DJOU WAS RIGHT CHOICE FOR HAWAI'I

Kudos to the people of Hawai'i who finally elected a Republican, Charles Djou, to Congress.

With an overwhelming 39.7 percent of the votes, this will surely send a message to Washington and the people of this country that we are sick and tired of the tax-and-spend, do-nothing, Democratic-dominated liberal Congress.

Issues such as "Obamacare" socialized health care, bank and auto industry bailouts, cap and trade and skyrocketing deficits have energized voters to elect Republicans and conservatives to save our country from impending disaster.

The trend started with the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts, took hold in Hawai'i and will continue until the November mid-term elections.

The conservatives will take our country back. The election of Charles Djou is great news for not only Hawai'i but the rest of this great country. Aloha to the wonderful people of Hawai'i for making this wise choice.

VICTORY PHOTO WAS PERFECT IMAGE

Norman Shapiro's photo of Charles Djou was a great choice for the Sunday paper (May 23) because, throughout 12 years of public service, Djou invariably ignored his constituents and district to point his finger at everyone else.

To date, that — and opening one dog park — are Djou's only accomplishments.

Djou's election proves the same morons who elected Bush to two terms are still going to the polls without having learned anything.

All the people who did not vote (or did not vote for Djou), now get to support Republican lobbyists who still believe American prosperity depends on giving the rich carte blanche to deprive the poor.

DJOU WIN WAS GIFT FROM DEMOCRATS

The Democrats really blew the recent special election for the First Congressional District.

All they had to do was run one high-profile candidate. Instead they ran two and split the democratic vote so that a Republican managed to win.

So for the next seven months that district — with a majority of voters who are Democrats — will be represented by a Republican. Hopefully, this situation will be rectified in November.

Neil Abercrombie is responsible for this situation. By resigning when he was desperately needed in Washington, he put his own ambition ahead of the needs of the people of Hawai'i. This will very likely hurt his chances of winning the governorship in November.

WHERE DID OTHER CANDIDATES FINISH?

I was disappointed by the lack of coverage of all the candidates running for Congress, especially the final ballot count.

I voted for one of those who was not in the top three and I have no idea what kind or how much support my candidate received.

HB 444

NOT ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS REJECT BILL

The reporting in the media is that opposition to the civil unions bill is coming from religious groups. It would be more accurate to say that some opposition to the civil unions bill is coming from some religious groups. Certainly, the historic Honolulu Church of the Crossroads fully supports the passage of this bill. In any event, if one truly believes in a God that created all things, then clearly gays are supposed to be here.

On a more practical note, Hawai'i's tourism may show a significant improvement from the passage of this bill, and that is an aspect that needs to be considered.

I suspect that once it becomes clear that civil unions will not distract the voters from the disastrous economy, and the disastrous wars, Gov. Lingle will sign this legislation.

TRADITIONS CHANGE THROUGHOUT HISTORY

Thanks to Jay Sakashita, assistant professor of religion at Leeward Community College, we get a much larger picture of "traditional marriage."

Our mothers and grandmothers had more experience with the bondage of tradition than we do. They knew how it felt for men in long black robes to make the rules around which they had to abide.

My grandmother had seven children before she was 25, and that was "traditional" marriage for her. Because of "tradition," women could not vote, most could not own property or get an education.

I believe that traditions are meant to provide continuity, not imprison. Women would not have the freedoms and chances for fulfillment today if we had not marched in the streets for the right to vote and the right to have dominion over our bodies.

That struggle still continues as we ask Gov. Lingle to be on the correct side of history as she ponders which part of tradition needs preserving. Does a civil union between people of the same sex threaten my marriage?

If it does, I need to examine my tradition and perhaps my marriage.

SUSTAINABILITY

STATE MUST PROTECT PRIME FARMLANDS

It is with regret that I post what will likely be my last letter to The Honolulu Advertiser. I am honored to have been able to participate in this forum over the years,

My issue is the continuous urbanization of our precious farmlands. Once developed they are gone forever. The state Land Use Commission must immediately halt reclassifying any prime agricultural land for urban use.

There are options available to meet housing needs. The city can implement means of creating much greater density in the urban core.

For example, areas such as McCully/Mo'ili'ili, Kaka'ako, Lower Kalihi, or Kapalama are close to Downtown and should have much greater density.

Furthermore, there are many areas of sloping land or marginal agricultural lands to consider. It is the prime lands that are the precious asset here for future green space and sustainability. Please make your voices heard to the Legislature and the City Council.

Besides, we do not need 50,000 more cars a day out past the H1/H2 merge.