Same-sex marriage needs prompt OK

With the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage, many questions remain. What happens if people married legally in another country or another state either reside in Hawaii or move to Hawaii mid-year? Do they have access to the federal rights and responsibilities in Hawaii, or do they lose them as Hawaii does not have marriage equality?

There are many federal laws that interact with state laws that need to be addressed.

Hawaii can eliminate these quandaries and the costs of the almost guaranteed lawsuits by recognizing marriage equality as soon as possible. It will happen, as even many opponents acknowledge. We should do it now.

Lance Bateman
Upper Kalihi Valley

Cruelty abounds in attacks on Paula Deen

I decline to remain silent while the vultures eat the living. It has become a free-for-all and a piling-on to Paula Deen.

None of us are sinners, except poor Paula Deen. I do not know her. I do not even watch her programs. I see a woman and a fellow human being pilloried and dragged through the streets like an animal and I am filled with compassion.

Where are the fair-minded voices of my fellow Americans to speak out against such cruelty? I have not heard a good reason to pick up a stone, yet boulders are being flung at her. We treat animals with greater respect. I’m ashamed.

Nelson S.W. Chang
Kaneohe

Developers will leave government liable

Ordinary people wouldn’t even think about building a condominium on lowlands near the ocean. The accelerating rise in sea level caused by global warming is too great a threat. However, a number of new condos are planned for Kakaako in the impact zone.

That’s because those who are building the condos are not ordinary people. They are big landowners who want to maximize the income from their properties before they literally go underwater. They are developers who can make money from those projects, as well as architects, financial lending institutions, construction workers and Realtors. But they have to work fast before sea level rise becomes too noticeable; otherwise, nobody will buy the condos.

What happens many years from now when much of Kakaako goes underwater? There will likely be thousands of angry condo owners whose properties will be worthless. Their only recourse would be to sue the government agencies that knew about global warming and approved the construction of those condos anyway.

John Kawamoto
Honolulu

IRS probe used for political purposes

Reports that employees of the Internal Revenue Service have been unfairly targeting conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code have ignited bipartisan outrage and prompted investigations by congressional committees.

However, Republicans on the investigating panel seem to be more interested in linking President Barack Obama to the scandal than in finding out what really happened, even though the report issued by the U.S. Treasury’s inspector general emphatically states that there was no evidence of any political motivation or influence from outside the IRS.

Apparently, the Republicans goal is not to find out the facts behind the scandal but to inflict political harm on the president.

To restore public confidence in the IRS, congressional members need to stop the partisan bickering and work together in ascertaining why such egregious behavior occurred and to institute appropriate corrective actions to preclude the recurrence of such a behavior.

Rod B. Catiggay
Mililani

‘Gassed’ fish should be labeled as such

When you purchase poke or a similar seafood product in Hawaii, do you have any idea of when that fish was caught, frozen, treated or prepared? Because of loopholes in federal regulations, such disclosure and dating of the products is not required for items commonly sold in Hawaii, such as poke.

A large amount of the ahi used to make poke is "gassed" ahi, imported from outside the United States. This gassed or "tailpipe tuna" is usually made up of smaller, older or damaged fish treated with carbon monoxide to retain the red color in the fish and make it appear of higher quality.

A state regulation requiring the seller to list on the packaging the "date caught," "use by," or some similar information would inform buyers about the product they are about to consume. This information would assist in their choice of selecting the "gassed" and usually less expensive product, as opposed to the fresher and usually more expensive, locally caught tuna.

Gary Beals
Hilo