Keli’i Akina Launches OHA Campaign
Back to the 9th Circuit: Akina v. State of Hawaii
New Federal Rules May Hurt Small Farmers in Hawaii
10 Free Market Solutions for Agriculture in Hawaii
Unanimous SCOTUS: You Can Judicially Challenge A Clean Water Act Jurisdictional Determination
Mayor’s Race: Ernie Martin Chickens Out
Campaign chaos: Caldwell, Schatz Try to Break into Locked Election Office
Borreca: …It started with Kobayashi’s surprise, last-day announcement that she would run for mayor and leave her City Council seat.
Upon hearing that, Hannemann enlisted Caldwell, the House Democratic leader who had already filed for re-election, to run for Kobayashi’s Manoa Council seat.
Bainum, who had left his Council seat to unsuccessfully run against Hannemann in a previous contest, jumped back in to fill the Kobayashi chair.
Incumbents win 92 percent of the time, so when an office opens up, it is a magnet for the politically ambitious.
The confusion soon escalated as it became clear that Caldwell had filed for both the Council and the House. Caldwell wavered and said he might still run for the House if he didn’t like the Council candidate.
Then the Democrats stuffed Chrystn Eads, an executive assistant for Hannemann, into the House seat to be abandoned by Caldwell.
Eads was late getting her papers filed, and Caldwell didn’t have enough signatures from voters in his district. Eads had to drop out, leaving the House seat without a Democratic candidate. And Caldwell was ruled ineligible to run for the Council.
The chief elections officer ruled that the Democrats could pick another candidate, so they went with Choy, who was well-known in the district and had kept the campaign books for several area Democrats.
GOP Gov. Lingle offered a description, calling the chronology “shocking and embarrassing.”
Lingle noted that Schatz, as Democratic Party chairman, was trying to pry open the doors to help Caldwell and Eads.
“Some political hack goes in and tells an elections official how to run an election and do something that was obviously wrong. … The U.N. sends people around the world to make sure things like that don’t happen,” Lingle said….
read … Campaign chaos in 2008 holds lessons for politicians
Gabbard Featured at Atheist Rally in Washington, DC
CNN: Thousands of atheists turned out Saturday on a muggy Washington day to take part in "Reason Rally," dedicated to boosting their political power …
Signs and slogans bearing atheist slogans -- "I think therefore I'm Atheist" -- proliferated on the National Mall as musical guests and promotional videos played on stage.
(Thus confirming the fact that atheism is a religion in which the believer worships himself as a god.)
In an informal survey of the crowd, Bernie Sanders, who has called himself a "non-religious" Jew, was the standout favorite….
The rally's major political issues are climate change, reproductive rights and LGBT equality….
Gabbard said that, as a U.S. soldier serving in the Middle East, she witnessed "endless" conflicts driven by religious sectarianism. Bigotry based on faith also occurs closer to home, the congresswoman continued….
"A pluralistic, secular government is the only way to ensure that all individuals have the freedom to follow the religious path of their choice," said Gabbard (whose Hare Krishna Cult once sponsored ‘Independents for Godly Government’) ….
The last Reason Rally, held in 2012, may have had a much more excluding vibe, Liddell said. "Some of our speakers were anti-theists and anti-religion."
This year, she said, the focus has shifted to secularism. "We need to ally with people who share our goals….”
Flashback:
read … Gabbard Featured at Atheist Rally in Washington, DC
So-Called Consumer Advocate Opposes Lower Rates, Cleaner Energy
PBN: A state agency wants Hawaii regulators to suspend or dismiss Hawaiian Electric Co.’s development of a combined-cycle power plant that would be able to utilize liquefied natural gas at its Kahe Power Plant in Leeward Oahu. (Translation: We must keep burning oil.)
The development of the combined-cycle plant is contingent on state regulatory approval of NextEra Energy Inc.’s proposed $4.3 billion acquisition of the state’s largest utility, according to public documents.
The Hawaii Division of Consumer Advocacy said Friday in a filing with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission that suspending or dismissing the application is reasonable and in the public interest, because the basis for the application is dependent upon conditions or unknown future events.
A decision on the NextEra-HECO deal by the PUC is expected to be revealed this month. Florida-based NextEra has heavy natural gas experience and has acted as an adviser to Hawaiian Electric on the utility’s LNG endeavor.
If the sale isn’t approved, Hawaiian Electric said it would still be interested in pursuing LNG but would need to negotiate a new contract, which, it says, would mean lower, delayed savings for customers.
read … Hawaii agency wants regulators to dismiss HECO's new power plant
DoTax Running Five Weeks Slow on Check Processing
SA: “As of May 24, we were processing checks from the third week of April (the week of the filing deadline). We are unable to provide an estimated check deposit date for paper checks.”
read … Time Value of Money
State DOE proposes ‘transgender student guidelines’ to Allow Dressup and Bathroom Play
HTH: …Guidelines touch on restroom and locker room rules — students should be able to choose their preferred bathroom, and, if a student feels uncomfortable, either transgender or not, they can request an alternative.
They also encourage schools to address students by their preferred name and pronoun, though on official records — used on standardized tests for example — legal name and sex should be used.
Students also should be able to wear clothes that match their preferred gender, the guidelines say, and students seeking to transition — which means begin living life as the gender with which they identify — school administrators should schedule a meeting and draft a “support plan” that should be revisited regularly.
Prior to drafting guidelines, the DOE researched “model policies” from the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and Lambda Legal, both national LGBT organizations…
The DOE will present draft guidelines to the board today for discussion and input. Guidelines also are under review by the state attorney general’s office. The DOE wants to implement them this fall.
read … Trannies Want to Party With Your Kids
Fires, Shootings at Seattle Homeless Tent City Which Serves as Model for Honolulu
AP: Authorities are investigating a series of fires set in and around a Seattle homeless encampment along Interstate 5 known as the Jungle ….
Three teens arrested in fatal shooting at Seattle homeless camp ….
read … The Model for Hawaii
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