Legislators slight public on access

Shame on the state legislative committee members who voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 2937 (on restricting access to public records) to the House and Senate floors. Again, just another opportunity to deprive the people of their right to information.

Let's hope the House and Senate members have more concern for the citizens of Hawaii and the United States of America.

There are many marriage limits

The claim that not passing House Bill 444 violates the fundamental civil right of individuals to marry whomever they wish is not valid. Inherent in marriage are limitations, limits on who can marry (no relatives, no minors, only two people, etc.). What people do in the privacy of their own home needs to be kept private, and to insist that a law must be created to make what they do in private acceptable in public is not right.

Current state laws recognize only a marriage that is between one man and one woman. It is not right that HB 444 advocates, deciding that because of their decision to ignore state laws, the rest of the citizens of Hawaii must give them special and preferential treatment.

Passage of HB 444 would circumvent the state law.

The majority needs to let its voice be heard.

Tea Party is not a political threat

I went to the Maui Tea Party rally with a sign saying, “;Abolish Medicare! Stop the handouts!”; to see what reaction I would get. Nobody reacted, except for one woman who told me I had made a mistake, I really meant “;Abolish Medicaid.”; I told her no, I meant Medicare, because it is a socialist program and it should be abolished as well as Medicaid. She persisted in thinking I had made a mistake. She wants to abolish only Medicaid.

The crowd seemed somewhat lackadaisical, hard to rouse to cheers, which mostly were reserved for really snide remarks about Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. I don't think the Tea Party is a serious political threat, barring the extremists who believe in violence. I do think their rhetoric will inspire violence in some.

Anti-'birther' bill should alarm us

The article about the progress of Senate Bill 2937 should alarm citizens (”;Anti-'birther' bill moves forward,”; Star-Bulletin, April 21). Since our government is growing bigger, and therefore more involved in our lives, it is even more important that its citizens can get information.

If President Barack Obama gave his permission to release his birth certificate, the state bureaucracy would not need SB 2937, and this expensive stalemate would end.