I have a hard time reconciling that our celebrities, pro athletes, radio personalities, many politicians, airports, court houses, government buildings, and increasingly, our churches and shopping malls are all protected by armed security — yet every time it is mentioned that armed guards at schools may be a good idea, there is a huge pushback.

All these other place and people are afforded protection, but not our kids? What’s up with that?

It seems like a no-brainer to me.

Gordon Fowler

Aiea

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Easy access to assault arms reflects bribery

The easy access to assault and other weapons is further proof that our democracy is not working to serve the people, but instead, works to serve those who pay bribes to our congressional representatives.

Bill Russell

Mililani

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Russian meddling in elections not new

I say hooray for the investigation into Russian efforts to influence our elections. If the Russians perceive that there is some benefit to them, influencing elections in all countries is what they do. The only thing that surprises me about this is that we are finally starting to awaken that this is happening.

It has already been reported that the Russians will try to influence the 2018 elections. What has not been reported is that the Russians have been doing this forever. Certainly, they attempted to interfere in 2012, 2008, 2004, 2000, etc.

The Russians bused in and paid individual demonstrators/rioters in South America in the 1950s, Northern California in the 1960s and the Occupy Wall Street movement in the 1990s — they’re called outside agitators. Let us hope that these current investigations will lead to unearthing this long-standing practice.

Harry Ozols

Punchbowl

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Homeschool is not to blame in Kema death

Peter Boy Kema Jr. would be alive today if the state Child Welfare Services in east Hawaii island had done their job with due diligence; he’s not dead because he was homeschooled. This needs to be clear. The fact that he was homeschooled is not a reason for his death, as some have tried to say when Senate Bill 2323 was introduced at the Legislature recently.

Child abuse happens in all types of educational settings, whether in private or public schools, regardless of the issuance of background checks. The real issue is that abuse in Peter Kema Jr.’s life was not a result of his being homeschooled, but that state social workers failed to properly investigate this case, and gave him back to his parents just because they completed court-ordered services and complied with a service plan.

The state is responsible for having returned him to documented abusers when there were family and others who insisted they were still not safe, and this is the real tragedy. To associate all homeschoolers with abusive parents is wrong and shortsighted.

Shana Logan

Hilo