Columnist correct about failing drug war

Cynthia Tucker's column "U.S. should quietly end war on drugs" (Star-Bulletin, June 28) is a masterpiece.

Her suggestions would allow the short-minded legislators to at least save face. Apparently they didn't learn a thing with the legislation on Prohibition some 70 years ago.

Why continue with a war against drugs after 40 years of utter failure and a waste of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money?

A.J. Calabro
Kailua

Stories showed range of human behaviors

I believe a newspaper fulfills its ultimate function in society when it makes a connection to its readership through fair, impartial and accurate reporting.

That's what I think the Star-Bulletin did on Father's Day by featuring a story on the fall of a former baseball player/coach to drugs ("Drugs put DeKneef a long way from home," Star-Bulletin, June 16), and more recently on the killing of Jack Wyatt, by all accounts a wonderful human being with a happy-go-lucky kamaaina heart (Star-Bulletin, June 19).

Some readers have criticized the Star-Bulletin for running the story on Mike DeKneef. People don't want to hear about others who make poor life decisions; certainly not on Father's Day ... auwe! But I think it was a good story. We should read about good dads and not-so-good dads and other people from all walks of life. It makes us wiser and teaches our children valuable lessons.

The reporting on Jack Wyatt's death certainly were depressing when we realize how fragile life is and how serious a threat mental illness is to everyone. But a connection was made when I read about Wyatt's gentle soul, and I silently mourned for a man I'd never met but feel I understand, and perhaps would've enjoyed having a cold beer with on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

We are a community, and beyond these levels our local custom of aloha extends onto a global canvas. I appreciate the reporting of daily life events and sometimes unfortunate losses on all these levels.

Chas LeRoy

Vision team benefits Ewa Beach community

While there have been many letters to the editor about the failings of the mayor's vision teams, some teams are doing a great job. It's beginning to show in tremendous improvements to area parks.

The Ewa Beach community is finally seeing the results of the three years of work from its vision team. Everyone in Ewa Beach should go to Oneula Beach Park and see the new paving, parking area and coconut tree plantings. It's just the beginning of what should soon become the best family beach park on Oahu.

Many mahalos to vision team members Tesha Malama and Pam Lee Smith for securing our portion of the funds to make much-needed improvements to our community beach park. We don't need more trash piles in Ewa Beach; we need more people like Malama and Smith to help clean up and improve our town.

Earl Arakaki
Ewa Beach

Ways to save precious water are plentiful

Thank you for the long-overdue article on the need to save water, "The wane in rain points to no-waste campaign," Star-Bulletin, June 24). Here are just a few hints for water conservation:

> Fix leaky faucets and toilets.

> Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.

> Sweep or rake driveways and sidewalks instead of hosing them down.

> Water the garden in the early morning or in the late afternoon. Evaporation steals most of the water if watering takes place in the heat of the day, and the grass and plants can be burned by the sun when the remaining water gets too hot.

> It would be so helpful to have a water conservation logo appear weekly in the newspaper, accompanied by one or two water-saving tips. The radio stations could do the same. It isn't enough just to ask people to conserve water, we need to know how.

If people learned to look after the water resources we have, the nation wouldn't be hit nearly as hard by future droughts.

Suze Salm
Kailua

'Under God' leaves out many belief systems

As an atheist I never recite the Pledge of Allegiance because it proclaims a belief in God. However, I could live with a pledge that puts "under God" in parentheses to indicate that the phrase is optional. Unfortunately, I doubt if Judeo-Christians would accept that, since most of them believe atheists to be inferior beings and second-class citizens. President George Bush the First made that clear when he said as much to a reporter for American Atheist magazine.

George W. recently expressed a similar sentiment when he said our rights derive from God, a statement that seems to imply that those who do not believe have no rights.

Believers in God should understand that the Pledge of Allegiance is divisive because it excludes not only atheists but also agnostics, polytheists such as Hindus, animists such as Taoists, and many Buddhists, some sects of which are nontheistic.

It should be noted that when "under God" was inserted into the pledge, atheists did not make threatening phone calls to believers. But the family of Michael Newdow, who brought the suit against the phrase, is now under siege by God-loving atheist-haters.

Kurt Butler
Kula, Maui

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