TRANSIT

WE NEED SCHOOL BUSES, NOT FIXED-RAIL SYSTEM

Did you notice anything different about your drive into work last Monday morning? No traffic. Why? Schools are on spring break. It happens every time schools are on break.

This truth seems to be lost on our elected officials and civic planners.

Any mass transit plan that does not achieve student and parent participation is doomed to fail.

We need school buses, not a billion-dollar fixed-rail system.

HISTORY

BIBLICAL BELIEFS LED TO FORMING OF GOVERNMENT

Isn't it odd that merely suggesting the Bible be taught in public schools leads some to assume defensive positions and launch counterattacks?

According to their letters of March 20, Rob Steuk and Ken Berkun seem to have missed the point of Stephen Prothero's commentary of March 16.

As suggested by Prothero, the study of the Bible as a historical and cultural imperative of our past is not a religious endeavor.

We may have a religiously indifferent government, but it was the biblical beliefs of many of our founding fathers that led to the formation of such a government.

Understanding the concepts that formed our government is key to understanding its operation and purpose.

It would seem Steuk and Berkun prefer to constrict Christianity in our present by limiting the study of its significance to our past. To paraphrase the Bible: perhaps it's best we not separate what God has joined together.

Patrick Henry said: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."

STUDENTS SHOULD BE URGED TO STUDY BIBLE

I have been a naturalized citizen of the United States for four years. Although I am a Buddhist, I strongly agree with Professor Stephen Prothero when he says in his March 16 article that "Biblical illiteracy is a civic problem with political consequences. How can citizens participate in biblically inflected debates on abortion, capital punishment or the environment without knowing something about the Bible?"

I hope that high school students will be allowed, better yet, encouraged to study as many subjects as possible. And that includes studying the Bible, which is certainly "of sufficient importance in Western civilization to merit its own course."

PSYCHOLOGISTS

PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY SHOULDN'T BE ENACTED

Did you know that 48 states do not allow psychologists to prescribe medications?

Keep Hawai'i from joining the other two: Louisiana and New Mexico. Is it any wonder that New York passed a bill prohibiting psychologists from this dangerous and "rich versus poor" prescriptive authority?

Advocate for safe solutions. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) O'AHU is campaigning to stop the passage of House Bill 1456 and Senate Bill 1004.

ELDER ABUSE

STRENGTHEN LAW NOW TO PROTECT OUR KUPUNA

I was shocked and disappointed to learn that after numerous discussions by the Kupuna Caucus, testimony at the Legislature, articles in the major newspapers and an outpouring of scenarios shared by ordinary citizens that there is still a minority voice that continues to believe and promote the notion that abuse of vulnerable adults in Hawai'i is neither urgent nor important!

House Concurrent Resolutions 182 and 140 ask for another elder abuse task force to study the issue. Since the enactment of the Elder Abuse Law in 1989, there have been countless task forces and discussion groups to "study" this problem or to tweak the program without legislative changes.

None of these well-intended measures has worked. Let's put our money where our mouth is by strengthening the present Adult Protective Services law to protect vulnerable individuals once and for all.

Even as we advocate for legislative changes in the present APS law, vulnerable adults are being physically, financially and sexually abused.

Let's not keep this a hidden problem any longer. Legislators, please change the law and appropriate funds to staff Adult Protective Services.

LEGISLATURE

HEE PATIENT, COURTEOUS TO TESTIFERS AT SENATE

I wholeheartedly disagree with David Shapiro's personal assessment of Sen. Clayton Hee (Volcanic Ash, March 21).

As a former legislative clerk and frequent testifier at the Legislature, I have always been treated courteously by Senator Hee.

Senator Hee is patient in explaining the protocol of testifying to those inexperienced with the process and makes sure that he understands the message. This is not always an easy task as many citizens are so impassioned with their message, or have challenges with communicating in English, that they are unable to testify effectively.

Senator Hee is patient and gently encouraging to those constituents. He gives a voice to children.

RIGHTS

SOMETIMES, MAJORITY IS STUBBORNLY WRONG

A crucial point about majority rule, which James Roller (Letter, March 8) and Isabelo Morales (Letter, March 14) neglected to mention, is that in a democracy, the majority itself can function as a tyrant.

The majority is not an assembly of saints possessing perfect wisdom. It is comprised of fallible human beings, who can sometimes be profoundly and stubbornly wrong.

Consider, for example, that "when the California Supreme Court struck down (racial) discrimination in marriage, polls showed 90 percent of the public opposed marriage equality for interracial couples. As late as 1967, when the U.S. Supreme Court finally (struck down state laws banning interracial marriages), the polls showed 70 percent opposed. Imagine the injury to our nation if the opposition had prevailed with arguments like 'let the people vote' or with attacks on 'activist judges,' and had cemented discrimination into our Constitution." (Evan Wolfson, Why Marriage Matters, 2004, page 70)

When the majority uses the brute force of its numerical dominance to abridge the civil rights of minorities because it is unable to support its position with facts and superior reasoning, might has prevailed over right and liberty and justice for all have been denied.

MIDEAST

EDITORIAL ON IRAQ WAR WAS SPECIOUS, DEFICIENT

Your editorial on the lessons from the Iraq war was deficient.

You repeated the same lies as President Bush ("faulty intelligence" and "charges" of exaggerated Iraqi threat) despite tons of evidence and many witness accounts proving the Bush team was focused to get Saddam Husein right after Sept. 11, regardless of any facts.

And you used another specious argument — that withdrawing U.S. troops would be "damaging" — when facts clearly show the destructive U.S. occupation is the main cause of the murderous mayhem in Iraq today.

But, most critically, you missed the biggest lesson to be gleaned from the Iraq fiasco — that a cabal of fanatic ideologues under the spell of a fundamentalist boss is already attacking our freedoms at home (i.e., torturing prisoners, spying on innocent citizens, trashing sacred legal protections like habeus corpus), while undermining democracy at home and abroad.

That cabal operates right inside the White House compound. Our citizens must now succeed in ridding that felonious gang, or the war of terror on the world will surge on.

Polls consistently show large majorities of the U.S. and Iraqi public want American troops pulled out, not more surges of armed occupiers.

'LITTLE JEWEL'

TELL OUR POLITICIANS TO LEAVE AQUARIUM ALONE

The politicians should leave the Waikiki Aquarium alone. This "little jewel" contains some unique marine species not found in any other aquariums.

Big is not necessarily excellent, unique or beautiful.

The present aquarium is all that and a lot more.

Let us keep it the way it is. Gary K. Ostrander, University of Hawai'i vice chancellor for research and graduate education, is correct. What the state can do is see that the aquarium is properly maintained, funded and has the best and most competent people running it.

MAHALO

'ANGEL' HELPED STALLED MOTORIST IN RUSH HOUR

I am writing this letter to acknowledge and thank Scott Mukai for his kindness in seeing me through a stressful morning recently.

He appeared like an angel to get my battery-dead car out of early morning traffic at the intersection of Liliha and Wyllie Streets.

As I sat in my car with traffic beginning to pile up behind me, Scott appeared out of nowhere and pushed my car to a nearby driveway.

He also kindly stayed with me until the tow truck arrived.

I was fortunate in being on the street at the same time as Scott.

I shall never forget his kindness, and felt that his good deed should be shared.

GENETIC ENGINEERING

BANNING AG RESEARCH IS NOTHING BUT FANTASY

Adolph Helm's Island Voices column of March 13 ("Genetic engineering ban bad for Hawai'i") finally provides some reality to the current desire by the Legislature to ban agricultural research on taro and coffee utilizing genetic engineering methods.

Banning agricultural research of any kind in Hawai'i is the same as mandating the reduction of local agricultural production forever, and putting all us consumers in lock step with Matson's weekly cargo deliveries.

Hawai'i differs from the Mainland in pest-control methods. Winters reduce insects and diseases on the Mainland. Hawai'i does not have that luxury.

Here, farmers must spray almost on a weekly basis to control all the insects and diseases being reintroduced daily from neighboring farms, gardens or the forests.

If Hawai'i is going to produce sufficient quantities of produce to supply our own population, every research technique, including genetic engineering, should be utilized to reduce pests in Hawai'i's crops.

Banning any kind of agricultural research in Hawai'i is pure fantasy.