• Akaka bill • Lingle and tobacco • Stem cell research Akaka bill Contrary to the impressions from Monday’s Associated Press story, the Akaka bill remains very much alive in Congress. The Associated Press, which reported the story, did The
• Akaka bill
• Lingle and tobacco
• Stem cell research
Akaka bill
Contrary to the impressions from Monday’s Associated Press story, the Akaka bill remains very much alive in Congress.
The Associated Press, which reported the story, did The Garden Island readers a disservice by rehashing a letter U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona sent to a constituent regarding his opposition to federal recognition.
The letter was written nearly a year ago, and contents of that letter were prominently reported in The Honolulu Advertiser on Sept. 24, 2003.
Why did the Associated Press deem it “newsworthy use the same quotes from this dated letter as the lead item in an update on the Akaka bill? At the very least, a news outlet should report when the letter was written, to put it in context with the numerous changes to the bill in the past year.
Our governor and Congressional representatives are working together to advance the enactment of this bill.
Misinformation, either deliberately placed or through journalistic sloppiness, only adds to the confusion and controversy surrounding this historic measure.
Haunani Apoliona
Chair – Board of Trustees
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Lingle and tobacco
We commend Governor Lingle and her bold stand against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and its deplorable new campaign that uses images of our island home and culture to peddle its new candy-flavored cigarette – Kauai Kolada.
It is alarming to see the tobacco industry is up to its old tricks, this time targeting young people by masking the harsh taste of tar and nicotine with sweet flavors. It is clear the tobacco companies will employ every possible tactic — including, using the beauty and magic of Hawai‘i as a marketing gimmick n to sell a product that kills.
Thanks to the master settlement agreement, Hawai‘i is scheduled to receive $1.3 billion over the next 25 years; these funds enable Hawai‘i to fight back against the tobacco industry’s highly effective marketing and advertising tactics, and to get the facts about smoking out to the public, It is vital that these funds be protected and used exclusively for their intended purpose.
We urge everyone to call or write R.J. Reynolds and let them know Hawai‘i’s image is not for sale. Please send your letters to Mr. Andrew J. Schindler, Chief Executive Officer, RJ Reynolds, 401 North Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27102.
We look forward to working with Governor Lingle and the entire community as we continue to create a new way of thinking about smoking that will result in healthier, longer, tobacco-free lives for Hawai‘i’s people.
Deborah Zysman
Executive Director
Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii
Stem cell research
As a mother who has a son that is a Type 1 Diabetic I am in support of stem cell research. In answer to the letter written by Dawn Rodriquez (Aug. 3) there is much to support in stem cell research. Stem cell research could eventually bring recovery to chronic, debilitating and fatal diseases such as stroke victims (every 45 seconds an American has a stroke), help for spinal cord injuries such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other brain disorders. Stem cell research will lead to a cure for my son by offering a pancreas transplant using stem cells to allow him to lead a long and normal life. Irving Weissman, MD, Director of Stanford’s Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center in California is part of a movement in the United States that will eventually give millions of people around the world an opportunity to live a healthful productive life. To learn more and “find the truth” as Dawn Rodriquez asks, go to http://med.stanford.edu/.
Mary Thompson
Wailua Homestead/Palo Alto
