TREATY GOOD, BUT MORE MUST BE DONE

The world's two biggest nuclear powers, Russia and the United States, recently agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals by nearly one-third. Everyone who hopes to rid the world of nuclear arms is elated. I wish I was that optimistic.

Not all nuclear weapons are gone. Even after the reduction, both countries will still have about 1,000 nuclear weapons each, ready to be fired at a moment's notice. If a miscalculation or accident were to occur on either side, the result would be disastrous. This is one of the main problems that the agreement fails to address.

To me, the creation of more nuclear arms by any country serves as a means for more power as well as improving military strategies.

Although this treaty is a huge step forward, it's difficult to believe that the world will ever be nuclear-free again.

I am waiting, however, and hoping that I am wrong.

SPECIAL ELECTION

WINNER WILL HAVE SHORT-LIVED VICTORY

This congressional special election is a waste of time and money and should not be happening in the first place. It doesn't matter who wins because we will be going through this again in a few months.

Whoever wins will have time to settle into a Washington office but not much more. The person will start work in June, but then have to return to Hawai'i in August to start campaigning for the September primary.

To keep momentum, that person will have to stay in Hawai'i to campaign for the general election, and so will probably be in Hawai'i much of October. Basically, the person who gets elected will have maybe two or three months of actual work in Washington.

At a time when we should be conserving money, we spend $1 million for this election. The winner of this election shouldn't unpack in Washington, because he or she may not be there for very long.

HANABUSA'S DECISION SHOULDN'T BE CHEERED

The Advertiser's editorial, cheering Democrat Colleen Hanabusa's decision to stay in the race for congress, despite having little chance of winning, and all but guaranteeing the election of Republican Charles Djou, earns from the editorial writer a fatuously irresponsible "So what?"

So what? Here's "so what" — by staying in the race, Hanabusa and Ed Case will split the Democratic vote. Which means that against the will of the majority of voters, Djou will nonetheless become "their" representative.

Somehow this political miscarriage seems to deserve better than a cynically dismissive shrug.

Ironic that in their last debate, Case and Djou traded accusations of "political opportunism" while the master opportunist stood quietly by.

Hanabusa knows she has a better chance of defeating Case in a Democratic primary provided he is not the incumbent; and that given the broader Democratic base, defeating Djou in the general election should be a piece of cake.

Her strategy, therefore, in continuing her losing cause in this special election is not to win, but merely to deny Case the incumbency.

That's not something deserving of a "so what?" and certainly nothing to cheer about.

TRUCK BEDS

ANIMALS PROTECTED; SHOULDN'T KIDS BE?

Do any of our lawmakers see the contradiction between the city law pertaining to the safety of animals riding in the back of pickup trucks and allowing children to ride in exactly the same place?

Revised Ordinances of Honolulu Sec. 15-24.22(b) states: "No dog or any other animal shall be transported on any public street or highway in any vehicle unless such animal is totally enclosed within such vehicle, within a secured container carried upon such vehicle, or securely cross-tethered to such vehicle in such a way as to prevent the animal from falling out of or off such vehicle, and to prevent injury to the animal."

Don't our children deserve the same protective laws to keep them from being thrown from the beds of pickup trucks?

SHOWING RESPECT

WE NEED STRICT RULES FOR NAME-CALLING

I could not believe my ears. I had to replay the news to hear it again. Neil Abercrombie called Mayor Mufi Hannemann a wimp?

I am a mother and a former teacher, and I believe we need to hold our leaders to a higher standard.

We need a zero tolerance for name-calling in our schools and in our government. Look at the violence and disrespect in our schools — much of it starts with name-calling and a lack of respect for each other.

What names will Abercrombie call the leaders at HSTA, DOE, BOE if they don't agree with him?

WITHOUT HOSTILITY

HIRONO CAN HANDLE HERSELF IN CONGRESS

Lee Cataluna says Mazie Hirono is "a lightweight when it comes to a street scrap" ("Who sabotaged Democratic machine?" May 7).

I watched Hirono during her first campaign for Congress, when she scrapped against nine other well-known Democrats and came out on top. She fought hard but without rancor.

Since taking office, she's courageously fought some lonely battles in Congress on behalf of core constitutional principles, including separation of church and state, the right to choose and equal protection. Hirono is a founding member of the Congressional Populist Caucus, a group formed to fight for working American families against the special interests that often dominate the debate in Washington.

Hirono treats all people with respect and dignity, even her political opponents. She embodies the standard that President Obama cites: We can disagree without being disagreeable. Maybe it's Hirono's absence of bombast or hostility that led Cataluna to such a misjudgment of her character.

FURLOUGH FRIDAYS

LETTER WRITER SHOULD WORK FOR FREE, TOO

Marie I. Boles of Honolulu (Letters, May 5) called upon our overburdened and underappreciated teachers to obey the governor and work the last three furlough days of this school year for free. Why? So they can earn more "respect" from parents, students and the community.

Well, it's easy to point fingers and demand this kind of thing from others, but I post the challenge to Boles and others like her to lead by example and work for free for at least three days and see how they like it. See what it's like to put in the hours without the pay in today's economy. Oh, and let's make sure we also take away any prep time that you may need to do your job, just as the governor has demanded by wanting to take away the planning days of our teachers.

Perhaps by actually doing what they ask others to do, these people can feel that "respect" they want teachers to feel.