Politicians should follow 'Do Not Call' law

When Congress passed the National Do Not Call law it exempted charities and political campaigns. The increasing amount of political messages we now receive on our telephones has risen to a nuisance level equal to telemarketing. It's time for Congress to revisit this law and make some amendments. Specifically, political campaigns no longer should be allowed to use this method as a campaign tool. If the politicians cannot accept that, then they should not be allowed to conceal the identity of the caller from caller ID equipment.

All candidates also should realize that this method of campaigning is an annoyance to most recipients and is an ineffective method of campaigning. Most people have made up their minds about who they will vote for and a recorded message on the telephone is not going to sway anyone.

'Iwase Democrat' takes labels to the extreme

I noticed there was some talk about gubernatorial candidate Randy Iwase calling himself an "Iwase Democrat." To me, to call yourself a whatever, because you belong to whatever political party, is not so good because it can be taken that you do have stances but yet that party affiliation is all you will go by. There seems to be an air of elitism or close-mindedness about calling yourself a whatever.

Yet further defining yourself even more with a tag along with your group affiliation only makes someone like me think that person is close-minded. I would even think that person is trying to be elite since this is the arena of politics.

And what is the Hawaii Democratic Party trying to do by tying in the Hawaii Republican Party policies with the president's job? In my observation, the Hawaii Republican Party is concentrating on issues here in Hawaii.

Keeping cabins off Ka Iwi was a group effort

I want to publicly thank the Ka Iwi Coalition for their tireless efforts this year in halting the development of vacation cabins on the Ka Iwi coast. I had the great privilege of working with the coalition and other community groups in our mutual objective of stopping this proposed project on preservation land.

Many of these groups, including the Ka Iwi Coalition, joined me at a protest rally I organized at City Hall in August. I proudly included candid photos from that rally in a brochure I mailed to East Oahu voters in September. The photos showed the large, organized support and large number of protest signs from many groups against the project. One photo included the Ka Iwi Coalition banner.

In a recent letter to the Star-Bulletin, some members of the coalition expressed concern that this particular photo might indicate their support for my candidacy for the state House of Representatives. That was certainly not my intention. I know that the coalition would never want to jeopardize its nonprofit status by endorsing a political candidate.

The proposal to build the vacation cabins was soundly defeated thanks to the efforts of the Ka Iwi Coalition, the Save Sandy Beach group, the Hawaii Kai Hui and the many dedicated residents of East Oahu. It was a great experience and I appreciate this opportunity to set the record straight.

Gas would be cheaper if cap reinstated

I am appalled that the gas prices in Hawaii are dropping at a slower rate than in the mainland. Gov. Linda Lingle was vehemently against the gas cap, but it has been shown that gas prices would be lower if we still had it.

Instead of reinstating the gas cap, as the governor has the right to do, she does nothing. I guess she does not want to anger the big oil companies that donate to her and her Republican constituents. By her doing nothing about the gas prices, it shows to me that she cares more about big business than the working class people. That is why I will be voting for Randy Iwase to be our next governor.

Make sure your voice is heard -- go vote

Some people still feel it requires too much effort to vote or that it does not matter if they cast a ballot. But they are missing out on a great opportunity to make a very real contribution and to let their voices be heard.

We showed four years ago that we were ready to dramatically change the state administration by electing Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona. We need to not only re-elect Lingle and Aiona, but we also need to vote for legislators who will support their programs for the benefit of all of us. Use this tremendous opportunity to help make it happen.

And if anyone still thinks their vote does not matter, just remember that in this year's primary election, Mayor Bryan Baptiste of Kauai received just one more vote than the required votes needed for re-election. Please remember that every voter has the potential to be that "one."

Hawaii needs GOP balance in Washington

While our senior statesmen are good honorable men who have served Hawaii well, the reality is that Hawaii needs to have a balance in Washington that better represents the future. Electing different Democrats still gets us the same old mindset and ideas.

Cynthia Thielen and Bob Hogue have done a great job for Hawaii's people in the Legislature. Their fresh voices and perspectives on a national level would certainly benefit all of us. They would continue to serve the people of Hawaii well in a much larger arena to the benefit of all of us.

Vote for environment, affordable housing

On this year's election ballot, Charter Amendment 3 caught my attention because it addresses two major concerns in Hawaii: affordable housing and the environment.

As a senior graduating this winter from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I'd like to know what possible future lies ahead. With the enactment of this bill, the future looks much brighter for Oahu. I strongly urge people who are interested in trying to allocate money for affordable housing and designate funds for a cleaner environment to support those ideas by voting for this amendment.

How will we know when this war ends?

So far, there is no end in sight to the War on Drugs, the War on Poverty, the War on Crime and numerous other symbolic "Wars." Unfortunately, our current War on Terror falls into the same category.

World War II, which was a traditional, declared war, ended with a surrender signed by German and Japanese leaders. Is there any "terrorist" leader who will ever surrender and thus end the War on Terror? Would it have any meaning if there were one? Can there be any end in sight when it comes to this symbolic war?

Clearly, the answer is "No" to all three questions.

And, yet, President Bush says over and over again that we will win the War on Terror?

Isn't it time to ask him how we will win it and how we will know we've won it?

Debris mars summit of Mauna Kea

On my Yahoo home page yesterday was a stunning telescope picture of an exploding star, Casseopeia A. An ethereal blue ring represented the leading edge of the explosion and bright, multicolored stars peppered the site. On my last trip to the top of Mauna Kea, we drove to the 10,000-foot dormitory and hiked the remaining 3,000 feet to the top.

The actual summit is some dozens of yards from the facilities and atop the very crest I found stones and leaves arranged as a Hawaiian memorial. Perhaps it was the wind that had vandalized the arrangement. On my knees I carefully replaced some tumbled stones and leaves.

As I turned and headed back down to the telescopes, briefly a 7-year-old sliding in a patch of snow, I was appalled to see construction debris and boxes left by contractors piled haphazardly outside more than one structure. Some trash. I hope more respect is now given the aina up there and that scientists also bend over and pick up debris.

Tom better than Luke for medical community

As a medical student, I am concerned that I will not be able to afford to stay and practice in Hawaii. I would like to practice on the neighbor islands, but that dream is fading given our current Legislature's inability to pass tort reform. Rep. Sylvia Luke refused to hear that bill this past year.

The other night I did something about this injustice and joined 20 other physicians to sign-wave for Bob Tom, who is running against Luke. If you want good doctors caring for you when you are injured or ill, then please support a person who puts his constituents first rather than the interests of plaintiff lawyers. Please vote for Tom.

Noise complaints must be taken seriously

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that a 15-year-old boy was shot Saturday night, the victim of a noise complaint (Newswatch, Oct. 30).

I live in Waikiki, and I've confronted noisemakers in my neighborhood on many occasions. I've called 911 several times when I've felt the situation was too threatening to become personally involved. The police were always prompt and took my complaints seriously.

An attorney I know called the police repeatedly to complain about noise. The last time, when a policeman actually showed up, my friend told him that he had called previously for the same reason. To that, the officer responded, "Oh, you dat guy."

In Hawaii there are laws on the books against noise but either they aren't enforced or they aren't prosecuted. We have to ask ourselves why.

It's tragic that a 15-year-old boy was shot reportedly because of a noise dispute. This news makes me want to close all of my windows, turn up the volume on my television and pretend the outside world doesn't exist. As someone who lives in Waikiki, to me the epicenter of noise, but more importantly as a father of two teenage boys, I can't let myself give up.

City should build more surfboard lockers

Re: surfboard lockers at Kuhio Beach Park (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 26): Palekaiko Beachboys Club Inc. opposes Bill 67 for the following reasons:

The city should build more surfboard racks to accommodate those on a waiting list, as was promised by the previous administration.

For the above reasons, Palekaiko Beachboys Club opposes Bill 67.