Members of Stop Rail Now, target of Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s blistering ad this week skewering opponents to the Honolulu rail project, took the mayor to task for using his campaign funds to finance his attack.

I beg to differ.

There is no issue as identified with Hannemann as rail. If he wants to be re-elected this fall — though so far ANY competitors are waiting in the wings — progress on the rail project is key. Barbara Wong, who heads the Campaign Spending Commission, thinks it’s wholly appropriate, too.

Had he used the city public-information contracts for this purpose, then there would have been cause to complain, especially as the tone is so combative.

TOO combative, some might say. Hannemann indeed may be surprised that some of his former supporters were turned off by his abrasiveness in the ad.

But I’m fine with his treatment of the dust-up as a legitimate campaign issue. He spent his money, he assumes the risk of any fallout. The Stop Rail folks haven’t been pulling their punches, either. Might as well take the gloves off.

All’s fair in love and war. This IS war, isn’t it?

— Vicki Viotti 

At my age every new person I meet reminds me of someone I used to know.  So the challenge is to try and remember the name of the person I used to know. And you know what? I’m truly amazed I can remember that person from long ago. The sad part is I’ve already forgotten the name of the person I just met.

Stupid is as stupid does. Didn’t Forrest Gump say that?

It’s doubtful he had City Councilman Rod Tam in mind, though.

In all the storm swirling around Tam’s use of an epithet that’s offensive to Hispanics — and I won’t repeat it here, because you’ve all heard it, right? — there’s debate over whether it’s a racial slur or simply an insult, and over whether Tam was being hostile or merely thoughtless.

Nobody is debating the simple fact that it’s plain dumb for anyone to use such words, especially someone who depends on the goodwill of the electorate for his job..

Tam has apologized, the council has censured him. That seems about right.

Some in the community are calling for his ouster, and they may get their wish — ultimately.

There are times to give elected officials the boot immediately, but a rude comment, even one this rude, doesn’t quite rise to that level. If every politician got the boot for doing something witless, there’d be winds whistling through the empty government offices statewide.

Those who want Tam out should throw their support behind one worthy candidate seeking to replace him in 2010, and one more to run against him if he does go for the lieutenant governor’s post in 2010.

Yes, that’s a long way down the road. But something tells me Tam’s new opponents won’t forget the stupidity.

– Vicki Viotti

“Bodies: The Exhibition” is the title of the spectacle. The words themselves don’t scare anyone off — we like to look at bodies, right? — until they realize just how literally accurate the title describes things.

These are plasticized but very real cadavers, of real people, and they’re really on display at Ala Moana Center, and for a really fat admission charge, too.

In theory there’s a facination with human physique that could be indulged here. Or so I thought, until I learned more of the particulars.

Specifically: It’s not really clear how these bodies were obtained from China. And even if some official gave permission, most decent people would agree that it wasn’t his or hers to give.

But what brought the picture into focus for me was, well, the picture. The one we ran in our newspaper.

It was a closeup of a cadaver, of the face. Yes, we can study the sinews and muscles and muse about how they all interconnect, but at the point where you’re looking into a face, it ceases being a academic exercise.

It’s inhumane. And just plain creepy that such a thing becomes a public amusement.

I know I won’t be able to walk through the door.

— Vicki Viotti 

In 1990 when the statue of Duke Kahanamoku was erected in Waikiki, a group of traditionalists complained the Duke would never turn his back on the sea and insisted the statue be turned around.  Which never happened.  It’s still good advice, unless you’re a statue.