All candidates seeking elected office in Hawaii must be asked very specifically (and should be held to a yes/no answer) if they support a woman’s right to choose. No waffling or political jibber-jabber. We cannot simply assume that all Democrats are pro-choice and all Republicans are anti-abortion.

California recently enacted laws to counter hateful anti-abortion tactics passed by other states (“Newsom sets up challenges over abortion access,” Star Advertiser, Sept. 28), and we should do the same to protect our wahine, our medical professionals and their teams, and those women who may come to us in need of medical treatment.

The fact that this issue keeps being disputed makes it all the more important that we further codify a woman’s right to her own bodily autonomy. Four religious zealots and an archconservative brushed off 50 years of a constitutional right with the stroke of a pen. We in Hawaii cannot allow that to happen here.

Jill Thach

Kailua

Hawaiian music missing from tourist experience

On our very recent visit to Hawaii, it struck us as strange that we were not hearing the lovely music of the islands. No slack-key guitar, no falsetto voices, no steel guitar or ukulele rhythms. No longer were we hearing the melodies we always enjoyed.

The airport, hotel lobbies, lounges and even stores were devoid of Hawaiian music.

Trying to find a venue for Hawaiian music in Waikiki is very hard to do. Oh sure, you can hear jazz, hip hop, hard rock and more. I can hear those kinds of music at home, if I choose. The only things Hawaiian were the aloha shirts worn by some of the musicians.

I traveled 5,000 miles to hear traditional Hawaiian music, which is part of the fabric of Hawaii and part of the experience of this beautiful place. Hopefully, Hawaiian music will return to its previous level of availability.

Douglas Cresanta

Satellite Beach, Fla.

Use Red Hill fuel here before shipping it away

In regards to the Red Hill fuel tank issue, it was reported that the fuel will be loaded onto tankers and trucked to another tanker ship and shipped back to the mainland (“Pentagon speeds up timeline for defueling Red Hill by several months,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 8).

Would it be cheaper to first fill all Pearl Harbor tanks, ships and vehicles that can use the fuel? In light of the recent high fuel prices, could this be a win-win for the public, whose taxes paid for it to begin with?

We do have a refinery to re-refine it as necessary — lemons to lemonade.

Terry Quisenberry

Haiku

Failed congressional leadership for Hawaii

The visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to tour the Red Hill fuel storage facility and meet with Rear Adm. John Wade underscores inept judgment.

First it was Red Hill, and now it’s the wastewater treatment facility at Hickam and the huge fine imposed by the state Department of Health (“Navy fined $8.7 million for sewage discharges into ocean around Pearl Harbor,” Star-Advertiser, Sept. 28).

Discharging sewage in our oceans? The Naval officers in command at Pearl Harbor and Hickam should be removed from command now and face criminal charges. I’m waiting for our congressional delegation to step up to the plate and come bat for us to hold these executives and/or officers accountable for gross negligence.

Jackie L. Grambusch Jr.

Kapolei

Early-detection tests can find many cancers

As a caregiver and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network advocate, I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to ask Congress to make fighting cancer a national priority. Among the top asks was coverage of new technology to improve cancer early detection.

Several companies are developing blood tests to detect multiple cancers early. These multi-cancer early detection tests will complement, not replace, existing early detection tests. According to published data, some of them can screen for more than 50 cancers at once, including rare cancers.

Congress is considering legislation to create a pathway for Medicare to cover this technology following U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. This legislation would ensure Medicare recipients don’t face unacceptable delays in accessing these new tests once they are FDA approved.

Detecting cancer early could be the difference between life or death. Mahalo to U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele for supporting these efforts in cancer early detection and screening.

Jenny Hausler

Pearl City

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