Peacock killing clearly cruel

It is truly a sign of our society’s decaying character when a person can bludgeon a peacock to death and still be acquitted of animal cruelty. If beating a living creature (who feels pain the way that you and I do) to death with a bat is not considered cruel, what is?

As we wonder how our society has gone so wrong, may we remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Humane Society decries verdict

The Hawaiian Humane Society is disappointed and dismayed that Makaha resident Sandra Maloney was not convicted of animal cruelty for bludgeoning a peacock with a baseball bat. Additionally disturbing is that Maloney was reported as saying "it’s open season on peacocks" in reference to the verdict of not guilty.

While peacocks were once the beloved pets of Hawaiian royalty, no animal — whether pet or pest — deserves to die in such a brutal and agonizing manner. There are humane ways to address unwanted animals with organizations and agencies available to help.

We applaud the Honolulu Police Department for charging her and the prosecutor’s office for its pursuit of a conviction. Unfortunately, justice was not served in this case.

City should not ban plastic bags

I hope the Honolulu City Council will not ban plastic bags. I use my cloth bags most of the time when I shop, but I also forget sometimes and this gives me just about enough plastic bags to use for my wet trash. If I did not have them, I guess I would have to go buy plastic bags. This is ridiculous!

And what do tourists do? If you charge them for bags, that doesn’t exactly encourage tourism.

Banning plastic bags is just another knee-jerk reaction to being "green." Let’s instead invent bags that will break up satisfactorily after a couple of uses (but not until the dog poop collectors are finished with them).

Abortion also is a ‘civic sin’

In the news story reporting the appointment of Marc Alexander as state homeless czar, homelessness is identified by Gov. Neil Abercrombie as a "civic sin" ("Ex-priest named state homeless czar," Star-Advertiser, Jan. 21).

As someone who serves in ministry to the homeless in my community every day, I can appreciate that he uses this term to express how strongly he feels about the issue and that he recognizes the responsibility of the many to address the issue.

However, I must say this: A nation and culture that has determined that the aborting of its unborn children is acceptable, in excess of 50 million children since Roe v. Wade, cannot be expected to have compassion for a human life while he or she sleeps on a sidewalk.

I applaud the governor for his position on the homeless condition. I pray that he will reconsider his position on the "civic sin" of abortion.

Alexander must stay focused

I was at first irritated when I learned that Marc Alexander was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to be the state’s homeless czar, since he has been a longtime opponent of equality for members of the gay and lesbian community.

However, I took a moment to reflect on the matter. I strongly believe that members of the gay and lesbian community should be evaluated by the content of their character and ability, not judged by their sexual orientation.

Likewise, it would be unfair for me to judge Mr. Alexander’s abilities based on his religious beliefs.

Mr. Alexander has been a longtime advocate for the needs of the poor and disadvantaged that justifies his appointment to the position. However, anyone whom he may assign to counsel gay youths should follow the standards established by the American Psychological Association and not use religious dogma when counseling these individuals.

Clotheslines should be legal

Nora Santiago’s letter is so totally true ("Homes need clotheslines," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan. 21). Reducing our reliance on imported oil for our energy needs is one of the main goals we are supposedly striving for. Why not let the sun and wind dry more of our clothes? It doesn’t take much of an investment.

Yet many subdivisions built by developers prohibit homeowners from having outdoor clotheslines. The city should stop that restriction just like it passed a law requiring new homes to have solar water heaters. Homeowners should have the freedom to choose a clothesline to dry their clothes.