Nation, courts need Christian guidance

Excellent letter and superb point by Grace T. Fujii ("Court should reverse 'under God' decision," Letters, Jan. 27). Her comment that "this type of biased conduct should not be allowed in our judicial system" hits the nail on the head as far as the degradation of our society goes today. If citizens become negligent in electing moral leaders to office -- if they overlook the private lives of candidates -- then the government will become corrupt and the judges in the district and federal courts will reflect that immorality and corruption.

Today, courts make decisions based on their own prejudices. Courts and justices are the pawns of special-interest groups and of their political parties' platforms. Thank God for our president, who is willing to stand up for his values, and for the Christian principles this country was founded upon. Let us pray that he appoints judges who will invoke the intent of the founders of this country.

The only way the biased judiciary Fujii alludes to will be overcome is by electing leaders who will fight to put morality and common sense back into the judiciary.

James Roller

We are 'one nation' under whose God?

We are not "one nation under God." Why is that so hard for certain groups (usually conservative, right-wing and Christian) to understand? Grace T. Fujii's letter calling for the reversal of the 9th Circuit Court's decision to remove "one nation under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance is typical of that viewpoint. Fujii argues that a majority of Americans want the decision reversed, therefore it should be. Majority rules, right?

Fortunately, that's not how the system works. We have a judicial branch of government in part to protect us from the "tyranny of the majority." There was a time in this country when slavery and segregation were wanted by the majority. Did that make them right? I'm sure that during World War II most Americans supported the decision to intern Japanese Americans. Was that the correct choice? Sometimes what the majority wants is not moral, ethical or, in this case, constitutional.

What scares me is that the groups protesting the loudest have a pretty strong idea about who God is and not much tolerance for other interpretations. If I don't share your interpretation, am I still part of the "one nation"? I honestly doubt it.

Kalani Perry
Dallas, Texas
Former Hawaii resident

Dubya's a blend of bad characteristics

How depressing it is to be a proud American under a president of the United States who is less intelligent than Andrew Johnson, more corrupt than Warren Harding, more dishonest than Tricky Dick Nixon and more destructive to the environment than Ronald Reagan. Surely Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt are spinning in their graves!

I hope (perhaps it's a forlorn hope) that Dubya's Depression will not steal from my grandchildren what the Great Depression of Herbert Hoover did from my generation.

John H. Cort
Puna, Hawaii

State, like business, should cut expenses

I would like to know just why our government can't do exactly what businesses on the mainland, in Hawaii and around the world do when they get into financial trouble. Why do the property and other taxes go up year after year, without one single attempt by the legislators or mayor and City Council to cut the size and the cost of government?

I would bet that if the size of government were cut 10 percent across the board, we wouldn't even know it was gone. I would also bet we still don't know how many government employees we actually have.

If our airlines can lay off some people and ask the ones left to take a pay cut, why can't our bloated government be required to do the same? When was the last time a government employee was asked to take a pay cut or was laid off?

Are Hawaii's state employees supposed to be special people who get special privileges or are they just like the rest of us and have to take their lumps, like we do?

If they keep this up, watch the next election -- it will be twice as hard on the Democrats as the last one was. We need more change ... much, much more.

Don McDiarmid Jr.
Kailua

Hawaii prison stats need explanation

As a probation official in Michigan for 12 years, I read your Jan. 23 editorial, "Higher recidivism rate raises costs to state, society," with great interest. Public Safety Director James Propotnick's statistics, as cited in the editorial, are flawed. He says 90 percent of those incarcerated on the mainland return to Hawaii to commit more crimes. Statistically, across the nation, only 5 percent of the criminals released after their 35th birthdays are recidivists. Age and maturity are the primary "rehabilitation" factors nationwide.

The more interesting statistic, if true, indicts the entire financing of Hawaii's prison system. If it costs 20 percent more to live in Hawaii than on the mainland, why does our prison system claim it costs 80 percent more to house prisoners here? Our state officials should demand an explanation of this obvious misspending.

With respect to lack of family support when prisoners are housed on the mainland, in a large majority of cases it was the lack of proper family support that led to criminal behavior in the first place. And unless the prison itself has a drug culture, prisoners housed anywhere for at least six months are "cured" of any drug problems they may have because they are clean long enough to lose a habit or an addiction.

Larry Weis
Aiea

Military personnel deserve our aloha

I had the honor of observing training this week on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. The patriotism, professionalism and spirit of the 8,000 men and women aboard the ship were evident to all. The Vinson will be in port this weekend before departing for unknown waters.

We should all show the aloha spirit to the crew members of the Vinson during their short stay to thank them for protecting us from danger.

Robert F. Clarke
Chairman, president and CEO
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.

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