Was Kaneshiro not forthright?

I read the article "Homicide case was flubbed, prosecutor admits" (Star-Advertiser, Nov. 19), and my "obfuscating radar" went on immediately.

When asked if other cases were bungled, city Prosecutor Keith Kane-shiro mentioned 15 to 20 sex assault cases that all happened before his time (so he’s not responsible for that) but he doesn’t actually say that the case with the Ewa Beach pedestrian was the sole error made under his leadership. So I have a problem with him, unless he wishes to make a direct statement (perhaps in a letter to the editor)that the Ewa Beach case was the only flubbed case after he assumed office.

He should meet with the Nakama family and pay them $200,000 out of his own pocket, if he’s really sincere. Computers cannot eliminate human error, and human error is what we have here.

David Yasuo Henna
McCully

Army departure offers benefits

Instead of lamenting what the U.S. Army brings to Oahu, consider how much more pleasant paradise would be without Army personnel.

There would be:

» Affordable housing for those earning minimum wage, with barracks for the homeless.

» A multitude of economic opportunities for the Leeward Coast residents as they finally regain access to Kolekole Pass.

» A substantial reduction in traffic and abandoned pets.

And the list goes on.

At the very least, move the Army out of Makaha to the lava fields, where it will learn to keep on its toes while Pele spits back.

Rico Leffanta
Kakaako

Article showed Army’s mindset

The article by Col. Thomas D. Farrell (Ret.) is a perfect reminder of what the insensitive, arrogant military thinks of Hawaii ("On balance, Army in Hawaii is a positive," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 23).

He poses two questions, the first of which was, "Is the Army a good deal for Hawaii?" His answer: "Frankly, I don’t care."

Duh! The people of Hawaii, kanaka maoli and settlers alike, already knew that. From the military-aided overthrow of 1893, to the confiscation of Hawaiian lands with the military still owning more that 20 percent of Hawaii, to the development of more than 100 military installations in Hawaii, to the dumping of chemical weapons and other munitions in Pokai Bay, to the long-term bombing of hallowed Kahoolawe, to the turning of well over 100,000 acres of Pohakuloa into another bombing range, to the fires and spent uranium of Makua, to the recently discovered pollution of our land by leaking fuel storage tanks at Pearl Harbor — oh yeah, the people have long known that the military doesn’t care about Hawaii nei.

The second question posed by Farrell was: "Is Hawaii a good deal for the Army?"

Let’s provide the answer, loud and clear: Frankly, my colonel, we don’t give a damn.

Joel Fischer
Waialae

Hatred of Jews is oldest hatred

The rabbis butchered last week in Jerusalem were not settlers or soldiers ("Israeli leader condemns bloody synagogue attack," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 19).

Palestinian cartoons caricature "Israelis" as bearded, black-clad men and teach terrorists that their enemy is Jews, not Israelis, revealing the ugly truth: that this is about Jew-hatred.

Other reasons given by pseudo-intellectuals — "occupation," "Gaza" or "Al Aqsa" — are simply excuses to divert attention from the simple fact that it’s really about the world’s oldest hate.

In 1947, Israel absorbed 800,000-plusJews from Arab countries, where they had been persecuted (in Baghdad, Jews were hanged in public). Tiny Israel absorbed most refugees, but Arab countries, despite vast oil wealth, kept Palestinians in squalid refugee camps.

Israel has failed to tell the world that Iran-supported Hamas was able to build mile-long, sophisticated terrorist tunnels, but no shelters for its citizens.

How would other nations respond if their capitals came under missile attack?

Giv Cornfield
Hawaii Kai

Bills don’t show full fuel savings

Hawaiian Electric Co. states that the price of electricity here is nearly three times the national average largely because of the high cost of fuel oil ("Electricity cheaper thanks to lower fuel costs," Star-Advertiser, Nov. 18).

Fuel oil prices decreased 23 percent this year, yet the typical November electric bill on Oahu dropped only 4.7 percent. Who stole the other 18.3 percent?

Merle Stetser
Makiki