Trask—right or wrong?

Reaction to Mililani Trasks remarks concerning Hawaii's U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye:

Inouye has done much for Hawaiians

I guess Mililani Trask doesn't realize that it was Daniel Inouye who championed the cause of Hawaiian people in Congress. His relationships there have helped Hawaiians, even when the Democrats were not in power.

His mother always asked him to help the Hawaiian people, and Inouye never forgot that request.

George M. Waialeale

Mililani Trask is supportive of Japanese

Mililani Trask's remark about Senator Inouye was an unfortunate political error of passion and frustration, but I find it truly offensive that the press turned it into a spectacle that deflects from the substantive issues.

It is clearly understandable why kanaka maoli are angry and frustrated by Inouye's political manipulation of Hawaiian affairs. The real issue is the theft of Hawaiian lands and sovereignty, and continuing attempts by the U.S. government to dictate the outcome of sovereignty efforts.

Trask's support of Japanese-American redress has been unwavering, so no one should even question where she stands. As a local Japanese, I am not offended by Trask's statement.

Rather, I take it up as a challenge to ensure that my own community is supporting and not obstructing justice for kanaka maoli.

Kyle Kajihiro

It's other people who should be apologizing

Mililani Trask owes an apology to no one. Yet I can think of a few people and groups who should be apologizing:

Governor Cayetano should apologize for heading a government that stole a nation from its people, and continues a policy of failing to pay Hawaiians what the state has contracted to pay them.

The Hawaiian Community Development Authority should apologize for its gutless misuse of the Sunshine Law in its conduct of its meetings.

The state Legislature should apologize to all of us for exempting itself from the Sunshine Law and making it next to impossible to enforce on a local level.

Sen. Daniel Inouye should apologize for his smarmy, self-serving press releases claiming to be a champion of the Hawaiian people, when much the opposite is true. He should also apologize to all veterans and Americans for dodging the issue of whether he committed wartime atrocities.

Del Pranke
Pahoa, Hawaii

Mililani Trask's audacity is appalling

I am 50 percent Hawaiian. My father, four brothers and three sons served in the U.S. armed services during conflicts in France, Korea, Germany and Vietnam. By the grace of God, the eight returned with all their limbs.

How dare Mililani Trask insult Hawaii's senior senator, Daniel K. Inouye, who gave his arm for his country? She's not only a disgrace to the Hawaiian people, she's a disgrace to the human race!

Catherine Benson Downey

Quotables "It's not something I'll sit down in front of a bulldozer for. It's something I can take or leave." Governor Cayetano Saying he wouldn't oppose a ban on the private ownership of handguns in Hawaii, if that's what people want and despite the fact that he owns several firearms "Cal Lee has become much too powerful. We have a football team with a school instead of a school with a football team." John Beresiwsky FATHER OF FOUR SONS WHO ATTENDED ST. LOUIS SCHOOL On how the Rev. Mario Pariante may lose his job as president of the Catholic all-boys school because of a power struggle between him and the varsity football coach, Cal Lee

VonAppen should give back his salary

We paid the last University of Hawaii football coach, Fred vonAppen, thousands of dollars and he did not do his job. Why are we letting him get away with that?

We should be going after vonAppen for statements he made when he was coach. For example, he said in 1998 that the UH players don't have what it takes to be a good college football team. Yet the team just won the Western Athletic Conference championship!

The former coach does not deserve the remaining money from his contract. That money should go to current UH Coach June Jones and his family.

Daniel Kekahuna
Via the Internet

Just enforce Hawaii's current gun laws

So now local government is thinking about forcing us to re-register our weapons every two years. I smell another hidden tax here.

I know the liberal establishment not only can't pass this up, it has no doubt already figured out the cost of all this extra processing, and devised a new set of higher fees to cover it.

Here's an alternative that no one has mentioned yet: How about if the police and prosecutors actually do the jobs that we pay them to do? How about if, when they make an arrest, they take a few minutes to check to see if the alleged criminal has any weapons registered?

If the arrest fits the criteria of the Lautenberg Act (such as spousal abuse), they could take the list out and confiscate the weapons, as well as any others in the residence. How long can it take to look up a name in the computer? As an added incentive, any unregistered weapon would add another charge!

I know this will never happen here, however, for two reasons:

1) It's much easier to feel better about a toothless law than to actually lift a finger to enforce the ones we already have.

2) It won't penalize law-abiding citizens with another hidden tax.

Patrick Nisley
Kailua
Via the Internet

Missouri Association hosted fine celebration

On Nov. 11, I was privileged to be present at the best military ceremony I have attended. It happened on the fantail of the USS Missouri for the "Last Veterans Day Ceremony of the Century."

The selection of Rear Adm. John W. Townes III as keynote speaker was inspirational. The "Sounds of Aloha" chorus made you want to re-enlist, while the ceremony to retire the colors brought a lump to the throat.

And in the finest naval tradition, it started and ended on time.

To Chairman Ed Carter, Vice Adm. Bob Kihune and Senior Chief Lee Collins of the USS Missouri Association: Well done!

Stan Snodgrass
U.S Navy (Ret.)

Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes

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