King funeral ruined by political swipes

I am filled with dread and sadness having witnessed attempts to disgrace a man and his wife at a funeral. The couple? President and Mrs. Bush. It was unprecedented.

Black and white alike took turns, using an event of mourning for political gain, yes, but worse still, for an opportunity to embarrass and humiliate the president. My affiliation with the Democratic Party is waning vigorously.

It was bad enough for Supreme Court then-nominee Samuel Alito to be subjected to heartless and pointless degradation. The nails in the coffin of the Dems are sealing their fate. When will they learn to keep their mouths shut?

But the horribly obvious ridicule of the president by a "man of the cloth," two former presidents and other fine human beings attending Coretta Scott King's funeral was beyond disgusting. These orations only spotlighted the desperation of a frightened political machine grasping at straws.

I'm no particular fan of President Bush but please, where is the decorum? Where is the respect, not only for the president but for the woman lying in her coffin?

Save lives -- build more speed bumps

To curb speeding on rural roads in Waianae, Waimanalo and elsewhere, speed bumps need to be put in place. Speed bumps will reduce the amount of speeding vehicles, thus reducing the chances of more traffic fatalities such as the recent one in Waianae, which claimed two lives (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 6).

Speed bumps also should be put in areas where vehicles fail to stop at stop signs and fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Speed bumps have proven to work on a few streets in Kailua, parking lots of malls, office buildings and apartments. Speed bumps cost a lot less than funerals.

GM foods contain hidden dangers

Recently the general manager for Monsanto's Hawaiian Research Division wrote that genetically modified foods are safe (Letters, Star-Bulletin, Jan. 24). His argument ignores much of the science conducted on GM foods. Recently released Food and Drug Administration documents show that "agency scientists warned that GM foods might create toxins, allergies, nutritional problems and new diseases that might be difficult to identify."

In addition, a panel of experts from the Royal Society of Canada reported that "it was 'scientifically unjustifiable' to presume that GM foods are safe," and the UK's Royal Society reported that "genetic modification could lead to unpredicted harmful changes in the nutritional state of foods."

One independent study published on GM foods being fed to animals "showed evidence of damage to the immune system and vital organs, and a potentially pre-cancerous condition." Two other studies "showed evidence of a potentially pre-cancerous condition."

In light of all the above research, I find it amazing that Monsanto still tries to get us to eat this "food."

Captain's death touched passengers

I and my friends were passengers on the Island Princess when the unfortunate accident occurred, resulting in the untimely death of Capt. David Lyman, our harbor boat captain, of Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor (Star-Bulletin, Jan. 31).

We were aware something had happened, but were told by the ship's personnel that evening that he was going to be OK. Later in the cruise, my companions overheard a conversation concerning Lyman's death. We were very upset.

I want to thank the Star-Bulletin for providing me the article describing this fine man who did so much for so many, and the information about the Capt. David Lynch Maritime Scholarship Fund where we can send memorial donations.

I'm sure many of the fine passengers on the ship would have wanted to do something had they been told of the situation. At least with the help of this newspaper's staff, a few of us can show our respect for this man whom we did not know personally, and convey our condolences to his family.

Aiea roundabout a waste of tax money

As Mayor Hannemann has continued to ask where cuts can be made to facilitate less of an increase in our property tax bills, there seems to be a dearth of responses. So I'll step up and make a suggestion of where he can start.

The City and County of Honolulu is planning to spend about a million dollars to install a traffic roundabout in Aiea, at the intersection of Kaahele Street and Komo Mai Drive, that has virtually no community support.

Mayor Hannemann, here's a cut you can make: Instead of spending so many of our property tax dollars on a project the Harris administration was trying to force on us in response to a request from the community association for an all-way stop, why not take the association up on its offer to install the stop signs and roadway painting to City and County specs?

If you don't agree with it, don't do it

To all against choice and death with dignity: Don't do it. Just allow everyone else their rights to live their own lives peacefully without your heavy hands -- like Big Brother.