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Beautiful Waikiki will be Harris' legacy

The far-sightedness of Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris is being praised by many of Hawaii's leaders. Long after he has left office, Hawaii's citizens will be benefiting from the fruits of his idealism.

His beautification of Waikiki has lured and satisfied untold thousands of visitors who have spent their leisure dollars enjoying Oahu's primary tourist attraction.

These visitors have paid taxes that we otherwise would have paid had they not been enticed to come here and enjoy the re-vamped loveliness of Waikiki and environs.

The commercial value for those apartments, homes and businesses along the Kuhio Avenue/Ala Wai corridors now being revitalized also will show significant growth. The temporary inconveniences will pay off big-time for those who live and have businesses there.

I imagine this letter may elicit some negative response, but coming from a proud Kalihi boy who was raised on the mainland and purposely chose to return home 38 years ago, Jeremy Harris has been one of the most productive and "can-do" mayors we've ever had!

His vision of Hawaii will be talked about and enjoyed long after we're gone. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Imua!

Beautiful Waikiki? Get your eyes checked

Joseph F. Zuiker's Aug. 20 letter proves that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. His letter says, "Kalakaua Avenue became beautiful."

Wow! Apparently, Zuiker hasn't seen much of the world or much of Hawaii for that matter. I suggest that Zuiker (plus locals and tourists) get out of Waikiki, head for the green mountains deep into the lush valleys, or perhaps to a neighbor island where one can still find secluded pristine beaches (although not many). Waikiki couldn't possibly be more ugly.

'Death with Dignity' lowers suicide rate

A just-released Oregon study appearing in The Journal of Clinical Ethics seems to confirm what advocates of assisted dying have been claiming all along: Legalization actually lowers the number of hastened deaths.

This apparent paradox results from several factors, including the willingness of patients to discuss suicidal thoughts with their doctor, which in turn can lead to treatment of any underlying cause, such as pain or depression. Increased hospice utilization is also thought to reduce the desire for a hastened death.

In states where assisted dying is illegal, including Hawaii, patients are often afraid to approach their doctor because they fear being institutionalized for having "suicidal thoughts" or implicating the doctor in a crime should the patient later take his or her life.

Other contributing factors include Oregon's safeguards, which require a second medical opinion, a 15-day waiting period and mandatory patient counseling. Studies outside of Oregon suggest that the rate of physician-assisted suicide in the terminally ill is about one in 250, vs. Oregon's rate of one per 1,000.

Reservists want to wear their 442nd patches

My son is a reservist with the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. He is among the Hawaii-based troops destined for Iraq.

His unit has just been informed that they will not be allowed to wear their 100th Battalion/442nd shoulder patches. Instead, they must substitute the brigade patch.

The 442nd has a long, proud history of gallantry and service to our nation. Many members of the unit, including my son, are dismayed that they will not be able to wear that fabled patch. It is a source of pride for the men and women of the unit, as well as the people of Hawaii. It represents the highest standards of military tradition, self-sacrifice and putting the good of the group above self-interest. They should be allowed to carry the patch into the current crisis.

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More on Malkin

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Writer sanitizes history, ignores facts

Working from a recipe of innuendo, distortion and highly selective use of facts, author and columnist Michelle Malkin has cooked up a "Big Lie" to defend the World War II internment of Japanese Americans (Star-Bulletin, Aug. 9).

Her column ignores the overwhelming loyalty demonstrated by the Japanese-American community. It ignores the incredible record of battlefield courage and sacrifice compiled by Nisei soldiers, including my colleague, Sen. Daniel Inouye. It ignores the shameful wholesale incarceration of American citizens, solely on the basis of their race. Congress and President Ronald Reagan acknowledged these facts in 1988, when they enacted Sen. Spark Matsunaga's legislation making an official apology and authorizing belated symbolic payments to those who had been deprived of their liberty.

If there is a silver lining to Malkin's re-writing of history, it is as a reminder of the lesson to be learned from this dark chapter in our national experience: The rights guaranteed by the Constitution are only as strong as our will to defend them.

It is important to remember history as it really happened, not a sanitized version that scrubs away unpleasant truths. Otherwise, we run the risk of repeating tragedies like the World War II internment.

Malkin masters art of drawing attention

Michelle Malkin belongs to a group of right-wing writers that includes the likes of Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilley and Bob Novak who will twist any fact to suite their views. She has made erroneous statements in the past, such as saying that the opposition on Oahu to military training in Makua Valley was to protect the hoary bat. We have no hoary bats on Oahu; they are on the Big Island. She writes with excessive use of derogatory adjectives toward those that she wishes to denigrate.

She also has adopted a style of promoting provocative ideas simply to achieve attention, since that is how the most well-known columnists of her leaning have achieved their status.

Author distorts facts for her own end

Michelle Malkin reminds us that bigots of this world do not allow facts to change their views; they simply distort facts to fit whatever ends they wish to accomplish. In this case, Malkin smears again a whole generation of innocent people.