State Bar ratings deny due process

I was appalled when the Hawaii State Bar Association gave Judge Michael Wilson an "unqualified" rating without stating any reasons.

The Bar did the same thing in 2010 to Judge Katherine Leonard when she was nominated to the state Supreme Court.

That year, I appeared on a forum alongside Deputy Attorney General Hugh Jones and former Bar President Douglas Crosier on the issue of how the Bar should handle judicial nominations. I was the only one objecting to Star Chamber-like anonymous ratings without giving the candidate even the most basic due process.

Fortunately, while the Senate was less forgiving of Leonard’s nomination, it rejected the vague Bar rating in Wilson’s case.

Hopefully, the Bar will accord future candidates fundamental fairness and an opportunity to respond to specific facts and not opaque generalizations.

Michael A. Lilly
Former Hawaii attorney general

Hawaii Kai carnival helping area school

It takes sacrifice and support from a community to raise a child.

It is therefore surprising that the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board is against an effort to hold a carnival to benefit Kaiser High School, a nonprofit organization ("Carnival planned for Hawaii Kai draws opposition," Star-Advertiser, March 6).

Other communities hold carnivals to help schools such as ‘Iolani and Punahou. Traffic around these schools is terrible, but the community understands and supports the students. Is it the residents of Hawaii Kai, or past members of the neighborhood board, who seem to be against any progress or benefits to the people of Hawaii Kai?

The planners of this event should ensure safety, and the residents should attend, if they support the students of Kaiser High School.Enjoy, be safe and be respectful of the neighborhood.

Cynthia Endo
Kuliouou

Unlikely we have second-worst traffic

I don’t know what demographics are being used to determine that Hawaii has the second-highest level of traffic in the nation behind Los Angeles ("Honolulu traffic is second worst in U.S.," Star-Advertiser, March 5).

Los Angeles is a traffic nightmare, as anyone knows. But if you sat in any rush-hour traffic across the East Coast, you’ll instantly rule out Hawaii. The traffic in major U.S. cities that have many millions of commuters will only wish they had a commute in Hawaii. There, you will easily kill your engine for a good 20 minutes and still the traffic does not move. They call the streets "parking lots." It’s actually a protocol to never get on the freeway with less than a quarter tank of gas. Add in the erratic weather and the word "gridlock" is an understatement.

Hawaii’s traffic is getting worse but we’re nowhere near the "second in the nation" ranking by AAA or anyone else.

Han Song
Kaneohe

22 of 25 top donors are liberal-leaning

The press and political cartoons, such as the one in the Star-Advertiser (March 6), love to vilify the Koch brothers for contributing to political campaigns, but in the past 25 years, they are 59th on the list of political donors, with 18 different unions surpassing them in political donations, according to OpenSecrets.org.

These unions include the No. 2 contributor to political campaigns, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which contributed $60 million, and No. 3, the National Education Association at $53 million. The Koch brothers contributed $18 million.

In fact, of the 25 largest contributors to election campaigns, 22 are liberal-leaning donors, with ActBlue, a very liberal political action committee, at No. 1, donating $97 million.

Since 2007, the Koch brothers have donated $320 million to MIT, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and other hospitals, have pledged $110 million to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Ballet Theater, and have given $7 million to PBS for Nova and $148 million to education, including major museums.

Gary R. Johnson
Kaneohe

Marriage is about legal relationship

Evangelical Christian churches and their members are apparently still unhinged by the adoption of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act.

They should, however, "render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s," and recognize that government has the responsibility for making the laws related to marriage.

Marriage is, after all, a legal relationship. Government determines who can marry, as well as the rights and responsibilities of married parties.

The church should be concerned about the spiritual lives of people, married and unmarried, without distinction.

John Kawamoto
Kaimuki

Obama hypocritical in Ukraine crisis

In the standoff with Russia over Ukraine, we have to marvel at the unified audacity of hypocrisy by the White House and congressional representatives.

With complete shameful deceit, they are calling for "upholding international law" and "respect for national sovereignty."

What about 1893 and the illegal overthrow of the then-lawful Hawaiian government? Didn’t Punahou-educated President Barack Obama learn about the "regime change" executed by a nominally local "revolutionary" committee of an aggressive minority, against the expressed wishes of the vast majority of local citizens?

The civilized world community will listen to Uncle Sam seriously when Washington finally decides to negotiate to return full sovereignty to the descendants of that original overthrow.

Danny H.C. Li
Keaau, Hawaii island