President Joe Biden and his administration are walking back Biden’s comment, “… this man (Russian President Vladimir Putin) cannot remain in power,” saying Biden was not suggesting a Russian regime change.

Does that mean Biden and his administration think that Putin should remain in power regardless of the unprovoked attack on Ukraine, the killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including children, and destroying their homes, hospitals and schools?

Biden also blames Putin for inflation, high gas prices and cyberattacks that are affecting the worlds economy. But apparently for this administration, that’s not reason enough to say,”Putin’s gotta go.”

Guy Morgan

Moanalua

Vacation rentals belong in resort districts only

First, I’d like to thank Matthew Trevino for his service to our country (“Bill 41 would impact Oahu’s economy,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, March 27).

Second, I’d like to point out that the Constitution does not grant the freedom to use private property in any way the owner chooses. There are county zoning regulations in our communities to preserve the integrity of the neighborhoods.

It’s too bad that when Trevino retired and was looking for property to rent to tourists, his real estate agent apparently didn’t advise him to purchase a residence where such activity is allowed.

He could easily have bought something in a resort district and pursued his happiness renting to tourists instead of to local families.

Please don’t break the law, and please free up residential property so some of those people the thousands of short-term-rental folks employ can actually live in the communities where they work.

Barbara Krasniewski

Kailua

The unorganized militia is not National Guard

What is a militia (“Well-regulated militia means National Guard,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, March 28)?

Ordinary Ukrainian citizens, young and old, male and female, taking up arms to repel the Russian invasion forces and defend their country, constitute a militia.

In the United States, Title 10 of the U.S. Code defines the unorganized militia as males over 17 and under 45 years of age who are not members of the National Guard or Naval Militia. But anti- discriminatory legal opinions suggest that any capable late teen or adult regardless of gender is potentially a member of the militia should the need arise, and thus should be trained (well-regulated), properly equipped and prepared to participate as necessary to ensure our security — hence the individual right to “keep and bear arms.”

The unorganized militia is not the National Guard — it is you.

Brian Isaacson

Kailua

American hunters form a well-regulated militia

Opponents to the Second Amendment love to focus on the “well-regulated militia” clause although it has absolutely no linguistic impact on the “shall not be infringed” clause.

Setting that aside, when the Constitution was being drafted, the militia was composed of all adult males who could muster with a firearm. It was not the National Guard.

Each year hunters in America harvest 6 million deer. Those hunters own firearms and ammunition.

They are trained and organized well enough to kill millions of large animals to put food on the table for their families. That sounds like a well-regulated militia to me.

By the way, they also keep and bear bows and arrows, which are arms.

Nations around the world know that if they intend to invade America, they will be facing those hunters and all Americans who “keep and bear arms.”

Rhoads E. Stevens

Hawaii Kai

Mask mandate infringed on freedom to choose

I learned from my day in the military (1962-1967) that if you hang by your thumbs long enough, you could get used to it.

This is what happened with the mask mandates issued by our governor through his emergency proclamation, when your rights to personal freedom to choose were taken away.Your rights were eliminated because we were “all in this together.”

This was just a trial run for things to come.

The ACLU, our champions of civil liberty, were nowhere to be found.

So the next time an emergency proclamation is issued and you’re told to jump off a cliff, remember to do it with your mask on — because we are all in this together.

Deane Gonzalez

Hawaii Kai

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