The slaughter of innocents on a New York City bike path was undeniably horrific. How readily, though, we forget that the sword in this terror war cuts both ways.

U.S. drone strikes have killed — and continue to kill — scores of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

U.S. intelligence sources reveal that most of these innocent human beings are not, in fact, the actual targets.

One source told The Intercept, “Anyone caught in the vicinity is guilty by association. (When) a drone strike kills more than one person, there is no guarantee that those persons deserved their fate. … it’s a phenomenal gamble.”

Try to imagine body parts of your family and friends scattered over a scorched terrain. Consider keeping your children from school in fear of an instant hell they wouldn’t even hear coming.

But we insist we aren’t spreading terror, because “they” are wrong, and “we” are right.

Don Hallock

St. Louis Heights

—

Use ratios to control ‘monster houses’

My neighborhood of 40 years, Wilhelmina Rise, is rapidly being transformed by unwelcome megastructures (“The monster next door,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 30). Restricting the number of bedrooms and wet bars does not get at the basic issue — bulk.

As an architect, I would suggest that the best way to control the spread of these structures is to restrict the size of buildings on single-family residential lots by using a defined floor area ratio (the ratio between the floor area of the structure and the lot size).

At present, you can build a house on a residential lot with a floor area ratio of 1.3 plus, which can equal the size of a building that would be allowed in a high-density apartment (A-3) zoned area, because the only controls on building size in single-family residential areas are lot line setbacks and height.

I recommend a floor area ration of no more than .5 (roughly equal to low-density apartment limits.)

While you’re at it, how about requiring that 75 percent of required yard areas be landscaped rather than hardscaped?

Nick Huddleston

Wilhelmina Rise

—

Flag-wrapping is too handy as first refuge

I’d like to remark on Peter Chisteckoff’s comment about President Donald Trump, when he quoted Samuel Johnson’s observation that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel (“Trump patriotism that of a scoundrel,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 23).

Johnson’s statement was probably true when he was speaking of his own countrymen, the British. But from what I see and hear recently, I submit that in America, it is the first refuge — when questioned, wrap yourself in a flag. It’s handy.

Paul Franke

Salt Lake

—

Trump remains unfit to be U.S. president

In the last presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, we constantly witnessed the back-and-forth of who is unfit to be president.

Today, we know the answer and unfortunately we are stuck with him unless he is impeached or resigns.

He has done nothing major legislatively and lacks focus. His petulance and lies are exhibited every day. He insults world leaders and is insensitive to those who need consoling.

He betrayed the poor who voted for him, favors the wealthy and still conveniently scapegoats Barack Obama and Clinton for his shortcomings. He cannot face the truth when confronted with facts and calls it fake news.

Strangely, he still defends Russia. But most alarmingly is his questionable mental state since he is empowered with the nuclear codes. Clearly he is not the kind of leader we need.

Gary Takashima

Waipahu

—

BWS water bill calculations unfair

I am sick and tired of the Board of Water Supply averaging our monthly household water usage by thousands.

My records as far back as 2011, read to within one gallon. Our newer meter reads to within 1/100 of a gallon. We should file a class-action lawsuit against BWS for unfair pricing and billing.

We also should file a class-action lawsuit against the two major oil refineries in Hawaii for price-fixing diesel fuel, the least expensive to make on the fractional distillation process. Diesel fuel was always half the price of gasoline where we grew up.

Todd Hendricks

Kailua

—

Rent control needed to help homeless

Once again the newspaper had pictures and articles concerning our homeless problem. It’s getting from bad to worse.

All the discussions and people trying to solve the problem are not working.

What we need is rent control, handled by an agency that can control what property owners can charge for rental units. Rents now are way too high for many people to pay, which leaves no other choice but to pitch a tent wherever they can find a spot.

Rent control worked in the past. Someone with authority has to get the rent control agency up and running ASAP.

Bertille C. Fung

Hawaii Kai