Letters To The Editor
April 14, 2010 - MidWeek
| Share
Del.icio.usIs this a crisis?
In her recent column, Susan Page relies on paranoia laced with hysteria to attack health care reform. Stoking images of Big Brother, Page states that this reform will create “health care police poring over our personal and business files.” She labels as “nation killers” those members of Congress who voted for reform. And for good measure, Page plays on Americans’ disdain of Communism by suggesting that, under Obama, the U.S. is coming to resemble “the old Soviet system.”
Ironically, last November Page wrote a column criticizing the media’s tendency to sensationalize problems by calling them crises. She wrote: “Most things we call crises really aren’t. They’re uncomfortable, challenging, a dilemma, even problematic, but not crises.” She even goes on to cite health care as a mere dilemma, not a crisis.
I politely suggest that the new Ms. Page read the old Ms. Page and stop using sensationalistic language. Incendiary images serve only to frighten people, not enlighten them. Health care reform passed, but the sun still rises in the east and the U.S. is still here.
Todd Shelly
Hawaii Kai
Tea with civility
After reading Jade Moon’s column citing the Tea Party’s “uncivil” acts, I must point out that our local Tea Party events had zero, zip, nada issues of spitting or name calling, etc.
I suggest Ms. Moon - and everyone else - come out this year April 15 and bring your camera to document how our local citizens protest in an effort to call for a government that is financially accountable.
Paul E. Smith
Honolulu
Calling names
Ms. Goodin claims in her letter that the Tea Party does not promote or condone racist or homo-phobic beliefs. Which may be true.
But actions and words spoken by those who claim a connection to this organization reveal otherwise. Instead of trying to disprove these claims, why not try to actually reach out to people in a more calm and civilized approach?
I find it ironic that Ms. Goodin perceives her organization to be professional, but insinuates that there are a “few morons” reporting the news.
Perhaps she should take a closer look and examine her own biases before mindlessly attacking others.
Ryan Loy Honolulu
Take a break
Jerry Coffee’s columns increasingly sound like tantrums from a child not getting his way, from his rants on the pronunciation of “corpsmen” to Islam to health insurance.
Or perhaps he sounds more like the proverbial old man yelling, “Get off my lawn, you damn kids!” Perhaps Mr. Coffee should take a break and relax at a lesbian bondage strip club.
Justin Tom
Honolulu
Sharing kidneys
I read Yu Shing Ting’s column on kidney donation - good information! I donated my left kidney to my wife in 1998. The kidney is breaking down now so she has to go back on dialysis and back on the waiting list for a new one, but it has sustained her for 12 years. Complicating our situation at the time was that I’m haole (a white dude from Kansas City) and she’s Filipino (we met in the Philippines in 1989 when I was active-duty Navy). She was also pregnant with our daughter Carole at the time, so the medical staff had to deliver Carole at 6 months and then rush us off to Walter Reed for the transplant. Despite the doctors urging us to terminate Carole (which I adamantly refused), we went ahead with the procedure and everything worked out OK. Carole is now a healthy, happy, texting, i-Tuning 12-year-old.
Thanks again for the article. Those of us who have lived the experience can certainly relate.
Darrell D. Ames
Honolulu
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS Comments (0) |
Most Recent Comment(s):
