Report: Hawaii Youth Drug Overdose Deaths Double
2018: Hanabusa vs Ige?
CB: For some, there is buyer’s remorse, a feeling of being let down, a belief that Ige’s enthusiasm for a “transformation of the culture of government” is not universally shared. They see Ige as lacking leadership skills.
Some even question whether a “shadow governor” is actually in charge, namely, Chief of Staff Mike McCartney, informal advisor Robbie Alm or Ige’s wife, Dawn Amano-Ige.
And there is already talk that Ige may have a Democratic primary challenger in former Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa — even though the next gubernatorial election is nearly three years away….
read … Hanabusa to Lose Again
HART Plays ‘Big Game of Chicken’ With Council
SA: There are many ways to read the latest development in the rail saga. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation has put a hold on the contract process for the final stretch of the 20-mile alignment until the City Council approves the extension of the tax that will finance it. Why?
HART says it’s an attempt to keep bids from becoming inflated by the funding uncertainty — contractors hate risk. Or is it a big game of chicken with a Council still undecided about how to proceed?
read … Train Wreck
Billionaire’s Website Favors HSTA Plan to Make Peasants Pay 25% More GE Tax
CB: …Editorial made up of regurgitated HSTA talking points…..
read … Voice of Omidyar
After Decades of pandering to Filipino WW2 Vets – Hirono asks Obama to finally Let a few 80-year olds into USA
SA: U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono has urged President Barack Obama to expedite a newly proposed program to reunite family members of Filipino World War II veterans.
In a Dec. 4 letter, Hirono and Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., requested that Obama and his administration launch the program and accept applications by the end of the year. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Department of Homeland Security has the discretion to permit individuals to come to the U.S. on a case-by-case and temporary basis.
On Oct. 2 the department announced its plans to create a program to allow “certain family members” of Filipino WWII veterans entry to the U.S., but it has yet to be implemented. The program was initially announced in July as part of the administration’s recommendations to modernize and streamline the legal immigration system.
“President Obama’s initial announcement this summer was a relief to Filipino World War II veterans and their families who have waited decades to be reunited, and to those of us who fought for years to end the visa backlog,” said Hirono in a statement. “The administration is doing the right thing for these families. However, it is imperative that the administration implement the parole program as quickly as possible so these veterans and their spouses, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s, can finally be together with their children.”
read … Still Pandering
‘Natural’ Supplements Industry Behind Overharvesting of Sea Cucumbers
SA: Hawaii’s sea cucumbers made the news last spring when untold thousands were killed off Maui and Waimanalo.
It surprised me to read that collectors export the animals to Hong Kong for medicine. I didn’t know sea cucumbers were a drug. Apparently, though, drying the creatures’ bodies, pounding them into powder and compressing it into tablets is big business.
A brief Internet search produced a staggering number of maladies sea cucumber pills are supposed to help: whooping cough, bronchitis, urinary problems, some cancers, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, impotence, stomach ulcers, diabetes and senility. One site said sea cucumbers ease joint pain in pot-bellied pigs.
read … More Destruction Wrought by Sponsors of anti-GMO Movement
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