Superferry protesters had loudest voices

The PANE (People Against Nearly Everything) also known as CANE (Citizens Against Nearly Everything) have once again stopped a much-needed service - the Superferry!

This selfish group of people have for their own self-interests stopped a vital means of surface transportation. The Superferry has shown, in the few months it operated, to be a service Hawaii wants and needs. It also showed that it was not a danger to whales or the environment, but PANE was able to make enough noise to the right people and stopped the Superferry.

The squeaky wheel gets the oil, right or wrong.

Otto Cleveland
Pearl City

Senators fail test of courage on civil unions

What a display of rank cowardice and venal hypocrisy we were given Thursday by the state Senate's majority Democrats! No fewer than 18 of the 25 senators claimed to support a bill recognizing civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, but only six of those 18 voted to recall the bill from committee, where it had stalled on a 3-3 vote. Both Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Judiciary chairman Brian Taniguchi had publicly claimed to support equal rights for gays and lesbians. However, the civil rights of citizens are not sufficiently important in these senators' judgment to take precedence over legislative courtesy. Both opposed the bill's recall.

One can only hope that at some point these senators' civil rights depend upon the good will of those whose civil rights they have denied.

For what it's worth, I am heterosexual; but I am a believer in equal rights, unlike Hanabusa and Taniguchi.

Thomas Graham Gans
Honolulu

Some people are more equal than others

The stalemate on HB 444, the civil unions bill, in our state Legislature reminds me of George Orwell's 1945 classic novel “;Animal Farm.”; If my memory serves me right, the pigs organize the farm animals and overthrow Farmer Jones on the principle “;All animals are equal.”; But before the story ends, the principle has been modified to read “;All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”; Prescient man, that Orwell.

J.B. Young
Honolulu

Moving Natatorium is inappropriate

I believe that the razing or the moving of the Waikiki Natatorium's facade is inappropriate for the following reasons:

» If you remove the pool the beach is lost. Do we restore the beach? The natural coastline is scrubbed rock (as in front of aquarium).

» The new groins/construction, which are needed to retain the man-made beach at Kaimana, are not allowed in a marine conservation district.

» Restoration encapsulates sludge in the pool. What will pool demolition do about this?

» What is the real cost of removal versus restoration?

» The old pool was 22 feet deep; the new pool 6-8 feet deep. Less water, more turn over.

» The old pool had three 24-inch openings. New pool has three 8-16 foot openings, bigger openings, better circulation.

» Pool restoration is fully studied and permitted, including an environmental impact statement and other permits. Pool demolition has not been vetted at all.

» Can we relocate the facade? Stucco over block cannot be moved. It would be have to be torn down and rebuilt. This is not preservation.

» The facade is not the memorial. It is a doorway to the pool, which is the real memorial.

» Are we to lose a national and state historic site?

» Are we going to tear down a memorial to 101 Hawaii residents who lost their lives in the Great War? Have we no honor?

» The Natatorium is a key historic, architectural anchor for Waikiki and offers a tourism sense of place.

» Benefits of restored pool are: ADA accessible salt-water swimming venue for elderly and disabled, place for kids to learn to swim and congregate, a site for lifeguard training, water polo and triathlon training.

Beverly Major
Kalihi

Cheney's actions deserve investigation

Even after evidence continues to reveal that going to Iraq for any patriotic notion was non-existent, former Vice President Dick Cheney maintains the righteousness of the war.

But the former Halliburton CEO doesn't discuss his part in the proposed auctioning of Iraqi oil fields some six months before 9/11. While there can be no justification for the horrendous terrorist attack on 9/11, in hindsight, one might understand how a Third World group whose oil rich lands were about to auctioned off by foreigners, might act. Former Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill revealed that in the spring of 2001, Cheney was linked to plans to capture Iraqi oil fields and offer them to investors in an up coming auction.

So next time Cheney tries to lay blame for the hate that lead to terror attacks against America, the Congress may want to further investigate and question Cheney's misdeeds. My neighbor says if Cheney doesn't cooperate, we shouldn't waterboard him, at least not unless he overheats from the grilling!

Smoky Guerrero
Mililani