Dems used Anderson to keep Case out
The strategists of the Democratic political machine that has controlled the state of Hawaii for the past 40 years are brilliant. They faced a serious threat in Ed Case, an independently thinking Democrat. To overcome the threat to their political control, they convinced longtime Republican Andy Anderson to run for governor as a Democrat, to be the spoiler stopping Ed Case from being the Democratic candidate for governor. This is shown by the primary election results: Hirono 76,685 votes, Case 74,082 and Anderson 33,378.It is my opinion that the Democratic political machine persuaded Anderson to run by taking advantage of his ego and/or implying that he will be rewarded in the future. Only time will tell. If the Democrats win the general election, they will keep control of our state for an additional eight years or more, for their best interest.
Wilbert W.W. Wong
Kaneohe
Cayetano's legacy will determine replacement
For the first time, the Democratic Party will have to rely on the performance of their most recent two-term governor, Ben Cayetano. Has he made the state better than it was before he took over? Have his early campaign promises been achieved? Will his promise to be the "education governor" be his legacy? Has his promise of change been reached in the past eight years? Will he hand over to the next governor a promising Hawaii, or a Hawaii in dire straits?If Mazie Hirono answers "yes" to all these questions and truly believes Cayetano has fulfilled all his promises, then she has no worry of becoming the next governor. Otherwise, Linda Lingle's promise of "A New Beginning" will bury the Democratic Party's dream of putting its candidate in office.
Virgil Gabriel
Mililani
Case backers must be kicking themselves
Right about now, those of you who were planning to vote for Ed Case but didn't get to the polls must be feeling pretty bad. And you ought to -- because of your laxity, the opportunity for a real change in Hawaii has been lost for at least the next four years. I hope those who watched television coverage and read Sunday's papers noted Case's demeanor and message.I also hope that Mazie Hirono and other Democratic Party members will listen to what Case has to say. Otherwise, despite his gracious and eloquent affirmation of party unity, I -- after nearly 30 years of never missing an election and voting Democrat each time -- will have to consider alternatives.
Betty Santos
Kaneohe
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Let's be consistent with regime criteria
According to the Bush administration, major grounds for regime change are possession of weapons of mass destruction, defiance of United Nations resolutions and a leader's long history of brutality against his enemies. I therefore call upon Congress to pass a resolution authorizing President Bush to use all necessary means to remove the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East: Ariel Sharon.William R. Bailey
Central Oahu plan ignores concerns
The City Council is holding a public hearing at 2 p.m. today on the Central Oahu Sustainable Communities Plan. The focus of this plan is to redirect some of the planned growth in the Second City area to Central Oahu, in contravention of the General Plan and Mayor Harris's 1998 State of the City address. The plan also ignores residents' concerns about the education and transportation needs of the additional 25,000 Central Oahu homes it proposes. Residents of the Mililani area have repeatedly raised these concerns since 1999. Last spring both the Mililani and Mililani Mauka neighborhood boards passed resolutions opposing the plan.What is particularly disturbing is the apparent attempt to ignore the concerns of those who will be most affected by the plan in its formulation and adoption. Only lip service has been paid to the concerns of the residents of Central Oahu. This does nothing but continue to alienate the citizenry and reinforce the opinion held by so many people who don't vote that we the citizens just don't matter, "so why bother?"
Doug Thomas
Mililani
Did anyone ask police their views on God?
I just found out that the phrase "under God" is going to be removed from the swearing-in ceremonies for the oath of office in the Honolulu Police Department (Star-Bulletin, Sept. 24). The use of the F-word is commonplace in our schools and public places, our sexual behavior is not at its best, family values are diminishing and many other problems overwhelm our society. Now the oath of office has fallen prey to a few individuals who are driven by their own desires to remove a tradition that isn't even theirs to take.I am offended that the few individuals can dictate the removal of a few words that fulfill weeks of training and a desire to serve the public. Did someone ask the hundreds of officers, or their family members who also look forward to hearing these words, or members of the law enforcement community nationwide?
I'm a police officer. I choose to serve the public knowing the risks of the job and I know one important fact: When I rush to a "shots fired" case or a fight in progress, I know who protects me. It's not some unhappy individual who feels he needs to remove God from society. In this day and age we need God more than ever, even if it's just words in an honorable tradition such as the swearing-in of an officer.
Leland Cadoy
HPD Police Officer of the Year
Metro Police Officer of the Year
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