Don't listen to doomsday predictions on Con Con
The expensive campaign being waged against a constitutional convention is nothing more than emotional scare-talk based on a complete absence of fact: "What if the Con Con passes anti-labor amendments?" "What if it approves anti-Hawaiian revisions?"Gollee! What if Diamond Head erupts? The possibilities are about equal.
Don't forget, it was the 1968 Con Con that resulted in collective bargaining rights for public workers. The 1978 Con Con proposed the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and reaffirmation of traditional and customary rights for Hawaiians.
Con Cons don't change the Constitution. They only propose changes, which are then considered by all of us at a future election.
The other piece of nonsense is that a Con Con will cost $15 million. In 1978, we held a Con Con for about $2 million. Allowing for inflation, today's Con Con should cost about $5.2 million.
Ed Michelman
Unions are making ridiculous demands
I work in Kapolei so I can hardly wait to show my employer your Oct. 20 article, "Union knocks state on Kapolei move." A union spokesman indicated that because I must drive a greater distance to work, I should not be expected to be as productive as someone who lives closer. And I love the idea about working only four days a week because I am being "inconvenienced" as a result of the distance between my home and my job.Fortunately, I am realistic enough to know in advance what my boss' response to such requests would be.
All of this leads to the following questions for state employees who now live in Central and Leeward and who drive to downtown Honolulu: Should they have a similar right to be less productive and work four days a week instead of five? Or perhaps because they must sit in traffic for two hours in both directions, with the sun shining intently in their eyes, they should only have to work three days?
Is my sarcasm showing yet? Driving west to Kapolei, once past the downtown congestion, is a breeze. Having a good job is a privilege.
Wouter Nicolai
Holmes has been defender of environment
Now that the hard work is done, Melodie Aduja promises to protect the Ka Iwi shoreline if elected to the City Council. Where was Aduja when many of her contemporaries like me sacrificed years of our time to prevent the urbanization of the Sandy Beach coastline?Where was she when we fought other hard battles to balance development with environmental protection?
She was nowhere to be seen. She showed no interest and gave no help. Steve Holmes is the one who has earned and who deserves the Sandy Beach vote.
Donna L. Burns
Filipino association didn't endorse Lingle
The group that calls itself Filipino Coalition, identified in the Lingle for Governor advertisements appearing in newspapers, is not affiliated with our civil rights advocacy organization, the Filipino Coalition for Solidarity.We have taken a nonpartisan stance while vigorously promoting voter education and voter registration. This election year we initiated the successful Filipino nonpartisan voter registration drive, "Tanikala." The project has since been hosted by the Oahu Filipino Community Council.
Because we have been called Filipino Coalition for short since we were formed in 1991, some people have called us to express concern about the confusion engendered by the group that chose to use the same name as our organization. We would like to set the record straight.
Zachary G. Labez
President
Filipino Coalition for Solidarity Inc.
Miano simply reacted to mandate of voters
Marge Koyama's Oct. 26 letter insults both the intelligence of the people of the 15th House district and the integrity of Republican candidate Rich Miano. Koyama claims that voters were "confused" and thought Miano was not a candidate in the primary election. If so, why did he receive twice as many votes as did Democratic incumbent David Stegmaier?Koyama claims that Miano broke his word that he was "withdrawing his candidacy." Actually, all Miano did was agree not to actively campaign because of a conflict between his broadcasting job and ill-defined federal equal time requirements. Legally, he remained a candidate.
When the primary results resoundingly demonstrated the voters' interest in a new face to represent them in the House, Miano listened and reacted in a completely responsible way. An agreement was reached with his opponent covering the equal time requirement, and Miano launched a high-energy campaign.
He has demonstrated a sincere desire to serve this district. So pardon me, but I don't see a problem here.
Richard Baker
Hawaii Kai
Abercrombie didn't kill jobs at Pearl Harbor
Shades of Orson Swindle! In his Oct. 21 letter, Thomas Oliver Platt alleges that Congressman Neil Abercrombie's vote in favor of Clinton's 1993 deficit-reduction budget package led to the layoff of 13,000 defense workers in Hawaii. A layoff of that magnitude would have required the closure of Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hickam Air Force Base and Kaneohe Marine Corps Base!When Swindle first made this unsubstantiated allegation back in the 1994 congressional race, then-Senate military appropriations chairman Daniel Inouye said he had no idea where Swindle got that number. It was blatant misinformation then, and remains so today.
In fact, Abercrombie and Inouye have been so effective in garnering federal funds to create jobs for people at our bases that Pearl Harbor has more than enough work for its work force of 3,300.
Richard Uyehara
Past President
Hawaii Federal Employees
Metal Trades Council
And the debate goes on...
Not all Lutheran pastors support gay marriage
Your Oct. 2 editorial on the "division in clergy" could be misconstrued to imply that all Lutheran pastors are in favor of same-sex marriage. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pastor Don Johnson speaks for himself.I oppose the legalizing of same-sex marriage. There is indeed a compelling need for the state to make a decision on this moral issue.
History teaches us that healthy societies are built on the foundation of families consisting of a man and a woman, along with their offspring. Undermine the integrity of that institution, and you undermine a society.
Pastor Don Baron
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
(Via the Internet)
What took so long to fix this 'mistake'?
If the meaning and intention of Hawaii's equal rights amendment was really to redefine the meaning of marriage as Judge Chang and the Hawaii Supreme Court have decided for us, why did it take decades for the issue to come up?John Fullmer
(Via the Internet)
Homosexuality is an inherited trait
Today, overwhelming scientific research shows that homosexuality is inherited. Like heterosexuality, it is a biological orientation. Homosexuality has many parallels with left-handedness. People are born that way; it is not determined by a child's environment, role models, parents or other influences. "Straight" parents produce the vast majority of gay kids, and gay parents produce "straight" kids, too.Gay people are not the shadowy figures of evil that the religious right and its campaign of hate and fear would have us believe. Gay people are around us every day, in our families, our schools, our churches, and in our workplaces and businesses. They are our teachers, auto mechanics, doctors, bus drivers, our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters.
It is time to reject the hysterical fears that come from the hate orchestrated by the religious right and its political agenda. Instead, it is time to teach our children about love, acceptance and the value of diversity in our community.
Terry L. Hunt
Associate Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Hawaii-Manoa
Good reasons to vote 'no' on amendment
I see several reasons to vote "no" on the constitutional amendment question -- to expand the definition of "family" by which the state extends rights and privileges in recognition of committed relationships; to protect the rights and privileges that are given to recognized families and couples for good reason; and to again confirm that a separation of state and church is a foundation of our, and especially Hawaii's, society.Lance Bateman
(Via the Internet)
Let there be gender lite...
A compelling interest in mayo with my fries...
As far back as I can remember, I've been eating mayonnaise with my fries. Catsup has just never been my gig. I haven't seen my dipping technique on a cooking show, nor has anyone ever suggested that I should dip my fries in mayo. I just knew that it tasted yummy! My taste buds were born this way.It hasn't been easy being a Mayo-n-Fries person. I've been surrounded by the Catsup-n-Fries crowd. Oh sure, I've met the occasional Milk Shake Dippers. I've even met a few other Mayo-n-Fries people! Many of my friends are Catsup-n-Fries people, even my husband is a Catsup Dipper.
They dip their way...I dip my way. I'm not going to change, and neither are they. We get along by respecting each other's taste buds.
Growing up, I was teased by the other children. I was singled out for being different. They said I was "not normal," and that it was a "sin" to use mayo on my fries. I don't even know how they knew about my affection for mayo. I never ate it at school or spoke about it with anyone.
Ordering mayo can be a challenge. Some burger joints don't have mayonnaise. But every burger joint and diner in town has a bottle of catsup on the table. It doesn't bother me in the least! I'm happy that Catsup Dippers have such convenience and acceptance.
My fear now is that a group of Catsup Dippers want to ban mayonnaise. I don't understand. What do they care how I dip my fries? Who will they go after next -- the Milk Shake Dippers? The Thousand Island Dippers? The Honey Mustard Dippers?
I still see plenty of catsup bottles on the tables. Catsup-n-Fries folks don't have to worry about the bottles going away. I have a feeling catsup will be around for a long, long time.
I'm voting "no" on Nov. 3!
Monica Solorio-Snow
Mililani
(Via the Internet)
Some folks swing in only one direction
I have read that Protect Our Constitution wants to allow homosexuality. That eases my mind. The way the other side has been talking, I thought they wanted to make it mandatory.Gene Phillips
Kaneohe
Justices shouldn't be allowed to make laws
Both sides of the homosexual marriage issue have been using fear and smoke screens to sway voters. The real issue is whether Hawaii Supreme Court justices are allowed to make the laws, or whether they should just make judgments based on the law.If the judges were allowed to decide their own take on the laws, the meanings would change every time a judge was replaced.
Ron Neff
(Via the Internet)
Saying 'yes' damages image of aloha
The recent televised forum on Channel 2 about the same-sex marriage issue left me with one conclusion: the Save Traditional Marriage people simply don't like homosexuals. Period.Mike Gabbard of that organization indicated that same-sex marriage would discourage tourism. I should think bigotry would be a much bigger turnoff.
Mahlon Moore
(Via the Internet)
Hawaii doesn't want dubious distinction
As the Nov. 3 ballot question on marriage fast approaches, people should remember one thing -- without a majority "yes" vote, Hawaii will be the first state in the nation to legally sanction homosexual marriage.Do you want that to happen? If the answer is "no," then vote "yes!"
Carol Suzuki
Kailua
Marriage might give gays confidence to be honest
I just got some photos back from being developed and put them into albums. Many are of my Samoan family. I also have photos of friends from all over the world -- all races and genders, both gay and straight.I also have pictures of an ex-boyfriend and of a man I am dating. Their pictures went into the photo album, too. But in real life, I am only just beginning to bring both of my worlds together. Why have I waited? To be frank, I haven't been ready and I'm not sure my family is.
I'm 41 years old. It makes me very sad to know that so much of my life has passed and been divided by homophobia. I support gay marriage, not just for the recognized right to share my life with another gay person, but for my right to share my life with my family.
I urge Christian families to support gay marriage. It will bring more honor and unity and love to the entire family.
Dan Taulapapa McMullin
(Via the Internet)
Government ignores clamor of the people
For democracy to work, citizens must be confident that their government is responsive to their requirements. That confidence is betrayed when government ignores the demands of most people to please a vocal few.The unnecessary ruling of the state Supreme Court requiring homosexual marriage, and the workings of the state Senate to promote the same, are two aspects of this. Now we see the anger and frustration among those who feel that their government is no longer by the people or for the people. Government is out of touch with the people.
Donnie A. Mings
Hauula
Same-sex marriage:
Past articles
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