Brainstorm! Challenge

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Don't like 'obscenity'? Then turn off the TV!

The backlash on standards of decency on television, starting with Janet Jackson's public exposure of a mammary gland and now cancellation of Howard Stern, is election politics at its very worst. Censorship by any other name is still censorship.

Rather than having the government dictate the terms of broadcast decency, why don't we open this debate up to the lowest common denominator of lewd talk-show programs, such as Ricky Lake, and others that expose viewers to an infinitum of perversions and deviants? Why not let the Moral Police dictate all programming on commercial television? Then we can sit complacently and watch the clock turn back to the days of Joseph McCarthy and red-baiting. Nice, huh?

There are serious economic and political concerns that deserve greater attention than this. If viewers don't like what is being broadcast, then why don't they turn off their TV sets and read a good book?

L. Ralph Berger
Honolulu

Citizens must be able to fight off attackers

Regarding Honolulu Police Chief Lee Donohue's opposition to a "shall-issue" concealed firearms carry law for Hawaii (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 24): The county police chiefs have issued no concealed-carry permits in the past 10 years.

Economist John Lott's studies show the deterrent effect of a nondiscretionary carry law against violent crime. Murder, rape, robbery, assault and at-home burglary rates drop an average of 5 percent in counties that pass such laws. Thirty-seven states now have them. If Hawaii passed a nondiscretionary carry law, there would be about two fewer murders, 20 fewer rapes, 50 fewer robberies and 75 fewer assaults reported annually, statewide.

There is no down side. Florida enacted its concealed-carry law in 1987. Florida Law Enforcement Commissioner James Moore testified in a 1995 Michigan Judiciary Committee hearing, "From a law enforcement perspective, the licensing process has not resulted in problems in the community from people arming themselves with concealed weapons."

Had Eric Kawamoto had a defensive firearm on his person when Miti Maugaotega entered his house, most likely he would not have been shot.

Maxwell Cooper
Secretary
Hawaii Rifle Association

Critical decisions are left to the mentally ill

Recently I met with Alan Radke, deputy director of the Adult Mental Health Division of the Hawaii State Department of Health, who took the time to explain the current mental health laws and how they are interpreted. I was appalled to learn that treatment in Hawaii is reserved only for those severely mentally ill who have committed crimes or who have been physically harmful to themselves. Those who have severe cases of schizophrenia cannot be treated unless they voluntarily seek it. Unfortunately, the nature of schizophrenia, particularly the paranoid type, prevents such people from realizing they need help. More often than not, they gravitate to the streets where they lead subsistence lives.

Fortunately, there are medications that can adjust the chemistry of the brain, permitting the person to live a normal life. It is unfortunate that in our state a person with a diseased mind is expected to find the help needed. If a mentally ill person does so, he then has to make a choice between taking and not taking medication, while not being capable of understanding the benefits.

Hawaii should join states such as Massachusetts where the laws help families and mental health professionals focus on helping the mentally ill with their illnesses, rather than leaving someone with a diseased mind to decide whether or not to accept treatment.

Fredda Sullam
Honolulu

Students need more parental involvement

Many college students nowadays have low writing and English skills. Who is to blame for this? I think one of the fingers should be pointed at the parents.

Most parents work every day to pay bills and keep their children clothed and fed. But just because they are physically set doesn't mean their job is over. The attention they don't give to the school portion of their children's lives can have a long-term effect.

Parents should not wait to be called to know how their children are doing in school. We need communication between teachers and parents. Students need to be pushed at school, but they need someone at home pushing them even harder.

Sharon Serrano
Student
Leeward Community College

We have lots of water, if we can catch it

The Board of Water Supply says there is a shortage of water, and we are threatened with severe measures to conserve water. A shortage of water? For two months I've been hearing the roar of Wailupe Stream as the water rushes down to the ocean. We have no shortage of water. We have a shortage of initiative to use and direct the water that now goes into the ocean.

Why not build more catchment systems? And where is the new plant we were promised to desalinate ocean water? Where is the water from that? The Board of Water Supply seems to be blaming us. I blame it for not taking the right actions.

Mark Terry
Honolulu

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] Does Honolulu need a city museum, and what should be in it? Does history matter? If so, whose history? Bishop Museum is one of the leading cultural museums in the United States, but it is not a history center. Honolulu seems to be the only state capital city without a municipal museum. Does Honolulu need a city museum? What should be in it? Where should it be? Should such a museum be a collection of artifacts or a learning center? Would such a museum be geared for Hawaii education or for entertaining tourists? Send your ideas by March 17 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Fax: Brainstorm! c/o Nancy Christenson 529-4750