Go after breeders of feral chickens

I think it's both disgusting and sad that a chunk of our tax money is used by the city toward, of all things, crowing rooster prevention ("More residents running afoul of feral roosters," Star-Bulletin, Jan. 28).

It's also disturbing that this amount will be increased to encompass further systematic and unnecessary elimination of other beautiful creatures on the islands like wild peacocks, ducks and the so-called "exotic" species. Through public funding, these birds are being killed solely for making their natural sounds but a few times a day. It is their only crime, and for that, they must die.

Well, quite frankly, I'd take the organic sounds of roosters and peacocks crowing over to the constant manmade cacophony of traffic, ambulances and fire engines any day. So instead of paying people like the Hawaii Game Breeders Association to catch and eat hormone-free, organic chickens while giving us unsound tips on how to keep roosters quiet, why doesn't the city save our time and money to invest in laws that will impose stiff penalties and heavy fines on those who irresponsibly contribute to the feral rooster situation in the first place -- the cockfighters and the game breeders.

Doctors should aid in living, not dying

I do think there are circumstances when death may be preferable to continued life in an untenable situation or with great pain and suffering, and I believe there should not be a stigma attached to the ending of one's life is such a situation. I do object, however, to my doctor playing a part in this.

My doctor and all others have sworn an oath to protect and preserve life, and I do not think there should be conditions or circumstances that might relieve them of that oath enacted by the government. Ever.

I want to know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that my doctors are doing everything they can to help me live -- not die.

Oahu would benefit from nuclear energy

The City and County of Honolulu should adopt nuclear power generation as a major source of electricity now. This would provide solutions to Hawaii's energy problems and would reduce Hawaii's contribution to global warming in a big way.

The new, safer nuclear technology would provide electricity for about 6 to 8 cents per kilowatt to power a highly desirable light-rail transportation system and recharge the batteries of a large fleet of electric cars. Many rich Hawaii residents would vote against this technology because of a knee-jerk reaction against "nuclear," but they would be misinformed.

Japan generates virtually all of its electricity via nuclear energy -- safely. The head of Greenpeace has recently endorsed the adoption of nuclear power in a big way to fight global warming. Many other countries have gone to nuclear power to avoid the excess cost of petroleum-generated electricity. Mainland states also generate about 20 percent of all electricity capacity via nuclear.

Cops need exercise, not Segway rides

I find it absolutely absurd that the City and County of Honolulu has decided to use Segways as a means of transportation for our police officers. I mean no disrespect to the Honolulu Police Department, but it would seem that perhaps some cardiovascular exercise might be in the best interest for a selected few. What is the necessity for such a change? Too many heart attacks on the job?

I suppose the biggest question is, where is this money coming from? I had originally thought that the city was having monetary issues with the proposed idea of a new mass transit system and all. So how can we afford Segways?

I did notice a recent abundance of officers and citations being issued over petty first offenses. For example, I failed to come to a complete two-second stop at a stop sign. I paid that hefty fine with my left arm. Seriously, though, who's counting the seconds? But I guess I can feel better about it because somewhere out there in Hawaii, I contributed to at least a fraction of the price of a brand new Segway.

Threats don't work on schools, either

We've finally taken the gloves off when it comes to Iraq. They must be shivering with the knowledge that if they don't meet those benchmarks, their newly minted institutions could soon be taken over by private American companies. That's right -- I'm talking about the system that's saving our schools. When they don't perform, we've got good old private enterprise to pick up the slack. And just think, in Iraq we'll have our Army to bring up the standards.

OK, I realize things haven't quite worked out the way we planned. And expecting a personal thank-you card from each and every Iraqi was probably a little unrealistic. Personally, I've always thought the solution was to give them an NFL franchise and make sure the games are played on their day of worship. It works here. If nothing else, we've got a former secretary of defense who might want to run his own country.

Mankind's follies lead us to war

War is wrong, war is evil, war is immoral, and war brings death, destruction and suffering to many innocent people. So why, then, are we always having wars someplace on this good Earth of ours?

It is because (as the Buddhist scholars preach) the three follies, or sins, if you prefer, of mankind are: greed, anger and hate, that we should strive to suppress. However, suppress those three traits as we might, because they are an innate characteristic, to some degree, in all human beings, a certain situation or condition will provoke and give impetus to transform one or all three of those "evil traits" into hostilities.

Another reason for animosity is the inequities in distribution of wealth and resources among the people.

Also, the differences in intellect, culture and religion within all people tend to foster dissension and condescension (prejudice).

The sad fact is that all people like to think "our way" is the best!

Terrorists waiting for us to leave Iraq

The countdown to the victory party has begun. The shelves are being filled with champagne, along with the party hats, horns and confetti. For the winner of the Superbowl between the Colts and Bears, you say? Hardly. This is the big dance al-Qaida and Islamic terrorists are planning to celebrate victory in Iraq once the United States pulls out before the job is completed. With the Democratic Party now in control of both House and Senate, it almost seems inevitable we'll be saying sayonara, adios and arrivederci very, very soon.

Our military has lost more brave solders in Iraq than people killed on 9/11. Somehow that has become the threshold of how much we can "spend" in this conflict. I thought the two events were unrelated. Makes me wonder how long it took our military to match the 2,400-plus lost in the Pearl Harbor attack on the way to 400,000-plus killed during World War II.

There are several conflicts occurring in Iraq today, and Iraqis do need to take control of and defend their own country. But the number of citizens enlisting in law enforcement and the military is encouraging. Al-Qaida is bent on world domination with death to all infidels. How does one start a "dialogue" with a mantra like that? Iraq had no direct ties to the last 9/11 attack. What about the next 9/11? We need to make sure their bubbly stays corked and crated. We cannot allow them their victory bash.