Surely God abhors the evil of warfare

President Bush in his Messianic unilateralism thinks his God is on the side of the United States. Saddam Hussein thinks his God is on the side of Iraq. If there is a God in heaven, surely he is crying bitter tears to see his beloved children inflicting horror, destruction and death on each other.

God is good; war is evil.

Jan Sanders

Anything-goes tactics seem fair to Iraqis

Ask yourself: If a foreign country invaded America, what tactics would you consider "off limits" to kill the invaders? Not many. In fact, not any. So why such surprise that the Iraqis aren't fighting "fair" (i.e., in a manner that will allow us to kill them more efficiently)?

The Iraqis have stated plainly what their rules of engagement are. We have stated ours. They have no constraints, because our stated goal is to kill their leaders and take over their country. They have nothing -- and everything -- to lose. We, however, need the Iraqi people behind us, so we must be nicer. Thus, we cannot simply "bomb them back to the stone age," because then we will have destroyed the very people we say we want to liberate -- not to mention having to rebuild the entire country from scratch.

This is the equation. The fact that it gives the Iraqis a much better chance than we would like them to have is irrelevant. This is war. These are the considerations that should have been made before we embarked on such an ill-advised adventure. Now it is too late, and all the hand-wringing about Iraqi tactics is irrelevant.

We started this thing, remember? Now we must all live with the very real consequences.

Terrance C. Horton
Kapolei

Everyone can support safe return of troops

I was among the hundreds of people who turned out recently to express support for our men and women serving our country in the Middle East. The turnout and the public expression of support at the rallies held at the Convention Center, Ala Moana Beach Park, and the state Capitol was truly awesome.

We may not all agree with the reasons for our troops being sent to Iraq, but we should be unanimous in our support for our loved ones and in our desire that they return home safely. For those who chose to express their opposition to the war at those rallies, let me say that while I strongly disagree with their views, I am grateful to live in a country where such dissent is allowed.

As a member of a small but growing minority of Republicans in the Senate, I'm painfully aware that the majority is not always right, and that someone occasionally needs to dissent.

Sen. Bob Hogue
R, Kaneohe-Kailua

Internship program a boon to Hawaiians

It is heartening that the University of Hawaii's Hawaiian Internship Program is having a positive effect on the lives of a growing number of undergraduates of Hawaiian descent and on conservation in Hawaii ("Interns find their environmental niche," Star-Bulletin, March 24).

As a native Hawaiian biologist nearing retirement, I remember when there were no such career stepping stones for those of us pondering careers in the biological sciences. When I graduated from UH in 1970, I was the only Hawaiian majoring in zoology, then the only one in the biomedical school's genetics Ph.D. program. Even the new medical school had no students of Hawaiian descent.

After a 20-year mainland career, I returned to find that still few Hawaiian students were choosing careers focused on conserving the natural resources so closely linked to our heritage. In 1996, as the new director of the federal Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center, I began an internship program connecting native students with biologist mentors. That program eventually merged with a similar UH-Hilo program begun in 1997. As reporter Diana Leone's article conveys, the resulting Hawaiian Internship Program now provides robust opportunities to engender student interest in Hawaiian biology and in career opportunities they might not be aware of otherwise.

As we watch more and more students of Hawaiian and other Pacific Island descent move into professional-level science careers in state and federal agencies in Hawaii, it is clear that a promising momentum is under way. Hopefully, the internship program will help instill the core of malama these students-turned-biologists will need to set future generations on the right path.

William Mokahi Steiner
Director, Pacific Islands Ecosystems Research Center
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline

Long-term care tax is a good idea

The state Legislature is considering two bills that will set a tax of $10 a month for a benefit of $70 a day for long-term care. It's about time.

More than 10 years ago, the Family Hope Program was proposed to relieve Hawaii residents of the high cost of long-term care. Family Hope did not survive and, since then, costs have dramatically increased.

The legislation being considered will help me contribute toward a fund to help pay for some of my long-term care, if I ever need it. If we all contribute, we can all help each other.

Some people are opposed to the tax, saying we should buy long-term care insurance and get tax credits for premiums paid. But the truth is that many people can neither afford the insurance nor qualify for it because of pre-existing con- ditions. Many people have help from Medicaid. But who do you think pays for Medicaid? Taxpayers, like you and me.

If taxes will pay for most long-term care anyway, each person should be allowed to contribute a nominal amount to be used for their own long-term care. I support the legislation being considered and I hope everyone else will, too.

Joanne Kealoha

Hawaii needs to get with it and recycle

In the March 31 Star-Bulletin, a letter writer made the case that there is no need for a bottle bill with the city recycling plan. The writer claimed that putting a 5-cent deposit on bottles and cans would be "redundant" once the city institutes curbside recycling. This appears logical, but real-world experience proves otherwise.

I have been to many cities and towns on the mainland, most of which have both curbside recycling and a bottle/can deposit ordinance. The reason they have it is because it works. More glass, plastic and metal gets recycled when there is such a motivating factor as getting cash back.

It always puzzles me that people in Hawaii are so opposed to following models that are proven successful in other places. Why does Hawaii have to be behind the times in such basic areas of everyday life? Next we'll be hearing that it's not "economically feasible" to protect our air, water and land or to educate and protect our children.

John Gibbs
Laie