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POSTED: Sunday, October 26, 2008

President Bush is the one without honor

The Star-Bulletin's opinion ”;End of Watada case comes without honor”; (Oct. 24) is dead on, only the one that is without honor is George W. Bush and his illegal war. Has everyone forgotten this country was required to get U.N. approval before our unilateral invasion of Iraq? It did not.

The military injustice system denied 1st Lt. Ehren Watada the right to use that argument as a defense. Doesn't anyone see this injustice except the supporters of the honorable lieutenant?

On the same page, a letter says Watada should restore his honor by going to Afghanistan. Short memory, huh? Watada tried to get the Army to let him go to Afghanistan and serve the remainder of his contract, but our brilliant military leaders refused.

Many Americans have tried to destroy this young man, but he alone is left standing with his head held high.

Cockfighters flout Hawaii's toothless law

The recent article about a Kalihi resident advertising a reward for his stolen fighting roosters demonstrates the need for strengthening the state's cockfighting statute (”;Stolen Oriental roosters spur $1,000 reward offer,”; Star-Bulletin, Oct. 18). Cockfighting goes hand-in- hand with a plethora of illegal activities such as gambling, drugs and firearms.

At a recent press conference announcing the Humane Society of the United States' $5,000 reward for information on illegal animal fighting, U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo stated that cockfighting proceeds also support organized crime in Hawaii. With fighting roosters selling for $2,500 and up, it's no wonder that the current misdemeanor penalty, and the average fine of $250, is no deterrent. This mere slap on the wrist is considered the “;cost of doing business.”;

Had a reward for stolen fighting roosters appeared along a highway in one of the 34 states where it is illegal to possess animals for fighting purposes, you'd likely see this story on the next episode of “;America's Dumbest Criminals.”;

Until our laws are strengthened, cockfighters will continue to thumb their noses at law enforcement and the legislators who fail to take animal fighting seriously.

Our political leaders should talk to Big Oil

Earlier this week, the price of a barrel of oil was $71 and dropping, but gas was $3.11 at Costco and at most service stations it was $3.79. Our politicians are too timid to speak up to the oil giants?

Where is Mufi, where is Linda? Out of town or what?

Let people keep their gambling money here

Governor Lingle, if we could have gambling legally in the islands and on cruise ships, we could survive. It would provide so many jobs to local people.

We have illegal gambling places all over the islands, as you are aware. Why not do it the legal way? It would save your expensive trips all over the world because people would come. Guarantee!

Don't worry about Vegas, they will be OK without our 300,000 people going there every year. Keep the revenue home. I hope you will admit this would be the answer. People who come here often have run out of things to do. This would make them happy, especially the Asians.

Evil emerges after Powell endorsement

By way of the military, I arrived in Hawaii more than 25 years ago. After talking to my parents, who live in North Carolina, I'm glad I have made Hawaii my home.

For some odd reason, my father's Sunday school class seems to begin with political commentary. After Gen. Colin Powell announced his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, someone in the Sunday school class dismissed this as “;one n r voting for another.”;

I was absolutely outraged by this. How can such a racist, evil statement be made ... and be made in a church?

My father did not speak up. My mother never corrects her friends when they come up with Muslim, terrorist or other narrow-minded comments. Unfortunately, some things might never change, but there is hope. Along with me, my parents are voting for Obama.

Joe the Plumber, meet Joyce the Tutu

I'm a former resident of Hawaii now living near “;Joe The Plumber.”; I didn't have the opportunity to talk with Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain, when they visited the Toledo area, to express my concerns about senior citizens.

I developed tours around the world specializing in Hawaii. My husband and I retired and moved to Hawaii. We returned to the mainland to be closer to our children and grandchildren, moving into to a beautiful retirement home on a lake.

My husband has health problems. We were told that we could not live at our lake home as our health insurance would not cover us there. We had to sell our retirement home and move to Ohio.

A family member with three children was unemployed and a disabled son needed help. We borrowed against our house so we could help them. Now we have a mortgage payment.

My l6-year-old car quit running, so we had to buy another, and now we have a car payment. Our stocks are gone. Our prescriptions aren't fully covered. Our pension and Social Security are just above poverty level. We don't qualify for any benefits other than lunch at the Senior Center for $2, which is a great help.

I miss Hawaii. We planned to spend winters there.

It's difficult to relate to Joe the Plumber's concern about paying tax on earnings over $250,000. If my income were $250,000, I would gladly pay the additional 3 percent increase that Obama suggests!

Opposition to EzWay is purely bureaucratic

I find the responses to mayoral candidate Ann Kobayashi's EzWay by those with a vested interest in rail to be extremely revealing. The best they can come up with is a weak government bureaucratic excuse: “;It won't qualify for funding.”;

Says who? Surely not the Federal Transit Administration, whose New Starts program is chock-full of bus rapid transit programs. Local authorities like state Sen. Kalani English also believe the EzWay could be funded with local general excise tax money assuming a Council ordinance.

In a move that could only come from seasoned politicians, at one corner of their mouth, they claim we need, can afford and can maintain a $6.4 billion train, and out of the other side they somehow can't find the money for a $2.5 billion innovative combination of mass transit fixed guideway and zipper lanes that also qualify for federal highway funds, unlike the train.

It is irresponsible to continue ramrodding a $6.4 billion train that serves only 3 percent of commuters and allows H1 to reach gridlock levels of congestion while rejecting a $2.5 billion solution that reduces H-1 congestion and serves mass transit users, all because of a self-conjured bureaucratic limitation.

Money for Con Con could have better uses

The Star-Bulletin story ”;Ads by unions urge voters to say no”; (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 12) missed a key point. Hawaii teachers like me have been contributing $10 annually to a ballot fund organized by the National Education Association to fight for public education.

This fund includes contributions from Hawaii's 17,000 teachers and from teachers across the U.S. concerned about creating great public schools for every child.

As such, the money the Hawaii State Teachers Association has received back from the NEA is not “;outside influence”; interfering with the Hawaii political system. It is the money of Hawaii's teachers. They have every right to use it to fight to protect schools and our collective bargaining rights.

Holding a Constitutional Convention, estimated to cost as much as $48 million, during a time of severe state budget shortfalls would harm our students and public schools. I can think of much better uses for that money. As a 15-year veteran teacher in the Hawaii public school system, I am voting “;no”; on Con Con. Our state just doesn't need it.

Selfishness motivates Con Con opponents

We've been inundated with anti-Con Con ads on television. That means some groups (the infamous “;they”;) with lots of money want us to vote “;no”; on holding a Con Con. That should make us suspicious: Why would “;they”; want to spend all that money to sway us into voting against the Con Con?

I suspect it's because they have good deals in their pockets, and they don't want us stupid constituents to mess it up for them.

“;They”; claim the Con Con will take away the Hawaiian right to gather. Since the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the Con Con can't take that away. “;They”; claim the Con Con will take away the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA would go away only if the people decided we didn't want it around - it doesn't go away just because a Con Con is held.

“;They”; claim we shouldn't have a Con Con because the Constitution isn't broken. If that's so, why is it that voters in the 5th District have no vote/voice for the City Council? The rules let Duke Bainum fly in from out of state, rent an apartment and register to run for Ann Kobayashi's seat on the same day she decided to run for mayor, thus becoming an uncontested candidate.

If that's not broke, I don't know what is.

Con Con should consider term limits

In last Sunday's general election supplement there was a list of candidates running unopposed. This is a disgrace, no one should run unopposed. The state Constitution should not allow it.

Those of us in a district with unopposed candidates have no choice. The candidates were elected by those few who signed their petition. A Con Con could take up this issue. Maybe term limits would be a help.

Vote “;yes”; on Con Con to address these and other issues.

It's not good business to hold a Con Con

Running the government is much like operating a business. Every business weighs investment decisions with fiscal considerations to ensure the business remains profitable and successful in the future. I would not make a decision to invest or expend funds unless the expenditure provided a reasonable return on the investment and contributed to the strength of my company.

We cannot be certain of the amount of return or even if there would be positive return on our investment in a Con Con. The most recent cost estimates for the Con Con are between $10 million and $40 million. The current national and state economic climates, the anticipated large Hawaii government budget shortfall and the priority programs like education, transportation and the environment, all of which are in fiscal trouble, make having a Con Con a bad business decision and make little sense for investment in our future.

We have a proven process in place to introduce constitutional amendments through our elected legislators. Therefore, as small business owners we are opposed to a Constitutional Convention. It is an unnecessary expense and a bad investment for Hawaii's taxpayers.

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