GORE'S BACK

WHO'S LEFT TO LEAD DEMOCRATIC TICKET?

Mr. Bush is in his final two years in the White House and it is clear that the war in Iraq will neither be won nor lost by the time his successor is sworn in.

The quagmire the president has stuck us in may well swallow up much of the next administration's efforts, plus many more lives and many of our tax dollars that could be better spent elsewhere, extricating America without a total disaster.

I do not think Hillary Clinton could carry it off, even if she were electable, which she is not. The rest of the Democrats have waffled so badly that they've lost credibility on this, the major issue facing us. Who does this leave, who was opposed to the war in the first place?

Al Gore. And remember, he was elected as president once already.

NO CHILD

'BORING' EDUCATION STILL PROVIDES FOUNDATION

I agree with the title of Mr. Reiziss' June 13 letter on June 13, "No Child Left Behind is a boring education." However, this boring education forms the basis that is absolutely necessary for success, not only in education but also in life

Repetition of the basics in reading and composition, mathematics and the classical sciences build a platform of understanding required for success in art, literature, engineering and the modern sciences as well as in life.

Mr. Reiziss is correct in his assertions that this education does not acculturate our children with "the ability to question authority, think out of the box and find meaningful and alternative answers." What this type of education teaches is the necessary foundation for critical thinking. These are the skills that are necessary to appreciate the drama, art and music of all societies.

As side benefits, Hawai'i teachers who encourage their students to master these basics help their students enjoy a more productive future themselves, help Hawai'i to move from a service industry to a more balanced economy and help America regain the world prominence for education that we once enjoyed.

UNFORGIVABLE

LET'S END DISAPPOINTING TRANSIT FUNDING DISPUTE

Thank you for your sensible editorial encouraging our leaders to work together to find a solution to transit funding.

If transit fails this time it will mean a disaster for the future of our island and a huge disappointment to those who worked so hard to get the project to this point.

Politics is appropriate in many situations, especially in election years, but to risk the success of transit is unforgivable.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

WEE ADVICE TO WIE: KEEP YOUR CHIN UP

Even if you don't win, you have already won!

You have done more for golf than any other 13-, 14-, 15- or 16-year-old worldwide. You have placed in the top 10 among the best professional women in the world, as well as the top 50 percent of the best men players in the world!

Michelle, even if a shot goes awry, don't fret, because this happens to everyone.

It is your positive attitude, your amazing athletic ability and your confident smile that make you so endearing to your millions of fans. Michelle, you are quite an inspiration! Please continue to try your best and ignore all of the external pressure out there.

We have some of the most ignorant and stupid sportswriters, who don't understand how much their world has prospered because of one young person, and that's you!

ABOUT THAT OLD AKAKA BILL: LET’S JUST GIVE IT UP, ALREADY

It is truly unfortunate that Hawai'i embarrassed itself in front of a nationwide audience as its senators attempted to pass the Akaka bill.

This bill was defined as racist and divisive by no less than the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the U.S. Justice Department and the president of the United States.

Ignoring these organizations and the president, Sens. Inouye and Akaka vainly tried to mislead their colleagues into believing that creating a nation of one race based on ancestry was not racist. Particularly onerous was Sen. Inouye quoting attorney John Roberts (now chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) while he was a paid attorney for OHA in Rice v. Cayetano.

It is time to put the Akaka Bill to rest and work on restoring the trust and unity among all races that Hawai'i's leadership has purposely devalued. It's time to stop the politicians looking for swing votes, the OHA employees trying to hold on to their jobs, OHA attorneys making a fortune on the spinning of the U.S. Constitution and the overpaid OHA lobbyists eagerly accepting money that should have gone to Hawaiian benefits.

Above all else it's time to stop the victimization of a great race of people. Over the past several years individuals who would benefit from the passage of the bill have tried to convince us that Native Hawaiians had to have a separate nation to become whole. It is disingenuous and divisive for the state to continue to try and circumvent the U.S. Constitution by crafting ways to achieve on a local level what the Akaka bill couldn't do on the federal level.