There ought to be a law banning cancel-culture behavior. Social media has been weaponized to destroy the lives and livelihood of people who do not fit the narrative of the self-righteous people in our society. Left-leaning individuals have proposed establishing a hit list of those who have served in the Trump administration. The total destruction of the lives of these individuals appears to be their ultimate goal.

It is one thing to disagree with the policies embraced by others, but to advocate for the infliction of mental and physical pain on others who embrace a different ideology is offensive and should be outlawed. In a free society, we are entitled to have different ideas and beliefs. As long as we do not intrude on the rights and privileges of others, contrary ideas and actions should be allowed and protected.

It is time to stop being mean and spiteful. Embracing the “golden rule” of treating others as you would want to be treated would be a good start. Adding the “silver rule” of not doing harm to others would be ideal.

John Tamashiro

Pearl City

Appreciate those who are different from us

Audacity: a willingness to take bold risks. Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. President Barack Obama didn’t get done as many of the things he had hoped, in large part due to an uncooperative Congress. He accomplished as much as he was able, often on his own.

Racism has been around for a long time. One well-meaning president can’t end it by himself. It requires the cooperation of many. Being a person of color who has been able to advance himself doesn’t prevent him from desiring better circumstances for others.

I am white but I too have hope that someday (before too long) more people will learn to live with and appreciate those who are different.

Kathie Young

Hawaii Kai

Incarcerated people should get vaccine

Health-care providers, front-line workers, and high-risk populations should be immunized during the first phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Incarcerated people are high risk and also should be among the first immunized.

The American Medical Association supports incarcerated people being prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations. The AMA also urges the compassionate release of incarcerated people who are older and suffer serious medical problems.

People re-entering the community from incarceration need housing for release, which is currently lacking. Instead of spending millions of dollars on planning, and millions more on new jail/prison construction, our state needs to work on developing housing for formerly incarcerated people. Re-entry support, including housing, helps prevent repeat crime, keeps our community safer and is far less costly than incarceration.

Lorenn Walker

Professor of practice, Public Policy Center, University of Hawaii

Quarantine policies defy common sense

I am planning to travel off-island and so am looking closely at COVID-19 travel restrictions.

To avoid quarantine when I return, I must be tested within 72 hours of arrival with negative results. It takes 48-72 hours to get results, so I need to get tested three days ahead. Then I’m free to go anywhere over the next three days before leaving and potentially get infected before I arrive back in Hawaii to proudly display my COVID-free pass and no quarantine.

My sister recently returned from a mainland trip, didn’t get the pre-test, has tested negative since arrival but must stay in quarantine. So it seems the current policy leaves a huge gap for the virus to walk through while restricting more sensible actions to keep ourselves and others safe.

Who is making these policies? Does no one proofread them to see if they really accomplish their intended purpose?

Ken Robertson

Kailua

Maybe there is a God with a lesson to share

I am not an atheist. But I’m also not a member of any religion.

At 70 years old, I still wonder if there is an unknown entity responsible for life on this Earth. As for the many established religions in the world, why do they hold directly conflicting philosophies and beliefs?

Now with the constant turmoil of the past couple of years, I’ve been wondering if this chaos will continue. Shouldn’t this madness stop for the good of humanity?

It’s as if a decision was made to force a change in leaders of some nations, thereby providing a lesson for humanity to stop the divisiveness, blatant lies and extreme selfishness. So is the current world pandemic, with an unimaginable cost of human lives, a path to that change? Will new leadership result in civil societies?

Rodney Sato

Mililani

Australian state shows how to cut infection rate

Your headline, “State on right track with 76 new infections” (Star-Advertiser, Nov. 29), should have been accompanied by an article pointing out that the state of Victoria, once Australia’s center of COVID-19 infections, has now passed 30 days with zero infections because its government was concerned with public health rather than the political advantages to awarding exemptions and waivers in a pandemic.

Rico Leffanta

Kakaako

EXPRESS YOURSELF

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.

>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.

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COMFORT AND JOY

2020 has been a whopper of a year: the COVID-19 pandemic, economic hurt, politics and elections. But surely there is much to appreciate, much that brings joy.

In the spirit of the season, we are now accepting letters (150 words max) and essays (500-600 words) with uplifting messages to share during this holiday season.

Email to letters@staradvertiser.com; or send to 500 Ala Moana Blvd. #7-210, Honolulu 96813, c/o Letters.