HPD still has active reserve program

A June 27 letter to the editor mistakenly stated that the Honolulu Police Department's reserves program had been discontinued.

On the contrary, we currently have 88 reserve officers who assist full-time officers with a multitude of duties, including patrol work, traffic enforcement and background checks. HPD reserve officers are dedicated members of the community who serve without financial compensation, volunteering a minimum of 20 hours per month. They represent many occupations and segments of the community and are an important part of the HPD ohana.

Mahalo to all of our reserve officers for helping to make Oahu a better and safer place for all.

Don't besmirch flag with bad amendment

I'm trying to remember the last time someone burned an American flag. I read two daily newspapers, a national news magazine and follow the news on radio and television. OK, mostly NPR and PBS, but still.

I can't remember the last time this horrible threat to the very fabric of our nation occurred. I'm sure I must have been offended at the time. Old Glory is one of the symbols of ideas I cherish about living together as a people; a symbol of an incredibly beautiful land; a wonderfully diverse people drawn from every land and all walks of life.

Indeed, I love it! And I have spent time imprisoned for defending it. But I never mistook the flag for what it stands for, anymore than I would mistake a street map for the beautiful city of Honolulu.

Though I can't remember the event, I'm sure that flag burner set that flag afire in protest against public policies or government behavior that he believed did not live up to the ideals the flag symbolized. In effect, the protester was saying, "YOU are besmirching this flag, so it needs to be burnt." The old flag etiquette I was raised on said that if the flag is dirtied -- nay, even touches the ground -- it should be burned.

The House of Representatives has passed a constitutional amendment bill outlawing flag burning. If the Senate passes it and two-thirds of the states ratify it, it becomes the law of the land. If so, in the name of all that flag symbolizes for me, I will be the next flag burner.

Arizona senator right about Akaka bill

Star-Bulletin's June 27 editorial attacked Arizona Sen. John Kyl's criticism of the Akaka bill as "preposterous." It's the Star-Bulletin analysis that's preposterous. Kyl is correct: the Akaka bill is race-based. Nobody can participate in the bill's tribal process without Hawaiian blood.

The Star-Bulletin says the Akaka bill could have avoided charges of racism by including all descendants of the kingdom's (non-native) inhabitants. Yes, indeed. But that would violate the rationale of the bill -- a (false) theory that Congress has plenary power over (only) the "indigenous" people of America whether or not they are members of still-continuing pre-existing tribes.

The Star-Bulletin says Kyl is silly to claim the Akaka bill promotes secession. My article at http://tinyurl.com/4cho6 proves Kyl is correct. Several leaders of the independence movement now support the Akaka bill as a way to get money and power while seeking independence. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Sen. Daniel Akaka himself repeatedly encourage that attitude.

The apology bill's author presented a paper in April 2005 at a Columbia University symposium devoted to liberating American colonial territories in Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa -- and Hawaii.

Homosexuality was condemned long ago

In the June 25 letter to the editor, Bob Sigall mistakenly says that the Bible does not discuss homosexuality. While there is no specific word for homosexuality in the Hebrew, there is a clear prohibition against male homosexuality, for which the penalty is death. The text is Leviticus 20:13 prescribes the penalty: "If a man lies with a male as one lies with a woman, the two of them have done an abhorrent thing; they shall be put to death -- their bloodguilt is upon them." There is no discussion of female homosexuality.

At various times in the First Temple Period (1006-586 BCE) there were male homosexual Temple prostitutes, called qadeshim, but this was condemned as a Canaanite abomination at times during the First Temple and always during the Second Temple period (536 BCE-70 CE). While ancient Greek and Hebrew had no single word for homosexuality, various words were used, such as "paiderastes," "lover of boys." It was certainly always prohibited under pain of death in ancient Israel from the Second Temple Period onward. In ancient Greece it was tolerated under certain circumstances.

While the New Testament does not specifically condemn homosexuality, early Christianity followed Jewish practices in condemning it.

Other transit ideas also deserve notice

I believe the 0.5 percent general excise tax increase is insignificant and some kind of budgetary approach is necessary to initiate planning for a rapid transit system for Honolulu. I especially applaud the governor's earlier proposal for an elevated monorail from Kapolei to Iwilei along Farrington-Kamehameha-Nimitz highways. This would have negligible visual impact along this already overburdened route; however, it could seriously challenge the transportation system while it was being constructed.

I also believe Sen. Gordon Trimble's proposals for inter-island and intra-island ferries are a more immediate resolution to the problem, which also would anticipate and divert traffic off the Kapolei-Iwilei route to offset potential congestion from monorail construction .

However, I strongly urge the governor to veto House Bill 1309 until such time as the Legislature incorporates the changes the governor has recommended and the exemption to the GET is made for food, medicine and medical services, as was promised during her 2002 campaign.

Enough talk -- let's create useful transit

Regarding Gov. Lingle's "Citizen advice is valuable" column (Star-Bulletin, June 26): Wouldn't it be great if the standard speech "I will work together with colleagues, business leaders, community leaders and citizens to create a vision and build a better future for us all" were happening? What about this: Get the best system and contractor, write a contract to incentivise meeting deadlines and budgets, get the federal funding, avoid taking car lanes away, and build a system people will use and that can be extended in the future.

How about our congressmen, governor, mayor and City Council all making a commitment to doing exactly the above and getting mass transit done right?

Letter defending Bush was full of errors

I wondered how people can believe so much misinformation as Marie Sheldon (Letters, June 24).

» President Bush "defended our country from terrorists" -- when his advisers ignored specific information warning of the attack of 9/11. And that Bush is "willing to defend our country" when he and Vice President Dick Cheney avoided military service when they were of draft age during the Vietnam War.

» The actual terrorists of 9/11 were were from Saudi Arabia, whose royal family are close friends of the Bush family -- walking hand-in-hand with Bush recently at the White House.

That Sheldon and others can be so misinformed and write of Bush's "great character" would not be possible if such misinformation were not published in your letters column. Opinion is one thing, but misinformation is misleading the American people and is causing great harm to America and the world.

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