Brainstorm! Challenge

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Bill would force landlords to defy Bible

The Bible condemns homosexuality in clear, unequivocal language, in both Old and New Testaments.

Now homosexuals are pushing the passage of a law that will force Christian landlords to rent to them, in clear violation of their religious beliefs.

The House passed HB537 and sent it to the Senate yesterday. If the bill becomes law, it would force Christians to defy God by condoning the practice of homosexuality on their own private property.

Our religious freedom, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, is being trampled. If Christians do not stand up and speak out for the freedom to obey God's word as recorded in the Bible, if we do not fight now for our constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom, it will be taken away from us, piece by piece.

Write, call, fax, or e-mail your senator today.

Evelyn Cook
Kapaa, Kauai

Now Honolulu can share Bach's 'Passion'

Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ," recently opened to large and enthusiastic audiences. Gibson is the latest of innumerable artists who have been inspired by the life of Christ during the last several centuries.

J.S. Bach was also inspired by the life of Christ and his musical compositions, "St. Matthew Passion" and "St. John Passion," continue to draw audiences to churches and concert halls this time of year.

Although rarely performed in Hawaii, Bach's "St. John Passion" will be performed at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu 7 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday.

Bach's "Passions" don't have the violence (or the R rating) of Gibson's film, but they are masterful and inspiring works and offer another interpretation of the life of Christ. Will Gibson's movie survive the almost 300 years that Bach's "Passions" have? Only time will tell.

Michael Bornemann
Honolulu

Building should stop until sewers are fixed

The city's building and land use departments and the City Council must not approve any more development on Oahu.

Tourism continues to be the main industry in Hawaii. Posting sewage contaminations signs at any of our coastal waters is equal to tourism promotional money down the toilet.

The only large projects that should be approved, including commercial buildings and shopping complexes, are those that will develop and maintain their own sewage systems.

Hawaii taxpayers must not be expected to bear the cost of waste created by any new development.

C. Walther
Honolulu

Too much room for error in assisted death

In response to your editorial, "Terminally ill deserve the right to choice in dying" (Star-Bulletin, March 8): The best "balanced" information on the subject of physician-assisted suicide comes from the New York governor's task force that studied this issue for more than seven years. Despite strong sentiment for PAS among the some of the 25 task force members, they unanimously recommended against it.

The New York task force found that "the practice (of PAS) can be ethically appropriate in extraordinary cases, but that legalizing it would pose serious and insurmountable risks of mistake and abuse that would greatly outweigh any benefit that might be achieved. Those risks center on the likelihood that many individuals would request suicide assistance because of improper medical care, unrecognized lack of decision-making capacity, or coercion, not because of a voluntary, settled commitment to die."

You can read the report "When Death is Sought" at www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/provider/death.htm or buy it in book form.

Cary Mendes
Kula, Maui

Schools bureauracy moves too slowly

I admire Schools Superintendent Pat Hamamoto's desire to move Hawaii's school system from the back of the pack to a higher place. But there is a huge flaw in her plan, and that is the assumption that this is a static playing field.

In Colorado, where I'm currently living, all of the educational talk is of moving ahead rapidly, and it is that way all across the mainland. What that means for Hawaii is that the target is moving; what looks like the middle now, say having all children able to read by third grade, might in five years be the back of the pack and reading by second grade will be the norm.

You can put any measurement in that equation but it won't change the facts. To move up in the field you have to do something extra special -- a quantum leap. When was the last time you saw a huge bureaucracy remake itself quickly?

I'd rather entrust my precious cargo to a lot of small fast-moving boats than one big ol' Titanic.

Leigh Fodor
Denver
Former Kailua resident

Proud fans won't give up 'Rainbows' moniker

Thank you for writing the March 6 editorial on keeping "Rainbows" as the University of Hawaii team name. As a UH alumnus who doesn't like football Coach June Jones' idea that there is something macho about warriors and something homosexual about rainbows, I never refer to the teams as "Warriors."

Nor would I buy a logo item with that moniker or that ugly new logo for which our UH spent a small fortune. My old T-shirts are wearing thin, but I'll certainly not replace them with something designed just to make Jones happy.

I'm not surprised that yet another poll showed that the public prefers Rainbows. Since the grossly overpaid coach started his campaign to change our university to suit his personal likes and dislikes, I have never met a UH alumnus who prefers Warriors over Rainbows, but I have heard from many a concern that he not be allowed to change the women's volleyball team to the Warriorettes.

The UH should keep him away from our Rainbow Wahine programs.

Keith Haugen
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