Shame on those politicians who created the shutdown of our government.

There are thousands of military personnel and their families who were worried if they would have a paycheck so they can buy food to feed their families and pay their bills. Shame, shame!

Being a retired serviceman, I’m very familiar with living the day-to-day, payday-to-payday routine. These real heroes are America’s finest. Shame on the Democrats in the House — you can bet they will get their pay while our true heroes have to worry. My family and I will remember this during future elections.

Jim Taylor

Kapolei

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Being pro-life should extend beyond birth

President Donald Trump has again claimed to support the right to life (“President reaches out to foes of abortion,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 20). But what about babies born to illegal immigrants who may be deported, or others who grow up to be poor, homeless and/or need affordable health care, Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security to survive — just let them die on the street?

In a society with a moral conscience, caring for life should extend beyond birth.

David Chappell

Kaneohe

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What has happened to fish on our reefs?

In the past, when the moratorium against fishing in the Diamond Head preservation area ended, hundreds of divers showed up to harvest the bounty. It usually took them about three days.

This year, only a few showed up, and they were packed up and gone in a couple of hours. What happened?

The only plausible answer is that the fish population did not recover this year. Is this an ominous sign that this resource is exhausted?

It’s worth finding out. Population increases have contributed to the degradation of our reefs. So has pollution and storm runoffs.

To make matters worse, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is holding workshops to encourage us beneficiaries to reinstitute the use of throw nets and gill nets, which could hasten the devastation to our remaining marine resources.

Unless the state and OHA come up with a plan to remedy this situation, there is a very good chance the fish populations and our reefs will not survive.

Jim Growney

Diamond Head

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Why is HI-EMA hub closed on holidays?

When I saw the photo and read the caption on Page A1 of last Tuesday’s paper — the one showing a vacant communications hub at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency because of the national holiday — I assumed there would be some explanation as to how alarms are handled on holidays, but I saw no such explanation (“Fallout,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 16).

Are we to assume that our enemies will not launch any missiles on national holidays?

Michael Tymn

Kailua

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Put people over pets when seeking shelter

I spent a very uncomfortable 38 minutes in a shelter with several other families during the false alarm.

I was mortified to hear and see how many families spent precious time ensuring their dog was in the shelter with us, even wasting precious moments and potentially risking their children’s lives to make sure the dog is saved. Too far, people!

Mark Adam

Salt Lake

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Trump’s tweets raise nuclear anxiety level

After reading stories about the panic and fear in Hawaii wrought by the unfortunately timed incoming missile alert (“Oops!” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 14), I can only blame President Donald Trump and his childish tweets about nuclear buttons and whatever else.

It has brought a heightened sense of fear, paranoia and dread among the people of the world. Now there is the supposed reality of ballistic missile launches, even though a launch from North Korea would bring complete destruction of that country and possibly a worldwide conflagration. It would not be a strategic and logical move by North Korea. Thus, I trust in dialogue and diplomacy between all parties.

However, Trump’s tweets have created a new normal.

Having grown up in the “duck and cover” era, I believe it’s time for the Trump administration to act like adults and tone this whole confrontational tweet and button charade down — way down.

Lance Holter

Paia, Maui

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Focus on harassment by UH faculty, staff

Faculty and staff with enormous power over female students were blamed by a third of the women who told surveyors they were sexually harassed at the University of Hawaii (“UH survey reveals extent of sexual harassment,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 9).

That’s the real news from a very limited survey of UH students. But the Star-Advertiser buried the survey’s most damning result in the 10th paragraph on an inside page almost halfway into its story.

The newspaper’s turgid editorial about this also buried the big news (“Expand fight for safer campuses,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, Jan. 10).

No one asked what investigation will now be conducted to determine what faculty members and staff abused their positions of great power over students to harass them sexually by word or deed, and whether those faculty and staff members will be fired.

Abuse by faculty and staff is far more outrageous than abuse by fellow students, because they have power to force women to accept their behavior and not talk about it.

Walter Wright

Kaneohe