kaneohe

Americans certainly are winning Nobels

Thomas Sowell's Oct. 30 column, "Who is winning those Nobels?" was one of those great pieces bashing Dick and Jane about their inability to read, write, add and win Nobels. What a load of bull.

Not only can Dick and Jane read, write and add, they are also winning Nobels. Sowell's contention that all of the "Americans" who won last time around were actually foreigners couldn't be further from the truth.

Those immigrants were naturalized Americans or waiting to be naturalized. They are still Americans. The U.S. is almost fully populated by immigrants or native-born sons and daughters, grandchildren and so on of immigrants.

I do not think that I'll ever win a Nobel prize. But if I did, based on Sowell's premise, credit would go to Scotland instead of America since the progenitor of my family, Dr. Patrick Napier, came to Virginia in 1641 from Scotland.

Sorry, Mr. Sowell, I just can't buy it.

By the way, I called up Nobel Prize winners on the Internet and was not surprised. I quit counting after a hundred, but the largest single country credited with winning Nobel Prizes was America. The vast majority of those were second- and third-generation Americans through their antecedents.

Accents or a lack of one make absolutely no difference to me or to any other thinking American.

Charles Napier
Mililani

Bay 'improvements' are mayoral folly

On a recent radio show, Mayor Harris explained his willingness to borrow money in the form of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) bonds by pointing to current low interest rates, construction costs and the cost of land.

Yes, this is a great time to borrow money. But this is a terrible time to incur additional debt and interest obligations, and the annual operating costs associated with these projects.

A case in point is Mayor Harris' proposal for alleged improvements at Hanauma Bay. He wants to incur over $10 million in new CIP bonds to finance these "improvements." This will result in additional annual interest and principal payments of over $700,000 and about $300,000 in additional annual salaries, maintenance and operating expenses.

Why is Harris willing to incur the additional fiscal burden when so many of our city parks, especially in poorer communities, are hurting already for lack of funds?

Peter Sofman
Hawaii Kai

Governor was right; Hawaii is provincial

Something's wrong in paradise. This is a democracy?

How can a vocal minority on the Big Island object to a prison in the Kulani area? How can a narrow-minded minority ban Heco's power cable proposal to provide emergency power capability to the approximately 20,000 residents in East Oahu?

The governor was right: This is a provincial state; we think small.

L. Chun
Kaimuki

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

---

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.