Your recent article on U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard suggested ties to a group that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (“Gabbard’s trip tied to pro-Assad group,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 31).

It is certainly refreshing to have a congresswoman who is capable of independent thinking and willing to expose herself as a “non-rubber-stamp” Democrat.

Seeking out information and facts that might be counter to the party line truly represents the interests of her constituency (those who voted for her, against her or not at all).

She probably will pay dearly for her candor, but I admire her intellectual honesty and hope she never compromises it.

David Seeholzer

Wahiawa

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Trump is honoring campaign pledges

How can anybody who was paying attention to campaign speeches express surprise and complain about President Donald Trump’s restrictions on immigration from certain Middle East countries?

He said in at least a hundred campaign speeches that he was going to do it very quickly if elected. That is what he did. The basic objective was to limit immigration from countries that have spawned terrorist attacks.

That there was a lack of communication within his administration could be expected from someone who had never held public office. This is a little on-the-job training and I’m sure he will learn very quickly.

Finally, the restrictions are initially short-term to develop new procedures for vetting immigrants. They likely will be extended or amended as required. New polls indicate many citizens welcome the change from a do-nothing Washington, D.C.

Jim Pollock

Kaneohe

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Consider opposite side of president

Given what transpired during the presidential campaign, and the first week in office for the new president, it may help to understand President Donald Trump by applying the principle of opposites.

For example, when he claims he wants to make America safe again by banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, think the opposite. No terrorist attacking inside the U.S. came from those seven countries.

Consider that the terrorists who killed the largest number of people in America in the 9/11 attack came from Saudi Arabia, a country not included in Trump’s ban. According to some authorities, his ill-informed, ill-conceived and reckless ban is providing a recruitment tool for violent extremists like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, thereby undermining the security of the U.S.

Furthermore, in the opinion of many diverse authorities, the ban is unconstitutional, illegal and un-American. Think the opposite of whatever Trump says and does.

Leslie E. Sponsel

Hawaii Kai

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HSTA tax proposal would gouge tourists

It is bad enough Hawaii has the 9.25 percent transient accommodations tax, but now the Hawaii State Teachers Association wants to add another tourist tax of $5 per person per day (“Teachers pitch a tax for funding,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 26)?

If a family of six tourists stays two weeks in Hawaii, they will be taxed over $800 (at $300 a night for a hotel, which is cheap for six people) just to visit here. And that doesn’t include the 4.712 percent general excise tax that tourists (everyone else as well) pay for purchases on Oahu.

If the Legislature is stupid enough to consider this idea (and the way things have been going, I don’t consider this to be far-fetched), what is there to prevent other unions from asking for their own tax increases? If I was planning on visiting Hawaii, I would seriously look at other destinations where I could get more for my dollar.

Jon Shimamoto

Mililani

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Visitors can support maintaining Hawaii

Because the state and city lack funds to properly maintain our roads and parks, Gov. David Ige and Mayor Kirk Caldwell want to increase vehicle fees and taxes. But most Hawaii residents can’t afford it.

Another source of money is people who visit Hawaii.

Michael Eisner saved Disney theme parks by dramatically raising entrance prices. He realized they were underpriced and people would continue to come, especially because a profitable park can afford proper maintenance and upgrades.

We need to rethink our tourism business model. Some may profit by keeping Hawaii a cheap tourist destination, but most of us don’t.

Also, why do we allow non-residents to retire here, but don’t tax their retirement income? They didn’t work here and help build our infrastructure. Let’s also tax the non-resident who pays millions for the fixer-upper next door.

There are plenty of Third-World tourist destinations. Hawaii should be like Paris, Tokyo and New York, where visitors help maintain things.

Lorenn Walker

Waialua

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Korematsu’s legacy still relevant today

Fred Korematsu, born 98 years ago this week, was arrested in 1942 after going into hiding rather than surrender to an internment camp. He fought this in the courts, where his name lives on in Supreme Court infamy in Korematsu v. United States. The Court held that compulsory exclusion, though constitutionally suspect, is justified during circumstances of “emergency and peril.”

To his everlasting credit, Justice Robert Jackson dissented. His words ring loud today.

“Korematsu was born on our soil, of parents born in Japan. The Constitution makes him a citizen of the United States by nativity and a citizen of California by residence. No claim is made that he is not loyal to this country. There is no suggestion that apart from the matter involved here he is not law-abiding and well disposed. Korematsu, however, has been convicted of an act not commonly a crime. It consists merely of being present in the state whereof he is a citizen, near the place where he was born, and where all his life he has lived.”

Robert C. Schmidt

Makiki