Perhaps others will learn from Lott's error

Regarding Sen. Trent Lott's apology for his comments supporting segregation: Lott said, "This was a mistake of the head, not of the heart."

Jesus said, "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."

Could one of the lessons we learn be what the prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all else; it is perverse, who can understand it?"

Perhaps we may benefit from this unfortunate incident by not being over-confident that we know our own hearts and being open to question the motivation of our daily speech.

Russell Stephen Pang

Officials' Denver trip wasteful, unnecessary

I just read about a trip to Denver to be taken this weekend by seven state officials, including three members of the Senate and three University of Hawaii officials, to visit the Broncos' new stadium and "explore the possibility of building a similar stadium on Oahu" (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 11).

Before the election, both major political parties in Hawaii campaigned mightily for "change" and an end to corruption and wasteful spending. Now seven high-ranking state officials will travel to Denver at taxpayer expense merely to explore a possibility?

Senate President Robert Bunda says that the Denver stadium is "the product of a public-private partnership" that, if used here, might allow us to upgrade the Aloha Stadium without taxpayers footing the entire bill. That's a crock. There is no pending legislation that I know of to engage in a similar venture with respect to Aloha Stadium or any other facility on Oahu.

Even if such discussion were under way, what about the Denver model could not be explained through conference calls, review of written materials, pictures or video-conferencing?

I call upon Governor Lingle and the rest of our political leaders to own up to what they campaigned on and put an end to this sort of nonsense. The only mystery about this trip is how many of the participants will be packing their skis.

Joel Kam

'Hard-core' views don't mesh with democracy

I take issue with the letter by Bernardo Pascua Benigno (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 6), a self-described "hard-core Republican." It brings to mind the old saying, "Victory has many fathers," to which I would like to add, "and it seems to multiply after an election."

"Hard core" is extremism and must be contained, as it does not represent mainstream America. His call for ousting the current Democratic delegation to Washington, because of underlying issues they raised in how President Bush proposed setting up Homeland Security and the Iraq resolution, is a call for carte blanc approval of Bushism; a dangerous precedent in a democracy. Nothing is more serious to a nation than the preservation of our civil liberties and going to war. This is not a decision to be made by one man alone, no matter who he is. It requires the full consultation and approval of Congress, with differences noted and respected.

Furthermore, Benigno is wrong to question the patriotism of Senator Inouye, a disabled veteran, a proven patriot and a Medal of Honor recipient.

Terumi Kanegawa
Wahiawa

Long-term care tax raises many questions

The Long Term Care Financing Board has recommended a tax to fund long-term care insurance, which the 2003 Legislature will discuss in the upcoming session. It is a good idea to me since I'm a baby boomer, but I have a few concerns.

>> Will the funds end up like our Social Security system and potentially not be there for the last surviving boomers?

>> Will a future governor or Legislature look at raiding the fund, like the hurricane fund has been raided to resolve budget problems?

>> Will an agency keep track of individual contributions so if the program or fund is ever terminated and a decision is made to return the funds the state will know how much is to be returned and to whom?

>> Will the coverage be transferable for the amount contributed if a contributor moves to the mainland?

Other concerns will come out as more information is provided as to how this program will be funded and operated.

Michael F. Tanigawa
Ewa Beach

Mahalo to Kaneohe postal workers

During yet another Yuletide, may I offer good wishes to each and every worker at the Kaneohe post office?

Having lived in four areas of Oahu for a number of years and being a regular postal patron throughout, it would be difficult -- nay, impossible -- to find elsewhere the efficient, smiling service afforded at the Kaneohe installation.

In another holiday season of long lines and some arrogance, rudeness and incompetence on the part of many in line, the people behind the counters at the Kaneohe office have again dealt with it all.

Best holiday greetings.

Edwin Q. White
Kaneohe

Schools should get parents' OK for sex ed

I have been following the controversy surrounding the sex-education materials at Kohala Middle School (Star-Bulletin, Nov. 22). It is obvious that the teacher was wrong to hand out sex-ed brochures and that our keiki should not be reading this kind of material in school.

I like Board of Education member Carol Gabbard's idea to require that teachers get written permission from parents before they can introduce controversial material on sexuality to children.

This would allow parents to see what kind of educational materials their kids are using in school, and would also get them more involved in their children's education.

Steve Osborne
Pahoa, Hawaii

Cayetano gave unfair advantage to friends

Regarding the story, "Lingle rescinds Cayetano's executive order on hiring," (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 13): I have nothing but contempt for an out-going president or governor who gives unfair advantage to their cronies by changing the civil service hiring rules. And I liked him until now.

Dave Chapnick

Too many Republicans will spoil the election

On Nov. 5, Bob McDermott got 71,000 votes in his bid for the U.S. House District 2 seat. He needs only a fraction of that number to win the special election on Jan. 4. I regret that other Republicans have chosen to enter the race. They cannot win, and can only draw votes away from the Republican with the best chance: Bob McDermott. I back Bob.

Republicans and Democrats alike, do not be mistaken as to who Congressman Ed Case is. As a state senator, Case cast liberal votes on same-sex marriage and partial-birth abortion.

Mark Terry

Pet owners need to take responsibility

On Friday evening, my family went for a walk on Anuanu Street in Mililani Mauka. Suddenly, a dog attacked us. Fortunately, my husband was able to position himself between the dog and our toddler, who was trapped in her stroller, and fended off the dog's bites until the owner pulled the dog away.

I realize that most pet owners cannot believe that their beloved dogs would attack people unprovoked. But they can and do. I shudder to think what might have happened had my husband not acted so quickly.

Pet owners, please be sure that your gates are locked and/or your dogs are chained or leashed. You could be saving a life.

Michelle Igarashi
Mililani

Decriminalizing drugs would reduce theft

Ray Gagner's letter to the editor attacked harm-reduction approaches to drug policy reform as the "peddling of dangerous policies" (Star-Bulletin, Dec. 6). Ask yourself this: What is your priority? Is it more important to keep drug addicts from getting their hands on drugs, or to keep them from getting their hands on your property?

As much as 90 percent of the property crime in Hawaii is committed by addicts stealing to obtain the funds to buy illegal drugs. A policy that allowed addicts to register with the state and obtain drugs at low cost would end our property crime problem. It will not cure addiction, but neither has 90 years of criminalizing it.

Our drug policies cost billions. They put us at high risk of crime. They have not improved the health of drug addicts. They have created and enriched criminal empires, corrupted public officials and destabilized entire countries. Our current system forces millions of people who do not use illegal drugs to share the problems of the few who do. Why should we continue to put up with this?

Tracy Ryan

Scare tactics don't deter teen drug use

Ray Gagner's criticisms of the Drug Policy Alliance and its safety first, reality-based drug education policies are all wrong (Letters, Dec. 6). It is not the DPA that is promoting dangerous policies, but the current drug prevention regime of scare tactics and misinformation that are dangerous to our kids. Young people know that marijuana is not heroin and experimentation doesn't inevitably lead to addiction. Shoving "drugs are bad" propaganda down their throats only erodes their trust in authority and the education system.

Gagner is wrong on another account, too. Marsha Rosenbaum's approach does not suggest that using ice or crack is ever "safe," but gives youths the tools they need to minimize harmful consequences if they try intoxicating substances. Studies show that more than 50 percent of high school seniors have tried some illicit drug, despite the efforts of the prevention industry.

Our school systems should welcome new ideas and critiques of old ones where drug education is concerned. "Drug free" schools are a pipe dream. We need to give our kids the information they need to get back on track when they make dangerous missteps.

Spike Bradford

Nursing in Hawaii is not worth the agony

It has been said that nurses are the backbone of any hospital. Nursing is the only discipline that has someone at the patient's bedside 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Queen's Medical Center management says it's "business as usual" with replacement nurses taking care of our patients. Being away from my patients, it hurts to know how truly expendable the nurses are at Queen's.

I have committed nine-plus years to Queen's. With pride, I persuaded my wife to transfer from another hospital to be a Queen's nurse. With conceit, I encouraged nursing students to seek employment at Queen's.

But the clear messages from the strike are:

>> You can be replaced at any time.
>> You are not valued for what you do.
>> You are only a means to an end for the hospital.

Being a Queen's nurse is not worth it. I am looking for a job elsewhere. How can I work for an employer who doesn't value or respect what I do?

The adage that nurses are the backbone of any hospital is true, albeit temporary and insignificant. Nurses are appreciated, but not at Queen's.

Rodney Aquino, RN
Mililani

Kuakini nurses appreciate support

We, the Kuakini registered nurses, wish to extend a heartfelt mahalo to everyone who has shown us support since the strike began on Dec. 2. From the smallest wave and smile to the trunk full of water and ice, we can't begin to say how much it is appreciated. To the neighbors who have given up their garages and lawns, to those who drop off gifts, food and support, you help us to know that we are an important part of your community.

Those of us who have devoted our working lives to caring for the sick are prevented from doing so at the moment because of the strike. We are on strike to improve the care that you will receive if you are ever admitted to the hospital. We want to improve staffing levels. We want to abolish mandatory overtime that has us working 16-hour shifts. We also want to put measures in place to encourage nurses to stay at Kuakini and not leave for other hospitals offering better benefits. We also want Kuakini to contribute a small amount toward health insurance for those who have worked there more than 10-20 years.

Please continue to support us in our efforts. Mahalo.

Vicky Poland
Aiea

State internet system eases business filings

I hope Governor Lingle will acknowledge the efforts of Ryan Ushijima, Amy Iha and their staff at the Business Registration Division in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. During the past few years, they reduced the processing time for business registrations from 20 days to one or two days. In addition, they put in place a fully electronic processing system, from Internet filing through the final steps via return e-mail. It is one of the first such systems in the nation.

I also hope Lingle will follow through on one of the final proposals we sent to Governor Cayetano, to reduce business registration filing fees by as much as 50 percent for those who file over the Internet. We were not able to finalize this fee reduction, which was aimed at driving more of the business registration activity through the state's Internet portal.

Kathryn Matayoshi
Former director
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

We're trading liberty for sense of security

From the founding of our nation until 1947 we had a federal agency called the War Department. In 1947, it became the Defense Department. Until 1947, the "War" Department mainly focused on defense of our nation and its people. After 1947, the "Defense" Department got more aggressive, poking the U.S. nose intrusively in more places around the world. On Sept. 11, 2001, the "Defense" Department, along with other federal agencies, failed to defend adequately.

The answer was to form a new department -- Homeland Security. It's real job? Consolidate power at the top, restrict individual liberty, move us toward tyranny. The major abuses will develop slowly, one step at a time, preparing us for an unprincipled Nixon or Clinton sometime in the future.

It reminds one of the novel "1984," in which the leadership proclaimed, "War is peace."

Some must wonder: Is this what bin Laden intended, crafty and patient fellow that he seems to be?

Richard O. Rowland
Colonel, U.S. Army, Retired

Landscaping gear ruins Ala Wai peace

I live across from the Convention Center on Ala Wai Boulevard. A few months ago the city awarded the job of maintaining the grounds around the center and along the promenade to a company that uses loud mowers, trimmers, edgers and leaf blowers (the most diabolical invention since the atomic bomb). This maintenance goes on almost daily, and, what's really unforgivable, they work every Sunday starting at approximately 7 a.m.

Living along the Ala Wai is extremely noisy. Monday through Saturday the trash trucks start at 6 a.m. Then there is a steady stream of traffic, including tour buses, fire engines, police cars and ambulances with sirens blaring. The scows carrying sludge from the dredging of the Ala Wai Canal are constantly chugging up and down, accompanied by a twin-engine outboard motor boat that roars along at full throttle.

On once-quiet Sundays in the past, we used to sit on the lanai with our morning coffee, read the paper and watch the outrigger canoes and kayaks silently paddle up and down. Sometimes there were even sailboats.

But alas, no longer. The noise starts even before the coffee is made. The sound resembles a group of Hells Angels revving up their Harleys. Vroom, vroom, vroom. The operators of the blowers and edgers seem to be trying to see just how much noise they can make.

A recent conference stressed improving the "liveability" of Waikiki. My suggestion: Let's go back to the rake and the broom.

Jan Sanders

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