It's homosexuality, not pedophilia

Why is everyone ignoring the "elephant in the room" in the Foley affair? It is about homosexuality. The congressional pages are not "children" but sexually mature teens, a group that some gays prefer to older men.

Were the Republicans so anxious to be politically correct that they hesitated to offend Rep. Mark Foley and the Log Cabin Republicans? (All of us political junkies knew he was gay.)

Bumpy can bring OHA back on track

In the at-large Office of Hawaiian Affairs election this November, I will vote for Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele.

Bumpy has a plan for a Hawaiian bank, bringing all the assets held in trust for Hawaiians together in a bank owned by all Hawaiians. This is the best "restoration" solution I have heard for Hawaiians, direct and on point: economic independence.

It can be done. And it can be done right here -- in contrast to the endless delays and frustrations that go with trying to work out a Washington political solution beneficial to Hawaiians (witness the years of pulling and tugging over the Akaka Bill.)

The Hawaiian bank will be a community benefit not just for Hawaiians, but for all who call Hawaii home. (See http://bumpykanahele.com/ hawaiian_economics.php)

And Bumpy will be a benefit to OHA.

I fear OHA is stuck, sidetracked following frivolous lawsuits, promoting half-hearted membership drives, buying advertisements and paying lobbyists.

I am going to "plunk" for Bumpy Kanahele -- vote for him alone. He will help OHA get unstuck. You can take that to the bank.

If Iraqis want us out, we should leave

Thank God most Muslims are good people. However, Islamic jihadists hate Jews, and now Christians, whence their religion came; despite the fact that their faith reveres 25 prophets, including 11 from the Torah; and two Christians, John and Jesus.

This is not unexpected since they also torture and murder Muslim brothers (Shiites vs. Sunnis). The same goes for members of their own sect, who dare to help Americans who try to rebuild their roads, schools and irrigation systems. In the last few days, an Iraqi brigade has been withdrawn because its American comrades are being killed by infiltrated terrorists.

A majority of Iraqis want us to leave within a year, even though this will lead to anarchy, civil war and worse atrocities. I agree we should oblige and leave, even though we still will be blamed because they cannot create a democratic nation.

Amish girls' killer will roast with terrorists

I have not seen a worse crime against humanity than the schoolchildren in Amish country, in Pennsylvania, being executed by the lone gunman who was settling a grudge dating back to when he was 12.

If there is a God, I hope this guy enjoys his front-row seat in hell, alongside the 19 hijackers from 9/11 who are saving him a seat.

Adding toll lanes won't touch traffic problem

David Rolf's recent opinion touting the merits of adding toll lanes over rail transit (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 1) is flawed.

In 25 years, the current 40,000 homes in Ewa will more than double to 90,000 homes. Imagine how many more cars those homes will add to our already congested roadways.

The state Department of Transportation notes that in 25 years, 13 more freeway lanes would be needed to accommodate expected daily traffic volumes. Rolf's elevated tollway adds only three lanes.

By comparison, the Vancouver SkyTrain, which is a model for Honolulu but operates in a city with less density and without the ideal linear geography of Honolulu, carries 250,000 passengers per day. This is equivalent to the optimal daily traffic volume of 12 freeway lanes.

Rolf did make one accurate statement when he said that people would get on the train when traffic gets unbearable. With projected commutes approaching three hours one-way from some Leeward areas, traffic will be unbearable. Three additional toll lanes will do little to address this enormous impending problem.

If a tollway is as profitable and attractive to private interests as Rolf alludes, I invite any private developer to make a proposal. Rail will be using an alternate route, so there is room to build a tollway above the freeway. I wonder why no one has yet to make any offers?

HSTA members left out of endorsement

In Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" there is a passage about a meat packers falling into vats of lard. Instead of production halting so they could be retrieved, the bodies are left until it is too late -- and all but the bones of them have gone out to the world as Durham's Pure Leaf Lard!

Sinclair's book was enlightening and world changing at the time it was written and equally enlightening and world changing for me when I read it in high school. As a young idealist I became convinced unions were the only way to fight corporate greed and were the only voice for the working class.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association's recent move to endorse Randy Iwase for governor without polling its members smacks of the same corporate greed Sinclair rallied against in the early part of the 20th century. In a metaphoric way its disregard of the membership is the same as the disregard the men faced when they fell into the vats.

Sadly, like the corporations Sinclair wrote so boldly about, it seems HSTA's bottom line now is of more concern to it than hearing its workers.

Don't hold off on high-tech investment

Like the Star-Bulletin, we eagerly await the Tax Commission's analysis of Hawaii's high-tech tax credits (Editorial, Oct. 2), sometimes referred to as Act 221/215. We agree that more evidence is needed to ensure that the high-paying jobs, economic diversification and other potential benefits of this policy are really outweighing the costs.

Such analysis isn't easy. For example, the Star-Bulletin concluded that Hawaii's ranking near the bottom of states for high-tech jobs is an indicator that "employment growth isn't robust." However, it is also true that after the enactment of Act 221/215, Hawaii saw growth in high-tech jobs during years when the rest of the country experienced high-tech job losses. So are the credits helping, hurting or doing nothing? We need to find out.

But while we press for accountability, there is no reason to forego opportunities to improve implementation. Hawaii needs to do the public policy equivalent of walking and chewing gum at the same time. For example, in a recent article, Hawaii Business magazine noted that Google and eBay would not have qualified as "high-tech businesses" under the Department of Taxation's current reading of its rules.

We do not know the details of how the Tax Department plans to "liberalize" standards to qualify for tax credits. But as long as it incorporates the views of Hawaii's key stakeholders, conforms to legislative intent and acts as a good steward of the public trust, we believe the department will discover other refinements that ought not wait.

Acts 221/215 put Hawaii on the national map for its innovative and ambitious attempt to improve our business climate and establish high-tech industries. Missteps in implementation, lack of accountability, politicization or any other dirt in the bathwater should be removed so we can see if this baby actually works.