We all must exercise our right to vote

The letter from Kathryn Hallmark (Letters, March 8) literally made me cry. Please, Kathryn, realize what you are giving up. You say "why bother to vote," but you also say you are worried about running your business, home and family. Every aspect of government affects your business, home and family. If you do not at least vote for change, what do you see as your hope for the future?

Not all elected officials are corrupt, nor do they all become corrupt. A one-party system in Hawaii for 40 years has created an environment that fosters corruption and apathy.

Voters can change this. A balance in the Legislature would create openness and accountability. A few more Republicans in the House this year have made a tremendous difference in getting bills heard. If you think things are in the pits, at least vote for change. Doing nothing results in exactly that -- nothing.

In Zimbabwe Monday, thousands of citizens waited in line for hours to vote. They think their votes will make a difference, against odds none of us can imagine. Please do not give up your most precious right as an American. You can make a difference. Vote.

Shirley Hasenyager
Kailua

Scouts have no place in public classrooms

The Boy Scouts of America won the right to discriminate against anyone it wants and now it seems it is having a problem paying the price that comes with discrimination. ("Ties to Scouts stains group's teachings," Raising Cane, Star-Bulletin, March 10).

No matter how the BSA packages it, in Learning for Life or its traditional scouting program, the organization discriminates and so has no place as part of the mandated curriculum in our public schools, according to the Board of Education's own anti-discrimination policy.

If you disagree, you need to ask yourself who is going to be next. Which group will the BSA decide is undesirable as participants in its program? Today, it is atheists and homosexuals, tomorrow it could be you.

Until the BSA rescinds its policy of discrimination, it needs to be kept out of public school classrooms.

Michael Golojuch Jr.
Hawaii representative
Scouting For All

'Be prepared' to trust Scouts with youths

In his Sunday "Raising Cane" column, Rob Perez smears the Learning for Life organization with guilt by association because it is a subsidiary of those mean and nasty Boy Scouts who have been unwilling to let gays, atheists or agnostics join their ranks. Perez concludes his column with, "Being tolerant of different beliefs and lifestyles is an important part of demonstrating sound character. On that front at least, the Scouts make lousy teachers."

He acknowledges that Learning for Life insists that it does not "in any way cover issues related to sex or religion," but that's evidently not good enough.

And what about the Scouts? Perez writes them off as "lousy teachers" because of a position they've held since the inception of the organization based on convictions held by the majority of people then and now.

The Boy Scouts' record of instilling character and sound values in boys and young men speaks for itself.

Ron Arnold

[Quotables] "My contrarian position is that this is kind of odd. He is being picked on for doing something that has been on the books for 20 years. It adds credibility (to the idea) that there is some sort of cabal that is trying to have Jeremy not become governor." Ira Rohter University of Hawaii political scientist and Hawaii Green Party organizer, on Circuit Court Judge Sabrina McKenna's decision that Mayor Harris must resign before running for governor. McKenna granted a stay in her decision yesterday so the state Supreme Court could rule on the matter, but Harris decided to suspend his campaign anyway. "Obesity appears to have a stronger association with ... chronic medical conditions, reduced health-related quality of life and increased health-care and medication expenses than smoking or problem drinking." Roland Sturm Author of a study in the journal Health Affairs that showed some of the ill effects of obesity.

Texas driver shows need for more aloha

Letter writer Robert D. Dunn made some observations about being from Texas, where "cars and trucks are king" (Star-Bulletin, March 9). He says Hawaii should "educate pedestrians first before you persecute the drivers."

First, I am temporarily living in Texas, where I have observed some of the worst, most thoughtless, inconsiderate, impolite drivers I've ever seen. Every day I see drivers pitting their lives on the hope that the cars they just cut in front of will hit the brakes in time.

Second, Hawaii is not Texas, thank God. Hopefully, the spirit of aloha still lives, and drivers will still pause so as not to run over Tutu.

I drive the highways and byways of San Antonio with a large "Live Aloha" sticker on my car. Once in awhile, someone will t'row me one shaka!

Bill Martin
San Antonio, Texas Former Hawaii resident

NCAA panel ignores many stellar teams

So the NCAA selection committee has once again left Vince Goo's Rainbow Wahine out of the dance. That is deplorable and an injustice to a team that had a great regular season capped by an almost-Cinderella WAC tournament.

But lest we think the NCAA's bias and unfair treatment is directed exclusively against the Wahine, we should look at the stellar won-lost records of other teams snubbed by the NCAA and forced to find post-season satisfaction in the WNIT or not at all.

From the highest percentage down, the list of 20-win teams in the WNIT includes Valparaiso (24-6), Ball State (23-6), Delaware (23-6), Sienna (23-6), Hawaii (23-7), Holy Cross (23-7), St. Joseph's (23-7), Eastern Kentucky (22-7), Houston (22-7), North Texas (21-8), Vermont (21-8), Rice (21-8), and UNC Greensboro (21-9). All won at least 70 percent of their games.

We should congratulate Goo and the Wahine and wish them success in the WNIT without wallowing in the NCAA Selection Committee's annual slight of a fine program.

Michael Ho

Au-oui! NCAA judging was unfair to Wahine

Gee, I didn't realize that the French ice skating judge was also on the NCAA Women's Basketball selection committee.

Richard Lee-Ching

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