Hawaii 5th Lowest Drunk Driving Fatalities
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The Perverse Panic over Plastic
New Maritime Report Marked by Factual Errors and Dubious Claims
Hawaii Family Forum Legislative Week in Review
Kauai Still Trying to Figure out Whether to Remove Alleged Meth Kingpin from County Council, Committee Chairmanship
KGI: … On Kaua‘i, some community members are rallying to remove Brun from office, a proposition that isn’t easy because the Kaua‘i County Charter doesn’t specifically provide for impeachment of those serving two-year terms unless they’ve broken the county’s code of ethics.
(Question: Is selling meth unethical? Its not like he was growing GMO seed corn or drinking from a single-use plastic bottle.)
Kapahi resident Fern Holland took matters into her own hands after hearing that Brun was arrested, and has started an online petition to remove Brun from the Kaua‘i County Council.
At 11:12 a.m. Friday the petition had 32 signatures, and by 5 p.m. it gained over 300 signatures. She says she needs 3,000 signatures to make some headway on her goal.
“We the voters of Kaua‘i demand that he (Brun) be immediately removed from his council position,” Holland says in the petition. “He has violated the trust of our community. It is an embarrassment that this has continued for as long as it has and atrocious that he remains the vice chair of Public Safety &Human Services Committee.”
She continued: “This investigation into the corruption and drug-trafficking ring he has orchestrated has been going on for nearly a year and the people of Kaua‘i should not have to accept one more day of him as an elected official.”
Mayor Derek Kawakami and Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro both released statements on the arrest Thursday, expressing disappointment in the situation.
Councilmember Mason Chock expressed his own disappointment Friday, calling for Brun’s resignation from the council.
“As councilmembers elected to serve Kaua‘i, we need to be ready and willing to put the needs of the community first. If a member is not ready or willing to do, they are a liability to this county and island,” Chock said.
“Councilmember Brun should do what is right for the people and help to uplift the integrity of the legislative body. He should resign so he can focus on himself and his family.”
Other councilmembers brought up the innocent-until-proven-guilty rule.
“The County Council is required by charter to uphold a presumption of innocence until guilt is proven,” said Councilmember Felicia Cowden (an anti-GMO nut). “The county charter does not allow the council to directly remove a colleague from office.”
(Too bad Brun wasn’t caught spraying pesticides. Then this would be an easy decision.)
Cowden said addiction is a health crisis, and that illegal drug distribution has no business in government leadership.
“Our community has a deeply painful problem with dangerous drugs. I applaud our county police and federal law enforcement for an effective effort at the arrest of 12 individuals that have evidence of their involvement with drug trafficking,” Cowden said.
Councilmember Luke Evslin reiterated the importance of public trust and safety, echoing statements that elected officials should be held to “the highest standards.”
“I am hoping that all involved can take the necessary actions so that we can all move forward and heal as an island. There are too many families on Kaua‘i that have been ripped apart by crystal meth, and we need to come together to end this epidemic in our community,” he said.
Councilmember KipuKai Kuali‘i could not be reached for comment, and Councilmember Ross Kagawa declined to comment….
Background: Feds: Kauai Councilman is Meth Kingpin for Samoan Prison Gang
HNN: Embattled Kauai Councilman accused of using drugs to pay for sex, feds say
read … Maybe if Brun were Captaining the Superferry they could decide
History of Drug Dealers in Hawaii Politics
Gabbard:
Tsuneyoshi:
Sen J Kalani English:
DPP:
Hanabusa:
Akaka/Inouye:
Billy Kenoi:
Elle Cochran:
Hawaii County Ethics Board Easily Confused over Maunakea Access Road
HTH: … Jurisdictional issues over Maunakea Access Road and who has authority to police it were at the forefront Friday, during several hours of testimony to the county Board of Ethics.
The board, after listening to dozens of testifiers, decided during a closed-door session to call in special counsel not affiliated with the county to help define the parameters of the board’s jurisdiction and authority. In the meantime, the creation of a resolution to conduct an investigatory hearing as to “why the rule of law is not being enforced” is on hold….
The perspectives were wide-ranging and didn’t easily fall into categories. A few testifiers addressed the pros and cons of allowing the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea, although Robinson had cautioned them in advance that this wasn’t the topic of discussion.
Some in the restless crowd filling the council chambers in Hilo grumbled, booed and spoke over testimony from those they disagreed with, and a few chanted “Time, time, time!” when they thought a speaker was exceeding the allotted three minutes.
“Your rule of law does not apply to me nor any Hawaiian on our homestead lands. … It’s an access road that belongs to us. … That road belongs to me, not any of you,” said Maxine Kahaulelio, one of the 38 kupuna arrested on the mountain last year….
(Translation: ‘L’etat c’est moi.’)
Michael Nathaniel, a Native Hawaiian, recounted stories from his childhood of playing on the mountain and said he doesn’t think he should be blocked from going there now. He asked that the board investigate who has jurisdiction over the road.
“I was never told at any time that the mauna was considered sacred,” he said. “Elected officials have not been enforcing the law fairly and equally.”…
Ryan Thompson also asked that the Ethics Board take a stand. He said he went to the mountain Dec. 14 and was turned away by the kia‘i.
“There should be equal protection of everyone’s rights,” Thompson said. “They did not protect my rights that day on Dec. 14. The equal protection of the law is a constitutional right we should all enjoy, but it seems that not everyone gets to enjoy that.”….
Background: Is Allowing the Anti-Telescope Blockade Ethical?
read … Ethics Board seeks outside legal help over Maunakea Access Road
KAHEA Telescope Protesters Cry ‘Racism’ to Keep Finances Secret
HTH: … On Friday, attorneys for a group of anonymous donors to KAHEA filed a petition to the Hawaii Supreme Court requesting that the court rescind the state’s order allowing Connors to subpoena KAHEA’s records, arguing that such a subpoena would reveal the donors’ identities and violate their rights to privacy.
“From our clients’ perspective, it’s clear that this is an unwarranted attack on their privacy,” said one of the donors’ lawyers, Maui attorney Lance Collins.
Collins said the attempted subpoena is a clear attempt to intimidate opponents state-supported projects, which sent state officers to clear the Maunakea Access Road last July after protesters blocked the road in protest of the construction of TMT.
“It’s not the first time a state has tried to do this,” Collins said, citing the 1958 Supreme Court Case NAACP v. Alabama, wherein the state of Alabama attempted to subpoena the records of the African-American civil rights organization NAACP, including a list of its members in Alabama.
“It’s just a shame that the person trying to do it now is the Attorney General of Hawaii,” he said.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Alabama in 1958, citing the right to privacy of law-abiding citizens….
(CLUE: The telescope is not the KKK.)
LINK: KAHEA News Release
read … State is seeking information about those who provided support to TMT protesters
Will Maui Charter be Amended to Allow Municipal Governments?
MN: … I recently wrote about our singular lack of democratic privilege at having no municipal government in Hawaii (the only state in America). Now is our chance to rectify this lack, as the charter is currently being updated, according to council person Tasha Kama. Unfortunately, a direct citizen petition requires signatures of 20 percent of voters in the last election, an onerous procedure. Our only option is to have the council make the proposal through a supermajority vote. So, if you want a democracy that the rest of the country enjoys, call your council member now and urge their support. Our democracy depends on it! Go Kihei!…
As Explained: Kahuku and Waimanalo Protests show why Hawaii Needs Municipal Government
read … Call your council member for municipal government
SB3038: Tax Free Taro Money Laundering Bill
CB: … Senate Bill 3038, which is poised to pass next soon from the Senate to the House for its consideration, would exempt taro production from the state income tax.
The bill reads, “The Legislature finds that the department of agriculture has pointed out that the state is most at risk for staple starches. Taro is a hypoallergenic complex carbohydrate that plays a critical role in the health of the family, particularly Native Hawaiians.”
It continues: “Yet, the cost of poi remains inaccessible to families most in need of this important staple starch food.”…
(HOW THIS WORKS: I will plant a taro patch. My restaurant will suddenly begin spending all of its profits buying my taro crop from me. Everybody will get a little cup of poi with their dinner order. I will no longer pay any income tax because my restaurant is no longer profitable because of the exorbitant price I charge for my own poi.)
read … Bill Would Exempt Taro Production From Income Tax
Funeral services for slain Honolulu police officer Kaulike Kalama to be at Kamehameha Schools campus
SA: … Funeral services for Honolulu police officer Kaulike Kalama, one of two officers killed in January while responding to a landlord-tenant dispute, have been scheduled for March 7 at the Bishop Memorial Chapel at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama.
Public visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. with services from 10:45 a.m. at the campus, 1887 Makuakane Street, a Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman said….
read … Funeral services for slain Honolulu police officer Kaulike Kalama to be at Kamehameha Schools campus
Honolulu’s homeless tent project dispatches 156 Bums to Shelter –Now moving to Moiliili
SA: … The city is closing up its Homeless Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered Persons (HONU) program in Waipahu and relocating to Old Stadium Park in Moiliili at noon Monday.
The HONU project, which is comprised of a series of inflatable tents and a hygiene center, was meant to be temporary and easily transportable. The project, which is being funded by $6 million in state money, is staffed 24 hours a day.
When the Waipahu location first opened at the Waipahu Cultural Garden Park in mid-December, Honolulu police Capt. Mike Lambert told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he expected to move to Old Stadium Park within 90 days.
While in Waipahu, the project admitted 258 guests — 156 of whom moved into shelters and and one who found permanent housing, the city said. The goal of the program, run jointly by the Honolulu Police Department and the Department of Community Services, was to place 300 persons over a 12-month period.
“The progress of every person utilizing the HONU services is followed within the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS),” said Pam Witty Oakland, Director of the City Department of Community Services. Her agency “will continue to monitor HONU guests within HMIS to determine whether they are able to sustain shelter and housing. This is the data point that will determine the long-term success of the program,” she said….
read … Honolulu’s homeless tent project is moving to Moiliili
‘Green’ Energy Project is the Dirtiest of them all
IM: … Hu Honua wants to burn wood chips. Burning wood has higher emissions than burning fossil fuel ….
read … Hu Honua Update
Complaint filed over transgender MIL track athlete
MN: … A Title IX complaint was filed this week by the parent of a female high school athlete over a transgender competitor in the Maui Interscholastic League girls track and field season, which began Friday….
Monteleone said the transgender athlete had competed in girls’ volleyball at Kamehameha Schools Maui in the fall. Previously, the athlete had been competing as a male, Monteleone said.
Monteleone, an award-winning track athlete, alleges that the Hawaii High School Athletics Association’s policy regarding transgender athletes is in violation of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination against a person on the basis of sex, by discriminating against female athletes….
read … Collision at the Intersectionality
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