Dec. 7, 1941, is still referred to as a day of infamy. Nearly 80 years later, however, we have created a new source of national shame and disgrace.

The invasion of the U.S. Capitol and attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021, is the newest date of national infamy. This is an even deeper shame than the Japanese sneak attack. The Dec. 7, 1941, attack ultimately brought our country together and proved the value of every American regardless of ethnicity or political preference.

The Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection divided us and brought out the worst in too many. That these actions were encouraged by a sitting president underscores the severity of the disgrace and damage our democracy now needs to recover from. Sadly, in the view of many, we did this to ourselves.

Glenn Kondo

Kualapuu, Molokai

Jan. 6 in Washington was an ugly epiphany

In the Christian church calendar, Jan. 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany.

“Epiphany” is a Greek word meaning a manifestation, in the sense of an occurrence that reveals or uncovers a truth.

A year ago, in Washington, there was an epiphany. It was ugly. It still is.

Thomas Luna

McCully

Change filibuster rules to protect elections

There can be no doubt that the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was an effort to delegitimize our election process. And, similarly, restrictions on voting rights, either by the states or by the federal government, are un-American.

Since women’s suffrage resulted in the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, and since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, equal access to voting is how the consciousness and the conscience of America have grown. This became a reality because of those who struggled for the greater fulfillment of what America could be and should become.

Now, tired old divisive partisan politics, aggravated by a Donald Trump takeover of almost the entire Republican Party — an idiocracy on steroids — cannot be allowed to restrict U.S. voting rights. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is correct: “The Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an aberration — they will be the new norm.”

Americans must call upon Congress to either act swiftly to change the Senate filibuster rules, if that is what is necessary to preserve the integrity of our electoral system, or come together and pass bipartisan voter reform legislation. What will it be?

Christopher P. Fishkin

Kihei, Maui

Protests, violence at Trump’s inauguration

Another biased, obnoxious and divisive cartoon in the Jan. 5 newspaper (“The whole truth,” Star-Advertiser).

Donkeys may remember Jan. 6, as it was only one year ago. But elephants remember years ago when police were injured and more than 200 arrested at Trump inauguration protests in Washington, D.C., along with tens of thousands of demonstrators in the streets in cities across the country protesting Donald Trump’s election victory, with at least 124 arrests and reports of damage, vandalism and injuries in several locations.

Cynthia Lebowitz

Makawao, Maui

Navy cares about war, not people of Hawaii

The Navy does not care about the health and well-being of the people of Hawaii.

The Navy is in the business of war. Having an adequate fuel supply is part of the strategy of winning the next war.

The Navy does not care about the people of Hawaii. Why should it?

Harvey Chibana

Kaimuki

Try ABCs of Gratitude to ease your anxieties

I have a little trick that I use when I can’t sleep or when I feel worried or anxious. It’s been a hard two years for many of us and I have used this little remedy and it works for me. I’m hoping it will help others as well.

I call it the ABCs of Gratitude.

You will be surprised at how many things you have in your life that are blessings.

Here’s the beginning of today’s list. I am usually asleep before I finish and I feel a smile in my heart.

A: Annie (my daughter); B: bread (my sourdough making); C: children (I visualize a child I met or saw, their face, their smile); D: dogs (I visualize my dog Maka) E: energy (thankful to have it arising); F. friends; G. God; H. Hawaii (how blessed we are)!

You get the picture. It can be small things, big things, people, places or feelings.

Your list will change and it will be yours to reflect on, visualize and enjoy.

Dita Ramler

Kailua

Stronger penalties for fireworks scofflaws

Animal companions and concerned citizens must unite and muster in solidarity at the state Capitol to push our lawmakers and officials we elected into office to adopt stiffer penalties, including felony charges, for distribution and interstate shipping of explosive charges related to regulated commercial aerial fireworks.

I’m not talking about our cultural string- and ground-based firecrackers for good luck in the next year, which fall under religion-based beliefs that I wholly support. But it’s beyond belief that this war-zone effect in every part of our aina, which also affects those veterans with PTSD along with our furry companions, cannot be enforced by our state and city law enforcement personnel.

I am past the point of frustration and anger. We as a people need to make this a flashpoint in time and step up and gather together. How many of us who have had enough will raise their hands?

Byron “Jiro” Kaneshiro

Wahiawa

Libraries should have astrology-skeptical books

Some mainland schools are banning books about racism, slavery, the genocide of Native Americans and LGBTQ issues. In Hawaii we have a different problem: the banning of astrology— skeptical books.

The state librarian and the Board of Education have been unresponsive to my many complaints about the library system’s 51 branches being stocked with hundreds of astrology-promoting books (labeled as nonfiction) and omitting astrology-skeptical books. There is only one copy of one title of the latter in the entire system and access to it is restricted.

This pre-Copernican, anti-science misinformation should not be funded by tax dollars.

Kurt Butler

Makawao, Maui

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