Supreme Court changes needed
Our Founding Fathers did a pretty good job of putting together our democracy and its operational governing power with one exception — the Supreme Court.
First, no government official should have a lifetime appointment, period. This is ludicrous. I know some judges do too, but this is also wrong. They should have definite term limits.
The Supreme Court justices should have limited terms.
A second major error is that the Supreme Court should not be dominated by members of one of the major political parties. This can be done by making it mandatory that each party appoint an equal number of representatives.
Regarding the ruling on Roe vs. Wade, all this will do is affect people in low-income brackets and those of color. We all know the rich will still get abortions by legitimate medial providers, whereas the others will have to again rely on “butchers with coat-hanger procedures.”
I know this for a fact as there were two women of color who I knew before Roe vs. Wade. They both had “coat-hanger” abortions and where bleeding to death had not others intervened and obtained legitimate medical care for them. They both went on to lead productive lives and raise families.
We must change the Supreme Court. Can you imagine that Justice Thomas is considering making birth control illegal in this time when a major worldwide problem is overpopulation, and also relaxing gun control? It’s amazing. Where did the Republicans find him?
John Gordon, Princeville
Elections crucial concerning abortion
Upcoming elections are critical on every level. Hawai‘i could become a “Death Destination.” Past rulings show the overwhelming majority of current lawmakers consider the ending of life as a right.
Hawai‘i is one of only 10 states along with Washington D.C. that legalized physician-assisted suicide. Legislation hashing out details for nurses and physician assistants to write lethal prescriptions and allowing telemedical exams is pending. This could lead to “suicide tourism.”
Correcting the 1973 unconstitutional ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. State lawmakers will decide Hawai‘i’s abortion laws. Over half of the country already has laws with some abortion restrictions. With that in mind, Hawai‘i could become a desirable destination to end the life of an unborn child. Legalizing abortion, even up to full term, under the current administration, could happen.
Before voting, find out the candidate’s stance on these two issues. “Decide between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now choose life, that you and your descendants will live.” (Deuteronomy)
Michele Lincoln, Lahaina
Homeless need bathrooms, water
The letter from Carla Hart regarding lack of drinking water, lack of water for showers, no water to wash hands in the restrooms, is a sad commentary on our treatment of other human beings.
We saw during the pandemic that allowing the houseless to set up camp at some beach parks allowed them a place to be, complete with running water, showers and bathrooms. But it took away some areas that the public normally could use. Can we not find somewhere to allow them a camp with water and bathrooms?
They can establish their own basic rules and make sure they are followed to continue living there. There was a non-sanctioned camp on O‘ahu a few years ago like that. It was self run and working well until the county removed it for being illegal.
Now that our beaches are crammed full of visitors, we need to find other locations that can be used for homeless campgrounds with the basics of a bathroom and water. That isn’t going to involve a lot infrastructure, and it seems like it’s the least we can do. They have to be somewhere. Where do we want that to be?
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
Please enforce fireworks laws
Every 4th of July and New Years Eve, Kapahi gets inundated with illegal fireworks. I have stopped calling the police because they can’t seem to find the culprits. A deaf person could follow the shock waves. It would be nice to see how many citations were issued, how many pets went missing or how many vets with PTSD were terrorized. I have to give my dog a sedative and she still shakes every time they go off. The allotted time for legal fireworks is till 9 p.m., but up here they go off till 11 p.m. My simple request is that they enforce the laws.
Mark Whitson, Kapa‘a
