Hawaii needs a leader who will stop terrorism

At the risk of having my car vandalized for my Bush-Cheney sticker by Bush-haters, I'm proud to display it because President Bush has made the tough decisions on Iraq (pre-emption not retaliation against attacks by Islamo-fascists) and has not wilted in his stance on the war on terrorism.

In Hawaii, our economy has never been better, tourism is booming again, employment is low and real estate is hot. So what's not to like about that?

The mainland Democrats are now running their negative the-sky-is-falling campaign ads because they took us for granted. Sensible people see through this and understand that after 9/11 our world changed and for Hawaii to prosper we need a president who puts homeland security first to keep the planes flying and the hotels full.

Smart leaders aren't afraid to change minds

John Kerry, who served his country with honor, volunteering for duty in actual combat, deserves also to be commended for the courage of his convictions -- daring to stand up after doing his duty to speak out against a war in which we probably should not have been involved and which we could not win.

That took real guts, too. Ask any of the millions of veterans who, although treated shabbily after returning from Vietnam, had the courage to stand up and say that "we" were wrong. Intelligent leaders can be flexible, when necessary, for the good of our country.

Having served in a position requiring a top secret clearance, I'm proud of my service. But I, too, later changed my position on that war. Most patriotic Americans did change positions, and it was not considered flip-flopping except by those who dodged the draft or otherwise hid out at home, and who now think that patriotic Americans cannot change their minds.

History will show that those who dare to stand up and be counted today are just as right -- just as patriotic -- as those who now agree that Vietnam was a horrible mistake.

Kerry knows the cost of waging war

War transforms every soldier who experiences combat up close and personal. In Sen. John Kerry's case, it taught him that America should be willing to risk the precious lives of our military men and women only when the justification for waging war is sound and indisputable, we are prepared in every way and that our military capability and strategy can ensure decisive victory.

The Bush administration convinced Congress and the nation that their call for war in Iraq met these criteria. Events today run to the contrary.

Some people learn from direct experience. Others learn vicariously. Some don't learn at all. Then there are those who choose not to learn. In which group would voters place George W. Bush, our war president, and his advisers?

Who is deceiving whom on war in Iraq?

Senator Kerry continually blames President Bush for a wrong war on Iraq. But no president goes to war by himself. The military would not support it.

Congress, including Kerry, voted to give Bush the authority go to war against Iraq. So Kerry and Congress then are to blame and not the president. He merely made a proposal.

If Bush was deceiving us, as claimed by the senator, how can one man openly fool the world and even persuade Congress to go to war? Therefore, it is Kerry who is deceiving us about the president. There is a saying as such, "One making accusations incitedly is often guilty himself."

Catholics should decide for themselves

As a lifelong Catholic, I am deeply troubled by the advice being given to Catholics on how to cast their votes without casting themselves into the fires of eternal damnation. Catholics are being told that a candidate who does not want to repeal abortion rights is in fact endorsing the taking of life and that therefore a conscientious Catholic is not free to vote for such a candidate.

This is dangerously wrong. If a rejection of killing is what should help voters decide who to vote for, think about the death penalty. Think about Texas and its record of executions. Think about the lives lost in a war whose central rationale has been discredited.

The war in Iraq is not a just war. Even conservative theologians and scholars have reversed their positions on the war in the face of what we now know to be imperfect "evidence" for invading Iraq.

Life is too complex and the world too interconnected for American Catholics to squander the chance to offer the world a president whom the world can look at as a real statesman; someone who will bring both diplomacy and strength to the table; someone strong enough to know that world respect is earned, not extracted through force.

The Catholic vote cannot be dictated from the pulpit. To do so is to deny the intellectual rigor -- and common sense that the faith both encourages and demands of Catholics.

We need a president who represents us all

On Tuesday, Hawaii may actually determine the outcome of a presidential election. What a great opportunity not just to make news, but to help unite the country.

Whoever is elected will face a nation even more deeply divided than in 2000, when George W. Bush pledged to be "a uniter, not a divider."

Throughout his presidency, Bush has acted on his assumption that those who oppose his policies, even if they are half the nation, are misguided, disloyal and worthy of his deaf ear. This is a great failure of leadership.

Let's do our best to elect someone who can be president of all the people.

Whoever is elected, let him speak clearly

The gist of the above precepts is that a leader should possess the ability to be articulate so that he can express himself clearly and effectively!