Soo has right to speak publicly for Lingle

It is a shame that the Democrats have become so desperate that they felt it necessary to temporarily demote (reassign) Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Richard Soo just because he supports Linda Lingle for governor. All citizens have a constitutional right to support the candidates of their choice for any elected office as long as they do not do so on public time or use their public position in political activity. Soo followed the rules to the letter, but the problem with him was that he was supporting Lingle and not Hirono.

What his reassignment was really intended to do was to send a message to other city or state workers that if they dared to come out as a "Democrat for Lingle" they would suffer the same fate as Soo -- but maybe it wouldn't be temporary.

Who knows, if Soo had come out as a Democrat for Hirono, he might now be the fire chief.

Erm Gartley
Kaneohe

Dems let Big Oil get away with too much

Recently, commercials endorsing Mazie Hirono have criticized Linda Lingle for not supporting the gasoline price cap. If the current state Democratic leadership feels so strongly about the new price-cap law, why does the law not take effect for another two years?

If Democrats want to bill themselves as the people's champion against years of Big Oil's price gouging in Hawaii, then ...

>> Why are they delaying their "rescue" for another two years?

>> Why did the state withdraw its huge lawsuit against Big Oil and agree to such a tiny settlement?

>> Why did the Democratic leadership allow the alleged year-after-year price gouging to begin with?

The desperate and shameful smear tactics of the Democratic campaign only encourage my vote for the other side. I'm tired of hearing excuses from the state leadership, rather than accountability and fresh ideas.

Mark Marziale
Aiea

Change doesn't always make things better

The mantra that is being repeated during the governor's race this year is "change." Those of us who have have experienced change elsewhere know that change is a knife that can cut in two directions.

Ask your California cousins about the changes that were brought about by the initially moderate Republican Governor Wilson after his election in 1990. Ask them about the thousands of homeowners who saw the value of their homes halved in the early years of his governorship. Ask them about the thousands of jobs that disappeared during the first years of his administration.

Less than two years ago, American voters opted for change -- well, at least the Electoral College did. We have seen the stock market fluctuate wildly. Thousands of small investors have lost their retirement nest eggs. Peacemaker Bill Clinton, allied with Israeli peacemaker Ehud Barak, was able to keep the Middle East stable. The Bush administration, closely allied with Israeli leader Ariel Sharon, has not kept the peace there.

Change will not necessarily be for the better. As these examples show, change can be for the worse.

George Casen

Hawaii's animals need stronger cruelty bill

In the 30 years I have been begging for an animal-cruelty law, I've knocked on many doors, starting at the humane society, where I was told, "if you want a law, see your legislator." So I went to the state Capitol building (this was back when they were still building it). I have yet to see my senator or any other representative after 30 years of calling, writing and knocking on their doors. The mention of "animal cruelty" seems to close doors. Other doors I've tried include the Honolulu Police Department, ACLU, city prosecutor, Attorney General's Office and City Hall.

Now, I know many people care about animals. A recent survey showed that 57 percent of our households include at least one pet. The roadblock to getting a cruelty bill passed seems to be cockfighting. When $200,000 is riding on one cockfight, that's a powerful, deep-pocket lobby. Cruelty bill 2858 was opposed by HPD. The existing animal-cruelty law (HRS 711) is weak, wimpy and largely unenforced. It's a misdemeanor, like spitting on the sidewalk. Not nice, but ...

If anyone has a hint how to get a bill past the judiciary chairman, I'm in the book under my husband's name.

Barbara (and Alan) Ikeda

Concerned citizens can work for reform

What has happened to all the concern about ethics and corruption in government? The new group Hawaii Pro-Democracy Initiative was founded to zero in on this issue. We have asked all candidates for state and city positions to sign our "Code of Campaign Ethics" and a set of proposals for government reform. We also are telling those candidates who lost and other concerned citizens about this movement, in the hopes of engaging them in conversation with those elected.

The Pro-Democracy Initiative is interested in much-needed reform issues, such as campaign finance reform. We were inspired by the late Patsy Mink, who in 1988 kept a close watch on the legislators and the legislative process and recorded it in the "Public Reporter."

Grace Furukawa
Hawaii Pro-Democracy Initiative

No time off for having a sense of humor

I am writing in response to Charles Memminger's column "Police shootouts appear to be Hawaii's form of capital punishment" (Honolulu Lite, Star-Bulletin, Oct. 14), in which he wrongly says that judges shorten prisoners' jail times to get them back on the streets so that they can be killed by the police because "there is no capital punishment in Hawaii."

This column is apparently meant to be humorous, but there are statements that the public must assume are not factually correct. For instance, though Memminger suggests that judges shorten prisoners' jail time, we would like the public to know that judges do not have the authority to release prisoners before they serve their full sentences. This is the exclusive province of the Hawaii Paroling Authority.

Marsha E. Kitagawa
Public Affairs Office
Hawaii State Judiciary

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