I don’t understand why China is invited to participate in this military exercise by allies (“Rim of the Pacific war games set to involve 27 countries,” Star-Advertiser, June 15).

China is not an ally, maybe not even a friend. It probably wants to participate to spy on the U.S. and others about military tactics and communications. Your story said that it did the last time it was invited.

Contrast that with China’s unauthorized military action in the South China Sea that it claims is only defensive. No one in their right mind will be attacking China from that area, and it has been for centuries a major international waterway for world shipping.

China flies threateningly close to U.S. and other nations’ planes and ships using these international waters. It has been only a couple of weeks since China denied a U.S. aircraft carrier a port call in Hong Kong.

Collectively China’s actions add up to threats, and certainly not the friendly overtures you would expect from an ally.

Jim Pollock

Kaneohe

Ending rail too soon will affect ridership

Common sense dictates re-routing the rail to Nimitz Highway and terminating the line downtown (“The middle of nowhere,” Star-Advertiser, June 17). Otherwise the prophecy of the naysayers is fulfilled. No one will ride it.

Robert Bates

Makiki

Rail will need better process for transfers

The current rail debate does not address a key issue.

Of all city core destinations, Waikiki and UH-Manoa would draw a large proportion of potential riders; the current plan already requires these passengers to transfer from rail to other modes. That is also true for many other destinations, including hospitals, private schools, and many other businesses.

To attract these potential riders, a fast and efficient transfer process needs to be in place, where passengers can exit the train and walk directly onto express buses (or other modes).

Ala Moana is not the ideal transfer station; it has neither the space, location, configuration, or easy egress to build such a transfer experience.

Ridership could in fact improve if the transfer occurs Ewa of downtown, at a well-designed transfer station. This plan would have the added benefits of reducing capital costs and bringing in revenue years earlier than the current plan.

Richard Wasnich

Tantalus

Trump or Clinton not much of a choice

How did we come to this point in our political three-ring circus where we have two candidates for president, neither of whom I want to vote for?

Donald Trump is seriously unhinged and Hillary Clinton’s likeability factor is akin to a fingernail scratching on a chalkboard. Is this the best our two-party system can produce?

Is it because the really smart people are too smart to subject themselves to the unending microscopic media scrutiny a run for office brings about these days?

I want to go fishing on election day this year but, fortunately, another very interesting race for mayor of Honolulu is building.

On top of that, I want to make sure that an unhinged person doesn’t get his finger on our nuclear button. I still have a couple of cases of beer I have to finish before we all go kapoof!

Royle Kaneshige

Waialua

Trump manifesting GOP’s voter base

I don’t understand the crescendo of criticism coming from the Republicans over Donald Trump’s racist diatribe against the federal judge who is handling the Trump University fraud case, and now his incendiary comments insinuating that President Barack Obama has something to do with the Orlando massacre (“Democrats, GOP criticize Trump’s Orlando reaction,” Star-Advertiser, June 15).

Republicans should not be surprised at Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric because they have been feeding “dog-whistle” (coded-words) politics to their base for the last 50 years. Trump is simply preserving the Republicans’ long-held tradition of spewing coded words to stir racial animosity and win white votes. Trump believes he can win the general election by simply preying upon people’s fears and prejudices.

It’s time for Trump to disengage himself from the politics of resentment, divisiveness and intolerance, and start talking about substantive issues that matter the most to the working class.

Rod B. Catiggay

Mililani

Be fair when using the term ‘terrorist’

Since some feel the need to assign a religious prefix to every terrorist act lately, for consistency I propose the following: If we agree to call what happened in Orlando “Islamic terrorism,” then let’s agree to label all the attacks on family-planning clinics, “Christian terrorism.”

Jeff Merz

Waikiki

‘Gun control’ elicits visceral reaction

The problem sometimes is language, how we frame a discussion. Gun control is one of those terms that generates a visceral response, pro or con.

The term “gun control” already defines your position. If you’re in favor of gun control, you don’t support the Second Amendment. If we took pistols and rifles off the table, could we start a conversation?

Does anybody really need an assault weapon to defend themselves? Does anybody want to walk into a 7-Eleven and see someone cradling an assault weapon?

We register our cars; why wouldn’t we want to register our weapons? If a person is on prescribed anti-psychotic drugs; should they also own a weapon? Should students be allowed to carry weapons onto a college campus? College kids never binge drink and get into arguments? Why are there so many mass killings in this country?

Is there any common ground for a discussion?

Chuck Cohen

Kalama Valley