Stupidity on display when caged men fight

With all of the senseless violence in our midst, we need to question who is promoting this “;cage fighting”; and who is profiting from this ugly “;sport.”; It is like cockfighting in its cheap, ugly stupidity and promotes only brutality.

Banning dog breeds costly and ineffective

Kudos to Charles Memminger for his piece ”;Ban owner's bad behavior, not dog breed”; (Star-Bulletin, Feb. 1). However, unless he was referring to the irresponsible dog's owner as the “;brute”; needing shackling, the chaining of dogs has been shown to actually increase the likelihood of a dog becoming aggressive and biting. Studies show that chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to bite and of those, five times more likely to bite children.

Breed bans unfairly target responsible dog owners and are notoriously ineffective, expensive and impossible to enforce. Strong non-breed-specific dangerous dog laws coupled with chaining prohibitions and tough anti-dogfighting laws are the most effective way to create safer communities for pets and people alike.

Thankfully, some state legislators have recognized this. Senate Bill 30 and SB 488, introduced, respectively by Sens. Brian Taniguchi and Colleen Hanabusa, would prohibit certain types of dog chaining. House Bill 730 and SB 763, introduced by Rep. John Mizuno and Sen. Suzanne Chun-Oakland, would strengthen the anti-dogfighting statute by deterring people who might breed, raise or train aggressive dogs for fighting purposes.

Passing laws with “;teeth”; is the only way to prevent the other teeth from biting.

Ignorance drives moral bankruptcy

It would appear that Tom Shaw and Thomas E. Stuart (”;Letters,”; Star-Bulletin, Jan. 31) belong to the same politically and morally bankrupt party of ideas. Shaw, with his tongue-in-cheek desire to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees here for some aloha spirit, demonstrates his ignorance. He of course fails to tell us that four prosecutors resigned from Gitmo because they found no evidence to convict many detainees. They also found the detainees were abused. Stuart on the other hand, like Rush Limbaugh, can't wait for the Obama administration to fail.

Both of these patriots, I am sure, will tell you they love this country.

Wisdom can come with youth, too

Young observer Kamalani Kaluhiokalani (”;Giving to the poor has ups and downs,”; “;Letters,”; Jan. 30) hits it right on the “;kini po po.”; He says to all of us, what none of us are willing to say. Freedom is not free.

Spend wisely, Democrats

Anti-railers' numbers just don't add up

When comparing the state's Nimitz flyover to the elevated toll roads that had been proposed by rail opponents (”;Nimitz flyover might help traffic flow,”; “;Our Opinion,”; Jan. 30), don't forget the most important fact - cost. According to Brennan Morioka of the state Department of Transportation, $600 million is a realistic cost for building a two-lane, 2.2-mile elevated road.

The anti-rail crowd said their elevated, two-lane toll road would be 10 miles long, nearly five times longer than the state's proposal, yet cost only $900 million to build. Did they have a magic formula for building roads that is unknown to the licensed engineers and builders at the state DOT? Or did they just make up their numbers?

A sober look at the price tag of the two proposals calls into question the credibility and honesty of the anti-rail ringleaders.