“Your Voice!” – Discover the Public's Power in the Legislative Process!
Robin Danner Seizes Control of Nai Aupuni Constitution, Seeks Millions for Fake Tribe
HNN: "It's our first path to self-determination. We get to decide. Not a state agency. Not a federal agency. We as Hawaiians get to decide what we want for ourselves,” explained Kaleiaina Lee, one of about 300 participants from all over the state who attended the three-day event at the Sheraton Waikiki.
Officials say the question is what will Native Hawaiians choose? Options range from the creation of an independent nation to the establishment of federal recognition similar to that of Native American tribes.
Just last month, the Department of Interior announced an administrative procedure that will allow a unified Native Hawaiian government to enter into a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States.
"I commend the Obama Administration for promulgating and finalizing a rule that will enable a process of government to government relations between the federal government and a Native Hawaiian entity -- whatever the Native Hawaiians themselves want to do to proceed with that kind of relationship,” said U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D – Hawai’i, 2nd District).
The new DOI rule comes on the heels of the creation of a draft constitution formed by a group of Native Hawaiians this past February after a month-long discussion and debate.
"The path that we have been going down hasn't been in our hands and this constitution and these nation-building efforts provides us the opportunity build a nation but also to regain control of our language, our culture and our history,” said Ka'omaka Aki, a member of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
The 15-page document serves as a blueprint for the future structure and function of a Native Hawaiian government, but doesn't stipulate what it should look like.
"What we had to get people to understand is let's just build a vehicle. Let's just build a means to get us where we want to go. And let's let the people decide through this Democratic process -- once we get a government up and established -- where it wants to end up," said Colin Kippen, who contributed to the constitution draft….
"What's really great about this Constitution is that it empowers Native Hawaiians to malama our culture for every one," said Robin Danner of the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission….
"We will finally have a recognized entity, an organization, a government -- very similar to a county government -- that their number one mission is the well-being of Native Hawaiians. That is something all of Hawai'i needs," said Danner….
In an effort to avoid any conflict -- advocacy groups have been independently raising money for a constitution ratification vote. They say they have about $300,000 already, but expect to need about $2 million in order to also hold government elections….
read … Native Hawaiian Convention tackles self-determination
Condescending Harry Kim Lectures Telescope Supporters
HTH: “You have to change your way of how you approach the messenger,” Hawaii County Mayor-elect Harry Kim told a room full of Rotary Club of Kona Sunrise members Wednesday morning at Humpy’s Big Island Alehouse in Kailua-Kona. “It’s a simple statement of, ‘We were wrong. We will be better.’ That’s where we must go.”
2015: Anti-Telescope Leader Calls for killing telescope supporters -- HS Girl Targeted
One should put themselves in the shoes of an opponent of the project, Kim told the breakfast crowd. Instead of just saying they understand where that side is coming from, truly learn about the history and beliefs of those who oppose the project.
2016: Protester, a Convicted Felon, Puts Human Remains at Telescope Site, says he has more
“It’s a special gift to the people of this world,” Kim said of the mountain on which the state-of-the art telescope was slated for construction before protests and a court ruling eventually postponed it. “When you use this gift, please remember that 99 percent of the people on this island, when they look at Mauna Kea, it’s not as a place of science, they look at it because, some for the majesticness of its beauty, but for many, it’s part of their soul.”
read … Condescending
Caldwell mismanaged and misspent affordable housing funds
CB: …Djou went first and emphasized the uniqueness of the Hawaiian culture and how it can be taken for granted.
He repeated his oft-stated request that voters ask themselves if things are better than they were four years ago, when Caldwell assumed office. If not — and Djou strongly believes the city is not better after four years under Caldwell — they should vote for Djou.
Council leader Robin Danner asked what Djou would do about the housing crisis.
Djou said the city had mismanaged or misspent affordable housing funds. He said he’d work with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to provide more affordable housing for Hawaiians….
CB: The Obama Endorses The Caldwell
read … Djou, Caldwell Make Pitches To Native Hawaiian Audience
State says extra Zipper Lane shaves minutes off commute
HNN: Before the State Department of Transportation expanded the Zipper Lane from one to two lanes the average count of vehicles traveling east in the morning was 4,000 a day.
It's been about two months since the two lanes have been operating and HDOT says the daily total has risen to about 5,000 cars.
"We thought we could get about a 20 percent increase in ridership in the Zipper itself, and we got that," Highways deputy director Ed Sniffen said.
"It's been great!" driver Darlene Lee said.
She thinks the added lane cut at least ten minutes off her drive-time to Kalihi.
"It would take me anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to get from Kapolei to here," she said.
HDOT estimates many drivers are now saving 15 to 20 minutes because they can travel drive side-by-side. When the Zipper was single file only traffic could be slower than the lanes outside the Zipper Lane.
(Its amazing what can be accomplished now that artificial traffic jams are no longer needed to generate support for rail.)
read … State says extra Zipper Lane shaves minutes off commute
Hospitalist trend puts pressure on access to doctors
SA: The latest study from the Hawaii Physician Workforce Assessment Project reported that by 2020 the state would have a shortage of 800 full-time physicians — and that’s the best-case scenario. The worst case: a shortage of 1,500, just four years from now.
Further complicating matters is the trend of more physicians leaving private practice to work for hospitals, raising concerns that a critical pool of independent practitioners who provide primary care is shrinking further.
As reported Sunday by Star-Advertiser writer Kristen Consillio, the percentage of Hawaii physicians employed by hospitals rose from 22 percent in 2012 to 30 percent in 2015, according to a new study by Physicians Advocacy Institute Inc….
As Explained: Obamacare Forcing Hawaii Doctors out of Business—Many become Hospital Employees
read … Out of Business
‘Only’ 226 Criminals Put Back on Streets—Soft on Crime ‘Pixies’ Very Disappointed
CB: (…Skip yet another multi-paragraph whine about Arizona prison….)
…Four years ago, Hawaii adopted the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, an “evidence-based” measure similar to the reform efforts underway in Colorado and Mississippi.
According to the Council of State Governments Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that provided technical assistance in crafting JRI, it held a lot of promise for Hawaii. By shifting resources to efforts that promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism, the state could slash its overall inmate population by more than 1,000 by the end of fiscal year 2018 — enough to bring back a majority of prisoners from the mainland.
But, as Civil Beat has reported, the initiative has so far failed to achieve its projected impacts. As of Sept. 26, the state still housed 5,836 inmates, only 224 fewer than when the initiative was adopted in June 2012….
Meanwhile, the Legislature adopted a resolution in April to create the Correctional Justice Task Force, giving it a broad mission to “study effective incarceration policies” in other states.
In a way, the 11-member task force, headed by Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Michael Wilson, is a reprise of what was known as the Justice Reinvestment Working Group, which spent seven months in 2011 to come up with policy recommendations for the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
Meda Chesney-Lind, a criminologist and professor of women’s studies at the University of Hawaii who heads the task force’s education subcommittee, pointed out that the Legislature didn’t allocate any funds for the task force, severely undercutting its potential.
“The kind of data analysis and research that has to happen requires resources,” said Chesney-Lind. “Volunteer members will do what we can, but we all have other jobs and other responsibilities. Pixies are not going to write the kind of reports that we need if this state really wants to make any progress.”
(Tip for Civil Beat scribblers: Once you write a long whine about the Arizona prison, save it and just re-use the text in article after article. It will save you lots of time and nobody will notice.)
read … Pixies
Homeless Dude Sentenced in Bumfight Killing
SA: …A 34-year-old man was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole Wednesday in the murder of a (another) homeless man in Kailua two years ago.
Robert Ryan Roediger-Geauque was convicted in August of second-degree murder.
He had fled the state earlier this year before being charged with murdering Scott MacMillan, 37, on Jan. 13, 2014, in the stairwell of an Uluniu Street building during a dispute over a dry place to sleep. MacMillan was stabbed more than 20 times….
Tashima said that Roediger-Geauque was sentenced to 210 days in jail in 2014 after he was convicted of fourth-degree sex assault….
She said that her grandson, whom she raised, has the “mentality of a 12-year-old.”….
(Don’t worry. He’ll be back out soon.)
read … Homeless
Medicated Dope Stores Could Open as Early as January
HTH: …The groups that plan to open medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii have all identified sites to grow their products, but none of the eight licensees has begun cultivating the plants because they haven’t been given a green light from the state Department of Health.
One holdup is the state doesn’t have a software system to track the product from seed to sale. Tracking software is a requirement of the federal government. The state is finalizing a contract for the software, said Keith Ridley of the Department of Health.
“It’s very important that we get this software tracking system up and running as quickly as possible,” Ridley said.
Also, no laboratories have applied with the state to test the product, although some have verbally expressed interest, Ridley said. Medical marijuana cannot be sold from dispensaries before it’s tested….
Most of the licensees have received zoning approval for their retail locations, and one is ready to begin cultivating plants, according to the Department of Health.
Some dispensary owners have said they’d be ready to open around the New Year, but it’s unclear whether openings will be delayed by issues such as a the lack of laboratories….
read … Keep the People Doped Up So They Won't Notice
Green Energy Schemers: If People will Stop Living and Watch TV, We’d Save Millions
CB: …would you have guessed that Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most energy efficient days of the year? When we all join up for the big game, we aren’t making a special effort to conserve energy. But through our collective change in behavior for that day, many small individual actions make a big difference….
read … Doped up and Watching TV
Hawaii agency opposes rule change for foreign fishermen
AP: A group of Hawaii residents want to change the rules for issuing commercial fishing licenses in the islands and make the process more transparent after an Associated Press investigation found that hundreds of undocumented fishermen work in the fleet….
SA: Workers on ‘floating prisons’ deserve translation help
read … Oppose
Enviros in Desperate Bid to Kill off Hope for Fish Farms
SA: …A public meeting to discuss the development of rules will be held 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at the federal Fisheries Honolulu Service Center, 1138 North Nimitz Highway.
Rules that would be developed would apply to U.S. ocean areas beyond the 3 miles of state jurisdiction and extend 200 miles….
Federal officials plan to develop rules for the operation of fish farms in 2.2 million miles of U.S. waters in the Pacific — a move that many hope will help stem the nation’s annual $11 billion seafood trade deficit.
But some say fish farms in so-called exclusive economic zones should be banned because (insert excuses here.)
NOAA Fisheries must receive comments by Oct. 31. Read the Federal Register notice at bit.ly/2e9l1Uf. Written comments may be mailed to Michael D. Tosatto, Regional Administrator, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 176, Honolulu 96818….
read … Kill American Jobs and Food Production
Residents of 5 States May be Banned from Flying to Hawaii
AP: Residents of five states may be barred from boarding a commercial flight using a driver's license beginning in 2018 because of their states' refusal to comply with national proof-of-identity requirements.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday that it rejected requests from Oklahoma, Kentucky, Maine, Pennsylvania and South Carolina for an extension to comply with the federal Real ID Act. The law, passed in 2005 in response to the 9/11 attacks, imposes tougher requirements for proof of legal U.S. residency in order for state driver's licenses to be valid for federal purposes.
Three other states— Minnesota, Missouri and Washington — were previously notified that they are not in compliance with federal law.
Twenty-three other states and the District of Columbia are in compliance, while others are under review or have been granted limited extensions, DHS reported on its website ….
read … Banned
Hillary Tried to Move Illinois Primary Date in Bid to Help Trump Win Republican Nomination
AP: Hillary Clinton’s campaign tried to move the Illinois presidential primary to a later date, believing it might stop momentum for a moderate Republican candidate after the Super Tuesday primaries and emphasizing that the Clintons won’t forget a political favor, emails made public today show.
A November 2014 email hacked from the accounts of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta was among nearly 2,000 new emails published by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The email, from Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook to Podesta, said Obama administration officials should use their connections in the president’s home state to try to push back the March 15 Illinois primary by at least a month.
“The overall goal is to move the IL primary out of mid-March, where they are currently a lifeline to a moderate Republican candidate after the mostly southern Super Tuesday,” Mook wrote. “IL was a key early win for (GOP presidential candidate Mitt) Romney” in 2012….
read … Trump is a Clinton Plant
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