Expect more dirty politics

"The lie has wings and the truth crawls after."

I can’t recall who first expressed that thought, but there is no question, according to the coverage in the Star-Advertiser, that it applies to the candidacyof Ben Cayetano for the mayor’s office in 2012.

Unfortunately,thanks to the recent U.S. Supreme Courtrulings, it also applies to more and more politicalcampaigns throughout the country. With the almost unlimited amountsof money that can be spent onelections,a continuous barrage of negative and possibly less-than-totally-truthful ads can have an enormous impact on the results ofan election.

The vast sums of money that can be raised and spent is seriously distorting the process. It is past time to re-examine the mechanisms we useto electthose who will govern us.

Ed Sullam
Aina Haina

PRP ‘apology’ was inadequate

Pacific Resource Partnership attorney Jeff Portnoy has a lot of nerve describing the release of PRP emails as "a potential breach of the terms of the agreement."

I would submit that PRP has already breached those terms by publishing a fake "apology." PRP says it is sorry that Cayetano and "any viewer or listener" concluded from PRP’s media campaign that Cayetano was corrupt. That was PRP’s intention, as shown in the release of its internal emails, and it did not apologize for its actions.

Roberta Ubersax
Waimanalo

Don’t execute criminals here

One hopes that if the federal court comes up with the death penalty in the current case of Naeem Williams, who was convicted for murdering his 5-year-old daughter, the federal government will show respect to the fact that Hawaii does not believe in it, and has not had it for many years.

If this has to happen, let it happen somewhere else.

Alvin Murphy
Manoa

Parole board way too lenient

With regards to John Freudenberg — convicted of seven rapes and attempted rapes, five counts of sodomy and attempted sodomy,19 burglary and attempted burglary counts, six sexual abuse counts — who is currently in prison: This is exactly the problem with the "justice system" in Hawaii and the U.S.

Sentenced to 12 life prison terms, he is asking for release into the community on work furlough, and is suing because his rights have supposedly been violated. Never mind the rights of all those people he was convicted of harming.

People like this guy should be put in cages and have the key thrown away. The folks at the parole board should be there with him. No wonder the public shakes their heads at our terrible justice system.

When will our officials stand up to these career criminals?

Joseph Alexander
Waipahu

Helmet law must include mopeds

The recent tragic death of a Kaiser High School student should highlight the issue of helmetless scooter or moped drivers.

She died as the result hitting a curb and suffering "blunt force trauma" to her unprotected head when she was thrown into a metal light pole.

Such tragedies are made even more senseless in that they are preventable. I have heard of every excuse for not wearing a helmet, from freedom of choice,to the untrue claim that Transportation Department-approved helmets restrict side vision.

When will the parents/ guardians of the teens driving around Hawaii on scooters and skateboards, demand that there be a mandatory helmet law to protect our keiki?

Mark Slovak
Hawaii Kai

Extradition does not make sense

Did we really extradite someone from the mainland at a cost of probably thousands of taxpayer dollars because he didn’t pay $529.79 ("Man in custody for failure to pay after 2006 sentence," Star-Advertiser, June 21)?

Are you kidding me?

I’m surprised the state hasn’t sunk under the shear weight of ineptitude of decisions like this. It has to be a joke. The government spends this money to extradite a person — but if this guy didn’t have $600 for fines, he’s not gonna have the thousands to pay back those costs.

This has to be a joke. No sane person would OK this. Unbelievable.

Luke Vinson
Kaimuki

Cheney insults American people

One would have hoped that with his new heart, Dick Cheney would have had a change of heart.

But he continues to spew the same lies and misinformation about the need to attack Iraq that marked his years as vice president, only now he uses these same lies to attack President Barack Obama for supposedly losing the "victory" the United States had sacrificed so much to achieve.

Who does Cheney think he is, insulting the American people withsuch well-rehearsed garbage? Too much has been written and said about this conflict and the conflicts within his own administration for us to hear little more than the gnarled voice of one desperate to salvage his own discredited reputation. Thomas E. Ricks’ "Fiasco," for example, is a carefully documented history that lays to rest Cheney’s self-serving commentary.

More recently, Gen. David Petraeus argued that Obama’s measured response is the only sensible approach to the Cheney-Bush disaster.

Mark Helbling
Manoa

New helicopters no cause for joy

While the military may be rejoicingabout its new attack helicopters, island residents continue to endure the brutal attack of all the horrendous noise they create as they train day and night over our homes.

Just try to imagine avery large group of very loud motorbikesstreaming past your door for several minutes, then30 minuteslater, another group streams by again, then another, then another … on and on all evening long until after 11 p.m. This is happening right over our heads andon many shores of Oahu. It is simply cruel punishment bordering on torture, andshould stop.

The time has come to move all helicopter training off Oahu, maybe to Pohakuloa on Hawaii island. We wantour pilots to have their training, but we just can’t takeall the noiseany more.

Diane Anderson
Haleiwa

No complaints about VA care

I am sorry that veterans have to wait so long for Veterans Affairs appointments at the VA medical facility.

I am a retired military person with a service-connected disability and am authorized to be seen by VA doctors. I choose to use only the VA Lab and Coagulation Clinic for a Coumadin check. I must say that the care I receive from that clinic’s staff has beennothing short of excellent.

The rest of my medical care is from Medicare, HMSA and Tricare For Life.

Bill Bowles
Mililani

KAWAINUI LETTERS

Restoration will  cause overuse

I am concerned about the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Kawainui-Hamakua Marsh Complex Master Plan, which proposes that the state build parking lots, a campground, trails, public restrooms and structures in the marshes for halau public performances and cultural education.

The proposed activities will impact and damage the marsh, which is a natural resource area for the protection of native plants and wildlife.

Camping, trail hiking and other activities there will disrupt the ecosystem. Asphalt, car exhaust and toxic motor oil runoff from parking lots will poison the plants and wildlife and persist in the marsh.

Increased tour bus traffic will impact Kailua residents as well.

The state has not responded to the community concerns voiced at Kailua Neighborhood Board meetings.

To read and comment on the draft master plan, see http://www.hhf.com/Kawainui. The deadline for public response is June 30.

Anne M. Miller
Kaneohe

State cannot afford the cost

The trail maintenance and noise pollution problems at Maunawili Falls, well documented by this paper and via perspective from Laura Thielen and others, demonstrate that the state woefully lacks resources to maintain our current state parks and trails.

The Kawainui-Hamakua Master Plan feels too big for Kailua at this time. The state battles problems associated with the homeless in Waikiki. Perhaps Kawainui plan proponents should visit the public facilities at the Kailua Beach Park or walk the Kawainui Marsh trail at dawn or dusk.

Homeless have made these places their own, and building more access at this time doesn’t address this critical problem.

When we have resources and a commitment to maintain what we have, perhaps then we can look at educational centers. Yes, please continue to protect the marsh. But let’s wait on those spiffy trails and nature centers. It doesn’t seem that we have the wherewithal yet to support any of it.

Susan Redpath
Kailua