U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney is the titular head of her party. She is the only one who has shown steel courage and patriotism despite immense pressure from her party, which has cowered before any whim by the former president (“Jan. 6 hearing centers on Trump’s role,” Star-Advertiser, June 10).
All the members of the Republican Party on Capitol Hill, save her and the retiring U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, refused to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and the role that President Donald Trump played.
Cheney’s opening performance at the Jan. 6 investigative hearing was most impressive. She did not mince words and played her role like a prosecutor. She placed the blame squarely on Trump for provoking violence and spreading disinformation immediately after the 2020 presidential election.
She knows her political future is in jeopardy since she represents a Republican state, but she did not waver. Her best line, I thought, was a stark warning to her GOP colleagues: “There will come a day when Trump is gone but your dishonor will remain.”
Gary Takashima
Waipahu
Abortion is a moral, not religious, issue
Recently a letter was published arguing that striking down the Roe v. Wade decision would be a violation of the separation of church and state (“Keep religious opinions out of our government,” Star-Advertiser, June 3).
Opposing abortion is not a religious issue; it is a moral issue. I am not a religious person, yet I firmly oppose abortion. Follow the science. Abortion is the destruction of human life.
Cynthia Hawkins
Kailua
Probe HPD overtime claims as fraudulent
Regarding your report that one Honolulu police officer worked 13,487 hours of overtime in five years (“Audit of Honolulu Police Department reveals $38 million in overtime,” Star-Advertiser, May 31): That computes to working an average of 90-plus hours a week for five years, with no time off.
How does anyone in the HPD command structure believe that a police officer could maintain that schedule and be an effective guardian of the public safety (much less be awake)?
This situation is an obvious case of fraudulent use of taxpayer resources and calls for an immediate investigation. Hopefully our new police chief can put an immediate stop to this kind of overtime abuse and obtain payback for obvious criminal fraud.
We need to be better served by our HPD.
Curtis Schryer
Pearl City
Give new chief a chance to prove himself at HPD
Newly appointed police chief Arthur “Joe” Logan is being judged for the actions of his adult son (“Honolulu police clarify procedures for informing public after arrest of new chief’s son,” Star-Advertiser, June 9).
A parent can be held accountable for the actions of their juvenile offspring, but not when that offspring is a 36-year-old adult. His son’s criminal record is his son’s, not his.
The Honolulu Police Commission said that checking the criminal records of a candidate’s family is not part of the vetting process. Logan never hid any facts, and it has no bearing on his ability to perform the job.
We all have family members who have or are experiencing personal situations, and the best that we can do is to support and continue loving them. His son’s situation should not influence his ability to perform the job for which he was chosen.
Allow Chief Logan the time to do the job, then judge and hold him accountable for his performance.
Alan Anami
Kaneohe
Dems welcome new boss but party needs change
As a recovering Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH) officer, I have observed the party in action.
The new DPH chair, Dennis Jung, is a breath of fresh air, an experienced local businessman. In other words, delegates rejected Jung’s two opponents, Michael Golojuch Jr., and Shannon Matson; Jung had been almost totally unknown (“Hawaii Democratic summit ends with new leader,” Star-Advertiser, May 31).
For many years, the DPH has operated with black-or-white thinking, scapegoating and fecklessness. Each biennial, the establishment roundly rejects troublesome youngsters (who often volunteered for years) in favor of older newcomers, always to “restore” a mysteriously never-closer greatness. These unbesmirched saviors are then set up to fail, with no lessons learned when, burned out, they later exit.
The party’s officers ought to take responsibility for their culture of snobbery, petty bullies and “let them eat cake” frivolity. Local people are hurting.
Dylan P. Armstrong
Punahou
Golfers in Saudi league showed really poor form
As a golf fan, it’s really disappointing to see the cream of the PGA golf tour jump to the new Saudi golf league. It’s also very sad to see how the PGA is handling this event by banning the players from the PGA tour (“PGA Tour says Saudi-paid players no longer eligible for tour,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, June 9).
The players are really coming across as money-grubbing, selfish guys. They make so much money on the tour; wanting more from the Saudis seems really poor form. The PGA tour will be damaged forever, and I’m really sad. I’m proud of Tiger Woods for not jumping ship.
Brent Berk
Hawaii Kai
DoD has enough money to defuel Red Hill soon
The Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2022 budget is $728.5 billion; its fiscal year 2023 budget request is $773 billion.
Surely the DoD can find funds to make the necessary repairs and defuel the tanks at Red Hill in a swift, timely manner. A timeline of more than a year would communicate that the DoD continues to use Hawaii and its residents, and delivers only lip service when it comes to taking responsibility for the harm it has inflicted and threatens to inflict on our water security.
Hawaii residents are not in a position to accept inaction any longer.
Brooke Jones
Mililani
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