Maui arsonists deserve Gitmo

I am deeply saddened to see that the Maui mansion fire could be an act of terrorism. They call it a hate crime, but these cowards should be sent to Gitmo and treated like the lowlife, cowardly criminals they are.

This is not the way responsible, rational, intelligent people deal with issues. I hope that the state of Hawaii takes an active role in stopping this insane, antisocial behavior.

Keep Kalaupapa in federal hands

We are writing on behalf of the Kalaupapa patient community to let you know that we do not support the passing of Senate Bill 2771 and House Bill 2975. There are now just a handful of us, but we feel we have to stand up and be heard.

Fearing our stories would be forgotten, the patient community invited the National Park Service to come to Kalaupapa to document our history and preserve our stories. It has been doing this since 1980. Over the last 30 years, the National Park Service has shown us that it have the knowledge, experience and resources to do this better that any state agency. If left to the state, especially with the current budget deficit, we are afraid for the future of Kalaupapa and what might happen to its valuable cultural resources. We gave testimony in 1980 and we are speaking once again. We want the National Park Service to remain at Kalaupapa in perpetuity to take care of this sacred aina and to tell our stories to future generations.

We are in our golden years and we should not have to worry about this. Please respect our wishes. Please hear our voices and the voices of the patients who are no longer here.

Rod Tam cartoon was pure genius

Thursday's cartoon in your editorial section depicting “;Rod Tam's Mad Tea Party”; is a work of pure genius, for which its creator, Dennis Long, is to be highly commended. Regrettably, it is also a sad commentary on a political celebrity who seems hell-bent on self-destruction through blatant racism, utter stupidity, arrogant greed and a total lack of ethical morals.

Tam is an unequivocal disgrace to his constituents, to his fellow Democratic and Republican politicians and to all of the people of Hawaii. His disappearance from the public sector cannot come soon enough.

Librarians have fondness for Tam

Rod Tam never took me to dinner, but I'd be happy to chip in $20 dollars to a “;misplaced hospitality”; city money replacement fund.

Back when Rod was chairman of the Senate Education Committee, he spoke to our little group of dedicated professionals (master's in library science). He had good advice: “;Most of my colleagues don't really know what you librarians do. You need identity.”; He then proceeded to come to two more meetings to help us think outside of our box. The result: LIBRARIES NOURISH: (Think) RICE. Recreation ... Information ... Culture ... Education. Yes, that is what libraries provide.

Thank you Rod Tam, friend of libraries and librarians.

Health care bill is sorely needed

For more than 60 years, our elected leaders have ignored the destructive profiteering by the health care and insurance industry. Nationally, more than 45,000 Americans die every year and thousands more go bankrupt due to these out-of-control health care costs.

The Health Reform Bill, which is now before Congress, is a good start to reversing this trend. The prescription drug “;donut hole”; that corporate lobbyists inserted into Medicare Part D will be reduced and eventually eliminated. No one should have to choose between food or medicine. Benefits will include cancer screenings at no cost and seniors can keep their doctors.

Small businesses will no longer face sudden, arbitrary rate hikes and the national disgrace of seriously ill people being thrown off the insurance rolls will end.

There are many excellent reform measures in this bill, with preventive care being key to its success. Much more needs to be done, but we must encourage our leaders to pass health care reform now so we can get on with our lives.