Treaty letter misses mark
In his letter, “Know what’s being done to your rights,” Mr. Shawn Daggett plays fast and loose with the truth. The only true statement in the letter is that the Senate voted 53-46 on an amendment to prevent the United States from ratifying the United Nation’s Arms Trade Treaty.
His untrue statements include: (1) that there are 108 Senators in the U.S. Senate; (2) that HR4269 is “named the U.N. Resolution/Arms Trade Treaty” (it is called the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2015”); (3) that the Arms Trade Treaty calls “for weapons collection and disarming of Americans” (it does not; the treaty deals with international trade in military-type weapons, not guns anyone already owns); (4) that, under the treaty, “our government would have actively supported and carried out weapons collection and disarmament of private gun owners across America” (it would not; it deals with international trade, not guns anyone owns); and (5) the treaty (“this foreign treaty”) infringes on “Second Amendment rights” (first, the treaty does not even deal with personal firearms, only the trade in arms; and second, U.S. court decisions have determined and continuously upheld that the U.S. Constitution — including Amendments — trump treaty provisions; thus, even if there were such a provision in the treaty, it would be null and void in the United States.)
You can find the full text of HR4269 by searching “HR4629 text” and the full text of the Arms Trade Treaty by searching that title.
James H Fenner
Colonel, USAF (Ret.)
Kailua-Kona and Lake Oswego, Ore.
Vector control needs added support
We should all strongly urge our representatives to pass SB No. 2240. It will increase staff of the DOH Vector Control unit by 4FTE and mandate the creation of a Vector Control Branch.
While a clearly long overdue step in the right direction, this staffing increase will only partially replace extreme cuts implemented since 2009.
What can be a higher priority than public health and safety? As we’ve seen with the dengue outbreak, an effective vector control program is critical to public health. With virtually every public health agency now predicting that the Zika virus (which is associated with devastating birth defects) will spread to areas susceptible to dengue, the need for a more effective vector control program is compelling.
Of course, funding alone won’t solve the problem. Spraying with detergent was a huge waste of precious resources and time. The program must be effective and sustained over time. It won’t be easy, but what is the alternative?
Does Hawaii want to be on CDC’s list of areas to be avoided by women of child-baring age?
Matthew Lincoln
Waimea