Same-sex opponents err to quote Bible

People in mixed-race marriages who use biblical passages to oppose same-sex marriage miss the irony and cast the same stones once used against them.

According to the famous landmark legal decision, Loving v. Virginia, in 1958: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents.And but for the interference with his arrangement, there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix."

That decision was appealed and later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Today in Hawaii, the races are so mixed that very few are 100 percent anything.So now the former perpetrators of God’s will are using the same arguments to condemn the next group of feared minorities.

Only in hindsight can we see the hypocrisy of using God to discriminate in barring marriages.

Sean Tesla
Anahola, Kauai

Debate is welcome but please be civil

In the same-sex marriage debate this past week, the varied frameworks for analysis presented by testifiers and those in the social media have blurred the parameters surrounding how we should view this issue.

Should it be from a religious perspective?A social justice perspective?A civil rights perspective?A cultural perspective?

Even when deciding on a framework, the resulting facts and law are open to multiple interpretations and arguments, which lead to further confusion — i.e. what do Christians really believe about same-sex relationships? What does the Constitution state? Will the state Depart- ment of Education have an affirmative duty to teach students about same-sex relationships?

Each individual’s opinions have led to more questions, and the vague answers to these questions prompt greater inquiry. This issue has caused anger, resentment and rifts between families and friends.

Engage in the political process, but be respectful of adverse opinions. Is that too much to ask?

Kanani Souza
Kapolei

Fortunately, not all cops are like testifier

A police officer gave testimony Monday at the state Capitol and said he would not uphold the law if not from his Heavenly Father.

I slept with a man for more than 26 1/2 years. I married him on the mainland in 2008. I was with him through 35 radiation treatments and seven chemo- therapy treatments. I caught him in my arms as he collapsed from pain and weakness at the hospital. I sat by his bed in home hospice, holding his hand when he passed away in agonizing pain from neck cancer on Sept. 3.

Leviticus says I should be put to death. If this police officer was watching as I was being beaten to death for sleeping with my husband, he would let me die and not try to stop it, because he would not uphold the law.

I thank God that most HPD officers do not share his disregard for upholding the law.

Vern Lentz
Salt Lake

Too many homes built near shores

Lawrence Makishima and Philip K. Ho make good points on living near the ocean ("Live near the ocean at your own peril" and "Government can’t resolve beach erosion," Letters, Star-Advertiser, Nov. 3).

Common sense should lead us to understand that the closer to the ocean one builds, the greater the possibility of peril. Oceanfront homes and beaches are both in peril.

At Kailua Bay, many large homes continue to be built on the shore, each one closer to the water than the last. In my lifetime, I have seen many of these sites flooded by ocean water.

What is the logic that allows these structures ever closer to the water? What will be the solution when these structures are threatened by storms, rising sea levels and receding beaches?

Certainly, allowing new construction so close to the shore makes no sense and will add to the problem in the future.

Zoning laws and approval processes need to be reviewed. The current rules for zoning setbacks are not sensible or logical, if we want to preserve our beaches.

Mark F. Kelliher
Kailua

Don’t let company evict Kahuku folks

I think we’ve all read the story about Continental Pacific, wherein the company claims to want to "sell" property to people who have lived in Kahuku Village since childhood, then when they can’t pay, face eviction.

This is a total embarrassment to all of us living in Hawaii, that a company from the mainland — Florida — is capable of such devious, disgraceful and unethical behavior.

I would like to urge all attorneys to take up this just cause, and defend the people living in Kahuku — and not only make this land permanently the property of those living there for generations, but strengthen some of these leasehold property laws to safeguard these families.

Cathleen Pomponio
Kalihi

Politicians work for developers, not us

I must sadly agree with Rike Weiss ("Pundit exaggerated Sierra Club’s power," Letters, Star-Advertiser, Nov. 5).

It is my opinion that our political system and the developers are hand-in-hand — have been for years — and that any honest effort to properly and honestly use our land resources will always be trumped by greed. The minor detail of being an island, with limited resources, doesn’t bother them a bit.

With their "build it and they will come" plans, they are all getting rich off of these deals. They can just leave when this place is no longer habitable; tough luck for the rest of the people here.

Government of, by and for the people — what a joke.

John Hoover
Kailua