New balloting machines will cast doubt on vote

What a waste of $5 million in federal grant money ("New voting machine use stirs controversy," Star-Bulletin, Sept. 12).

How many handicapped Hawaii voters are there? E-vote machines must not be used in the November general election without a paper trail! (See www.verifiedvoting.org)

A total of 50 million voters will use new E-vote machines in November. California, Nevada and Ohio have either banned the machines or have printers to provide a paper trail. Sunday's New York Times "Making votes count" told readers that most election officials have close ties with the E-voting machine industry and a disturbing number end up working for voting machine companies! Former secretaries of state in charge of voting are now consultants or lobbyists in California, Florida and Georgia.

This should be recognized as an illegal conflict of interest. The general election vote must be an honest election, not decided by E-votes or the U.S. Supreme Court, as the 2000 presidential election was decided.

Police shouldn't endorse candidates

In response to the political SHOPO television and other ads regarding the selection of a city prosecutor and mayor: In no way, shape, or form is this the opinion of the entire police force.

I am now retired from the Honolulu Police Department, but even when I was active I made my own voting decisions. I have believed from the founding of our police union, that it should not be allowed to become actively politically. It is anti-professional, especially from a law enforcement view, to endorse or oppose the very people they will have to work with in the next few years. The public deserves complete unity here.

Kerry volunteered, Bush and Cheney didn't

How many young Americans have to be killed or wounded in Iraq? How high does the jobless and homeless population have to grow? And how low does the stock market have to go before the voters realize we have a major disaster in the White House?

The vile ads on television attacking John Kerry have to stop. The issue is very simple: Kerry volunteered for duty and George Bush, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney did not.

I cannot understand why there is any question about who is a better person to lead our wonderful country.

Please give lots of thought to this and go out and vote!

New uniforms make UH players look sloppy

I'm bothered by the University of Hawaii football team's uniforms. The dark green and black colors with black socks and shoes make them look short and sloppy, and some players have tattoos on their arms and they look like "Yogoles" in Japanese. When a baby is born, the first thing the mother does is to check if everything's there, and here when they grow up they have pictures drawn on their nice and flawless bodies.

I don't understand what the diamond design on their sleeves and on one leg of their pants means, but the design cuts the length of one leg. Most of the other football teams have stripes running down the sides of their pants, which makes their legs look longer.

Also, the UH football team doesn't need a professional mascot. They are not playing in the NFL. It would be more collegiate to have a student mascot.

Anyway, I don't go to the games anymore.

Governor is on record supporting women

We are members of Governor Lingle's policy team. We are proud of our governor's legislative record of supporting women's issues.

Her efforts include proposing legislation to close the gap in Medicaid coverage for pregnant legal immigrants. This bill resulted from the frustration of women in the health and social service sector who were unable to get prior administrations to support prenatal care for the children of mothers legally in the United States. The Commission on the Status of Women was notably absent in supporting this bill.

Governor Lingle also forcefully pushed for a pro-victims legislative package that protects the rights of women and children who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and related crimes. Again, the commission was silent.

The governor signed key women's legislation that addresses the problem of cancer-causing agents, known as PBDE's, in breast milk. She also correctly vetoed a bill that would have duplicated the Federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act that prohibit gender discrimination in employee pay. The vetoed law would have set up a new task force on gender equity, a recognition that the State Commission on the Status of Women has not adequately addressed.

The governor stands on a record of accomplishments on behalf of all of the people of Hawaii, including women. The commission is welcome to work with us to continue the momentum.