MOLOKA'I HOE

HUI NALU'S 3RD PLACE OVERLOOKED IN STORY

You and your competition overlooked the fact that an O'ahu canoe club in the over-40 division of Sunday's Moloka'i Hoe finished in third place. These guys worked their tails off to get themselves in position to win. Yet, your paper states, "Defending champion Mooloolaba came in fourth."

How about reporting that Hui Nalu, one of the oldest clubs in the state, steered by Nainoa Thompson, came in third. Then you could have added that Mooloolaba was fourth. Get it right next time.

DOG CHAPMAN

NEW GOP MOTTO: THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS

I see that 29 Republican members of Congress signed a letter recommending that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice deny the extradition of Duane "Dog" Chapman.

This philosophy apparently is the new Republican motto: It's OK to break the law and create an international embarrassment if the "end justifies the means."

CITY COUNCIL

KAILUA BOARD OPPOSES AN END TO TERM LIMITS

David Shapiro's column (Oct. 11) on Charter question No. 1 was excellent.

Those who missed it should read it. Most all of the main reasons why we should vote "no" on the proposal to delete term limits for the City Council are covered in it.

After careful consideration of this issue, the Kailua Neighborhood Board voted to recommend to the Kailua community that they vote "no" on this proposal, primarily for the same reasons expressed by Mr. Shapiro.

The current City Council rejected calls for a freeze on our "bubble" property tax assessments and rejected proposals to increase tax exemptions for those over 70 years old.

If proposal No. 1 passes, these same council members could be on the council for up to 20 years.

CLARIFICATION

VOTERS SHOULD VOTE ON CHARTER QUESTIONS 1, 2

The Charter Commission would like to clarify a point made in David Shapiro's Oct. 11 column, "Term limits should be kept for Council."

Shapiro indicates that only voters who vote "yes" on Question 1 will then go to Question 2 and select from one of the two alternatives regarding City Council term limits and staggering of terms.

In fact, the commission urges all voters to cast their votes on both Question 1 and Question 2. Even if you vote "no" on Question 1, you may still vote on Question 2.

Question 1 asks whether voters want to change the system: "Should City Council term limits be replaced by Alternative A or B below; and, separately, to address concerns relating to election of City Council members caused by reapportionment every 10 years, should staggered terms be replaced by Alternative A or B below?" Voters may choose "yes" or "no."

Question 2 asks which of the two alternatives the voters prefer: "If Charter Question 1 is approved, which proposal relating to Councilmember terms should be adopted? ALTERNATIVE A. Term limits for Councilmembers and the staggering of Councilmembers' terms shall be eliminated. ALTERNATIVE B. Councilmembers shall be limited to serving a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms, and the staggering of Councilmember terms shall be eliminated." Voters may choose "A" or "B."

Although the questions are related, they are separate. Voters should vote on both questions regardless of their vote on Question 1. We wanted to clarify this to avoid any confusion.

CRYSTAL METH

THIS DOE EMPLOYEE WELCOMES DRUG TESTS

The arrest of Lee Anzai, who is accused of selling crystal methamphetamine, has raised a serious issue for employees of the Department of Education.

Should DOE employees be tested for drugs? Some, including Hawai'i State Teachers Asociation attorneys, say it is a violation of privacy, and that teachers and school staff should not be forced to submit to such tests.

As a DOE employee and a father of a student, I have to disagree. I welcome random and mandatory drug tests. I'll even volunteer to be the first one. Why? Because I have nothing to hide.

Common sense says that if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. We are talking about the people who are responsible for our keiki five days a week, seven hours a day.

As a parent, wouldn't you want to know that the person who is teaching your children is coherent and drug-free? If teachers are going to tell their students to stay off drugs, wouldn't it be more effective if the students knew their teachers were drug-free?

CONGRESSIONAL RACE

COMMITMENT SOUGHT FOR ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Right now, we have the opportunity to change the future of our country's energy policy. We can move America toward a clean and secure energy future by developing renewable sources of energy and by saving oil with cars that get better gas mileage.

With war raging in the Middle East, unstable oil and gas prices, and global warming threatening our future, we need to start now. Real change will come only when elected officials put our country on a new energy path.

In Hawai'i, the need to harness renewable energy options is even greater because imported fuel must travel thousands of miles before reaching us. The famed trade winds and persistent sun are not only good for attracting tourists, but can be used to power windmills and solar panels to provide electricity for all of the islands.

We hope that Hawai'i congressional candidates will join U.S. PIRG in helping to deliver on this promise of a new energy future, by agreeing, if elected, to support policies to save oil, harness energy from clean, renewable and homegrown sources, help Americans save energy, and invest in new technologies to power our economy and make America the world's clean-energy leader.