Right or wrong, nurses are hurting others

Although striking nurses may believe they have legitimate concerns, the way they are trying to resolve them is not in the best interest of those they serve. Unlike striking truck drivers, dock workers or airline pilots, their actions have caused harm and suffering. To top it off, they try to keep other nurses from taking care of the patients they deserted. Their actions are not endearing them to the people of Hawaii.

When the thin veil of rationalization wears off, they will be branded forever with the haunting memories that they are members of a profession that advocated harming people in order to accomplish their goals. Frankly, if it weren't for the excellent staff remaining in the hospitals, including the best nursing aides I have ever worked with, I'd quit and never tell anyone what I used to do.

Randall Sexton, R.N.

Nurses deserve better treatment

In October I was in a near fatal car accident at Maile Point. I was taken to The Queen's Medical Center and stayed there for four days. Most of what happened to me is still cloudy, but what I do recall were the nurses. They were hard-working, dedicated and very kind.

Of course, when staying in a hospital, one becomes somewhat selfish. I need this ... I need that ... will you help me? We ask these things of these women and men because we are sick or injured, never asking how they are or what their needs are.

A few weeks after I was released, I went back to Queen's to thank as many of the nurses as I could find. It was because of their care that I was able to come back to thank them. What I am trying to say is, give our nurses what they want. They are not asking for much and they deserve more than I could possibly think of.

I thank all of Hawaii's women and men who have chosen the selfless field of nursing. I hope and pray that they receive all that they are asking for.

Diana Holmes
Waianae

Religion helps restrain the evil that men do

I can't fault the Star-Bulletin for selecting Mitch Kahle as one who made a difference in 2002 (Dec. 28). However, I take exception to Bill Harby's praise of Kahle as "purveyor of the U.S. Constitution" and insinuations that religion is the root of all evil (Letters, Jan. 1). Kahle is the benefactor of absurd rulings by courts that have largely ignored the voices of our founding fathers, negated individual responsibility and thus destroyed the moral fabric of our society. The founding fathers' intent was freedom "of" religion, not "from" it, and there is ample evidence to support that claim.

Furthermore, consider the body counts perpetrated by anti-Christian or anti-religious leaders. Josef Stalin, 42.7 million dead; Mao Tse-Tung, 37.8 million; Vladimir Lenin, 4 million; Tojo Hideki, 4 million; Pol Pot, 1 million. Is there evil in the world? Yes. Is it solely due to religion? No. It is because of free will, the same free will that you and I have.

Religion does not make men perfect, but it does tend to restrain their naturally destructive behavior. As Benjamin Franklin said, "If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be without it?"

James Roller

Bethlehem no haven for Jesus today

I resent the implication of Corky's Dec. 24 editorial cartoon, which depicts Mary and Joseph huddling under an Israeli tank rather than in the manger. The implication seems to be that if Jesus were to be born in Bethlehem today, he would have to do so in a violent and restrictive atmosphere brought about by Israel. In reality Israel pulled its soldiers out of Bethlehem for Christmas; forces only went back into the city after suicide bombing operations were found to have been based there.

In any case, Joseph and Mary were quite representative of ordinary Jewish civilians of the time. Ordinary Jewish civilians of our time would surely be in a pitiful position if they were to be alone in Bethlehem on a winter's night. Then they probably would need a tank to huddle under. This is in striking contrast to the nearly 100 percent Jewish city of Bethlehem that Jesus was born into.

What do you think would happen to the little Jewish baby and his parents if they wandered into town to give birth today? It's not pretty to think about, is it?

Robert H. Steinberg
Kapolei

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