Lingle, unions must agree soon

It's alarming and confusing that unions will poll their members for a strike vote but act without consensus when approx-imately 1,100 members will lose their jobs.

In the United States of America, especially Hawaii, people come together and help their neighbors when there is a crisis. Neighbors bag sand to stop a flood, or water their neighbor's roof during a fire — yet the union members are not given the opportunity to help save the jobs of their fellow workers.

How difficult it must be to use one's seniority to cause another employee to be fired. It might be strategy or the art of negotiation, but what happens to the bond of friendship when a person starts to target a fellow worker's job? How will unions ask for a strike vote in the future if they realize that members will suffer economic hardship if there is a strike for more than two days?

The governor and union leaders must reach a settlement quickly, or the morale of the state workers will continue to deteriorate.

Media hypocrites lack discretion

I know little of Coach Greg McMackin and otherwise wouldn't care, but this needs to be said. It is bad enough that there has always been plenty of goodie-two-shoes, most of them absolute hypocrites, poised to excoriate a public figure for virtually any breach of language or deed. It is so much worse that our media supports this tripe. Years past, the media had some sense of discretion and proportion. They had a maturity that the hypocrites did not.

Now, they are more than happy to support the gotcha-game. It is sensational, and it sells. The fact that it has the potential to ruin the lives of people whose only offense is being a public figure caught in a common indiscretion or insensitivity has no bearing. Selling newspapers or airtime is the name of the game.

The day is coming that virtually every aspect of all of our lives will be open to recording and potential exposure to the public. When that day comes, will the media finally go back to some degree of maturity in reporting?

Rail transit system deserves support

We must support the Honolulu city and county's rail transit initiative.

As a native Hawaiian and Waianae resident, I can tell you we have been waiting for a viable transportation option to help us save money and time. I am a business owner with offices located near the airport and I can tell you that I will be the first in line to use rail in place of driving to and from Waianae.

Rail will create jobs and an affordable and reliable means of transportation to and from the west side. Our native Hawaiian community must support rail. It's good for all of us.

No jubilation felt in illegal statehood

The “;Jubilee of Statehood,”; was supposed to be a humdinger of an event. But the mood had changed considerably since 1959, so the state's celebration commission decided to downplay the jubilant part of jubilee.

You see, over the last few decades Hawaiians became increasingly aware that there was something wrong with statehood. The more that was discovered about the shady circumstances that led to statehood, the more statehood looked like a massive con job. The people of Hawaii (and the world, for that matter) were hoodwinked.

The passage of the Apology Resolution in 1993 by Congress and signed by the president, had obvious implications: It confirmed that Hawaii was being unlawfully possessed by the U.S.; that the Kingdom of Hawaii never ceased to be; and that the people of Hawaii had the lawful right (indeed, patriotic duty) to restore their country.

The Republic of Hawaii was unlawful; the annexation of Hawaii by the U.S. was unlawful; the Territory of Hawaii was unlawful; and the State of Hawaii was and is unlawful.

This is radically different from Hawaii being the 50th state. The dilemma for the state is: celebrating the jubilee of a lie.