We need a litmus test for Democrats

What if we elected a Democratic governor and he turned out to be a Republican? Some people say that'll never happen while some others say it already has. The reason for concern is the number of politically disparate people who say they will run in the next Democratic gubernatorial primary election. A number of them would fail if the HPD had a profile of a Democrat.

The Democratic Party of Hawaii owes it to the people to guarantee that its candidates are Democrats at heart and in fact, and the party should remind itself, its candidates and the voters what are the basic beliefs that separate Democrats from Republicans. Otherwise, the next Democratic gubernatorial primary will be like Forest Gump's box of chocolates -- we won't know what we'll be getting.

Richard Y. Will

Seeing World Series in real time was great

Hurrah for Fox TV! We finally got to watch a World Series at the same time as everyone else in the world. Too bad we will return to the three-hour delays for the next few years. When the other three networks take their turns.

Now if we can get Monday Night Football to Fox TV maybe we can join the rest of the country in watching it in real time.

George W. Niotta

[Quotables] "They're making obscene profits." Frank Young Chevron dealer and president of the Hawaii Automobile Repair and Gas Dealers Association, on the fact that Hawaii's oil refineries continue to keep gas prices high even as the price of crude oil has dropped dramatically "Like it or not, Hawaii is going the way of globalization just like everywhere else." David Heenan Former dean of the University of Hawaii business school, on the number of local companies that have recently been bought by national and international companies

Offer to NYC rescuers spreads aloha

My wife and I, and the rest of our family, compliment Gov. Ben Cayetano for inviting New York's rescue workers to relax and enjoy the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and to experience the wonderful people of our great state and the true meaning of our aloha spirit.

We are from Hawaii, moving to the mainland about 17 years ago, but our hearts and thoughts will always be with Hawaii. I have been associated with the tourist industry for the last 35 years, mainly working at various airports as a gate agent and as a sales/reservations agent for a major airline, and I always try to sell Hawaii first to the public when they are undecided with their travel plans.

We hope and pray that there will be a great improvement in the immediate future for Hawaii's struggling tourism industry. We also hope those who take advantage of this most generous offer will experience a tremendous up-lift from the unfortunate incident.

Again, kudos to Governor Cayetano for his invitation and to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau for its $125,000 check to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children' s Benefit Fund. We are very proud to be from Hawaii!

Frank and Arleen Dacoscos Roylo, Lori Roylo Trenis, Adriane and Lance Roylo
Palm Harbor, Fla.

Federalizing security for airport is safer

Security at most airports is poor. Security personnel receive low wages and little training and the companies that hire them don't do complete background checks. The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to federalize airport security employees in order to raise pay, improve training and institute background checks to insure the integrity of security personnel.

However, die-hard majority members in the U.S. House have blocked this bill because they want to maintain the status quo with private security companies. Their right-wing ideology is more important than the safety of passengers.

Exacerbating the issue is the proposal to use smart-card information technology for airport security. The technology would require the storage and use of one's personal information by private companies. This information in the wrong hands could be abused.

The sooner we federalize the airport security system, the sooner people will feel safe to fly. Please write to your congressional delegation for support for federalized airport security.

Marcia Linville

Nation can't ignore Christian beginnings

Mitchell Kahle ("On Faith," Star-Bulletin, Oct. 27) opposes "exclusion, bias, and bigotry," but expresses those very attitudes toward what he calls "religious fundamentalism," a useless term that covers murderous terrorists as well as some of my peaceable Baptist friends.

Something is missing in Kahle's zeal for political correctness, namely, historical correctness. An integral, causative part of our history has been the people and teachings of the Christian faith, particularly the ideals and values of the Reformation, where equality opposed hierarchy and freedom of conscience opposed doctrine dictated by another man.

Whether our nation could have arisen out of the soil of other religions, or out of atheism, is a theoretical question. The historical fact is that it didn't. The Christian roots of this nation must not be forgotten lest our children fail to grasp the total heritage that has made America great.

Pluralism does not require an ignoring of historical facts. We need to find a mature way to unapologetically celebrate our entire American experience, including the overwhelmingly Christian nature of its religious dimension, while seeing to it that this in no way results in discrimination against those who practice other religions.

Don Baron

How does ACLU feel about burning crosses?

The American Civil Liberties Union (Letters, Nov. 4) wasted no time weighing in about the red Shinto torii in Moiliili. Although I believe in separation of church and state, I don't know enough about its symbolism to have a strong opinion about its presence.

On the other hand, I have a very strong opinion about cross burning as a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan's bigotry towards African-Americans and Jews. While there is an arguable First Amendment right about burning crosses at their rallies, there can be no justification for the burning of a cross recently in a black Virginian's yard.

I am appalled and disgusted that Virginia's ACLU chapter successfully argued against the 50-year-old ban. My highest praise to the state attorney general appealing the 4-3 ruling that supports "this form of domestic terrorism ... intolerable in a free society."

It will be interesting to see if our local chapter weighs in on this travesty. But I won't hold my breath.

Faye Kennedy

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