Mansho must go

City Councilwoman Rene Mansho should be impeached for her blatant multiple violations of the campaign spending rules and City Ethics Commission rules. She was fully aware of these violations, but continued them over a prolonged period of time. When exposed, she tried to make weak excuses and even made attempts to hush up her staff from testifying against her.

A mere fine and removal from the finance chairmanship is not enough. She should either resign from the Council altogether or be impeached.

J. Lee
Pearl City

Quotables "For me, Bud was the Star-Bulletin. I grew up in the Smyser school of journalism. In his school, you never graduated...you just committed yourself to being the best you could be..." Tomi Knaefler, Former Star-Bulletin reporter on the death Monday of A.A. "Bud" Smyser, columnist and former editor of the Star-Bulletin "He was the one who was always trying to promote good will and end racial discrimination." Ah Jook Ku, Former Star-Bulletin writer on A.A. Smyser's support of Asian Americans

Who really pays?

When Governor Cayetano boasts that he will "pay" for the strike with the savings from keeping professors and teachers out of work for a month, he needs a reality check.

Parents will "pay" for that month of striking when they pay for childcare to babysit children who ought to be in school learning. Employers will "pay" for that month in lost productivity as parents are forced to stay home.

College students will "pay" for that month because the state is breaking its contract with college students who have paid tuition in return for a semester of instruction.

Taxpayers will "pay" for that month of striking when college students postpone or forego their plans to join the working ranks as wage earners.

We will all "pay" for our state's broken promise to its young people.

We need to let the state know who will "pay" for its unyielding bargaining.

Hazel Glenn Beh
Associate Professor of Law
William S. Richardson School of Law
University of Hawaii

Contract reductions

In a recent advertisement, Governor Cayetano informed the public of a portion of the University of Hawaii faculty contract offer that the state has submitted to the faculty union of the University of Hawaii.

In the interest of a more complete disclosure, I am certain that the governor would like the public to be aware that the current contract offer also includes a 25 percent reduction in health benefits and a 25 percent reduction in retirement benefits.

If this offer were to be accepted, the university would find itself unable to retain any faculty able to get jobs on the mainland, and with such a contract UH would then find itself unable to hire replacements.

If the governor believes this offer to be reasonable, then he must be willing to accept the collapse of the UH system.

On the other hand, if the governor recognizes that the current offer is not reasonable, then one must wonder whether his intent is to provoke serious, thoughtful negotiations or a strike.

Steven Robinow
Associate Professor
Department of Zoology University of Hawaii

Gary for governor

With the recent criminal indictments of Gary Rodrigues, I suspect this will add to his "credentials" to be the next governor? Don't be surprised.

Robert E. Lansing

Safe waters

It is rather frightening to realize how dangerous our waters might be. I thought the Navy was to protect the civilians' freedom of the seas.

If so, it is only right that they practice far, far away from wherever national and international surface vessels are apt to be. Otherwise, we may be closer to a military occupation government, in practice, if not in name, than we wish to believe.

It is hoped that after the USS Greenville trial is over, the far-reaching policies of the military will be revisited, underlined by the basic premise that the military exists, not for itself, lobbyists, or the military- industrial-complex, but to serve and protect the rest of us, including our visitors.

Carol Metz

Sharing the blame

While inquiry is focused upon discovering responsibility of one or more USS Greeneville submariners for the deaths and sinking of the Ehime Maru, it may be useful to ask ourselves if we do not all in varying degrees share it.

The reason is that both Americans and Japanese have not yet been able to create alternatives to extricate ourselves from the war system that produces killing machines, civilian and military deaths, and economic deprivations.

The presence of American civilians aboard the submarine and of an allied Japanese naval officer at the court are but symbols of our shared responsibility.

Glenn D. Paige
President
Center for Global Nonviolence, Honolulu

Bishop vendetta

Just when I thought the state Attorney General's Office had settled with the former Bishop Estate trustees and the Kamehameha Schools and the settlement was approved by Judge Chang; why is the AG still sending records gathered during the old criminal investigation of the Estate and the former trustees to the state Campaign Spending Commission for more action?

This ax-grinding by the state sure sound unethical to me and continues to try to get more money from Kamehameha Schools that could otherwise be going to educate the Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian kids of the islands. Enough already.

Henry E. K. Lee
Kaneohe

Where's the money?

Why does the teachers' union Fact Finder say there is money for HSTA raises and the governor says there is not? Why did the Legislature put aside the money for the raises and now it is gone?

Where did the governor put this money? In the aquarium? In his mansion-to-museum project? In his cabinet's raises? Maybe at the Ala Wai Golf Course?

Wouldn't it be great news if someone is able to objectively tell the public where the governor is putting all of the money?

Eric Hagiwara

Medical marijuana

In the Feb. 12 article "Fear stymies demand for medical marijuana," Dr. Philip Hellreich, president of the Hawaii Medical Association states, "It's not true we are anti-marijuana, we're just pro-scientific study."

It appears we need to remind the good doctor that marijuana is among the most researched drugs in history.

In fact, research led to FDA approval and marketing of Marinol, which contains the psychoactive component of marijuana, THC (delta-nine tetra-hydrocanibinol).

How many millions of dollars must be spent only to placate those who remain unwilling to accept the validity of medicinal marijuana?

David Lamborne

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