July 3, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Saturday, July 3, 2010

July 3, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 3:14 PM :: 10235 Views

Veto override session dead (gay lobby smacked down)

"It is important to note that every bill on the governor's potential veto list has merit," Say wrote in a memo to members. "The Legislature had good justification for passing them.

"My consultation and discussion with the House majority members, however, leads me to conclude that no absolute imperative or exigent reason exists to override any of the vetoes of the bills on the list."

He listed four reasons the vetoes should stand: The bill did not have the two-thirds support of members to override a veto, the bill was not of sufficient statewide concern, the governor's objections had merit or the bill no longer is needed to balance the budget.

The civil unions bill passed by a vote of 18-7 in the Senate and 31-20 in the House, three votes shy of the two-thirds needed to override.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa did not return telephone messages seeking comment.

KITV: Lawmakers' Decision Surprises Civil Union Supporters, Opponents

HNN: Hawaii House won't hold special veto override session

Civil Beat Climb down: Pretends to apologize, then calls Business Roundtable liars

This is how self-righteous progressives do it when they are forced to back down. By CB Editor and mainland transplant John Templeton (with helpful and informative annotations added by HFP):

I've been (spoken to) privately in connection with an article we published Thursday about the ties of a member of the executive committee of the Hawaii Business Roundtable to the board of the Hawaii Family Forum, the group leading the fight against the civil unions bill on Lingle's desk.

We do feel that what drives an influential organization and the linkages it has, bear reporting. Linkages between organizations can be revealing. In the absence of a clear statement by a group like the roundtable, (their letter is not a clear statement???) people look for links to understand possible motivations. (Gay lobby looks to CB and SA to hunt their opponents down.) Our goal in the article wasn't to single out a particular individual's point of view. (Yes it was.) If we left that impression, it was inadvertent. (No it was purposeful. Message: If you stand up, the gay lobby will knock you down.) Our goal was to shed light on why the roundtable might have done what it did. (No. Their goal was to hunt them down and round them up.) What still hasn't come out is the reason for what the roundtable did. (They stated their reasons very clearly in the letter.) Frankly, it appears that its decision might have been religiously driven. (In other words, the CB editor is accusing Business Roundtable leaders of lying.) That's perfectly fine, and nothing to be embarrassed about. (Is the gay lobby’s atheism perfectly fine and nothing to be embarrassed about?) And if that's wrong, we invite the committee members who sent the letter to tell us. (They already have—twice.)

Gay Lobby releases stacked poll

The QMark poll shows 81% agreed that "committed couples and their families, regardless of their sexual preference or orientation, should have the same rights." The number was an increase from a 73% result obtained on the same question in a 2007 poll. Additionally, 64% agreed that "couples of the same gender should have access to the legal privileges and protections of marriage as couples of the opposite gender - as a matter of civil rights."
Coalition members include Equality Hawaii, the GLBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG-Oahu and Pride Alliance Hawaii. Representatives from each group delivered the poll results and constituent contacts to Governor Lingle in an effort to ensure the record is set straight in advance of the Governor's decision regarding the bill on July 6.
For detailed information on the QMark Poll including question responses and demographic breakdown, go to:
www.equalityhawaii.org/Downloads/QMark-memo.pdf
www.equalityhawaii.org/Downloads/QMark-table.pdf

(It is odd that this is not all over the media. Maybe the gay lobby has overreached and they are being slapped back.)

Lingle receives 34,000 comments on civil unions (Gay document dump)

Lingle spokesman Russell Pang said Friday that just in the last week, about 12,000 comments arrived at the governor's office, 86 percent of them favorable toward the legislation and 14 percent opposed.

Pang says a week ago, about 80 percent of the 22,000 communications that had been received at that point asked the governor for a veto.

Gay Lobby: HB 444 is consistent with nation's founding document

Legislators’ Incompetence costs Hawaii $50M in UCOMP benefits—they blame DLIR

Parnell contacted several state legislators to find out why they failed to act this legislative session to amend the trigger to meet federal requirements. They told him the state's Labor Department never informed them of the change -- which some legislative officials Friday referred to as a fairly minor amendment -- and 13 more weeks of benefits was an option until after the Legislative session ended.

When legislators (who apparently are unable to do their own Legislative research) were finally informed, they called former Labor Director Darwin Ching into a June 7 special hearing to (blame him) question his decision not to inform them.

Ching resigned from his position June 15 to run for Honolulu prosecutor (and so this is a political hit by the Dems); attempts to reach him through his campaign office and at his home were unsuccessful Friday afternoon. Messages left with Gov. Linda Lingle's staff were referred to a Department of Labor and Industrial Relations spokesman, who disputed accounts of Ching's comments.

Borreca suggests Mufi has fixed Sewers

It used to be worse. The original sewage outfall was a plain pipe running off Honolulu. The sewage plume was visible to tourists flying into Honolulu, the gentrified folks up on hills above Honolulu turned their heads. Sailors called it "Marlboro Country" and made jokes about "blind mullets."

Then back when Frank Fasi was mayor, the city put in a new pipe that runs a mile and a half off shore and 200 feet deep. It worked OK. Scientists said it was better—but the federal government said not good enough. Put in secondary treatment like the rest of the country and, by the way, dig up all those sewage pipes that were installed around the time that Duke Kahanamoku was High Sheriff and fix them, too.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann was the last in a line of mayors dating back to Fasi who howled at the perceived injustice of it all.

Since becoming mayor, Hannemann has spent $10 million fighting the feds, the state and the environmentalists in court over the city's leaky pipes and non-compliance outfall. He did that because complying with the federal government would cost $1.2 billion.

But, on Monday, the Earth shifted and the city, the feds and environmentalists announced a "proposed comprehensive agreement" ending the bickering and drawing up a plan to start fixing the pipes and going to secondary treatment.

(Guess what. A “plan” is what every other mayor has left behind. Think of these plans as “Mayor droppings”.)

HNN: Teamsters and SHOPO endorse candidates

Group pushes petition against city bus fare increase

The Faith Action Community Equity group will kick off their month-long petition campaign against the recent bus fare hike at Ala Moana Center on Tuesday.

Members of the group will ask bus riders to sign a petition calling for Mayor Mufi Hannemann to reconsider the recent bus fare increase that took effect July 1.

"Families are having a hard time," said Jun Yang, one of the organizers of FACE. "People are already losing jobs. It's not a good time for anybody."

Bus riders also can sign the petition online at www.ipetitions.com/petition/unfareincrease/. For more information, go to www.facehawaii.org or call 522-1304.

(Bus fare reductions would get people onto public transit faster and cheaper than a railroad ever will.)

Farmer targeted by vandals gets help

Big Island papaya farmers and an Oahu produce wholesaler are lending their support to Laureto Julian, who lost 8,500 papaya trees worth more than $100,000.

"I talked to quite a few farmers in the last day and a half," said Big Island Farm Bureau President Delan Perry. "The farmers are individually and as a group going to help Mr. Julian out."

The 65-year-old Julian does not know how he's going to pay his bills after vandals cut down more than half of the 14,000 papaya trees on his 17-acre leased farm Tuesday night.

Tai Wang, owner of wholesale company Super Foods Inc., was buying about 4,000 to 8,000 pounds of papayas a week from Julian, who also supplies other wholesalers.

KITV: Eco-Terrorism Suspected At Papaya Farm

SA: Ethanol not only alternative

It's hard to believe now, but ethanol was once touted as a hopeful big step into the brave new world of renewable energy, across the nation as well as in Hawaii…. (And the SA editors, undaunted, are eagerly pitching the next environmental tax-scam.)

RELATED: Wind Energy's Ghosts

Let's promote a government independent of special interests

LWV peddling its scheme to fund progressive candidates who can’t get anybody to support them.

In reality ALL government and ALL politics is driven by everybody’s ‘special’ interests if yours is not well represented, you better get more ‘interested.’

This it the idea which underlies the US Constitution.

Civil Beat Editor: Star-Advertiser print edition to be gone in 3-5 years

The group stayed pretty small. Eventually there were perhaps two dozen people in the room, nearly half represented by Civil Beat staff. Did they expect/hope for more? Probably, given the empty chairs, but I don’t really know how to interpret the turnout.

Temple is a smart and experienced journalist and I was looking forward to his take on the local scene in the Star-Advertiser era. John took me somewhat by surprise, beginning with the premise that somewhere in the future, somewhere beyond the next 3-5 years, Honolulu will be a no newspaper city. What will that be like and what can/should we be doing to prepare for it?

In response to a question, this was clarified…a no printed newspaper city.

Here is a look at the agenda of the man who thinks he will deliver your news: