Thurs. April 25: Packed McKinley Forum - news report incomplete

This morning's Honolulu Advertiser ran a short report on last night's forum which was co-sponsored by Americans United -Hawaii chapter, Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State & Church and ACLU Hawaii. In pre-pubicity fliers, AU-Hawaii President, Edward Clark, Mitch Kahle, and ACLU attorney, Brent White are listed as main panelists. The article failed to mention that Americans United, Hawaii Chapter, was a co-sponsor of the event and didn't mention Ed Clark's opening comments. Meradee McCurdy reports that she walked out after an hour because she felt that there was too much "pontification rather than questions from the audience."

Another eyewitness who was there, Brigitte Tiedge, reports: As temporary residents from Germany in Hawaii our son is attending Mc Kinley High School in Honolulu, we are pleased to have found a school where there is an outstanding good atmosphere among the pupils and teachers from so many different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. In contrary to this positive experience we felt very uncomfortable with the Public Forum where a very conservative and christian right dominated the audience. It's overdue to remove the "Love for God" phrase from the code of honor originated in 1927. Removing it from the official school code is the only adequate way to show respect to all religions in Hawaii's society of 2002.

Click Here for the article and judge for yourself. A fuller report will be published in our upcoming second quarterly newsletter.

Earlier in the week, Mitch Kahle reported that the large Americans United banner placed along the main Beretania Street entrance to McKinley grounds which announced the forum was stolen sometime over the weekend before the event. Fortunately, the banner was "up" from Monday to at least Friday - 5 days - ample time for thousands of motorists to see.

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Bush administration moves to repudiate biologist's report on impact of oil drilling
A letter to the Hawaii Tribune Herald dated April 2, 2002 by Ed Clark, AU-Hawaii President

How appropriate! "They" propose to repudiate the findings of 12
years of scientific research; and are charged with the responsibility of "restricting
and closely managing oil exploration and production" in order to reduce the negative
impact.

When has Mr. Bush or his present administration ever restricted the full exploitation
of a resource, let alone oil? ANWR can be expected to be as closely managed as clean
air: (No CAFE standards, no carbon dioxide standards, no particulate emissions standards
and repeal of all mandated enforcement).

This anti-science administration would repeal the laws of gravity, were they not so
fundamentally demonstrable. This "conservative" administration has gone so far astray
from conservatism that it has forgotten the meaning of the word. The only conservation
efforts I have seen demonstrated so far are protection of profits (at public expense) and
"conserving" the fundamentalist Christians' opportunity to preach bigotry and hate ( in
the name of their loving Savior, Jesus Christ) in our schools and public institutions (at the
expense of First Amendment rights.)

How ridiculous to repudiate "a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a
body of facts, or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation
of general laws" (*Random House College Dictionary, The Unabridged Edition, 1980 )
Science does not enjoy the right of majority rule, democracy or caprice.

Whatever the study of science reveals, it is subject to intense scrutiny, peer review,
continued research and rigorous testing. What we know through science is
what has been filtered through generations of this intense study. It is not subject to
repeal, no matter how "politically incorrect".

Edward S. Clark
17-466 Ipu`aiwaha St., Kea`au, Hi. 96749
808 966-7966 edclarkhi@earthlink.net