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State correct to support gay Scout leader

My decision to support New Jersey's law prohibiting the Boy Scouts from firing a Scout leader simply because he is gay was based largely on the state's strong interest in eliminating discrimination in general, including discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation.

Contrary to recent criticism, there is no contradiction between this stand against discrimination and Hawaii's opposition to federal imposition of monetary liability on the state for ADA violations. We would have also supported a law prohibiting the Boy Scouts from wrongfully firing a Scout leader because of a disability.

As to the expenditure of state time and resources, Hawaii did not draft the amicus brief, but simply joined the brief written and paid for by New York's attorney general. California, Washington and Massachusetts were also among the 10 states to join this brief.

Rep. Bob McDermott's June 19 letter suggested that parents would not want gays leading their Boy Scouts troops. That is equivalent to suggesting that parents would not want heterosexual males coaching a girls' soccer team.

The community should focus its concern on a person's propensity to illegally molest children, not on his or her sexual orientation.

Earl I. Anzai
Attorney General State of Hawaii

Expensive sculpture makes females look bad

Every day, on the way to work, I have to pass the Resting Lady sculpture on the lawn at Blaisdell Center (Wat dat? June 5). I'm sorry, but every time I have looked at it, from the very first day it was up, it has made me angry.

We try to teach our girls respect and etiquette and to act like a lady. Well! Ladies don't sit with their legs up on a bench when they have a dress on! You call that art?

And when I read the price tag was $48,000, I was appalled. Have we got that much money that we can splurge it on this instead of, say, giving it to the food awareness programs in Hawaii?

Judy Hill

Public housing residents must be heard

Public housing residents must speak up for their rights. The subject at hand is a Senate bill that would allow three residents to sit on the board of commissioners of the Hawaii Community Development Corp. of Hawaii (HCDCH).

Public housing residents like me have been attempting to work with HCDCH for several years to make our concerns known. We have gone through the proper channels and protocol, like we're supposed to do.

However, whenever we bring our concerns to the table or make suggestions, this is what happens:

If we ask for something to be fixed, it's not done right away because of a maintenance shortage or because a part has to be ordered from the mainland.

If we ask for something specific, we hear, "Sorry, no more money."

If we volunteer to do something, we are turned down because of the potential liability.

HCDCH wants us to be self-sufficient, yet doesn't allow those with skills to do the work. Instead, outside people are hired, which inflates the cost drastically.

In hiring outside contractors, the lowest bid is taken, which doesn't necessarily mean quality workmanship.

This is why we must encourage the governor to sign, not veto, this important bill. Even though we are poor, public housing residents want to be treated with dignity and respect.

Becky Henricks

Quotables "I come from a strong Samoan family. If you listen to the lyrics, it just tells you what my life is." Salevaa Atisanoe RETIRED HAWAII-BORN SUMOTORI Back in the islands to promote his album, "KMS" "June Jones and Leigh Steinberg have raised the bar." Manny Sanchez CEO OF TICKET PLUS AND UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FOOTBALL BOOSTER Lauding the dynamic duo of the UH football coach and his super agent/sports marketer

Mayor knew about Ewa Villages shenanigans

Richard Borreca's June 21 assessment of the effect of the Ewa Villages scandal on Mayor Harris came from somewhere out in left field.

Does anyone really believe that Mayor Harris, famous for his micro-management, didn't know what was going on with Ewa Villages? It was his pet project when he was managing director.

I seem to remember City Council members Hannemann and Kim trying to get audits done on Ewa Villages, only to be stonewalled by Harris' people.

Why didn't the corporation counsel or prosecutor ask all those involved in the Ewa Villages scandal if they, friends or relatives, or officers or directors of the companies they were tied to, have donated to the Harris campaign?

Cy Watase

Officer was abusive in scolding awry driver

I love Honolulu, but the thuggish attitude of one of your city's police officers left me angry and disgusted during a recent visit.

My wife and I were driving through Chinatown at about 11 a.m. on June 9. At the corner of Hotel and River streets, the officer, who was directing traffic near some street repair activity, marched up to our rental car.

"Are you a bus?" he demanded. I shrugged and answered, "No."

"Then what the hell you doing here?" he barked. "This street is for buses only. Get out of here!"

Indeed, Hotel Street is off-limits to regular vehicles and we should not have turned onto it. But it was a simple mistake, and we hadn't obstructed traffic or challenged the officer's authority in any way. Yet he chose to be rude and confrontational.

This is precisely the kind of abusive, unprofessional behavior that makes citizens resent and distrust the police. It can also be indicative of far more serious problems with an officer or with the police force he works for.

Honolulu deserves far better.

Jack Brannon
San Francisco

Too many questions mar plans for bay

Those of us who swim at Hanauma Bay want improvements for the educational program and management staff, but we also want what will be best for the entire Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve.

As such, many aspects of the proposed plan are puzzling:

Why are the buildings on the rim being torn down only five years after they were built?

Why is the project being put on the rim despite so many objections to this location?

Why is a snack bar planned so far from beach users and where tradewinds will blow trash over the cliff?

Why are the buildings to be covered with berms that will block the tradewinds?

These questions should be addressed before plans proceed.

Sally Drake

Editor's note: This letter was also signed by Gilbert Fujiyoshi, Amy Chung, Chi Wai Chung, Jacob Lau, Ken and Hannah Waterman, Dorothy Pertz, Neal Tomita, Ruth M. Quirk, James Wakahiro, Flora Wakahiro and Brian Carew.

Where were the cops when chaos erupted?

Our Los Angeles Lakers won! Let's go burn up some cars and loot some stores!

Hot day? Let's go to Central Park -- and strip some women of their clothes and dignity!

In either case, maybe the cops' radios didn't work. Perhaps they were too busy staking out prostitutes or other "real criminals."

Lisa Wiley

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