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Film fest director didn't deserve to be fired

I was very disappointed that the board of the Hawaii Film Festival saw fit to fire its director, Christian Gaines.

Gaines was able to increase the variety and quality of films while maintaining a Pacific Rim focus. Under his leadership, the festival grew in local popularity, international status and became more profitable.

It appears that Gaines was fired as a consequence of one disgruntled board member. I hope future decisions made by the board consider the festival above its own internal politics.

Tracy Trevorrow

It's a bad time to raise UH tuition

Both House Speaker Calvin Say and Governor Cayetano introduced new deans at the University of Hawaii during their speeches at the opening of the state Legislature. Both touted UH as the savior of the economy.

Still, annual tuition increases are in the works.

Raising the resident tuition at the university is unconscionable. It's also a marketing strategy that's guaranteed to produce negative results, given the competition for students.

Richard Thompson

Send Hawaii welfare recipients to mainland

The "First To Work" program through the state Department of Human Services continues to yield poor results with respect to permanent job placement.

Many welfare recipients continue to participate in volunteer positions with little chance of securing jobs with a living wage. The five-year limit is fast approaching for many of these individuals and their families.

Maybe the time has come for the state to offer individuals the opportunity of moving to the mainland, where employment is plentiful and hope abounds. Let's be proactive before many become homeless, hungry and without hope.

Jeff Thomas

Bombing of Vieques can't be justified

Your Feb. 2 editorial on the bombing of Vieques concludes that "war is not kind to people or to the environment," but "national security...must not be compromised." Are you really saying that national security means complicity in:

The decades-long war against the people of Vieques?

The desecration of sacred sites and destruction of the environment?

The dropping of 500-pound bombs (only this time they'll be "inert" cement-filled ones!) on innocent civilians?

The use of depleted uranium and toxic chemicals that have increased cancer rates to almost twice the Puerto Rican average?

Do you really think you can fool the public into believing that national security justifies the above? And aren't we talking about American citizens here?

Tony Castanha
Kailua

Quotables "The (Reform) party is, as you know, self-destructing." Donald Trump NEW YORK BILLIONAIRE AND RUMORED REFORM PARTY CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT Announcing his decision not to run for president due largely to problems within the Reform Party, which threw out its chairman over the weekend during a raucous meeting to which police were called "We're scheduled about every 15 minutes up until midnight." Margaret Johnson CO-OWNER OF GRACELAND WEDDING CHAPEL IN LAS VEGAS, NEV. Describing the nonstop wedding ceremonies scheduled at the chapel on Valentine's Day

Military can't adapt to gay members

I was disappointed after reading the Star-Bulletin's Feb. 7 editorial on gays in the military, which stated in part, "Full acceptance of gays is the only realistic policy, and eventually it must be adopted."

As has been said over and over by those who are serving now and who have served in the past, unit cohesion and morale will certainly be devastated by forced integration in units.

An open homosexual has no place in the military, and forced association with them in the close confines of the American forces is equally repugnant to the vast majority of female and male service members of all races, religions and ethnic background.

In particular, it would invite unnecessary tragedy to force the macho groups that populate organizations such as the 82nd Airborne Division, the Ranger regiment or the Marine divisions to tolerate open homosexuals in their midst.

I am not a homophobe and have had homosexuals as neighbors. They have been cheerful, friendly, helpful and no more or less honest than others. They serve honorably as police officers, firefighters and probably all jobs and professions.

Military service, however, is simply different, and those who editorialize and legislate otherwise should seek the counsel of soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen -- those who really understand the issues.

Clifford R. Robinson
Lt. Col., U.S. Marine corps (Retired)
Kailua

Experiment with openly gay people in military

The time is approaching when we must reconsider the gays-in-the-military issue.

Some political compromise must be developed that allows more openness yet reassures the military and the public about readiness. The latter is more important to the United States than to France, Denmark or even Britain, and recruiting has become a consideration.

Perhaps the way to move forward is to open some of the military to openly gay persons.

The Air Force and Navy could be starting points. The Marines, Army and submarine services could retain the current policy of "don't ask, don't tell" with better enforcement.

If the experiment with the Air Force and Navy is judged successful, and readiness is not adversely affected, then the policy could be extended to all branches of service.

Cedric B. Cowing

Impound the cars of insurance scofflaws

I rarely agree with columnist Charles Memminger, but his Feb. 9 column on auto insurance hit home. His recommendation that the police impound any car found without insurance would certainly get the message out.

If the owner had to pay for towing and storage, and then had to buy insurance before reclaiming the car, the cost would be significant. The owner would think twice about going naked again. It probably wouldn't even take any legislative action to accomplish this either.

Richard Simmers

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