Cheers to all the marching musicians

Many cheers to the University of Hawaii Rainbow Invitational Marching Band Festival held on Nov. 12 at Aloha Stadium. It was inspirational to watch 18 marching bands' high standards of performance of complex marching routines and music. Hats off to the student musicians and staff who worked many hours to accomplish their goals. Hawaii should be very proud of these marching musicians!

Protect yourself against awful STDs

Chlamydia is something most people seem to ignore. I read in Wednesday's Star-Bulletin that Hawaii is the sixth-ranking state in the rate of chlamydia. More than 1 million cases were reported last year in the nation, the highest number ever. This might be because we are getting better at screening, but still the number is extremely high and we need to act.

Chlamydia is one of the most dangerous sexually transmitted diseases; it can make you sterile. It is hard to see any symptoms but when you do, it is easy to treat.

The government needs to act, it needs to educate teenagers and it needs to make it easy to do a chlamydia test and to get treatment.

But first of all, people need to understand the importance of using condoms. Many people think that chlamydia is something that will never happen to them, but it might, and it could even be worse -- it could be HIV. Come to your senses and protect yourself.

Queen is getting back at ship passengers

In response to Ted Chernin's Nov. 15 letter to the editor ("Who's behind all these cruise ship illnesses?"):

"Oh, honest Americans, as Christians hear me for my downtrodden people! Their form of government is as dear to them as yours is precious to you. Do not covet the little vineyard of Naboths (Hawaii), so far from your shores, lest the punishment of Ahab fall upon you, if not in your day, in that of your children, for be not deceived, God is not mocked." -- The curse of Queen Liliu'okalani, 1898.

Elect lawmakers who look out for the people

As both taxpayers and voters, we need to be seen by our elected representatives as investors and shareholders in Hawaii's future. Hawaii has the second-highest tax burden in the United States; if this were a corporation, the more we invest, the more we would get. But instead, our local lawmakers insist on ram-rodding projects down our throat that benefit them more than us.

Every single one of us should feel betrayed by the city's insistence on rail as the sole panacea for traffic and the Legislature's inability to allow us freedom of choice through the development of toll roads, which pay for themselves instead of relying on steadily increasing taxes.

I for one am tired of having my taxes raised. In 2008, we the people of Hawaii need to change our regime and install leaders who will serve the people and not themselves.

With all these strikes, all residents lose

Well, here we go again. It's the old "three strikes, you lose."

» go! Airlines: Their problem is simple. They had the nerve to bring lower fares to our local people, especially when our own local airlines would not do that without outside influences.

» Stryker brigade: on the way out. Shame on them for bringing so much money into the state coffers, then turning around and offering more jobs. And, to boot, protecting us humans from our enemies and securing our freedom.

» Superferry: has to go. It might destroy the environment. Excuse me, didn't our "environment" just take a bite out of a human's leg this month? What about bird poo that contains more than 60 different diseases? The protesters missed Alaska Airlines, which now flies directly from Alaska to Kauai. Are they making all the passengers wash their feet before disembarking? Maybe they wash the airplane's tires before landing, to make sure no outside species sneak in.

The question is not "who's destroying whom," but "who's doing what to whom?" Aren't all of these "special" environmental clubs and groups formulated to save mankind from destruction? It must be time to close my eyes and be proud.

Why are all the nice muumuus so costly?

I'm all for women wearing muumuu -- they're beautiful, comfortable, easy to care for and forgiving of less-than-perfect physiques (Letters, Nov. 14 and Nov. 16). However, I don't see why the really pretty muumuu should cost more than $100, or even $50.

Make them affordable and I'm sure more women would wear them.