WAR

POLITICIANS NOT LETTING U.S. MILITARY DO ITS JOB

There is no question in my mind about our military's ability to win a war.

I question our politicians' resolve and commitment to allow the military to do its job.

Political correctness rules everything we do today. Remember the last time when politics got a job done quickly and efficiently?

GOLF

AMAZING TADD MAKES ALL OF HAWAI'I PROUD

Thanks, Tadd Fujikawa, for providing Hawai'i something positive to cheer about.

If you had told me that a 5-foot-1, 16-year-old local boy from Hawai'i would be in the top 10 after three rounds at a PGA Tour event, I would have asked what you were smoking.

What Tadd represents is that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

To all those who have been told they were not tall enough; not strong enough; not experienced enough; not the right color — Tadd proves that a positive mind can overcome many challenges.

I propose a nickname for Tadd — A Tadd Amazing.

FUJIKAWA A CREDIT TO ALL YOUNG HAWAI'I ATHLETES

The story of Tadd Fujikawa is a fantastic way to start 2007.

One cannot but have good feelings about a youngster out of the public school system who earned his way into the Sony Open and who showed us so much humbleness and displayed the sportsmanship that we look for in an athlete, amateur or professional.

Tadd, you are a tremendous credit to all our young Hawai'i golfers and athletes.

You have made a huge impact on the golf world, and there is no question you gained the respect of the PGA professionals for the way you played and conducted yourself on and off the course. You make Hawai'i proud.

MICHELLE WIE SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON LPGA

Michelle Wie has been our chosen favorite to do well in the LPGA.

I'm an old Moloka'i resident who now lives in Henderson, Nev. We follow Michelle very closely, but from the very start we wished she would change her efforts and do well with the women instead of trying to show up the men.

We are not against her playing in that category, but the reality is that she is not having fun because she is either trying to please her sponsor or agent (or dad) and not playing to her potential.

Why can't someone in the media get the point across to her?

MALULANI

MAUI IN CRITICAL NEED OF ANOTHER HOSPITAL

The Hawai'i Health Systems Corp. has failed its charge to provide the citizens of Maui with an upgraded facility, equipment and services to meet the needs of the growing population.

Gov. Linda Lingle testified that the Legislature has not provided for and has no plan to fund Maui Memorial Medical Center to meet current needs. Malulani Health and Medical Center (the second hospital proposed for Kihei) has offered the Maui community a state-of-the-art facility at no expense to the taxpayer. The state denied its certificate of need.

Maui is currently designated as an under-served area by the federal government in number of physicians and the number of hospital beds per thousand population. Our only hospital, Maui Memorial, is an aged, bureaucratic and overwhelmed facility.

We need more hospital beds; we need expanded services. We need to attract more healthcare professionals. We are in a healthcare crisis that will only worsen unless we improve Maui's healthcare delivery systems.

Additionally, should the Maui airport be shut down for any reason, there is no way to transport the injured or sick to facilities on O'ahu.

I urge our state legislators to exempt Malulani and to reform the certificate of need process. Maui needs Malulani now! Competition will be the best medicine for what ails our state-run-hospital, Maui Memorial Medical Center.

MIDEAST

PRESIDENT BUSH MADE IRAQ A PERSONAL WAR

Finally, someone with authority and knowledge of the Middle East has come forward with valid reasons why there is no strategy to bring about a peaceful settlement in that country. I am referring to the article by Col. Thomas D. Farrell (Island Voices, Jan. 15).

Much credit must go to Col. Thomas Farrell because his article was not a personal attack on the president but the facts of why any peaceful settlement is not attainable.

I, however, will not refrain from giving the reasons why we invaded that sovereign nation. In his very first press conference from his ranch, President Bush concluded by saying: "After all, he tried to kill my daddy."

He made this a personal war, and in doing so has caused the death of more than 3,000 sons and daughters, while also turning much of the world against us.

YOUNG HEARING

OCEAN RESOURCES MUST NOT BE POLITICAL VICTIM

In the Jan. 14 Advertiser article "Some Lingle nominees may face resistance," your reporter predicted "bruising hearings" for Peter Young, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Sen. Russell Kokubun was quoted as saying "that if it becomes apparent that Young does not have the votes, he would inform the administration before any hearings."

Surely Gov. Linda Lingle knows where the legislators stand.

It is disingenuous, at best, for the senator to pretend to be a disinterested bystander, since it is recognized that because of his ties to the commercial fishing lobby, he is trying to oust Young.

The key background issue is the proposed gill net ban, which Peter Young has said he personally supports. The commercial fishing lobby has resisted all efforts to conserve our fishing resources.

If Kokubun were truly a friend of the environment, he would not be trying to undermine conservation efforts, but would act as a leader in protecting our most valuable resource. He can start by not letting the confirmation hearings for Young degenerate into petty political maneuvers that serve behind-the-scenes interests and not the people of Hawai'i.