Make vandals repaint walls with toothbrush

Regarding the five who were nabbed painting graffiti on Oahu property (Star-Bulletin, May 11): I was in the Marine Corps, and during boot camp one of my "duties" was to clean the bathrooms' tiled floors with a toothbrush. This was a way to instill discipline.

I suggest as a penance for those caught doing graffiti on Oahu properties to repaint the walls themselves with a 1-inch paint brush. I can tell you from my hours of experience scrubbing a tile floor with a toothbrush that the likelihood of them doing graffiti again would be slim. We need for people to be accountable for their actions.

To really fight obesity, ban plate lunches

After reading Wednesday's story on obesity in Hawaii I think we should reconvene the Legislature immediately to pass legislation on serving sizes and banning certain fattening foods.

It's an outrage that we allow people to do these things to themselves. We should have an all-out plate-lunch ban with no two scoops o' rice or macaroni salad. With our Legislature looking after our health and not our rights, we could all be looking a lot thinner. (You already know with our Legislature that your wallet is going to be thinner.) They obviously know what's best for us.

Nah, jus' kidding.

Reckless drivers are Hawaii's terrorists

It is not Osama bin Laden, the Taliban or al-Qaida that scares our citizens the most. These terrorists do not belong in our island. What scares most of our citizens and tourists are our own people: I am talking about Hawaii drivers.

Most fatalities are caused by reckless driving, as in the recent collision on Kunia Road. I can hardly imagine how these drivers feel when their actions result in the loss of precious lives.

Do they have feelings of remorse? Or are they not in their right minds because of poor judgment, intoxication or drug addiction?

Oahu is a dwelling of different ethnicities. People, such as the women who were killed in Kunia, migrate here in search of greener pastures. They are part of the work force that shaped our island. In return, they lose their lives at the hands of reckless drivers who do not respect the lives of others.

Our citizens, employers and public servants must join hands together and aggressively come up with solutions to put a stop to these island terrors. Let's make our island a better place to live in peace and harmony.

Democrats fail to work for Hawaii's people

It is increasingly evident that most of the Democrats in the Legislature are never going to work for the people they are supposed to represent. They need to be replaced.

The governor proposed good tax relief that was realistic and would have helped most taxpayers. Instead, the Democrats slightly increased the standard deduction and slightly expanded the tax brackets. Then they said "something is better than nothing."

It is increasingly evident that the Republicans are the legislators of and for the people of Hawaii. This election year, we all have the opportunity to let our voices be heard when we vote, and to elect legislators who will work with the governor on behalf of the people.

Republicans show they care about Hawaiians

I was extremely disappointed to read that U.S. Civil Rights commissioner Charles Maxwell believes Republicans are insensitive to issues affecting Hawaiians. I met Uncle Charlie many years ago, and with all due respect, his comments are way off base and just plain wrong.

Here in Hawaii, Republicans are some of the staunchest supporters of S. 147, known as the Akaka Bill. Gov. Linda Lingle has testified on Capitol Hill, spoken on multiple occasions with the president and high-ranking members of his administration, persuaded Republican senators to become co-sponsors and delivered speeches at home as part of her ongoing efforts to win approval for the bill.

Uncle Charlie's biased remarks about Republicans blindly overlook the outstanding work being done by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Micah Kane and his team have given more families a chance for home ownership in three years than was done in the previous 10 combined. And the DHHL team is not just building homes, it is building communities. That is probably why the building industry recently awarded Micah its Housing Advocate of the Year Award.

By the way, Micah Kane is the former chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party.

One thing the civil rights commission has always fought is stereotyping. Then why is Uncle Charlie coloring all Republicans the same?

It is not only unfair, it is hypocritical and out of touch. Democrats don't wear halos and Republicans don't wear horns. Uncle Charlie should know that.

Isle civil rights group backs Hawaiian rights

In last Sunday's Star-Bulletin, the first thing readers saw in the editorial section was this headline: "Civil Rights Commission is blind to Hawaiian history" -- criticizing the commissions opposition to congressional recognition of Hawaiian sovereignty and self-governance, and the Akaka Bill in particular.

The editorial headline requires clarification. Who is blind to Hawaiian history? It is not the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. It is the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The HCRC has consistently recognized Hawaiian rights to sovereignty and self-governance.

In our amicus brief filed in Doe v. Kamehameha Schools, in support of Kamehameha Schools' petition for rehearing en banc, the HCRC argued two basic points. First, that programs meant to benefit Hawaiians are based on a political classification, not a racial classification, so do not violate civil rights law prohibitions against racial discrimination.

Second, that Hawaiian rights issues are not civil rights issues within the framework applied by the courts; they are not issues of individual rights and equality under law, but the inherent right of indigenous peoples to self-determination. As such, mechanical application of civil rights standards to restorative programs meant to benefit Hawaiians is inappropriate.

Editor's note: The editorial correctly identified the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Bounty hunters spread aloha to storm victims

This might be a little slow in coming, but I wanted the people of Hawaii to know the measure of the men who help protect their streets. When tragedy struck the southern United States in the form of the hurricanes, I called on an old friend to see if he would be interested in helping to raise money for hurricane relief. Duane Lee Chapman II, son of the famed "Dog the Bounty Hunter," didn't hesitate lend his support. By auctioning off three autographed pictures of Duane Lee and his bounty-hunting brother Leland, we were easily able to raise nearly $700 for the victims of the hurricanes.

It's not all about bounty hunting, it's about the measure and the character of the men who took time from their busy schedules and used their celebrity status to help those in need.

Warm water needed to keep viruses down

If one of the most significant suggestions to avoid a pandemic is that people should wash their hands frequently in an effort to limit the spread of germs, why then do public buildings (from the state Capitol on down) offer only cold water in the bathroom sinks?