Allowing gay marriage would be an outrage

What is the truth about marriage? Biblically considered, marriage is to be between one man and one woman. In marriage, the man and the woman are united in what the Bible calls a covenant. The covenant is something that they have entered into. It is something outside of the man and woman; it is not of their design. This covenant is God's design, and he has nowhere designed such a covenant for members of the same sex. A homosexual "marriage" is not a covenant ordained by God.

Because of the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage, we need a constitutional amendment that says "marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman." Yesterday's outrage is today's standard.

Melvin Partido Sr.
Pearl City

Let gays exercise their rights as Americans

I am an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Hawaii. I have just begun to start my adult life and, like most people, one day I hope to be married and have a family. I know this is a realistic dream because of the freedom and rights I enjoy as an American citizen. However, for many American citizens this dream is not possible. These Americans don't have the same rights I have. They also are constantly discriminated against in a country that stands for freedom, liberty and justice. Just imagine what life would be like knowing that you could never be married or raise children. For many Americans, this is the reality they face each day.

Being a Christian, I don't agree with homosexuality as it goes against my religion, but I am also an American citizen and believe that what America stands for also is important. Homosexual couples don't have the same rights as many other Americans. They are a minority being discriminated against, and I believe that in this modern day this inequity must no longer exist. They aren't hurting anyone or violating any laws by being married, and they should be guaranteed the same rights as their fellow Americans.

Celeste Matsukawa
Waipahu

Why does Kawamoto need more money?

It's easy to see that the state Legislature is about to begin, because the political fund-raisers have already started. One fund-raiser in particular stands out like a sore thumb. Chairman of the

Senate Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations Committees, Sen. Cal Kawamoto -- with the largest campaign war chest in the Legislature -- is holding another fund-raiser. Why? With hundreds of thousands of dollars already in hand and no significant opponent in sight, why is he asking for more money -- and from whom?

What's really going on here?

Ian Custino
Honolulu

Charities that keep money must be outed

Many thanks to reporter Sally Apgar for the informative and useful reports about charitable contributions (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 11-12). Most valuable was the data about specific charities and their incredibly small income from the telemarketing business.

Especially saddening was the 9.4 percent received by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America; 8.2 percent for the American Foundation for AIDS Research; 10.4 percent for the National Audubon Society; and 11.35 percent for Common Cause. To imagine that only about 10 percent of my "charitable" contributions actually go to presumably "good causes" is very disappointing.

I hope that there will be more listings of such pseudo-charitable solicitations. We also need the names of charitable organizations that use their own volunteers or those from community-oriented businesses.

Webster's dictionary defines "fraud" as: "intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value."

Jerome Manis
Honolulu

Heinous acts deserve severe punishment

The death penalty has a place in our society for terrorists, hideous crimes and the intentional killing of a policeman or fireman on duty. The crime should correctly identify the killer by DNA test, seen by reliable witness. Appeals should be denied unless there is new convincing evidence. It costs an estimated $30,000 annually to keep an inmate in prison. That's money that could be used for productive programs. Sympathy should be for victims of crime, their families and their friends, not for the killers.

How Tim Chang
Honolulu